About the job

Job summary

The Legal Services Department is responsible for the delivery of legal services to the Welsh Government, including advice on complex matters of public law, the handling of high-profile litigation and the preparation of all Welsh Government legislation.

Welsh Government Trainee Solicitors, like lawyers in the department, will work within a division within Legal Services and will be assigned to a subject team within that division working to a Senior Lawyer leading that team responsible for specific functional responsibilities of the government.

Trainee solicitors will be allocated to divisions/subject teams in accordance with the development needs of the individual and the business needs of the department.

Trainee Solicitors will undertake four-month seats within subject legal teams in Legal Services.

Trainee Solicitors will work under the overall supervision of one of the Department’s Deputy Directors.

Job description

• To provide and contribute to the provision of legal advice within a division and within a team portfolio;
• To assist in the drafting of a range of subordinate legislation and in the preparation of legal instructions for drafting of primary legislation and to monitor its passage through Senedd procedures as necessary.  To assist in the drafting of other formal documentation within a team portfolio;
• To assist teams within the division in ensuring it is responsive to customer/client needs and changing circumstances;
• To undertake such research, tasks and projects as are specified by a Senior Lawyer or a Deputy Director which are commensurate with the level of Trainee Solicitor;
• To provide support to colleagues within the department as requested by the Senior Lawyer or Deputy Director.

Person specification

Pan Wales

'Pan Wales' means that the location in which the vacancy can be based is flexible, subject to the needs of the business. A list of the Welsh Government's offices can be found on our website (www.gov.wales). Please note, however, that staff are hybrid working, this means that the majority continue to work remotely, albeit working within Welsh Government offices from time to time. It is likely that such arrangements will see the normalisation of blended or hybrid “place of work” arrangement for many staff in the future.

Candidates who meet the criteria will be invited to attend an interview, which will take place remotely.  In advance of the interview, candidates will receive a scenario exercise. Candidates will be asked to undertake a 5-minute presentation in response to the scenario at the start of the interview to test the first technical skill.

A starting salary between £28,245 and £32,141 will be offered to the successful candidate based on their skills, knowledge and experience gained from working within a setting which has given them a good insight into either constitutional or administrative law and the application of the devolution settlement as it operates within Wales as demonstrated at interview. This range is not negotiable. 

This advertisement contains the titles of the Behaviour criteria being assessed throughout. For further information on what is required at the application stage, you will need to press apply and view the full details on the application form. At interview, you may be tested on the overall Behaviours listed.

When presenting your evidence please keep in mind the expectations of the grade as set out below in the grade description as well as the main responsibilities that are essential for the role.

Grade Specific Requirements – EO

What the organisation will expect

• You will be able to work independently on day-to-day issues, providing advice to more senior grades and supporting departmental priorities. 
• You will be flexible, pro-active and self-motivated, working across teams when necessary to deliver Organisational business objectives; understanding your areas of responsibility and display awareness of the wider impact of your actions. 
• You will be adaptable, flexible, open to, and accepting of change affecting you and your area of work and deal with that change efficiently and professionally.

What your team will expect

• You will be able to manage your own workload and priorities to ensure that objectives are met on time and to a high quality using own initiative and decision making. 
• You will invest time in your own development, acting as a role model. Providing opportunities and encouragement for individuals to develop, sharing your knowledge and experience 
• Actively support and include all staff and colleagues, treating them fairly and respecting everyone as individuals.

What your stakeholders will expect

• You will establish professional relationships with a diverse group of internal and external stakeholders in order to achieve results. 
• You will communicate effectively both orally and in writing, using appropriate communication channels.

In the case of more than one candidate scoring the same at interview, the panel has agreed the following criteria will determine merit order:

1. Score for behaviour - Making effective decisions;
2. Score for behaviour - Delivering at pace;
3. Score for behaviour - Communicating and influencing;
4. Score for behaviour - Working together.

Benefits

All Welsh Government staff are members of the Civil Service, and as a result are eligible for:

• Civil Service Pension Scheme
• 31 days annual leave (pro-rated for part time)
• training and development opportunities
• Cycle2Work Scheme
• Smart Working flexible working arrangement
• Green Car Scheme (subject to availability)

If you are an active Civil Service Pension member you can continue your membership throughout your employment with us.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours.

Welsh Government, like all other Government Departments use Success Profiles when we recruit. For each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job. It raises performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

The selection process and stages are:

Number of Stages:	2 stage process
Stage 1	Application Form
Stage 2	Interview

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.