Costs Lawyers/Draftspersons – SEO and HEO roles

Job summary

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 government’s 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, find out how to apply and learn about the benefits of working for GLD. You can also read more about the future vision for GLD in our GLD Strategy 2024 – 2027.

Job description

About the Litigation Directorate and Costs Team

The Costs team sits within the Litigation Directorate of the Government Legal Department, which delivers litigation services to the majority of UK government departments and executive agencies, as well as to many non‑departmental public bodies. Its work frequently raises issues of constitutional importance and spans a broad range of subject matter across public and private law. In addition to mainstream litigation, the Directorate supports major public inquiries and inquests, reflecting its central role in complex and sensitive government legal work.

Lawyers within the Directorate regularly appear before a wide range of courts and tribunals, including Coroners’ Courts, the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal, the Royal Courts of Justice, and the Supreme Court.

While the Cost Litigation Team is located within this Justice and Development Division, the team works across the whole Directorate and beyond.

The team is a Centre of Excellence which reflects the cross‑cutting nature of legal costs work and the need for specialist expertise to be available across all government litigation.

Its core function is dealing with adverse costs claims, recovery of costs and budgeting, combined with the provision of specialist advice on costs matters. The team delivers services across areas such as judicial review, personal injury, clinical negligence, planning, inquests and public inquiries, human rights, employment, land tribunal matters, commercial litigation, and charities law.

The work undertaken by the team is frequently complex and important. It can also be high‑profile and, at times, unique. Costs disputes arising from public law challenges, major inquiries, or Supreme Court litigation often involve novel points or substantial sums, requiring a high level of expertise and judgment. The team’s role in these matters places it at the forefront of legal costs practice within the public sector.

Members of the Cost Litigation Team attend hearings in a range of courts, including the Senior Courts Costs Office and the Supreme Court.

In addition to its internal capability, the team is supported by a panel of external costs service providers. This panel provides additional capacity and specialist support, enabling the team to manage fluctuating demand and particularly complex or resource‑intensive matters.

The Role

We are looking to fill five Cost Lawyer/Draftsperson posts in total across both Senior Executive Officer and Higher Executive Officer grades. These roles have come about as part of our commitment to grow and develop the team as a designated Centre of Excellence. Litigation costs work is a specialist and ever developing area and the costs team is involved in proactively assisting and collaborating with its litigation colleagues at an early stage of the litigation process. This is an exciting opportunity for a newly qualified Costs Lawyer/experienced Draftsperson with proven, technical skills to deal with a very varied caseload (SEO), or individuals with some experience in costs work (HEO).​

The post holders will be expected to:​

• Provide a good quality, professional and cost-effective service that achieves client satisfaction and contribute to the achievement of GLD, Division and Team objectives.​
• Have a goodunderstanding of CPR and litigation process as well as key case law and procedure commensurate to the grade. ​
• To be accountable for each allocated case from outset to case completion.​
• Be able to prioritise work, so as tobe able to assume additional tasks such as assisting on larger, more complex or urgent cases.​
• Comply with policies, standards, procedures and service level agreements set at GLD, divisional and team level.​
• Provide advice and guidance to colleagues and clients on costs. ​
• Contribute to delivery of the team’s and litigation group’s corporate objectives.
• Champion our “Centre of Excellence” status. Post holders may have the opportunity to identify, devise and deliver costs training to both our internal colleagues and clients​.

Whilst both grades (SEO and HEO) will involve managing a caseload of costs matters and likely line managing a more junior member of the team, the SEO post carries additional responsibility for supervising staff and client relationships.

The SEO post holder will be expected to be largely autonomous in the handling of their cases, although support is always available. They will also be expected to have more input into developing junior team members and processes.

Recruitment and Retention Scheme

The Costs Team operates a recruitment and retention scheme. A recruitment and retention allowance of £1,500 pa is paid to staff who perform at least to a satisfactory standard. A further £1,544 pa is paid to staff who commit to study and obtain the Costs Lawyer Professional Qualification (CLPQ) qualification.

Qualified Costs Lawyers receive an allowance of £6,174 pa inclusive of all other allowances which includes the recruitment and retention allowance.

These allowances are specific to this post and will be withdrawn if the successful candidate leaves the post/ does not qualify via CLPQ at the end of their current training programme.

Person specification

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 and how they are used as an assessment method before completing your application.

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

• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Developing Self and Others

Key Skills and Experience

Essential – must be demonstrated at application and interview commensurate to grade.

• Demonstrable track record of personally managing costs casework, including adverse costs and costs budgeting, across a range of litigation matters
• Experience of managing a varied costs caseload with appropriate supervision and providing practical written and oral advice to colleagues and clients
• Experience of prioritising complex or urgent work and supporting the delivery of larger matters

Desirable

• Experience of line management or supervision, mentoring or developing junior colleagues
• Experience of costs negotiations, detailed assessment proceedings or costs recovery work

Technical Professional Skills

Essential – must be demonstrated at application and interview commensurate to grade

• Good knowledge of the Civil Procedure Rules, litigation process, costs procedure and relevant costs case law
• Good technical costs knowledge gained across a range of litigation or costs matters, including adverse costs and costs budgeting also.
• Ability to prepare and/or review technical costs documents, including schedules, budgets, assumptions, points of dispute and replies
• Ability to identify costs risks, advise on tactics and proportionality and support effective settlement negotiations
• Negotiation skills and the ability to explain costs issues clearly to clients and non-specialists

Desirable

• Experience of recovery work or experience of delivering training

Qualifications

Desirable

Qualified Costs Lawyer or Costs Draftsperson, or experience within a costs environment, suitable for an autonomous costs role

Desirable criteria will be used when there is a need to distinguish between candidates who are closely tied or the same after the initial consideration of essential criteria, at sift and / or interview.

Security Clearance Level

All GLD employees must hold BPSS. In addition to this, those based in our London offices must hold or be willing and able to obtain CTC level clearance for this role. If London based, you cannot start your position until you have obtained CTC clearance. Your appointment is conditional upon obtaining CTC clearance. More information can be found about the vetting and clearance levelsbefore completing your application.

Sponsorship and Visas

GLD may be able to provide Skilled Worker sponsorship where the applicant meets all eligibility criteria under current immigration legislation. GLD does not guarantee that sponsorship will be provided or that an applicant will be granted a Skilled Worker visa.

Candidates with Limited Leave to Remain may apply but must have at least 12 months remaining on an existing visa that permits them to work for GLD when employment begins. Please allow three months for the onboarding process from the point of offer.

Applicants are expected to hold an existing visa with at least 12 months remaining when they start work with GLD. The share code provided for pre-employment checks must relate to the visa that permits the applicant to work for at least 12 months in the role applied for. Outstanding visa applications cannot be taken into account during the recruitment process.

Applicants are responsible for ensuring that they meet the sponsorship criteria and for notifying the Resourcing Team at the start of the onboarding process if they require sponsorship. This applies to existing civil servants and external candidates.

Candidates with Indefinite Leave to Remain may apply.

Candidate Information Session

We will be holding a candidate information session for these roles on Microsoft Teams from 13:00-14:00 on Thursday 19th November.

Candidates will have the opportunity to hear from Lawyers/Draftspersons working within the Costs Team, about what they do and their experiences working for government. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions about the role.

If you are interested in further information on this role please join the link below:

Microsoft Teams meeting

Join here

Meeting ID: 335 050 428 859 152 7

Passcode: ZZ6Ju9X8

Dial in by phone

United Kingdom, City of London

Phone conference ID: 215 053 588#

Behaviours

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

• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Developing Self and Others

Technical skills

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

• Technical Professional Skills

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £47,850, Government Legal Department contributes £13,862 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Benefits of working for the Civil Service

Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career with the Department 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.

Learning and Development at GLD

GLD has a comprehensive learning and development offer for all employees.

We offer a programme of in-person/hybrid and virtual sessions providing learning on profession-specific, soft skills, technical skills, and different topics. We also support colleagues through a range of different professional qualifications.

Costs Lawyer Profession

There is the opportunity to study for the Costs Lawyer Professional Qualification (CLPQ), which can be funded by the department. This is the recognised pathway for qualification to become a Costs Lawyer and involves

commitment to a (maximum) 2-year part time, online study programme which consists of:

• A Diploma in Civil Practice;
• A Diploma in Costs Law and Practice; and
• An Award in Costs Advocacy

Please note that dedicated study time is available for exams/assessments as part of this qualification.

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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

Application

To apply for this post you will need to complete the online application on Civil Service Jobs, searching the reference below. The deadline for this application is Monday 23rd November 2026 at 12:00 Midday.

In your application you will be assessed on the following:

• An online CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years, as part of the online application form. The CV will be scored and assessed on the Essential Criteria of Key Skills and Experience and Technical Professional Skills set out within the person specification.
• A Statement of Suitability of no more than 750 words demonstrating how you meet the Essential Criteria for Key Skills and Experience and Technical Professional Skillsset out within the person specification.

Application Errors

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, please contact us via: activecampaigns@governmentlegal.gov.uk . Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – 489298 & vacancy closing date 12:00 Midday Monday 23rd November 2026'.

Selection Process

After the closing date, the appointing panel shall assess candidates’ suitability for the role based on evidence provided in their application against the behaviours, key skills and experience and technical professional skills outlined in the person specification.

Staged Sift

If there are a large number of applications the panel will conduct a two stage sift. The first stage of the sift will be on CV alone. If you meet the minimum criteria for the CV, you will then go to a second stage sift on the statement of suitability.

In the eventuality that there are a high number of applicants successful at sift, GLD may operate a longlist, whereby applicants who have been shortlisted and met the minimum pass mark but are not selected for interview will have their application placed on hold. After the initial interview round candidates on the longlist may be offered an interview, should there still be posts available.

Interview

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to interview.

Within your interview, you will be asked questions on the following criteria listed in the Person Specification as well as strength-based questions. These criteria are:

• Behaviours:
  • Working Together
  • Delivering at Pace
  • Developing Self and Others
• Technical Professional Skills

Offer

The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, and all shortlisted candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter.

All communications regarding your application will be made through Civil Service Jobs.

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 may contact you to see if you are interested in a post at the same, or a lower grade, in GLD should one arise.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.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 : Michael Brown
• Email : michael.brown@governmentlegal.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : activecampaigns@governmentlegal.gov.uk

Further information

What do I do if I have a complaint?
You have the right to complain if you feel there has been a breach of the Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application hasn’t been treated in accordance with these Principles and wish to make a complaint, please contact recruitment_feedback@governmentlegal.gov.uk in the first instance. Please title your email as follows: Job Reference Number – Job Title – Recruitment Complaint. Complaints must be submitted in writing within 30 days of the incident or the decision which has caused the complaint. To fully engage with the issues raised GLD require that you submit evidence of your complaint.

Attachments

489298 SEO-HEO Costs Draftsperson Opens in new window (pdf, 583kB)