Senior Commercial Lawyer

About the Government Legal Department

From healthcare to artificial intelligence, energy to national security, we provide legal advice to government departments on nation-changing subjects.

At Government Legal Department we have a vital, single-minded purpose: to help the Government govern well within the rule of law. This is complemented by our exciting vision to be an outstanding legal organisation, committed to the highest standards of service and professionalism and a brilliant place to work where we can all thrive and fulfill our potential.

Our work touches almost every aspect of public life. We are the largest provider of legal services across government, working on high profile matters.

Our respected professionals are involved in everything from regulation and litigation to advice on drafting legislation. They provide expertise to the full range of government departments. We are at the heart of delivering the governments priorities and our success depends on our people.

GLD is a non-ministerial government department headed by the Treasury Solicitor, our Permanent Secretary, and employs nearly 4000 people, including nearly 3000 legal professionals. We have offices nationwide, in Bristol, Leeds, inner and outer London and Manchester. Our lawyers can also be located within other departments and overseas.

GLD also depends on a range of cross-functional professionals to provide our corporate services. There are nearly 1000 colleagues playing an essential part in helping GLD to achieve its purpose and truly deliver much more than law.

This is an exciting time to join 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 you can view our introductory film . On our website you can hear from team members and learn about the benefits of working for GLD.

About the Commercial Law Group (CLG)

Commercial Law Group (CLG) is a dynamic and specialist commercial legal service with over 250 lawyers, supported by a dedicated business management team. CLG is led by Justinia Lewis, our Legal Director, and two Deputy Legal Directors, Lianne Smith, and Zoe De. Our work is often at the forefront of major government initiatives and includes many of the governments highest profile and most sensitive matters.

CLG currently has 11 legal teams supporting a wide range of government departments including Cabinet Office, Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, Department for Health and Social Care, Department for Work and Pensions, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Justice. CLG also has a commercial litigation and two specialist property law teams.

GLD commercial work is unique: we work in small teams, often closely embedded in departments, combining our legal expertise on all aspects of the government's commercial relationships with knowledge of public law and government. CLG lawyers have a high level of responsibility and work on some of the most consistently challenging, interesting, varied, complex and high-profile commercial legal work available. The issues that we advise on impact the lives of citizens across the UK.

Whilst our legal work is often novel and challenging, CLG is friendly and welcoming, with a strong culture of collaborating and supporting one another. Feedback from our lawyers taking part in the most recent Civil Service People Survey demonstrates that staff can rely upon each other to help when things get difficult, are treated fairly at work and are proud to work for CLG and GLD.

A word from our Director

Commercial Law Group delivers the most interesting, important, and worthwhile commercial law work in the country. Our expert teams work in close collaboration with Civil Service colleagues right across government departments. We pride ourselves in a strong culture of collaboration, inclusivity and respect, and our valued, close knit and supportive Senior Leadership Team is one of our greatest assets.

Justinia Lewis

Legal Director - Commercial Law Group

The Role

Grade 6 Senior Commercial Lawyers play a key leadership role, providing direction to teams and supporting Deputy Directors in the delivery of commercial legal services to central government departments, executive agencies and Arms Length Bodies.

If successful, you will be expected to operate as a highly experienced, independent and practical commercial lawyer, with the technical knowledge and gravitas to gain the confidence of senior clients, ministers, stakeholders and colleagues. You will lead, manage and develop other lawyers within your team and provide strong professional leadership, helping to build capability across the organisation in line with corporate objectives.

You will develop strategies and be responsible for delivering high-quality legal advice on a range of complex and challenging projects, often to demanding deadlines. You will need to be comfortable working at pace and exercising sound judgement in relation to matters of national importance, drawing on strong legal and strategic analysis, pragmatism and pro-activity.

You will be expected to role model sound professional skills, work collaboratively and be willing to challenge constructively. You will also make a valuable contribution to the wider team and GLD through playing a proactive role in areas such as knowledge management, training, projects and other corporate opportunities that demonstrate GLD Values.

The Work

Commercial lawyers in CLG provide advice across a broad range of commercial legal matters, which may include:

• commercial contracts
• public procurement
• public law aspects of commercial work/commercial decision making
• information technology
• intellectual property
• information law (including GDPR) where it arises in a contractual/commercial context
• construction
• grants and Subsidies Control

Commercial lawyers also work closely with colleagues across GLD and, where appropriate, external law firms and counsel, providing commercial legal advice to support government departments with their commercial activities.

Key requirements of the role;

• Good commercial and contract law experience (including contract drafting) AND/OR good public procurement experience is essential
• excellent powers of analysis of legal commercial problems together with a sound commercial legal judgement
• an ability to lead and develop a mini-team, setting strategy and direction
• an ability to support Deputy Directors and contribute to wider senior leadership of CLG
• an ability to negotiate effectively
• 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
• a constructive approach to solving problems along with reliable legal judgement and the ability to provide legally sound, risk-based advice

Induction and development

One of the privileges of being a commercial lawyer in Government is the unique interplay between commercial law, public law and the ...