Vacancy -- Litigation Lawyer

Working for the Civil Service

The Welsh Government's recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

Vacancy Details

Economy, Treasury and Constitution Group
Legal Services
Grade 7 - £53,440 - £63,900
£53,440
Full time (applications are welcome from people who work part time, as part of a job share or who work full time)
Permanent
Pan Wales
'Pan Wales' means that the location in which the vacancy can be based is flexible, subject to the needs of the business. Please note it may not always be possible to accommodate a preference for a specific office location, but requests will be taken into consideration.
TBC

Purpose of Post:

The Welsh Government is in the midst of a period of exceptional change at a critical time in UK and Welsh affairs and the decisions associated with this work are under unprecedented scrutiny and challenge.  Consequently, we are looking to recruit a number of talented litigation lawyers to join the Department to conduct a wide range of litigation work brought by and against the Welsh Government.

Our litigation lawyers play a key role in delivering successful outcomes for the Welsh Ministers across a broad range of policy areas, by defending their decisions when challenged, and ensuring that the devolution settlement is protected. The work of the Department’s Litigation Team consists of core public law litigation including judicial reviews and references to the Supreme Court, where questions of constitutional importance are determined.  Litigation lawyers also have conduct of Tribunal cases, and potentially civil litigation matters, and support the Government in inquests and public inquiries.  The work is high-profile, challenging, involves attendance at court and tribunals (including some opportunities for advocacy, e.g. in the First-Tier Tribunal) and provides a unique opportunity to handle cases of significant constitutional interest.

With more than 100 lawyers and support staff, organised across a wide variety of subject areas, the Legal Services Department is the largest public sector legal department in Wales. It is responsible for the delivery of all legal services to the Welsh Ministers. The Department’s lawyers are at the heart of devolved government, playing a central role in the development of Welsh primary and secondary legislation, and advising on complex matters of public law, high value government contracts, on projects of national significance and major constitutional developments.

If you have experience of litigation – particularly in relation to public and administrative law – and are attracted by working at the forefront of the law on litigation which is of importance in Wales and beyond, the Welsh Government would welcome your interest.

Starting salary:

  • If you have 3 or more years of post-qualification experience at offer: £53,440 (non-negotiable) and rising in stages over 3 years to £63,900;
  • If you have less than 3 years’ post-qualification experience at offer - starting salary £32,460 (non-negotiable).  You may be eligible to re-grade to the Lawyer grade and salary when you reach one year’s service or 3 years’ post-qualification experience, whichever comes sooner (subject to satisfactory performance). Please note that if an individual’s 3 years’ experience date falls within the probation period, they will not progress to the next grade until the probation period has concluded.

Applications from those who have previously expressed an interest in joining the Welsh Government legal team would also be welcome.  

We welcome and encourage applications from those currently underrepresented in our workforce, such as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people and disabled people.

If you would like any additional information about this post, you can contact LegalRecruitment.WG.Legal@gov.wales

Key tasks:

The work of the Department is varied and wide ranging and can sometimes include working alongside or overseeing the work of external legal advisers. Specific responsibilities will therefore be determined by reference to the particular skills and experience of the lawyers appointed to these roles. However, successful candidates can expect to have the following responsibilities:

  • Providing, and contributing to the provision of, legal advice in connection with all aspects of public law litigation from initial investigation/pre-action stage until final determination and costs;
  • Drafting, or assisting with the drafting of, relevant documentation arising out of legal proceedings, including responses to pre-action protocol letters, particulars of claim, defence statements, statements of costs, witness statements, etc.;
  • Managing a caseload so as to ensure compliance with the Civil Procedure Rules and/or the relevant tribunal rules;
  • Considering the necessary disclosure searches in accordance with the duty of candour;
  • Conducting advocacy where appropriate – attendance at court and/or tribunals will be required;
  • Instructing and supporting external Counsel to provide specialist advice, and/or conduct advocacy in cases brought by or against the Government;
  • Compliance with professional conduct and ethical rules, and helping to grow the reputation of the team as fair and responsible litigators;
  • Developing best practice for the management of litigation brought by or against the Welsh Government;
  • Provide training in areas of expertise to client departments.

Development opportunities:

As a government lawyer you will be part of the Civil Service and the Government Legal Profession. Your experience will give you a unique understanding of the devolution settlement in Wales. It offers lawyers a unique opportunity to work within a dynamic environment that places them at the heart of devolved government, projects of national significance and profile, at the cutting edge of major constitutional developments and at the forefront of the policy and law making process.

Closing Date:

27/03/2023, 16:00

Eligibility

Posts recruited to as part of this recruitment campaign are broadly open to UK nationals, those with right to remain and work in the UK and those that meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules only. Check your eligibility here:

Prior to appointment, all successful applicants will be required to produce original, acceptable documents as part of the pre-employment checks. If it becomes apparent at a later stage in the process that you aren’t eligible to apply, your application will be withdrawn, or offer retracted.

Equality and Diversity

The Welsh Government is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and which promote equality of opportunity. This is underpinned by the Equality Act 2010 and will be adhered to at each stage of the recruitment process. Our goal is to ensure that these commitments are also embedded in our day-to-day working practices with all our customers, colleagues and partners.

We are committed to being an anti-racist organisation and increasing diversity in the Welsh Government by removing barriers and supporting all our staff to reach their potential. We are committed to recruiting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people and disabled people who are currently under-represented in Welsh Government.

We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, marriage and civil partnership (both same sex and opposite sex), impairment or health condition, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, gender identity or gender expression.

We are a Stonewall Diversity Champion and a Disability Confident Level 3 (Leader) organisation. Key to supporting this work and providing peer support are five Board sponsored Staff Networks (Disability Awareness and Support (DAAS); Minority Ethnic Support Network (MESN); Mind Matters (Mental health and well-being); PRISM (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex +) and Women Together.

Disability Confident

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

Welsh Language Requirements

The Welsh Government is a bilingual organisation and Welsh language skills are considered an asset to the organisation. We encourage and support staff to learn, develop and use their Welsh language skills in the workplace. 

The following list of language requirements represents an objective assessment by the line manager on behalf of the Welsh Government of the Welsh language skills required to undertake the duties of this particular post.

Desirable
Can read some basic words and phrases with understanding
Can hold a basic conversation in Welsh
Can understand parts of a basic conversation
Can write basic messages on everyday topics

Social Partnership

In Welsh Government, the relationship between the employer and trade unions is based on social partnership. We believe our goals can best be achieved by management and trade unions working together.

Our 3 recognised trade unions are:
•         PCS
•         Prospect
•         FDA

This relationship is underpinned by a partnership agreement. This sets out how our unions work with Welsh Government on issues such as:
•         pay
•         terms and conditions
•         policies and procedures
•         organisational change.

Our Welsh Government trade union colleagues work together to give their members a real say in the workplace. They make sure that the interests of their members are promoted and protected. They also help reduce inequalities and improve terms and conditions.

The Welsh Government has an excellent track record of working in partnership with its trade unions. We encourage staff to get involved. We support you to join a recognised trade union, to ensure your voice is heard in the workplace. and to learn more about trade unions and partnership working.

Competencies / Job Specific Criteria

Competencies;

Making effective decisions

  • Use evidence and knowledge to support accurate, expert decisions and advice. Carefully consider alternative options, implications and risks of decisions.

Communicating and influencing

  • Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others.

Working together

  • Form effective partnerships and relationships with people both internally and externally, from a range of diverse backgrounds, sharing information, resources and support.

Delivering at pace

  • Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.

Job Specific Criteria;

  1. Experience of conducting and advising on public law litigation – particularly in a regulatory context and/or in relation to judicial review proceedings;
  2. A sound understanding of the relevant procedural rules and legislative framework governing public law litigation;
  3. Knowledge of the Welsh devolution settlement. 

Assessment Process

Application stage

  • A completed on-line application form
  • An up to date CV setting out your career history with key responsibilities and achievements, including the necessary professional qualifications. We recommend paying particular attention to the “purpose of the post” and “key tasks” to ensure your CV reflects the skills and experience we are looking for.
  • A personal statement of no longer than 2,100 words. Anything over this will be discounted. This should explain how your professional qualifications, skills, qualities and experience match both:
    • the four behaviours and
    • the three job specific criteria.

We recommend aiming for around 300 words for each of the 7 categories

  • Completed Equality and Diversity monitoring information

We recommend reading the guidance at the attached links to assist you in applying for these posts. They explain how to evidence your suitability for the posts.

Recruitment Guidance for External Candidates (link).

Success Profiles - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

An initial sift will be undertaken on job specific responses, only those applicants who meet the minimum requirement will proceed to the next stage. A second sift will then assess the competences, only those applicants who meet the minimum requirement will be invited to interview.

Interview stage (if successful at application stage sift);

Candidates successful at the sift stage will be invited for interview.

The job specific criteria and competencies will also be assessed at this stage.

In the event of candidates’ overall scores being tied, preference will be given to those candidates who have attained higher scores in relation to the job specific criteria.  

Feedback

Feedback for the sift stage will only be provided once the scheme has been completed.

Other Information

  • Unless stated otherwise in ‘actual starting salary’, all candidates will start at the minimum of the pay scale being appointed to (this includes existing civil servants).This is not negotiable.
  • Unless stated otherwise in ‘type of opportunity’, this recruitment advert is not open on a Loan or Secondment basis.
  • For more information on the eligibility criteria and terms and conditions for Loan and Secondment positions in Welsh Government, please see external recruitment candidate guidance.
  • Unless stated otherwise in ‘Location of Post’ the role/s recruited to via this campaign can only be worked in the UK, not overseas.

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.wales.gov.uk). Please note it may not always be possible to accommodate a preference for a specific office location, but requests will be taken into consideration.

Most of our staff are however currently working remotely due to the pandemic. Whilst the precise post pandemic working arrangements are still under consideration, it is likely that such arrangements will see the normalisation of blended or hybrid “place of work” arrangement for many staff in the future. Please note that, in this role, travel and attendance at court or tribunals will be required.

LegalRecruitment.WG.Legal@gov.wales

How to apply

All applications for this vacancy should be made online via the Welsh Government's online application system.  If you have an impairment which would prevent you from applying on-line, please e-mail SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales to request an application pack in an alternative format, or to request a reasonable adjustment related to an impairment in order to submit your application.

To apply, you'll need to have an account on our online application system.  Click the 'Apply' button below, and you'll be asked to 'Log in' if you already have an account, or 'Register' if you don't yet have an account.  Registration takes just a few minutes to complete.  You'll need an e-mail address to be able to register.  Once you've registered for an account and logged in, you'll be taken to the online application form, which you'll need to fully complete and submit before the deadline on the closing date.  

If you’d like to apply for this vacancy in Welsh, please use the ‘Newid Iaith / Change Language’ link at the top of this page, to take you to the Welsh version of this advert, from which you can apply in Welsh.

For further information regarding the Welsh Government recruitment process, please see the Recruitment Guidance for External Candidates (link).

When evidencing your suitability for the post, it is recommended that you refer to the Civil Service Competency Framework (link)

Grievance and Complaints

Anyone who believes they have been treated unfairly, or has a grievance or complaint, about how the process was conducted should either write to the Head of Resourcing, Welsh Government, Cathays Park 2, Cardiff CF10 3NQ or email SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales.  If you are unhappy with the outcome of the complaint raised with the Welsh Government and feel that the principles of appointment on merit through fair and open competition have not been met you have the right to pursue your grievance with the Civil Service Commission.

This vacancy is closed to applications.