About the job

Job summary

About the Government Legal Department

From energy to security, health to human rights, we help the Government deliver life changing law for citizens.

The Government Legal Department is the largest provider of legal services across government, working on high profile matters that are frequently scrutinised in Parliament and the media. Our work includes:

• Developing and drafting legislation
• Providing legal advice on policies
• Litigation on behalf of Government
• Securing our economic and trade relationships
• Ensuring value from commercial contracts worth billions of pounds
• Providing the Civil Service’s employment law advice

We are at the heart of delivering the Government’s priorities and our success depends on our people. 

About the Litigation Group

Litigation Group is comprised of four divisions with approximately 700+ staff based in London, Leeds, Bristol and Manchester. GLD Litigation lawyers conduct public and private law litigation on behalf of Government in a wide range of often high-profile cases, frequently involving questions of constitutional importance. 

As the largest unit within GLD, delivering for clients across Government on a daily basis, handling thousands of cases and interacting with the courts, counsel and other litigants, Litigation Group is key to delivering GLD’s core purpose, vision and GLD’s recently published Strategy 2024-27.

The actions and decisions of government are under increasing scrutiny and challenge. The Constitution, national security, military action overseas, immigration policy, welfare, climate change and energy policy are just a few of the issues that generate legal challenges that can hit the headlines. Litigation lawyers cover a full range of judicial review challenges in areas such as immigration, planning and national security as well as the Government’s wide ranging reform agenda. Litigation Group also has a large private law practice representing large Government Departments such as the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Defence in personal injury, clinical negligence, misfeasance in public office, false imprisonment, and other claims. Litigation lawyers also provide expert representation in relation to inquests and public inquiries, for example, the Covid 19 Inquiry, the Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan and the Lucy Letby Inquiry. They regularly litigate through the higher courts to the Supreme Court (where we have more cases than any other legal practice) and handle cases at the forefront of the developing law. 

Job description

As Director of Litigation Group, you will be responsible for the leadership of the largest division in GLD and the management of client relationships across government, with cross-cutting responsibilities for which peer leadership is essential. You will be supported in this role by the four Heads of Division, the Heads of the Practice Management Unit and the Business Management Team, and a team of  26 SCS team leaders. The Litigation Group has the highest external profile and is the most public-facing of our teams.

Responsibilities include:

• Developing and implementing a vision and strategy for Litigation Group that reflects the GLD’s Strategy 2024-27.

• Promoting a culture of innovation, respect for others and high standards, in line with the GLD Values.

• Being an ambassador for GLD in relationships with the profession including the judiciary as well as counsel and solicitors (our own and those we face in litigation). This includes managing the Attorney General’s Panels of Civil Counsel on her behalf.

• Providing inspiring, confident and empowering leadership, supporting your staff to improve their skills and performance, and improving career development opportunities that attract and retain a diverse group of people. 

• Ensuring the delivery of an effective and efficient litigation service, being accountable for a budget of over £50m with an income target of around £70m, using financial and other management information to ensure the litigation services provide value for money for client departments while ensuring full cost recovery. 

• Providing strategic input into the most sensitive and difficult cases and in the development of litigation strategies. 

• Building relationships and leading engagement with our most significant clients – including Ministers and senior officials – and being a leader amongst peers.

• As a senior member of the GLD Strategic Leadership Group, playing a vital role in the leadership of GLD and the achievement of our strategic objectives. This includes developing and engaging wider stakeholders in GLD’s modernisation and transformation agenda.

Person specification

• The leadership skills to inspire and empower professional staff in the largest and most complex, outward-facing and high-profile legal team in GLD, building a shared culture in the Litigation Group and across GLD of pride in the professionalism and expertise of our litigators. .
• A commitment to diversity and creating a truly inclusive working environment with the Civil Service and GLD Values at its heart where diverse talent thrives through being recognised, nurtured and developed.
• The ability to improve service delivery and value for money through expert management of the budget, workloads and resources across GLD’s largest and most complex team.
• The legal leadership skills to oversee the work across significant scale and complexity, ensuring that high-quality, creative and authoritative risk-based legal services are provided so the Government can defend its decisions and actions well, within the rule of law.
• The ability to provide personal and strategic input into sensitive and difficult cases, including the fastest-moving and most politically-charged, showing excellent judgment even under pressure, with attuned political antennae and an understanding of the wider litigation and judicial context.
• The ability to command the confidence of senior politicians and officials, including government legal seniors, demonstrating leadership of peers, and credibility with the judiciary, the Bar, Solicitors and other stakeholders with an emphasis on exceptional communications skills (verbally and in writing).
• A Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive* qualified in England and Wales.

*For Chartered Legal Executives, GLD has certain minimum standards. If you wish to discuss this in more detail, please get in touch with the named point of contact in this pack

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £97,000, Government Legal Department contributes £26,190 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

Application

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process accessed via the advertisement listed for this role. This should be completed no later than midday, Wednesday 17th April 2024 and will involve completing a CV and statement of suitability as outlined below:

1. A CV (c. 1000 words)
2. A statement of suitability against the ‘person specification’ (no more than 1000 wordcount) 

Failure to complete documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.  
As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say'. The information you provide when submitting your application will help us monitor our progress towards the Civil Service becoming an inclusive employer and a great place to work. See the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy for more information or go to Equality and Diversity

Shortlist

You will receive an acknowledgment of your application through the online process.

The panel will then assess your application to select those demonstrating the best fit with the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the criteria set out in the ‘Person Specification’ section. Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application.

Assessments

If you are shortlisted, you will be asked to take part in an in-person staff engagement exercise and an Individual Leadership Assessment. 

This assessment will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, it is designed to support the panel’s decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview. Full details of the assessment process will be provided to shortlisted candidates at the earliest opportunity.

Informal Conversations

Shortlisted candidates will also have the opportunity to speak to the vacancy holder, Mel Nebhrajani, prior to the final interview to learn more about the role and the organisation. Please note this is an optional part of the process, not part of the formal assessment process.

Shortlisted candidates will also be invited to a meeting with our Permanent Secretary, the Treasury Solicitor, Susanna McGibbon. This will be an opportunity for the Permanent Secretary to feedback to the selection panel areas for probing at final panel interview.
 
Interview

You will be asked to attend a panel interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification. 

Interviews will take place in person, full details of the interview format will be provided to shortlisted candidates prior to interview.

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

Open to UK nationals only.

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.