Bristol, Leeds, London, Manchester
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:
We are at the heart of delivering the Government’s priorities and our success depends on our people.
GLD is a non-ministerial government department, sponsored by the Attorney General. We are headed by the Treasury Solicitor, our Permanent Secretary and employ nearly 3000 people, including over 2000 legal professionals. Our offices include London, Leeds, Bristol, Croydon and Manchester as well as overseas. We provide specialist legal services including Litigation, Employment and Commercial Law as well as advising most Government Departments on the policies and services they deliver.
GLD also depends on a range of vital corporate services. These are essential to the smooth and efficient running of the Department and provide the foundation to enable GLD to deliver outstanding legal services. Our corporate functions include Strategy, HR, Finance, Digital, Data and Technology, Communications, Security, Commercial and Project delivery.
Our vision is to be an outstanding legal organisation and a brilliant place to work where everyone can thrive and fulfil their potential. This is an exciting time for GLD, with cutting edge legal work on global issues and a transformation agenda which is ensuring the Department exemplifies the Modern Civil Service.
To find out more about what we do visit the Government Legal Department’s webpage or have a look at this short film which showcases the breadth of work government lawyers and legal trainees are involved in.
About the Commercial Law Group (CLG)
The Commercial Law Group (CLG) is a department in the Commercial with Trade and International Directorate of GLD. It is a specialist commercial legal service at the heart of government. CLG launched in June 2014 bringing together commercial legal teams from across Government and is a single expert source of commercial legal advice supporting central government departments.
There are approximately 230 lawyers in CLG, led by Justinia Lewis, Commercial Law Director, together with two Deputy Law Directors and a Senior Leadership team. The group is divided into teams, each led by one or more commercial law specialist leader Deputy Directors and the teams range in size from 8 to 45 staff. CLG as a whole and each team is supported by a professional and efficient Business Management Team.
Our lawyers have a high level of responsibility and work on some of the most consistently challenging, interesting, varied, complex and high-profile commercial work available in the UK. The contracts, transactions and issues that we advise on impact the lives of citizens across the UK. We have been and continue to be at the forefront of supporting Government commercial efforts to meet the challenges faced over the last decade. We work alongside legal teams advising on policy decisions and implementation. CLG is high performing, friendly and welcoming, with a strong and established culture of collaboration and teamwork, excellent KM and specialist training and support. D&I is at the core of how we manage our people and teams.
CLG has 8 commercial transactional legal teams providing legal advice to one or more separate government departments. CLG also has a Commercial Litigation and Disputes team, a Commercial Property Hub, a Ministry of Defence Property team and a Knowledge Development team. There is a short description of each CLG team and the Departments we act for at Annex B of this document. Please see the further information on each of our Commercial teams at Annex B, which is attached to the Civil Service Job advert below.
Successful candidates can expect to play a key role in delivering for government. One of our senior commercial lawyers had this to say about CLG: “Since joining GLD, I have been involved in lots of high profile and important work for various government departments. It is a role that really does deliver on the variety of commercial work and ‘coal face’ exposure to projects at the forefront of government policy. As a senior lawyer (Grade 6), and the manager of a legal team, I am also able to play a leading role in shaping our commercial legal services for key clients. Along with our business management and knowledge management colleagues, I feel that I am part of a really supportive network of professionals. Outside of legal work, there are loads of initiatives and groups to get involved with where you can develop managerial, leadership and other skills, gain wider experience and contribute to GLD’s corporate and cultural objectives.”
Career Offer
Commercial knowledge or experience will be tested at both stages of the recruitment process. Whilst previous experience or knowledge may be relevant to the vacancies, we note that Government work is likely to involve a rapid learning curve to acquire legal skills and knowledge not required in private practice. Strong intellectual and analytical skills are important. If successful, we will provide support to help you acquire further necessary expertise and we have a thriving CPD-accredited in-house training programme.
GLD encourages its people to develop their skills and provides opportunities to move between advisory, litigation, employment and commercial law services during their careers.
For Newly Qualified lawyers with under one year’s experience, GLD operates a ‘2+2’ scheme, whereby these lawyers are allocated to two, 2 year postings over their first 4 years working with GLD; 2 years in a contentious team (litigation or employment), and a further 2 years in a non-contentious advisory post, or vice-versa. The scheme is voluntary and is intended to help Newly Qualified lawyers to develop a broader range of skills and stay ‘fresh’ in working on different areas of law and in new environments.
The Role
Commercial transactional lawyers within GLD provide legal advice to government departments and public bodies on some of the most important and interesting matters in the country which are frequently scrutinised in Parliament and the media. Our clients are government departments and our work includes transactional work and procurements, contract management, subsidy control, grants and strategic commercial advice to commercial departments, Secretary’s of State and Ministers.
We would be delighted to receive applications from talented, motivated candidates whatever stage you are at in your legal career. Whether you are newly qualified, looking to ‘do something different’, or returning to work after a break, CLG is a supportive and collegiate place to work offering interesting and worthwhile work. Successful candidates will be expected to play an active role in their team, CLG and the wider GLD and contribute to our culture of high performance and collaboration.
We are recruiting up to 10 Commercial Lawyers with vacancies across CLG teams.
Below are the Essential and Desirable criteria, including the Civil Service Success Profile Behaviours, that you will need to demonstrate in your application and/or interview for this role:
Motivational Fit and Technical Legal Skills will be assessed at both written application selection and interview stages:
Motivational Fit - Essential
Technical Legal Skills - Essential
Experience
Essential
Desirable
Experience will be tested based on your CV at written application selection stage.
Security Clearance
If successful you must hold, or be willing to obtain, security clearance to SC security clearance level, however, candidates will be able to start in role with BPSS clearance. More information about the vetting process and UK footprint can be found here
Behaviours - Essential
Below are details of the Success Profiles that make up this role. Demonstrating all the behaviours listed below is essential. You will be expected to provide evidence to show how you meet the criteria below at interview stage.
Communicating and Influencing
Managing a Quality Service
Making Effective Decisions
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles
Academic and Professional
Applicants should have a minimum of a 2:1 honours degree in their first degree (in any subject). Where an applicant holds an overseas degree qualification this should be equivalent to a 2.1 degree. GLD will consider applicants who do not have a 2.1 degree but only where satisfactory evidence of equivalent high level academic and/or professional achievement can be provided (e.g. via relevant experience and results achieved for the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)/CPE, Legal Practice Course (LPC), Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC)).
Applicants must be qualified to practise as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales however, we also accept applications from overseas qualified candidates. You must have completed a training contract/pupillage/qualifying employment or have been exempted from this by the Law Society, the Bar Council or CILEx.
Please note that candidates cannot apply more than 3 months before their qualification date.
Professional entry criteria for Chartered Legal Executives (i.e. Fellows): Chartered Legal Executives are eligible to apply where (i) a Qualifying Law Degree (QLD) is held; or (ii) the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)/CPE has been completed; or (iii) where exams have been passed (i.e. a score of 50% or above achieved), at CILEx Level 6*, in all of the following seven foundation subjects in law:
1. Contract Law
2. Criminal Law
3. Equity and Trusts Law
4. European Union Law
5. Land Law
6. Public Law
7. Law of Tort
Chartered Legal Executives should note that GLD will be willing to accept an, overall, average score of 65% or above across exams passed in the seven foundation subjects in law (where studied at CILEx Level 6) as demonstrating 2.1 degree equivalence (where a 2.1 degree is not held).
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
Alongside your salary of £59,200, Government Legal Department contributes £17,150 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
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