Legal Adviser (competition and consumer law specialism programme)
Competition & Markets Authority
About the job
Job summary
We are looking for qualified lawyers to join our expanding legal team at the CMA. No previous technical experience or knowledge of competition or consumer law, Subsidy Control, OIM or regulatory law casework is required, but candidates must have a strong interest in developing knowledge and experience in these areas.
Do you want to work on cases that benefit the public good and make a real impact on millions of people and businesses in the UK?
Join the expanding legal team at the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and play a key role advising case teams and decision makers, whilst completing qualifications in competition or consumer law, funded by the CMA.
About the CMA
We help people, businesses, and the UK economy by promoting competitive markets and tackling unfair behaviour. Our work is wide ranging, ambitious and often new and challenging.
Right now, the CMA is a particularly exciting and interesting place for a lawyer to work – and is set to become even more so over the next few years.
Now that the UK has exited the EU, the CMA has become responsible for many of the larger and more complex international mergers, antitrust and cartels cases that were previously reserved to the European Commission. At the same time, the CMA also has an ambitious programme of markets and consumer protection enforcement work, including digital markets.
We will run the session over Microsoft Teams from 5pm on 6pm on 12 June 2024, to register your interest please visit - Legal Team Recruitment Event Tickets, Wed 12 Jun 2024 at 17:00 , Eventbrite
You can read more about working at the CMA in our candidate pack
Job description
What you will do
This role will allow you the opportunity to contribute to a wide range of casework across the CMA portfolio.
The work that you may be involved in could include:
- Competition law enforcement
- Consumer law enforcement
- Merger control
- Market studies and investigations
- Regulatory appeals
- Office of the Internal Market
- Subsidy Advice Unit
- Digital Markets Unit
You will work as an embedded lawyer, advising case teams and decision makers throughout the life of a project and will contribute to the delivery of high-quality analysis, decisions, reports and policy.
The key focus of Legal Advisers at the CMA is to ensure that decisions taken by the CMA are legally robust, by identifying legal risks early, and working with senior lawyers, case teams and decision makers to ensure that these are managed appropriately.
The role will involve undertaking an in-role learning and training programme. You will gain technical legal experience and knowledge whilst working on a mix of CMA matters, in particular those relating to competition and consumer law. Subject to prior knowledge and experience in these areas, and course availability, you will also be expected to complete relevant qualifications in competition or consumer law. There may also be opportunities to gain litigation experience.
Person specification
It is essential that you can provide evidence and examples for each of the following selection criteria in your application:
Essential:
- Fully qualified lawyer entitled to practise as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive (CILEx Fellow) in the UK. Applicants qualified in a jurisdiction outside the UK must have completed the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme/Solicitors Qualifying Examination (lead criteria).
- Strong, demonstrable post-qualification experience providing legal advice (lead criteria).
- A strong interest in developing a career in competition law and/or consumer law and an ability to learn new subject matter (lead criteria).
- Significant experience delivering high quality analysis to set deadlines, providing case advice, report writing and contributing to policy.
- Excellent communication skills, experience of engaging and building relationships with internal
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £57,100, Competition & Markets Authority contributes £15,417 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, personal statement and an online application form. Further details about application requirements are listed on the application form.
The selection process will comprise of the sift (CV & application review, as well as a written assessment for successful applications following the initial sift),and an interview. Arrangements for the interview will be enclosed in the invitation.
Please note that the interviews will be held via Microsoft Teams.
An initial sift based on criteria Lead Criteria may be held if a large number of applications are received. If your application progresses to a full sift, all elements of the essential criteria listed under Person Specification of the role profile will then be considered.
Please note that it is essential that your personal statement is aligned to provide evidence that you have the knowledge and experience for each of the following selection criteria (as included on the role profile) in your application:
It is essential that you can provide evidence and examples for each of the following selection criteria in your application: Essential:
|
The role will close 11.55pm Monday 17 June 2024
The sift will take place from 18 June onwards
There will be a written assessment for those shortlisted which will take place from 26 – 28 June – it is important the applicants have these dates, as they will be given a limited time window to complete the written exercise.
If your application is successful, you will be invited to attend an interview. You will be notified via email to log-in to your Civil Service Account and book your interview slot. You will be sent an email with full details of your arrangements for interview.
Interviews will take place from 8 July to 19 July. There is 1 interview stage for this role.
The interview will be a 45-60-minute panel interview where you will be asked questions based on the Behaviours and Experience skills outlined in the role profile.
The first part of interview will be a presentation, the topic of which will be sent to you a week before the interview.
Reasonable adjustments:
In order for a person with disabilities not to be put at a disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process.
For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you are deaf, a Language Service Professional.
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
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. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.