G7 Commercial Lawyer

The Government Legal Department is the largest provider of legal services across government, working on high profile matters that are frequently scrutinised in Parliament and the media. Our work includes:

• Developing and drafting legislation
• Providing legal advice on policies
• Securing our economic and trade relationships
• Ensuring value from commercial contracts worth billions of pounds
• Providing the Civil Service’s employment law advice

We are at the heart of delivering the Government’s priorities and our success depends on our people.

GLD is a non-ministerial government department, sponsored by the Attorney General. We are headed by the Treasury Solicitor, our Permanent Secretary and employ nearly 3000 people, including over 2000 legal professionals. Our offices include London, Leeds, Bristol, Croydon and Manchester as well as overseas. We provide specialist legal services including Litigation, Employment and Commercial Law as well as advising most Government Departments on the policies and services they deliver.

GLD also depends on a range of vital corporate services. These are essential to the smooth and efficient running of the Department and provide the foundation to enable GLD to deliver outstanding legal services. Our corporate functions include Strategy, HR, Finance, Digital, Data and Technology, Communications, Security, Commercial and Project delivery. 

Our vision is to be an outstanding legal organisation and a brilliant place to work where everyone can thrive and fulfil their potential. This is an exciting time for GLD, with cutting edge legal work on global issues and a transformation agenda which is ensuring the Department exemplifies the Modern Civil Service.  

To find out more about what we do visit the Government Legal Department’s webpage or have a look at this short film which showcases the breadth of work government lawyers and legal trainees are involved in.

About the Commercial Law Group

Commercial Law Group (CLG) is a dynamic and specialist commercial legal service launched in June 2014, with the aim of creating, for the first time, a single expert source of commercial legal advice across government.

Though our legal work is often novel and challenging, CLG is friendly and welcoming, with a strong culture of collaboration and teamwork.

There are approximately 220 lawyers in CLG, led by Justinia Lewis, our Commercial Law Director. The group is divided into teams, ranging in size from 8 to 33 lawyers with support from our Business Management Team.

CLG currently has a dedicated commercial litigation and dispute resolution team together with 8 further legal teams providing commercial law services to government departments. We also have Central Commercial Property and MoD Property teams, which advise on specialist property matters. Our client departments include the Cabinet Office (CO), Department for Work & Pensions (DWP), Department for Education (DfE), Department for Transport (DfT), Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Home Office (HO), Intellectual Property Office (IPO), Ministry of Defence (MoD), and Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

CLG offers some of the most interesting, varied, complex and high-profile commercial work available in the UK and the demand for our services is increasing. We were at the forefront of supporting commercial efforts to meet the challenges of Covid-19. We conduct litigation and dispute resolution in relation to high-profile, high-value procurements and contractual disputes including in relation to Covid-19, such as contracts for PPE and testing, and for MoD.

Successful candidates can expect to play a key role in delivering some of the most high-profile, complex and far reaching commercial/litigation projects in government. One of our senior commercial lawyers had this to say about CLG: “Since joining GLD, I have been involved in lots of high profile and important work for various government departments. It is a role that really does deliver on the variety of commercial work and ‘coal face’ exposure to projects at the forefront of government policy. As a senior lawyer (G6), and the manager of a legal team, I am also able to play a leading role in shaping our commercial legal services for key clients. Along with our business management and knowledge management colleagues, I feel that I am part of a really supportive network of professionals. Outside of legal work, there are loads of initiatives and groups to get involved with where you can develop managerial, leadership and other skills, gain wider experience and contribute to GLD’s corporate and cultural objectives.”

For further information on our Commercial teams, please see below.

About CLG’s Advisory/Transactional Teams

CLG Cabinet Office and Central Commercial Team:

The team provides a wide range of specialist commercial law services to eight core client departments, Cabinet Office, CCS, GDS, DCMS, DBT, DSIT, DESNZ and DLUHC. It regularly involves working at speed with government colleagues on cross-cutting issues that are at the heart of Government’s policy and/or are core to the commissioning of public sector goods and services. 

Comprised of approximately 25 lawyers, 2 business support staff and up to 3 legal trainees, the team is jointly led by 2 Deputy Directors and is currently spread across London, Leeds and Bristol. Each client is serviced by a mini-team to help build relations and deliver a quality focused service. There is also opportunity for work across the mini teams as we are all one team.

Recently, the team have provided commercial legal support on or for:

DCMS

• assisted the department in making multiple contractual arrangements for delivery of the Platinum Jubilee events, the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and the coronation of Charles III and Camilla

DLUHC

• expanding its high-rise building safety Leaseholder Protection (in the wake of Grenfell) and Levelling Up programmes

DESNZ & DSIT

• Machinery of Government changes which saw the abolition of BEIS and the creation/merger of a number of new departments, including DESNZ and DSIT
• Matrix Shared Services programme, which will transform back office, solutions for the policy departments and their arms length bodies.  
• Generators for Ukraine –as part of humanitarian response to the war in Ukraine, to source, secure and deliver generators to the Ukrainian government

DBT:

• We are assisting DBT put in place the contracts and sponsorship arrangements for the UK’s contribution to the World Expo 2025 which is to be held in Osaka.    

CCS:

We provide end to end support to CCS on over 30 public sector DPS and frameworks each year, across all four CCS Category Pillars (Building, People, Corporate Solutions and Technology), including:  G-cloud, Network Services, Future Workforce, Food & Drink and many more

GDS:

Single Sign-on and Digital Identity Programme: supporting GDS in the transition to a single cross-Government platform making it easier for users to prove their identity online when accessing Government services

CLG DEFRA & CLG DfE

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Its broad remit means DEFRA plays a major role in people’s day-to-day life, from the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the water we drink. As the environment is fundamental to all that we do, DEFRA aims to make our country a great place to live. DEFRA works with 33 agencies and public bodies to support our food, farming and fisheries industries, enhancing our rural environment, and better protecting against flooding, disease and other natural threats.

DEFRA is one of the lead government departments delivering a successful departure from the European Union and has one of the biggest EU exit portfolios in government.

The Department for Education (DfE) is responsible for children’s services and education, including early years, schools, higher and further education policy, apprenticeships, and wider skills in England. The vision is to provide world-class education, skills training, and care for everyone, whatever their background. This will make sure that everyone has the chance to reach their potential and live a more fulfilled life. It will also create a more productive economy, so that our country is fit for the future.

This CLG team provides commercial legal advice to both these departments, dividing its work into two mini teams each dedicated to either the DfE or DEFRA. It is a friendly and exciting team with both departments offering a busy and engaging agenda of key government policy initiatives and commercial activity. Work is challenging, high profile and interesting and we are committed to providing high quality legal advice including on important but less high-profile matters. As with other teams, CLG DEFRA and DfE works alongside a number of expert clients, within multi- disciplinary advisory teams committed to working collaboratively. Both departments make use of external legal firms to supplement our in-house legal services, working in partnership with us to meet our clients’ needs.

We offer our lawyers a stimulating mix of interesting work, a strong team ethos and the opportunity to make a difference in two departments at the heart of government. Our legal work covers: – procurement law advice; drafting (and advising on) contracts and grants; government subsidies; intellectual property; and data protection. We support both departments to deliver their policy and commercial initiatives. These include national and novel projects provided via new infrastructure or technology platforms and we manage the associated commercial legal risks.

CLG DHSC (and Covid Inquiry)

This team provides commercial legal services to the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The team is comprised of approximately 30 lawyers. The range of commercial activity carried out by DHSC and MHRA to deliver policy objectives is very broad. Consequently, the team provides a wide range of advice including on public procurement, contract drafting and interpretation, grants, subsidy control, intellectual property, data protection, disputes, and transactions with the private sector.

The work of the team is not only incredibly varied and interesting but also supports substantial projects of national importance and interest. Recent examples include the new indemnification scheme for GPs, the purchase of critical vaccines and medicines, establishment of new bodies such as the National Academy for Social Prescribing, the Covid pandemic response relating to PPE, vaccines, testing, ventilators and care homes, protection of the NHS brand, replacement of major IT platforms such as the Ambulance Radio Programme and many more.

The incredible variety and importance of the work done by this team will continue as it supports the government’s health and care policy agenda.

CLG Department for Work and Pensions

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) touches every citizen in the country at some time in their life. It is the government’s largest public service provider, delivering services and support to over 22 million people. DWP manages Whitehall’s largest annual budget, totalling over £165 billion. The department is currently engaged in a radical and far-reaching programme of welfare reform, with the aim of delivering a modern, fair and affordable welfare system that makes a sustainable and positive difference to people’s lives. DWP was at the forefront of the government’s response to Covid-19 and adapted to put in place a complex programme of work to support individuals and the wider economic recovery.

CLG DWP advises on a wide range of commercial matters including public procurement law, contract law, intellectual property and subsidy control matters. The team acts in relation to some of the Government’s largest property, IT and public service delivery projects. We offer our lawyers a wide variety of work on a range of commercial arrangements: everything from grant arrangements with small third sector organisations, joint ventures and partnership agreements with other parts of the public sector, to multi-million-pound service contracts with major private sector partners. Much of the team’s work is on the boundaries of commercial and public law, often at the forefront of major government policy initiatives.

CLG DWP offers a broad range of challenging, high profile and interesting work. The team works extremely closely with a wide range of expert clients and partners across government and the private sector to help ensure DWP delivers its policy objectives within the rule of law. 

CLG Home Office

CLG HO is co-located, with Home Office Legal Advisers, within the Home Office’s main offices in 2 Marsham Street in Westminster. The team consists of a deputy director, 5 grade 6 lawyers, 2 grade 7 lawyers and a legal trainee, together with a team administrator. Typically, a grade 6 lawyer manages one of the grade 7 lawyers and/or a legal trainee.

The team supports the Home Office’s commercial activities across the entire Home Office portfolio, which comprises policing and crime, fire, counter terrorism and immigration. From time to time, the team also advises the Home Office’s arms-length bodies and inquiries.

CLG Ministry of Defence

The Ministry of Defence is the largest UK Government Department. Its mission is to defend the United Kingdom and Overseas Territories, our people and interests; and to act as a force for good by strengthening international peace and security. As you would expect, there is a huge and complex support structure that spends more than £14Billion each year in equipping supplying and supporting the UK’s Armed Forces. A key role in this work falls to the Defence Equipment and Support Agency (responsible for purchasing military platforms such as the next generation of fast jets, Aircraft Carriers or advanced Communications systems and for ensuring that the equipment supplied to the Armed Forces continues to operate at maximum efficiency).

The MOD Director Legal Services is responsible for civilian legal support and services to MOD Ministers and the Department. There are legal teams in London, Bristol, and Cyprus which provide legal advice across the full range of the Department’s activities.

CLG Ministry of Justice

The Ministry of Justice is one of the largest GLD clients, employing around 70,000 people, with a budget of approximately £9 billion. Each year, millions of people are impacted by its work operating courts, probation, and prisons across the UK. CLG lawyers work closely with MoJ to advise on commercial issues covering the majority of MoJ functions including: 

• supporting HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) operate 500 courts and tribunals, from IT services to building maintenance
• assisting HM Prison and Probation Service build and run modern prisons and operate rehabilitation services
• helping agencies and public bodies like the Legal Aid Agency and the Office of the Public Guardian procure and contract for goods and services to deliver on their objectives

The work of the team is interesting, challenging and varied and takes in both business as usual commercial work as well as complex and high value contracts to deliver key policy work for MoJ. As well as working with CLG property and construction specialist and policy lawyers for MoJ, CLG MoJ selects and manages external lawyers and coordinates with commercial teams working for other departments and with Cabinet Office on cross-cutting issues.

Commercial Law Group Recruitment Open Evenings:

These virtual sessions aim to engage the potential applicants by giving them an insight into the group. It is also an opportunity to hear from CLG’s Director’s Office, Senior Leadership Team members and the Commercial Lawyers.

Wednesday 11 October at 5.30pm-6.50pm

Tuesday 17 October at 5.30pm-6.50pm

To register your attendance please email CLG Resourcing CLGpresourcing@governmentlegal.gov.uk

The Role

Commercial transactional lawyers within GLD provide legal advice to government departments and public bodies on some of the most important and interesting matters in the country which are frequently scrutinised in Parliament and the media. Our clients are government departments such as the Home Office, the Department for International Trade, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Health and Social Care, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Justice, to name just a few. We offer broad and unrivalled career opportunities within CLG and as part of wider GLD.

We would be delighted to receive applications from talented, motivated candidates whatever stage you are at in your legal career. Whether you are newly qualified, looking to ‘do something different’, or returning to work after a break, CLG is a supportive and collegiate place to work offering interesting and worthwhile work.

Essential Criteria

Through the process, you will be assessed against several criteria at both sift and interview stages.

You will be assessed against your motivational fit for this role, three behaviours under the Civil Service Success Profiles, and your technical legal skills.

Your experience and academic background shall also be assessed. The specific criteria against which applications are measured is detailed below:

Behaviours

    Below are details of the Success Profile that make up this role.

    You will be expected to provide evidence to show how you meet the criteria at interview stage.

    We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

Communicating and Influencing

• communicate with others in a clear, honest and enthusiastic way in order to build trust.
• deliver difficult messages with clarity and sensitivity, being persuasive when required.
• explain complex issues in a way that is easy to understand

Managing a Quality Service

• demonstrate a commitment to excellent 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.
• make clear, practical and manageable plans for service delivery.
• proactively manage risks and identify solutions.

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
• ensure consideration and support for the wellbeing of yourself and individuals throughout the team.
• create an inclusive working environment where all opinions and challenges are taken into account and bullying, harassment and discrimination are unacceptable.

Experience

While previous experience or knowledge may be relevant to some vacancies, government work is likely to involve a rapid learning curve to acquire legal skills and knowledge not required in private practice. As a result, while experience will be taken into account, it is not essential for these roles beyond the academic and professional qualification requirements detailed below.

Technical

Legal Professional Skills that are required for this role include:

• ability to analyse legal commercial problems
• a constructive approach to solving problems
• ability to provide legally sound, risk-based advice
• sound commercial legal judgement
• able to draft commercial contracts
• commercial and contract law experience

For further information about Civil Service recruitment processes and Success profiles, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles

Qualifications – Minimum Eligibility Criteria

Academic and Professional

Applicants should have a minimum of a 2:1 honours degree in their first degree (in any subject). Where an applicant holds an overseas degree qualification this should be equivalent to a 2.1 degree. GLD will consider applicants who do not have a 2.1 degree but only where satisfactory evidence of equivalent high level academic and/or professional achievement can be provided (e.g. via relevant experience and results achieved for the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)/CPE, Legal Practice Course (LPC), Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC)).

Applicants must be qualified to practise as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales however, we also accept applications from overseas qualified candidates. You must have completed a training contract/pupillage/qualifying employment or have been exempted from this by the Law Society, the Bar Council or CILEx.

Please note that candidates cannot apply more than 3 months before their qualification date.

Professional entry criteria 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

• Note: There are specific requirements relating to academic achievement in the CILEx Level 6 exams where these are being used to demonstrate 2.1 degree equivalence as set out

Chartered Legal Executives should note that GLD will be willing to accept an, overall, average score of 65% or above across exams passed in the seven foundation subjects in law (where studied at CILEx Level 6) as demonstrating 2.1 degree equivalence (where a 2.1 degree is not held).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Job contact :

• Name : govqualified@tmpw.co.uk
• Email : govqualified@tmpw.co.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : govqualified@tmpw.co.uk