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Opportunities with GLD in Leeds and London

 
 
 
 
 
 

Essential Criteria

Essential Criteria

Below are the Essential and Desirable criteria, including the Civil Service Success Profile Behaviours, that you will need to demonstrate in your application and/or interview for this role:

Technical Legal Skills

Essential - must be demonstrated at application and interview:

  • Commercial and contract law experience

  • Able to draft commercial contracts

  • Ability to analyse legal commercial problems

  • A constructive approach to solving problems

  • Ability to provide legally sound, risk-based advice

  • Sound commercial legal judgement

Motivational Fit

Essential - must be demonstrated at application and interview:

  • Your motivation to join the Commercial Law Group

  • How you will contribute effectively to such a role within GLD

  • An understanding of the role of lawyers in Government

Experience

Essential - must be demonstrated at application:

  • Qualified Lawyer with commercial legal knowledge

  • Experience of advising clients on commercial matters including contract drafting, problem solving and strategic commercial advice

Desirable:

  • Public procurement and/or public law experience

Behaviours

Below are details of the Success Profiles that make up this role. Demonstrating all the behaviours listed below is essential at either application or interview. You can read more about Success Profiles here.

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

Working Together

Essential - must be demonstrated at application and interview:

  • 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

  • Build strong interpersonal relationships and show genuine care for colleagues

  • Ensure consideration and support for the wellbeing of yourself and individuals throughout the team

  • Remain available and approachable to all colleagues and be receptive to new ideas

Communicating and Influencing

Essential - must be demonstrated at application and interview:

  • Communicate with others in a clear, honest and enthusiastic way in order to build trust

  • Explain complex issues in a way that is easy to understand

  • Take into account people’s individual needs

  • Deliver difficult messages with clarity and sensitivity, being persuasive when required

Managing a Quality Service

Essential - must be demonstrated at interview:

  • Demonstrate positive 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

Qualifications

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:

  • Contract Law

  • Criminal Law

  • Equity and Trusts Law

  • European Union Law

  • Land Law

  • Public Law

  • 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 below.

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).

Salary

Legal Officer: £51,541

Grade 7: £59,200 National, £61,200 London

External candidates should expect their salary upon appointment to be £51,541 (Legal Officer) £59,200 (Grade 7: National) OR £61,200 (Grade 7: London) per annum, pay award pending.

Application Process

To apply for this post you will need to:

  • Step 1 – Contact Hays Legal to discuss the role in more detail and determine your eligibility:
    Leeds – Adele Callaghan or Sam Higgins
    T: 0113 200 3717
    E:adele.callaghan@hays.com or samuel.higgins@hays.com

    London – Hannah East or Lucy Kelly
    T: 0203 465 0141
    E:hannah.east@hays.com or lucy.kelly@hays.com

  • Step 2 - Provide your CV, setting out your career history, key responsibilities, achievements and relevant experience to Hays to register your interest allowing sufficient time to submit your application as per the below.

  • Step 3 - You may choose to have a 15-minute informal conversation with a CLG lawyer. Please note this is not mandatory and is not assessed. If you would like an informal conversation, please contact the relevant consultant as above.

  • Step 4 - Complete and return the ‘Essential Criteria’ to Hays no later than Midday Monday 1 December 2025.

You will be required to provide evidence of how you meet the Essential Criteria as detailed in the Person Specification via the following:

  • A CV, setting out your career history, key responsibilities, achievements and relevant experience (Used to assess Experience and Technical Legal Skills)

  • Demonstrate your technical legal knowledge and skills (Used to assess Technical Legal Skills – no more than 300 words)

  • Demonstrate collaborating well with others (Used to assess Behaviour: Working together – no more than 300 words)

  • Demonstrate why you want to work for the Civil Service and why in this role, illustrating your interest and motivation for being a GLD lawyer (Used to assess Motivational fit – no more than 300 words)

AI Usage:

All examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please note the use of AI is strictly prohibited during the written exercise and interview. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection Process

Candidates will be assessed on an ongoing basis. Candidate suitability for the role will be based on evidence provided in their CV and response to questions addressing the essential criteria. Candidates who pass the sift will then be invited to interview.

Interview

If you are invited to interview, you will be assessed on your performance in the criteria listed in the Person Specification, alongside a written exercise, presentation and strength-based questions. These criteria are:

  • Technical Legal Skills

  • Motivational Fit

  • Behaviour: Working Together

  • Behaviour: Communicating and Influencing

  • Behaviour: Managing a Quality Service

You will be asked to complete a written exercise under timed conditions. This may take place the day before the interview date. You will also be asked to deliver a 5-minute presentation as part of your interview. Candidates invited to interview will be given further information.

You will be interviewed remotely by a GLD panel via a Teams video conference call. Full details of the interview format will be provided to shortlisted candidates prior to interview.

Offer

All candidates will be notified of the outcome as soon as possible after the interview. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview. We appoint in strict order of merit. If you meet the minimum criteria for this position but are not successful for a post, you will be placed on the reserve list. We then may contact you to see if you are interested in a post at the same grade in GLD, should one arise.

Expected Timeline

Candidates will be assessed on an ongoing basis once they have submitted their ‘Essential Criteria’. We will try and offer as much flexibility as we can, but it may not be possible to offer alternative dates for assessments or interviews.

Please note that the closing date may be subject to change.
The anticipated timetable is as follows:

Advert closing date: Midday on Monday 1 December 2025