If you apply, please note that your application will be for a generalist qualified lawyer role at the Government Legal Department. If you have developed a specialism in a particular area of law (e.g. employment law, trade law, commercial law) then you should reflect that in the career history section of the application form. Please bear in mind that you will be offered a role in order of merit and not necessarily within your specialism.

What to expect if you choose to apply

1) You register your interest and submit your application.

2) Candidates meeting the advertised minimum eligibility criteria will be asked to complete an online Critical Reasoning Test which will be sent via email. Applicants will be asked to complete this before a deadline – please ensure you check your email inboxes carefully, including junk folders as some systems filter the link as ‘spam’ or ‘junk’. If concerned please contact the Recruitment Team for advice (see contact details below).

3) Candidates who meet the required standard on the Critical Reasoning Test will have their applications sifted by a GLD sift panel. Please note detailed feedback will not be given following sift, however sift scores will be made available.

4) Candidates who are selected for interview will be emailed an online written exercise to test the ‘Technical Legal Skills’ criteria – you will be advised of a clear deadline for submitting your response. This allows you to respond to a legal question in the comfort of your own home and at a time convenient to you. Your written response will be assessed ahead of your interview, you may be asked some follow up questions on it during your interview and a copy will be provided for you on the day of interview.

5) You will be interviewed remotely by a GLD panel via a video conference call. All details will be sent a week before your interview slot to ensure you are fully prepared ahead of schedule. Any candidate applying must have access to video with audio availability. Candidates who do not have access will be withdrawn from the process.

At the interview, you will have the opportunity to prepare your response to certain criteria in advance. Interviews normally last around 40 to 60 minutes. Should we look to resume normal face-to-face interviews. we will provide this to you well in advance of the interview.

6) We will allocate successful candidates to the most suitable vacancy available at the time of our offer, taking into account your performance at interview.  We may hold a reserve list if the number of successful candidates after interview exceeds the number of available vacancies.

Recruitment Principles

Working for the Civil Service
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 on the in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles.

Timing

We welcome applications on a continuous basis between 2nd October 2023 to 23rd January 2024. Applications will be assessed in 3 waves throughout the period. The cut-off for each wave is at midday on the following dates:

Wave 1: 23rd October 2023

Wave 2: 27th November 2023

Wave 3: 23rd January 2024

Candidates should note that if all vacancies are filled at the close of a particular stage, then GLD may close subsequent waves and / or phases.

Offers are made strictly in order of merit. Where candidates pass the Board but cannot be offered posts at that particular time, we may keep them on a reserve list for a period of time and offer a post at a later stage.

Applicants may only apply to one of the waves listed above – repeat applications are not permitted within the period 2nd October 2023 to 23rd January 2024

Disability Confidence Scheme

GLD has signed up to the Positive about Disabled People Commitment and will guarantee an interview to any disabled applicant who meets the minimum criteria. The Equality Act 2010 defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and adverse long-term effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

To meet the minimum criteria, candidates applying under the terms of the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS) must:

– Meet all aspects of the stated minimum eligibility criteria (i.e. academic, nationality, and professional criteria).
– Meet the standard set for the Critical Reasoning Test (where used).
– Obtain a minimum score against any job specific criteria specified.

Candidates applying under the terms of the DCS, who meet the minimum criteria outlined above, will be invited to attend an interview.

Complaints Procedure

GLP departments’ 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 which can be found at http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these Principles and you wish to make a complaint, please contact Caroline Anerville on 0207 2103436 or at [email protected] in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission.

Interested Candidate Survey

Interested in applying? We’d like to know your thoughts. Please complete a quick survey for us here: Interested Candidate Survey