Assistant Parliamentary Counsel

Job summary

The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel is a team within the Civil Service of around 50 lawyers and 10 support staff. Our job title is “counsel” but the job is open to barristers, solicitors and legal executives. Our main role is to draft Government Bills for introduction into Parliament and Government amendments to Bills as they go through Parliament on their way to becoming Acts.

Parliament can legislate about anything, so our work covers a wide variety of subjects and we do not specialise in any particular area of law. The Bills we draft can be hugely politically significant and topical, but may also be niche, specialised or technical. Our Office drafted the Bills that became Acts creating the NHS, nationalising and then privatising public utilities, delivering devolution, implementing Brexit and dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences. In the past 12 months alone we’ve produced bills on a wide range of subjects, including biodiversity in the oceans, renters’ rights, border security, employment rights, data protection, energy, criminal law, taxation, water, planning, women bishops, railways and the steel industry.

Because we may need to deal with legislation affecting any aspect of modern life, we recognise the importance of being a diverse organisation composed of excellent lawyers from a wide range of backgrounds.

We are committed to producing clear and effective legislation to the highest possible standards in the public interest. We lead the legislative drafting profession within Government and work to promote high standards of drafting and awareness of the principles underpinning good law. In addition to drafting Bills we advise the Government on Parliamentary procedure and liaise with Parliamentary authorities on behalf of the Government, we draft or review some subordinate legislation, where our expertise is called for, and we advise the Government on legal, Parliamentary and constitutional questions falling within our expertise.

Job description

Assistant Parliamentary Counsel (APCs) assist in all aspects of the Office’s work with a view to being able to take the lead on a Bill once they are promoted to the grade of Deputy Director (see further below).

APCs are supervised in their work, with the level of supervision reducing as they grow in expertise and experience, but will be responsible for drafting legislation from the beginning of their time in the Office. Although one drafter generally takes the lead on each Bill, and the First Parliamentary Counsel (the head of the Office) and team leaders oversee the work, the Office is a collaborative and non-hierarchical environment in which all contributions are welcome. APCs, working alongside a more experienced drafter, may be drafting deeply complex or controversial provisions from their very first day.

The main tasks of an APC are:

• To assist in drafting Bills which are effective, clearly written and well-structured (by both drafting and reviewing the work of other drafters);
• To work with officials across Government to ensure that the process of Bill preparation, publication and Parliamentary handling is handled effectively and efficiently;
• To provide advice to Government departments on parliamentary procedure;
• To review, draft and advise on some subordinate legislation;
• To contribute to the training and development of other drafters, departmental lawyers, policy advisers and members of Bill teams (who coordinate work on a Bill);
• To contribute actively to the wider objectives of the Office (providing a high-quality drafting service, leading the legislative drafting profession within government, and promoting good law).

We have an extensive induction and training programme, though new APCs usually find they learn most on the job from working with more experienced colleagues.

Once they reach the required standard to take the lead on a Bill, APCs can expect to be promoted to Parliamentary Counsel at the grade of Deputy Director, with a current starting salary of £87,000 (plus allowance rising to 35%). Parliamentary Counsel may be further promoted to Director, with a current starting salary of £100,000 (plus allowance rising to 35%).

The Office is divided into four teams, each of which drafts Bills for a group of Government departments and is led by a Director General.

See the Salary and Benefits section of the candidate information pack for further details of the allowance referred to above.

If, ahead of applying, you would like to find out more about what it is like working for the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, come to our online ‘Meet the Parliamentary Counsel’ panel event, which will be held on the evening of 19 January 2026 You can register your interest here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfFMTzvBZDK3lqluEYJBFFjRBx8AtO7z5okfjzQVBHNDZDi9g/viewform?usp=dialog

Person specification

It is important that, through your CV and supporting statement that you provide evidence of the professional skills, breadth of experience and personal qualities for this post.

Essential Criteria:

We are looking for lawyers who are motivated to produce legislation of the highest quality and who have the following skills and attributes:

• Excellent powers of analysis and reliable judgement in applying that analysis;
• Ability to express complex ideas clearly, coherently and accurately;
• Ability to master new information at speed, work under pressure and deliver at pace;
• Ability to problem solve and come up with creative solutions;
• Ability to work collaboratively;
• Good self-awareness and a commitment to learning and developing as a professional.

The skills and personal qualities we are looking for can be demonstrated through a wide range of legal and other experience.

We encourage and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, and particularly welcome applications from people who are disabled or who are black, Asian or from minority ethnic groups, as they are currently under-represented in the Office.

Academic Qualifications

You should have a good honours degree (2:1 or above or an overseas equivalent) in any subject. Applicants who do not have a 2:1 degree are considered only where they provide strong evidence of equivalent high level academic and/or professional achievement.

Qualifications

You must be qualified to practise as a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales or Northern Ireland or a solicitor or advocate in Scotland. You must have completed a training contract, pupillage, qualifying employment or equivalent, or have been exempted from this by the relevant regulatory body.

Chartered Legal Executives are also eligible to apply if:
I. they hold a Qualifying Law Degree (QLD);
II. they have completed the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)/CPE; or
III. they have passed exams (i.e. a score of 50% or above achieved), at CILEx Level 6*, in all of the following seven foundation subjects in law:
i. Contract Law
ii. Criminal Law
iii. Equity and Trusts Law
iv. European Union Law
v. Land Law
vi. Public Law
vii. Law of Tort

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £80,000, Cabinet Office contributes £23,176 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career within the Office and wider Civil Service. It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead, and you’ll benefit from regular performance and development reviews to ensure this development is ongoing. As a Civil Service employee, you’ll be entitled to a large range of benefits.

This includes:

• 25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service. This is in addition to 8 public holidays.
• This will be complimented by one further day paid privilege entitlement to mark the King’s Birthday;
• A competitive contributory pension scheme that you can enter as soon as you join where we will make a significant contribution to the cost of your pension; where your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken; and where your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire;
• Generous paid maternity and paternity leave which is notably more than the statutory minimum offered by many other employers;
• Childcare benefits (policy for new employees as of 5 April 2018): The government has introduced the Tax- Free Childcare (TFC) scheme. Working parents can open an online childcare account and for every £8 they pay in, the government adds £2, up to a maximum of £2000 a year for each child or £4000 for a disabled child. Parents then use the funds to pay for registered childcare. Existing employees may be able to continue to claim childcare vouchers, so please check how the policy would work for you here: https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/childcare-vouchers;
• Interest-free loans allowing you to spread the cost of an annual travel season ticket or a new bicycle;
• The opportunity to use onsite facilities including fitness centres and staff canteens (where applicable);
• Occupational sick pay.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, 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 see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Application

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application by no later than 23.55, Monday 2nd February 2026. The online application will require you to:

1. Confirm you meet the minimum qualification criteria as to academic and professional qualifications. (Applications will undergo an initial sift to verify they meet the essential qualification requirements. Only candidates who meet these requirements will then progress to a full sift, where they will be assessed on their competence and experience in relation to the essential criteria).

2. Provide a CV containing a brief (max 500 words) overview of your career to date, setting out each employer, the dates of employment and a short factual description of your role (this is not the place to explain in great detail how you meet the selection criteria or to provide lengthy lists of your achievements).

3. Provide a statement of suitability in which you:

(a) briefly describe (max 250 words) your motivation for applying to join the Office, and

(b) explain (max 1000 words) how your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your ability to meet the selection criteria. You should give concise concrete examples of things you have done which show how you meet the essential criteria in the person specification.

Please note, any words over the limits above will not be considered or scored. It is your responsibility to ensure that the word limits are met.

As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say’. See the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy for more information: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-diversity-and-inclusion-strategy-2022-to-2025

Should you encounter any issues with your online application please get in touch with us via: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Shortlist

• Your application will be acknowledged when it is received.
• A panel will assess all the applications to select those demonstrating the best fit with the selection criteria on pages 8 and 9 of the candidate information pack.
• Because no prior experience of the role is necessary, the panel will be looking less at the nature of your specific experience and more at how your experience demonstrates a fit with the selection criteria, and the competencies needed for a career in the Office. There is no single type of experience that prepares candidates for the Office and all experience may be useful, but your application must show how it is relevant.
• In addition, the way in which you describe your experience is important, as the Office needs members who are able to communicate effectively in writing. This does not require you to write your application in any particular way - but it should be well structured, clear and concise.
• The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which the decision as to which candidates are invited to interview is expected to be made, and all candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible after that. Please note that we are unable to provide feedback to those candidates who are not shortlisted.

Assessment

• If you are shortlisted, you will have the opportunity to speak to one or two members of the Office about the work that we do. This is not part of the selection process and the members of the Office will not discuss the conversation with the selection panel.
• Those being interviewed will be asked to undertake a written exercise on the day of the interview. The results will be discussed at the interview. Further details on the interview process will be made available to shortlisted candidates.
• If we receive applications from more suitable candidates than we have vacancies for at this time, we may hold suitable applicants on a reserve list for 12 months, and future vacancies in the Office could be offered to candidates on the reserve list without the need for a new competition.

Offer

• Regardless of the outcome, we will notify all candidates as soon as possible.

Indicative Timeline

The anticipated timetable is as follows:

Advert Closing Date: 23.55, Monday 2nd February 2026

Shortlist: w/c 2nd March 2026

Interviews: w/c 16th March 2026

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service at: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
• Complete the ‘assistance required’ section in the ‘personal information’ page of your application form to provide information we should be aware of that will enable us to support you further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Further information
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Current Civil Servants (all contract types) will need to ensure that they are still employed as a civil servant at the point of starting in the relevant new post. If their contract ends (e.g. end of FTA contract or resignation) at any point during the recruitment/onboarding process for the advertised role, they will no longer be eligible and may be withdrawn.

Any move to Cabinet Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.

Please note that this role requires Security Check (SC) clearance, which would normally need 5 years UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : GRS SCS Recruitment Team
• Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Civil Service Commission Selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.
In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles, our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of appointment on the basis of merit by fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance you should contact; scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk and more information can be found at www.civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

Attachments

2025-12-22 Assistant Parliamentary Counsel - Candidate Pack v3 Opens in new window (pdf, 570kB)2025-12-22 Assistant Parliamentary Counsel - Candidate Information Pack - Accessible v2 Opens in new window (docx, 427kB)