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Commercial Litigation

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 240 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 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, 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 conduct litigation and formal dispute resolution in relation to high-profile, high-value procurements and contractual disputes for a wide range of Government departments.

Grade 6 – Senior Commercial Litigation Lawyer

Title: Grade 6 Lawyer

Location: Leeds and Manchester

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Pattern: Full time/Part Time/Job Share (3 days a week minimum)

The Commercial Litigation and Dispute Resolution Team

The team is made up of around 24 qualified lawyers and is headed up by a Deputy Director, who leads a senior management team of 8 grade 6 lawyers. There are currently 14 grade 7 lawyers and Legal Officers, who will be joined by successful applicants for these roles. The team also has 2-5 Legal Trainees at any one time, a paralegal and an administrator. The team is friendly and welcoming with a strong culture of teamwork.

The team’s work is high profile and mostly of very high value, and regularly involves working with governmental colleagues on cross-cutting issues.  Lawyers can expect to deal with a wide range of topics, including:

  • Commercial contract litigation

  • Public procurement litigation

  • Intellectual property litigation

  • Construction litigation

  • Public law litigation

  • Judicial review

Team members have their own caseload, much of which will be working in case specific teams with a case manager. Team members work alongside counsel and, where required, external experts. Given the nature of the team’s client base and the type of disputes it handles, team members will often be required to advise on important questions of policy and to handle sensitive information belonging to both the government and third parties.

The team conducts cases in a range of different forums, including:

  • The High Court – most often the Technology and Construction Court, but also the Administrative Court (judicial reviews), Commercial Court and Chancery Division.

  • The Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court,

  • Arbitrations

  • Adjudications, particularly in relation to construction disputes, and

  • Mediations

Lawyers in the team actively utilise all methods of Alternative Dispute Resolution, with a particular focus on reaching commercial settlements through negotiation and mediation. They lead within GLD on the use of e-disclosure platforms and other technological innovations. 

CLG’s leadership recognises the importance of developing specialist expertise and experience, and commercial litigators joining the team will also have the opportunity to pursue an alternative career path as specialist commercial lawyers within the wider group.  Lawyers may also choose to move into other areas by taking advantage of the many opportunities available through the department’s wider career offer.

Key responsibilities:

Senior commercial litigation lawyers lead other commercial litigation lawyers and support Deputy Directors in the delivery of commercial litigation legal services to large Government Departments and Arm’s Length Bodies.

You will lead, manage, develop and supervise the work of other lawyers within your team. You will need to be comfortable working at pace and exercising judgment in relation to matters of national importance. You will be expected to role model sound professional skills and to provide strong professional leadership, helping to build capability in the organisation in line with corporate objectives.

Commercial litigation and dispute resolution specialist lawyers within GLD conduct litigation and 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 central government departments including the Home Office, the Department for Health and Social Care, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Justice, and the Intellectual Property Office. We offer broad and unrivalled career opportunities within CLG and as part of wider GLD.

As a senior commercial litigator and dispute resolution specialist you will be involved in:

  • Conducting commercial litigation on behalf of the Government

  • Providing legal advice on litigation, disputes and contentious matters, across the full range of clients.

  • Supporting the Deputy Director for the team in successfully delivering the work of the team

  • Proactive and collaborative working with external delivery partners, notably counsel; helping to quality control their work, and helping to hold them to account for delivery to time, cost and quality in relation to their litigation and disputes work

  • You will be expected to demonstrate strong communication and leadership skills as well as strong skills of legal and strategic analysis, sound judgement, pragmatism and pro-activity.

  • You will also be expected to make a valuable contribution to the wider team and the department through playing a proactive role on matters such as knowledge management, training, projects and other corporate opportunities that demonstrate GLD Values.

Salary

Our entry level salary for Grade 6 lawyers is £71,000 (Leeds and Manchester). Existing Civil Servants, please refer to the additional information on the Civil Service tab on this microsite.

Application Process

What to Expect When You Apply

You register your interest by contacting Hays Legal. You will be asked to provide a CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities, achievements and relevant experience You will then be asked to provide information relating to the essential criteria to be assessed at sift/shortlisting stage.

  • Candidates meeting the advertised minimum eligibility criteria will be asked to contact Hays Legal. This conversation with Hays will be to determine the role to which you are applying and your eligibility.

  • Candidates eligible to apply will be asked to provide their CV to Hays Legal.

  • Candidates will be asked to provide information addressing the essential criteria. This will be assessed at sift/shortlisting stage along with CVs.

  • Candidates who are selected for interview will be emailed a 45 minute 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 at interview, where you may be asked some follow up questions. Candidates will also be asked to prepare a response for an oral brief which they will present to the interview panel testing the criteria ‘Communicating and Influencing’ and ‘Managing a Quality Service’, in addition to ‘Technical Legal Skills’. Candidates should take 15 minutes to prepare for the oral briefing presentation. The presentation will be 4 minutes at interview.

  • You will be interviewed remotely by a GLD panel via a Teams video conference call. All details will be sent before your interview. Candidates applying must have access to video with audio availability.

Interviews normally last around 40 to 60 minutes.

Application

For any further information regarding these opportunities please contact:

Leeds: Adele Callaghan at Hays Legal on 0113 200 3717 or email her at adele.callaghan@hays.com with a copy of your CV, or to arrange a discussion.

Manchester: Navita Rooprai at Hays Legal on 0161 228 7770 or email her at navita.rooprai@hays.com with a copy of your CV, or to arrange a discussion.

To apply for the roles you will need to:

Step 1 – Contact Adele Callaghan or Navita Rooprai at Hays Legal

You will have a conversation with Hays will be to determine the role to which you are applying and your eligibility

Step 2 – Provide your CV to Hays by the deadline below.

A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities, achievements and relevant experience.

Step 3 – You may choose to have a 15 minute informal conversation with Key Stakeholders/Hiring Managers at GLD – this is not mandatory and is your choice. If a conversation is required, please contact Adele Callaghan or Navita Rooprai at Hays Legal.

Step 4 – Complete and return the ‘Essential Criteria’ information to Hays by the deadline specified.

You will set out how you meet the essential criteria (legal experience and behaviours), which will be assessed at sift/short-listing stage. The criteria that will be assessed at sift stage is as follows:

  • Relevant experience for the role to which you are applying/ Technical Legal Skills – CV (experience precis)

  • Examples of leadership/stepping up (behaviour: leadership)

  • Examples of building relationships with stakeholders/clients/teams (behaviour: communicating and influencing)

  • Managing/supervising (behaviour: Working together)

  • Why do you want to work for the Civil Service and why this role?/evidencing an interest in/motivation for being a GLD lawyer (motivational fit)

Information should be bullet pointed and should not exceed 300 words per criteria

Please refer to success profile link for guidance Success Profiles - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Selection Process

Candidates will be assessed on an ongoing basis. Candidate suitability for the roles will be based on evidence provided in their CV and response to questions addressing the essential criteria.

Interview

Should you be successful in being invited to interview, you will be assessed on your performance in all essential criteria alongside scenario based exercises, scenario based questions and strength-based questions. One exercise may take place before the interview date. Candidates invited to interview will be given further information.

The essential criteria are as follows:

  • Experience – Technical Legal Skills relevant to the role for which you are applying

  • Leadership

  • Communicating and Influencing

  • Working together

  • Managing a Quality Service

  • Motivational Fit

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

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

Regardless of the outcome, we will notify all candidates as soon as possible after 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 may be placed on the reserve list for up to 12 months.

Expected Timeline

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.

Closing date and time: 11.55pm Friday 31st January 2025

Applicants may only apply once for this campaign - repeat applications are not permitted.