Qualified Lawyers

Qualified Lawyers

London

Salary: £48,400 or £42,420 for those with less than 3 years’ PQE

We are the Government’s main provider of legal services across major Whitehall departments. Providing guidance on a broad and diverse range of issues ranging from health services to international trade agreements, we offer engaging and fulfilling work that touches most aspects of public life.

The work we do is of national importance and is scrutinised by the media and the public, offering a unique opportunity to be involved in high-profile issues that are as interesting as they are challenging.

We offer a supportive and stimulating environment for our 2,200 employees, providing a calibre of advice that is both value for money and industry-leading in quality.

The Government Legal Department (GLD) offers a once-in-a-lifetime challenge in which applications are welcomed from lawyers at all stages in their careers. We’ll support you with our exceptional in-house training programme plus substantial support in developing the legal skills that will ensure the British Government makes decisions that are legally-sound.

We want you to achieve your career goals, and can offer a broad wealth of opportunities across our 21 legal divisions. We have 17 client-facing advisory divisions – e.g. our Ministry of Defence Legal Advisers and Home Office Legal Advisers as well as specialist commercial and litigation functions. We’ll encourage you to develop your career across a range of our divisions while individuals with less than one year of experience will spend two years in both a contentious and a non-contentious post on our Newly Qualified Scheme.

To thrive in the GLD, you’ll have a minimum of a 2:1 degree in any subject, or equivalent high level academic or professional achievements. You’ll be a qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales (or you will qualifying within 3 months of making your application) and you will have completed a training contract, pupillage or qualifying employment (unless you have been exempted from this by the Law Society, the Bar Council or CILEx). 

You’ll need to have strong intellectual and analytical skills, with a sound understanding of public law. With good legal judgement and the ability to appreciate legal risk, your creative and strategic approach to solving problems will ensure you can appreciate legal issues in their wider context.

You’ll need to have a good understanding of the role of lawyers in Government, and your solid verbal and written communication skills will prove invaluable. Confident in your ability to analyse and evaluate data, you’ll utilise comprehensive legal research to produce high quality advice.

If you share our commitment to providing great customer service and seeing that the needs of clients are met, then you’ll thrive in the Government Legal Department. In turn, we’ll ensure you flourish in this dynamic environment and strive the make GLD to most supportive and happy work environment possible.