The posts offered are within the Department for International Trade Legal Advisers, a Division of the Government Legal Department. The Division has responsibility for providing legal services to the Department across the range of its activities, including the work of the Department’s Trade Policy Group (TPG) and the Global Trade and Investment teams (GTI).
TPG’s main function is to provide the capability to deliver an independent trade policy for the UK. TPG has been developing with the rest of Government the UK’s specific goals and policies for international trade agreements, and building its own capability, as a world leading trade policy organisation, to deliver them.
DIT Legal Advisers provides legal support to TPG across the range of its work, including establishing the UK’s independent membership of and engagement at the WTO, developing a new independent trade remedies regime for the UK, leading on developing the UK’s detailed trade policy positions, building the capability to bring and defend trade disputes and developing a new trade strategy through free trade agreements. It also advises on export control matters, which are frequently high profile and fast moving, and supports teams leading on market access, services, investment, goods, intellectual property, procurement, regulatory environment, development and sustainability.
We also support the Department’s Global Trade and Investment teams. GTI works across the UK and international network to find and create demand for British goods, service and inward investment opportunities and supports UK businesses to export.
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. We will provide support to help you acquire the necessary expertise and have a thriving CPD-accredited in-house training programme.
Essential Criteria
We are looking for highly motivated qualified lawyers. You will need strong communication skills, good self-awareness and a commitment to using feedback to learn and develop as a professional. You must be able to demonstrate Legal Professional Skills at Legal Adviser Grade 7 level.
In particular, we are looking for the following in
Legal Professional Skills:
• Knowledge and experience (whether academic or in practice) of international law, international trade law and/or EU law.
• Sound understanding of public law.
• Reliable legal judgement and appreciation of legal risk.
• The ability to think strategically and creatively, see legal issues in their wider context and advise accordingly.
• Sound analysis, using secure legal research to produce timely and fit for purpose advice.
• The ability to communicate advice effectively both in writing and orally.
• Good understanding of the role of lawyers in government.
Motivational Fit:
We need to know how well our requirements and offerings match your aspirations. Please outline why you are motivated to join the Government Legal Department and how you feel you might contribute effectively to a role with the GLD.
Behaviour: Communicating and Influencing:
Communicate with others in a clear, honest and enthusiastic way in order to build trust. Explain complex issues in a way that is easy to understand. Take into account people’s individual needs. Deliver difficult messages with clarity and sensitivity, being persuasive when required.
Behaviour: Working Together:
Actively build and maintain a network of colleagues and contacts to achieve progress on shared objectives. Challenge assumptions while being willing to compromise if beneficial to progress. Build strong interpersonal relationships and show genuine care for colleagues. Ensure consideration and support for the wellbeing of yourself and individuals throughout the team.
Behaviour: Managing a Quality Service:
Demonstrate positive customer service by understanding the complexity and diversity of customer needs and expectations. Deliver a high quality, efficient and cost-effective service by considering a broad range of methods for delivery.
Desirable Criteria
Experience:
• Experience with international negotiations, international dispute settlement procedures, trade in services, border administration, intellectual property or international development law issues would be desirable.
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension
Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.
Application Stage
At application stage, candidates will be asked to complete a career history and the following to substantiate your application against each of the criteria listed below.
Your application should demonstrate how you meet the criteria for the post, with relevant examples. It will not be sufficient to reiterate the criteria; you are expected to illustrate how you have met the requirements.
To apply for this position, candidates are asked to submit the following:
• A form of words addressing the Legal Professional Skills (maximum 750 words) and Motivational Fit (maximum 500 words) competencies.
• Your employment history and experience as required through the application process.
• Confirmation of having achieved a Confirmation of having achieved a minimum of a 2:1 degree in your first degree (in any subject). Where an applicant holds an overseas degree this should be equivalent to 2:1.
We are serious about getting people with the right motivation and skills to be successful in our business. Candidates meeting the advertised minimum eligibility criteria may be asked to complete an online Critical and Verbal Reasoning Test before selection for interview.
We will email those applicants who meet the advertised minimum eligibility criteria a link to the test after the closing date but before the interview. Applicants will have 5 days to complete the test – please ensure you check your email inboxes carefully including junk folders as we cannot guarantee receipt. If concerned please contact the GLD Recruitment Team for advice (see contact details below).
Your application will be sifted by a GLD panel.
Interview Stage
Should you be successful in being invited to interview, you will be assessed on your performance in all essential criteria as listed below, alongside both Success Profile Behaviour and strength-based questions.
• Legal Professional Skills
• Motivational Fit
• Behaviour: Communicating and Influencing
• Behaviour: Managing a quality service
• Behaviour: Working Together
Immediately before your interview, you will be asked to complete a written exercise under timed conditions . The written exercise will assess Legal Professional Skills.
You will then be asked to present your response to the interview panel. Your presentation will be assessed against Communicating and Influencing and Managing a Quality Service. Any follow up questions will further assess Legal Professional Skills.
Working Together and Motivational Fit will be tested through situational and strengths-based questions.
We will allocate successful candidates to the most suitable vacancy available at the time of our offer, taking into account any preference you express in the application form and your performance at interview. We may hold a reserve list if the number of successful candidates after interview exceeds the number of available vacancies. If there are comparable posts within other GLD departments, you may be offered a post there.
We appoint in strict order of merit. If you meet the minimum criteria for this position but are not successful in obtaining a Grade 7 Lawyer because the number of successful candidates after interview exceeds the number of available vacancies, we may hold a reserve list. We will allocate successful candidates to the most suitable vacancy available at the time of our offer or similar role within GLD, taking into account any preference you express in the application form and your performance at interview.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Open to UK, Commonwealth and European Economic Area (EEA) and certain non EEA nationals. Further information on whether you are able to apply is available here.
The Civil Service Code 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.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
| Job contact : | ||
| Name : | GLD Recruitment Team | |
| Email : | govqualified@tmpw.co.uk | |
| Telephone : | 0845 3000 793 or 0117 923 4417 | |
| Recruitment team : | ||
| Email : | govqualified@tmpw.co.uk | |
Full vacancy and application instructions: https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cgi?SID=Y3NvdXJjZT1jc2ZzZWFyY2gmdXNlcnNlYXJjaGNvbnRleHQ9OTQ1OTYxNDAmcGFnZWFjdGlvbj12aWV3dmFjYnlqb2JsaXN0JnBhZ2VjbGFzcz1Kb2JzJm93bmVydHlwZT1mYWlyJnNlYXJjaF9zbGljZV9jdXJyZW50PTEmam9ibGlzdF92aWV3X3ZhYz0xNjY2OTUwJm93bmVyPTUwNzAwMDAmcmVxc2lnPTE1ODE5NTQwOTAtODhjNzllODg3NDg2NzVhYWUzODZiNjViMzk1YjdkYTE2ODkxNGE2ZQ==
this job offer is not open for applications
Government Legal Department
this job offer is not open for applications