73411 - Law Commission: Public Law and Law in Wales Team, Lawyer

Introduction

The Law Commission of England and Wales is recruiting lawyers to work on challenging and high-profile law reform projects across the organisation, including:

• Public law: a potential project involving elements of planning, infrastructure (including utilities and energy), and local government law; an unannounced project involving disabled children’s social care; and a potential opening in our project on autonomy in aviation.

• Commercial and common law: conflict of laws and private international law in the context of emerging technology; and potentially friendly and mutual societies; and

(We will also very shortly be opening campaigns for roles in our Property, Family and Trust Law Team to work on new and existing projects on family law, property law and other areas of the law covered by the team.)

This advert is for the Law Commission’s Public Law and Law in Wales team. To apply to a different Law Commission team, please visit:  www.lawcom.gov.uk/law-reform-lawyers/.

We are recruiting for up to 3 roles with the potential for more, depending on the demands of future work. These are fixed-term posts, for 12 - 24 months dependent on the project. Subject to business needs, there is a possibility that the fixed term could be extended, or that in due course the post could be converted to a permanent position.

As described below, we are interested in receiving applications from lawyers and academics with an aptitude for picking up new areas of law quickly, as well as from those with specific experience relevant to the projects for which we are recruiting.

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently under-represented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity

Background

Our unique role – independent, but at the heart of Government – offers stretching, high quality work, stimulating debate leading practitioners and academics, the chance to make a positive difference to our society, access to outstanding learning and development, and better work-life balance.

We want brilliant, innovative lawyers from a wide range of backgrounds to join our team. The Law Commission offers an unrivalled opportunity to work on some of the most complex legal and policy questions facing our society. But our lawyers are not just lawyers. They engage in policy making, stakeholder engagement, legislative procedure, project management and leadership. They examine legal and policy issues from every angle; engage closely with a huge range of stakeholders from all walks of life; draft clear and compelling consultation papers and reports; and work with Government officials to take our work forward in Parliament.

The Law Commission’s aims are:

• To ensure that the law is as fair, modern, simple and as cost-effective as possible
• To conduct research and consultations with a view to making recommendations for reform for consideration by Parliament
• To codify the law, eliminate anomalies, repeal obsolete and unnecessary enactments and reduce the number of separate statutes

The Law Commission is an independent non-departmental body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice. We have a judicial Chair, four Commissioners, and around 60 members of staff. Our work is organised into four areas: Commercial and Common Law; Property, Family and Trusts Law; Public Law and Wales; and Criminal Law. Further information about the Law Commission and its work can found on our website at www.lawcom.gov.uk/.

A job description, outline of required skills, and guidance on how to apply are set out below. If you would like to discuss the roles or have any questions, contact details are included.

Ways of Working

At the Law Commission we believe in and promote alternative ways of working in order to recruit and retain the best talent, so these roles are available as full-time, part-time or with the option to job share. We also offer flexible working patterns.

At the moment, the majority of our staff work in a hybrid way with a minimum of two days in the London office for a typical full-time employee. Many of our in-person meetings take place in London, for example at Parliament, with officials and Ministers across Whitehall and with legal stakeholders in and around the City of London and the Royal Courts of Justice. Candidates who are based outside of London will therefore need to come to the London office on a regular basis in accordance with business needs.

More information on our ways of working is set out below.

Job Description

For all roles, the main duties are managing one or more law reform projects against an agreed timetable with the Commissioner, the Team Head, and (where relevant) other team lawyers and research assistants. This may include:

• Researching the law and how it works in practice (both in the UK and overseas).
• Analysing problems with the law, identifying options for reform and testing potential solutions.
• Engaging with stakeholders (both inside and outside Government).
• Writing reports and other documents in conjunction with the Commissioner, the Team Head and other team members; preparing these for publication.
• Analysing formal consultation responses.
• Working with other professionals within the Law Commission including Head of Communications to organise publicity for our work; Economic Adviser to analyse the potential impact of reform options; and potentially Parliamentary Counsel to draft legislation.
• Assisting with the promotion and implementation of recommendations from completed projects (including potentially working as part of a Bill Team to take legislation through parliament) and contributing to the consideration of new project work.
• Managing one or more Research Assistants.
• Contributing to the corporate culture of the Law Commission, for example through supporting and leading specific activities on areas including learning and development, wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, and ways of working.

Essential qualifications

• Academic: You must hold a minimum of a 2.1 undergraduate degree in any subject (or an overseas degree qualification equivalent to a 2.1 degree); and
• Professional: You must be either a solicitor or barrister qualified to practise in England and Wales, or the holder of a degree who can demonstrate a comparable level of legal ability (for example, as an overseas professionally qualified lawyer, a legal academic or a legal policy expert)

Selection process

You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework on Experience, Behaviours, Technical Skills and Strengths. Please also refer to the Civil Service Behaviours framework for more details at this grade (Level 4 – Grade 7):

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/717275/CS_Behaviours_2018.pdf

At the sift stage you will be assessed on your Experience, Behaviours and Technical Skills. Applications will initially be sifted on their demonstration of meeting the Technical Skills criteria. Candidates who are successful at the initial sifting stage will undertake an interview and other assessments to gauge their suitability for the role. These exercises will assess your Behaviours, Technical Skills and Strengths.

Experience

Demonstrable experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to the specific job role.

Behaviours

• Delivering at pace – you must be able to take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive
• Making effective decisions – you must be able to use evidence and knowledge to support accurate, expert decisions and advice, carefully considering alternative options, and the implications and risks of decisions
• Working together – you must be able to form effective partnerships and relationships with people both internally and externally
• Communicating and influencing – you must be able to communicate with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm.

Technical

Background in public and regulatory law. Specific experience of, or demonstrable interest in the law relating to one or more of areas relevant to forthcoming projects is particularly desirable. These areas are:

• planning, infrastructure (including utilities and energy), and local government, with a view to working on an as-yet unannounced cutting-edge infrastructure law; project;
• disabled children’s social care and public family law, with a view to conducting any future project arising out of the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care (at page 60), whose recommendation was picked up in the Government’s special educational needs and disability implementation plan (at page 37) and its children’s social care strategy (at page 50).
• aviation law and transport autonomy; the team’s recent projects (such as automated vehicles) have involved considering the law reform implications of the use of automation and AI, and we anticipate that this issue will continue to feature in our future work.

We are keen to hear from public, regulatory or government lawyers or academics with an interest in law reform who demonstrate a capacity to acquire knowledge of complex areas of law quickly. We also welcome applications from lawyers with knowledge of and interest in devolved law in Wales, and public law in Wales as the law of Wales forms a core part of our team’s work.

If we receive a high volume of applications, we will use “Delivering at Pace” and the technical “background in Public and Regulatory Law” as the lead competencies. Any applications that meet the benchmark for these competencies will then progress to a full sift.

Further information on our ways of working

The posts are available to full-time workers, job-sharers or part-time workers. The way our projects are resourced means we plan in terms of full-time equivalents, but we welcome applications from established job shares, who may work more than 1 full time equivalent jointly, and from people who might be interested in forming a job share arrangement. We also welcome applications from part time workers, though if you would plan to work less than four days a week it would be helpful to know in advance so we can identify other suitable candidates to make multiple appointments. Contact details are set out below if you would like to discuss with us in advance of applying.

The Law Commission operates flexible working arrangements including a flexi time scheme and the opportunity to work compressed hours, subject to business needs.

Informal hybrid working arrangements will be available as agreed with the line manager and in line with the requirements of the role.  Most Law Commission employees will be working a hybrid pattern, spending a minimum of two days a week in the office, on average.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked from within the UK and not overseas.

Candidates applying outside of London will be expected to come to the London main office on a regular basis in accordance with business needs. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and will be subject to regular review.

There are fixed-term posts, for 12 - 24 months dependent on the project. Subject to business needs, there is a possibility that the fixed term could be extended, or that in due course the post could be converted to a permanent position. Successful applicants may join on loan from another Government Department, or on secondment.

If appointed there will be restrictions on your ability to undertake private practice.

If your application is successful, you will receive a formal letter offering you an appointment that will explain your terms and conditions of service in detail. Your appointment will include a period of probation.

Suitable candidates who are not successful will be held on a reserve list for future posts; such posts may be available in the next 12 months and offered to suitable candidates on the reserve list.

Salary

For external applicants, the salary range starts at £51,767 for National applicants and £55,720 for London based applicants.

This role is graded at Grade 7. New staff will normally be appointed at the starting point of the scale; higher starting salaries will be considered in exceptional circumstances.

We will consider applications from staff on promotion, but candidates will need to be able to demonstrate the ability to work at a high level on complex matters with senior stakeholders.

Membership of the Government Legal Profession

The GLP networks together Government lawyers and trainees, who between them provide legal services across the whole spectrum of government activities. Some are members of the Government Legal Department (GLD): others (like Law Commission lawyers) are not part of the GLD but are part of the wider GLP network. The GLP also maintains close links with lawyers in other parts of the Government, such as the Crown Prosecution Service.

A solicitor or barrister qualified to practise in England and Wales will, on joining the Law Commission, have access to the networking benefits and opportunities of the wider Government Legal Profession. This will also apply to overseas qualified lawyers who fulfil the nationality requirements and are eligible to practise in England and Wales under the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme. Information about the QLTS can be obtained from the SRA (www.sra.org.uk).

Equal opportunity & diversity information

We are committed to treating people openly and with respect. As an equal opportunity employer we welcome applications from candidates regardless of their ethnic origin, religious belief, gender, sexuality, disability, marital status, age and race. For further information, please see the following:

http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/resources/diversity-guidance

Interviews

Interviews are expected in the week commencing 22nd May 2023.

Further information

If you would like to discuss these posts further, please contact:

Henni Ouahes, Head of Public Law and Law in Wales.

Email:  henni.ouahes @lawcommission.gov.uk

(Please copy recruitment@lawcommission.gov.uk into emails)

Telephone: 07889 414 560

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com Please quote the job reference - 73411.