Vacancy -- Government Lawyer, Public Law

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 Legal Services Department within Welsh Government is seeking a number of highly talented lawyers to strengthen its capacity at a critical time in UK and Welsh affairs.  If you are attracted by working at the forefront of the law, Welsh Government would welcome your interest. You could be a lawyer at the start of your career, an experienced lawyer seeking to apply your skills in a new and different context, or attracted by an environment which offers and embraces flexible working arrangements. 

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 Welsh provision in UK legislation and advising on complex matters of public law, projects of national significance and major constitutional developments. 

The posts advertised are within public administrative law subject areas. 

If you would like any additional information about these posts, you can contact LegalRecruitment.WG.Legal@gov.wales to request a telephone conversation with a Deputy Director in Legal Services, who will be happy to discuss the posts

Key tasks:

You will be subject to appropriate supervision and monitoring dependent on grade by the Senior Lawyer or experienced lawyer within the team in carrying out some or all of the tasks below.

You will provide legal advice and legislative drafting services in a fast paced, public law environment in connection with matters that often have significant policy (and sometimes constitutional), importance. You will work in a team environment, alongside both experienced government lawyers and policy officials in supporting the delivery and implementation of the Welsh Ministers’ legislative priorities and their broader “Programme for Government”. 

For further details of the Legal Services Department, please read the Candidate information pack: 

https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/inline-documents/2022-09/lawyer-recruitment-september-2022-candidate-info-pack.pdf

Eligibility Requirements

Professional Qualification:
Applicants must be qualified to practice as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive (meeting the professional entry criteria below, or historic equivalent) in England and Wales. Trainee solicitors, pupil barristers and those training to be Chartered Legal Executives may also apply but appointment will be conditional on qualification having been obtained prior to start date.

Professional entry 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 the Welsh Government will be willing to accept an, overall, average score of 65% or above across exams in the seven foundation subjects in law (where studied at CILEx Level 6).
The CILEx Level 6 Diploma in Law and Practice is set and assessed at level 6, honours degree level. For those already holding a qualifying law degree, CILEx also offers a new Graduate Fast-track diploma which can be used instead of the LPC or BPTC to complete your legal studies. Once you have completed the Level 6 Diploma in Law and Practice you will need to complete a period of qualifying employment and then you will be able to apply to become a Fellow of CILEx and use the designation CILEx.
As part of the pre-employment checks successful candidates will be required to provide evidence that they are qualified lawyers.

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. This role offers lawyers an opportunity to work within a dynamic environment that places them at the heart of devolved government, at the forefront of the policy and law making process and at the cutting edge of major constitutional developments.

Closing Date:

18/04/2023, 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/Behaviours:

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.

Changing and improving:  make changes which add value, clearly articulating how changes will benefit the business. Identify early signs that things are going wrong and respond promptly.

Delivering at pace: take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.


Job Specific Criteria: 

  1. Ideally an expert understanding of constitutional and administrative law and the Welsh devolution settlement or alternatively an expert understanding of a different area of law. However, in either case we will be interested in how you have approached the development of your expertise in your area, with reference to particular cases or issues you have worked on.
  2. Ideally, experience of persuasive advisory work on human rights law or alternatively  if you have not worked on human rights law, evidence of persuasive advisory work in your area.  

Assessment Process

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.

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 600 words . Anything over this will be discounted. This should explain how your professional qualifications, skills, qualities and experience match the two job specific criteria. 
  • Completed Equality and Diversity monitoring information

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

Recruitment Guidance for External Candidates (link)

Only those applicants who meet the minimum requirement will be invited to the next stage. 

Interview stage (if successful at application stage sift);

Candidates successful at the sift stage will be invited for interview. 
At this stage the 4 behaviours identified will be tested, as well as the two job specific criteria. 
We recommend reading the guidance at the attached link to assist you in your preparation for answering questions about the 4 behaviours.  

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

Candidates invited to interview will also be asked to make a short presentation to the panel which will also be assessed. The subject of the presentation will be notified to candidates at the point at which they are invited for interview.

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.  

Please note that interviews will be held between the 17th and 26th May 2023.

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.

Pay band

Grade 7 - Starting Salary £53,440 (non-negotiable) with more than 3 years’ experience at offer and rising in stages over 3 years to £63,900.

Legal Officer - Starting at £32,460 (non-negotiable) if you have less than 3 years’ post-qualification experience at offer.  Eligibility to re-grade to the Lawyer grade and salary will be subject to further assessment.

Duration of Post

Permanent, fixed term or secondment - The exercise will seek to identify successful applicants for posting to opportunities that arise over the ensuing 12 months.

Location

'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.


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.