Legal Officer - Employment

Employment Lawyers and Legal Officers

Government Legal Department

Locations: London, Leeds, Manchester or Bristol

Salary for Lawyers: £59,200 (National) or £61,200 (London)

Salary for Legal Officers: £47,541

Support the Government’s workforce with high quality employment advice

Who we are

At the Government Legal Department (GLD), we’re responsible for providing legal guidance on issues that really matter. As the largest provider of legal services to the Government, we offer support on issues ranging from human rights to social care, and from education to the environment. Working with every key department in Whitehall, nearly 3,000 team members collaborate to handle issues that impact on every aspect of society.

Whether developing and drafting legislation, providing guidance on policies, driving value from contracts or bolstering economic and trade relationships with national and international partners, this is deeply meaningful work that other employers simply cannot match. Because where else would you have the opportunity to advise on policies and services that directly affect the wellbeing of the population? Join us, and you’ll enjoy all the support you need to deliver the best possible results for people from every walk of life.

The roles

We’re currently looking for Lawyers and Legal Officers to join our Employment Group, which supports a workforce of over 450,000 people by providing advice and other services to all GLD’s clients. Your work will be extremely varied, and could be litigation focused, advisory focused or within the Group’s TUPE Hub. You’ll have the skills to manage a caseload that includes Employment Tribunal, High Court and County Court claims, and to advise clients on employment matters. We’ll also expect you to play an active role in your team, the Employment Group and wider GLD – this will include making an active contribution to client training, diversity and inclusion activities, knowledge management and the supervision of other members of staff.

While previous experience or knowledge may be relevant, you should be aware that Government work is likely to involve a rapid learning curve to acquire legal skills and knowledge not required in private practice. With this in mind we offer support to help you acquire the necessary expertise, and have a thriving CPD-accredited in-house training programme. You’ll also be encouraged to develop your skills and we provide opportunities to move between advisory, litigation, employment and commercial law services during your career with us.

About you

To be a success in one of these roles you should be highly motivated, have a good understanding of the role of layers in Government, and have a keen interest in, and experience of, employment law. You’ll be a qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales, and will havecompleted a training, contract, pupillage or qualifying employment, or have been exempted from this by the Law Society, the Bar Council or CILEx. You’ll also need a minimum of a 2.1 honours degree in any subject in your first degree (or its overseas equivalent), or evidence of high-level academic or professional achievement, such as a Graduate Diploma in Law, Legal Practice Course or Bar Professional Training Course, any of which must be underpinned by practical experience.  

Chartered Legal Executives are eligible to apply where a qualifying law degree is held or the Graduate Diploma in Law has been completed, or where CILEx Level 6 exams have been passed at 50% or above in Contract Law, Criminal Law, Equity and Trusts Law, European Union Law, Land Law, Public Law and the Law of Tort.

In return, we can offer you a competitive benefits package that includes a generous contributory pension scheme, 25 days of annual leave rising to 30 after 5 years’ service (plus 8 public holidays) and a range of extras such as parental leave, season ticket and bicycle loans. With flexible working arrangements so that you can seamlessly blend your career and lifestyle, you will find much to enjoy at the Government Legal Department.

For more information

If you would like to discuss one of these roles in more detail, please contact our recruitment team at

Apply 

By clicking on the link below.