Senior Paralegal - (BPSS/CTC Clearance) x4

Job summary

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 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 Legal Groups

Litigation Group

The actions and decisions of government are under increasing scrutiny and challenge. Military action overseas, Brexit, immigration policy, welfare reform, climate change and energy policy are just a few of the issues that generate legal challenges that can hit the headlines.

GLD litigation lawyers conduct a wide range of often high-profile cases, frequently involving questions of constitutional importance.

Our public law litigation practice covers the full range of judicial review challenges in areas such as immigration, planning and national security as well as the Government’s wide ranging reform agenda.

We also have a substantial private law practice representing large Government Departments such as the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Defence in personal injury, clinical negligence, misfeasance in public office, false imprisonment, and other claims.

Litigation lawyers also provide expert representation in relation to inquests and public inquiries. We regularly litigate through the higher courts to the Supreme Court and offer the opportunity to handle cases at the forefront of the developing law.

Advisory Divisions

Government Departments need to draw on the skills of advisory lawyers to bring to life policies for which Ministers are accountable to Parliament and the electorate. The legal issues are often complex, novel and politically sensitive.

The legal approach may be scrutinised by Parliament, the media, courts, and other institutions, domestic, European and International projects are often fast moving and the problems brought to lawyers are often both urgent and unpredictable.

Our advisory lawyers work closely with policy officials and other professionals in the Department to find legally sound solutions to deliver Ministers’ priorities, even where these change overnight.

Ministers want to reform and improve the area they are responsible for.

They are likely to be brimming with ideas about how to change things –more affordable childcare, planning regulations which support the growth agenda, limiting bankers’ bonuses are some recent examples.

Employment Directorate

The Employment Directorate provides employment advice and litigation services to all GLD clients, supporting a workforce of over 450,000 and underpinning the delivery of a vast range of public services.

Our work covers everything from Employment Tribunal claims and the conduct of complex multi-party litigation to advising on staff policies and terms and conditions, collective bargaining and departmental re-organisations.

We handle litigation up to the Supreme Court and provide employment advice in the context of Ministers’ political and operational drivers and the unique constitutional position of the civil servants. Along the way we learn about the environment and conditions of the vast range of public servants and office holders, including prison officers, judicial office-holders, border force officers, the armed forces and other sector specialists as well as policy officials.

The Directorate comprises around 135 employment lawyers who are based across GLD locations in London, Leeds, Manchester and Bristol. We have 8 legal teams led by Deputy Directors based in London, Leeds, Bristol and Manchester, supported by our Business Management Team.

– Sophie Williams, Legal Director -

“The Employment Directorate is a great place to work. The interest and range of employment work undertaken is second to none. We provide services for a client very much as a team, with lawyers, litigation support staff and Business Management Officers working together, everyone playing a crucial role in ensuring high standards of client service.

Our people have the benefit of excellent resources, a tailored training programme and a really strong culture of mutual support and collaboration. Diversity and Inclusion is at the core of how we manage our people and teams.”

About the Role

The role involves working to deliver GLD’s service to clients, with a degree of autonomy, supervised by a qualified lawyer, including preparing legal documents, case management, undertaking legal research, supporting project management and leading knowledge management.

Main activities may include:

• Supporting the Division’s advisory and litigation functions, which includes providing legal research and first line review in responding to queries and instructions from clients.
• Performing legal research, analysis and drafting on a range of areas including international trade and investment law matters, as well as tasks related to Bills and secondary legislation.
• You may have line management responsibilities dependent on the division that you are allocated.
• The post-holder will advise on all legal aspects of data processing, data protection and data privacy matters, which may (depending on your team placement) include any of the following areas:
• Providing an analysis of the research and recommendations as part of the case strategy.
• Using legal knowledge to carry out legal research, utilising research to plan approach and strategy for cases. Providing an analysis of the research as part of the case strategy.
• Providing organisational support to legal teams.
• Assisting in the delivery of corporate objectives and improving the inclusivity, wellbeing and working environment for colleagues in the Division.

This list is not exhaustive; the role may involve additional duties according to business need. The specific work tasks of the role are likely to vary depending on which Legal Team to which the post-holder is allocated to.

The post-holder should be able to work independently but also have the interpersonal skills to work as part of a team and to interact with departmental/cross divisional colleagues, and other stakeholders. They will support the team in new ways of working and work closely with Senior and Junior Lawyers to maximise performance.

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:

• Making Effective Decisions (lead behaviour)
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Key Skills and Experience

Essential – must be demonstrated at application and interview

• Strong knowledge of the legal issues and context in which GLD operates.
• Ability to deliver successfully in a pressurised environment.
• Ability to work independently or as part of an effective team on ad-hoc tasks and projects.
• Highly organised with good time management skills and the ability to juggle multiple demands and prioritise workloads.
• Ability to communicate with senior stakeholders within the business and external clients, being able to justify the reasons behind a decision.
• Ability to critically analyse a range of evidence and options and make an appropriate decision.

Technical: Legal Professional Skills

Essential – must be demonstrated at application

• Demonstrate the ability to think critically and assist on complex legal matters under the supervision of lawyers.
• Ability to analyse large volumes of information to provide correct analysis of client needs and application of correct legal advice and case management.
• Ability to draft or supporting lawyers to draft effective legal documents including drafts of advice for clients, instructions for Counsel, witness statements and client letters.
• Have an eye for detail, accuracy and uphold confidentiality under all circumstances.

Desirable - 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.

• Proficiency with legal databases such as Lexis Nexis and Westlaw.
• Good working knowledge of iManage/CMS/LION and Legal Support Packages or equivalent.
• Leadership or line management experience.

Qualifications

Essential – must be demonstrated at application and interview

Candidates must provide evidence of one of the following:

• A legal qualification at level 6 or equivalent e.g. CILEX, GDL/Law conversion
• Law degree or non-law degree with a graduate Diploma in Law

Where candidates do not hold one of the above, they should demonstrate experience of working in a law-based team or paralegal role.

Please note that candidates cannot apply more than 3 months before their qualification date. You must hold one of the above qualifications or work-based experience before you can start your role.

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 can start your position pending this clearance level, however your appointment will be conditional upon obtaining CTC clearance. More information can be found about the vetting and clearance levelsbefore completing your application.

A Note on Security Clearance

Please note that applying through this campaign will not provide the opportunity for gaining security clearance higher than CTC. Should you wish to gain enhanced clearance to work in these teams, please apply through 463556 - Senior Paralegal – (SC Clearance).

Sponsorship and Visas

Visa sponsorship will not be given to candidates except where they are existing civil servants employed by GLD, who meet the HO/UKVI requirements for sponsorship. If you are an existing civil servant employed by GLD who requires sponsorship, you should confirm your eligibility for sponsorship for this role prior to application. This does not guarantee that sponsorship will be given for this role at a future date.

Candidates with Limited Leave to Remain, must have at least 12 months remaining on an existing visa which allows them to work for GLD, at the point they start working at GLD. Please allow three months for the onboarding process from the point of offer. Please note, GLD may not be able to provide sponsorship for this role when your current visa arrangements expire and you will not be able to continue in your employment with GLD via sponsorship if this is the case.

Linked Vacancy

If you submit an application for this role, you will not be eligible to apply for 463556 - Senior Paralegal – (SC Clearance). If you do so we will class your application as a duplicate and the system will not accept the further application. You may only apply for one of these two roles.

Candidate Information Session

We will be holding a candidate information session for these roles on Microsoft Teams from 12:00pm – 1:00pm onWednesday 3rd June 2026.

Candidates will have the opportunity to hear about the role, the different divisions and the application process. 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:

Wednesday 3rd June and 12:00pm – 1:00pm – from Teams invite

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 350 550 913 010 02

Passcode: X9E8VT7J

Kindly note this session is being run to cover both linked campaigns below, all security clearances below;

• 463556 - Senior Paralegal – (SC Clearance)
• 463465- Senior Paralegal – (BPSS/CTC Clearance)

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £34,647, Government Legal Department contributes £10,037 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• 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.

As the lead for the Government Legal Profession, we offer a tailored programme of development for all Legal Professionals joining the organisation through our Government Legal Training Programme and Legal Learning Framework, which includes:

• Foundation pathway, to support colleagues in their first 12 months
• Practitioner pathways for colleagues in four core areas of work
• Core Curriculum

We also offer a 2+2 scheme for newly qualified lawyers to gain a broader idea and understanding of the range of work available as a government lawyer.

Alongside this we support all Professions with building their careers and capability aligning with the wider Civil Service offerings for each Profession.

There are also talent and development opportunities offered throughout the year these include:

• Senior Leaders and Future Leaders Schemes – cross Civil Service accelerated development schemes.
• Beyond Boundaries – cross government development programme designed to help participants develop the knowledge, skills and networks required to build a satisfying and effective career in the Civil Service.
• Mentoring and Coaching – we encourage all colleagues to share their knowledge, capability, and experience.

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 and Experience.

Application

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the following on Civil Service Jobs, searching the reference below. The deadline for this application is 12:00 Midday onTuesday 9th June 2026.

Step 1: Civil Service Online Tests

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete 2 Civil Service Online tests: a Civil Service Verbal Test and a Civil Service Judgement Test. You can find out more information and guidance on the tests, including options to take practice tests.

If you are unsuccessful in passing these tests you will be unable to continue any further in the application process. If you successfully pass the/both test/s, you will then automatically progress to the next stage of completing the full application.

We suggest you allow enough time to complete the full application online, prior to the closing date and time, Tuesday 9th June 2026 at 12:00 Midday as once the application is closed you will no longer have access to the ability tests and the application.

Step 2: Online Application

In your application you will be assessed on the following:

1. A CV setting out your qualifications, career history, and educational achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years. This will be scored and used to assess Key Skills and Experience and Qualification as set out in the Person Specification.

2. A Statement of Suitability of no more than 750 words demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria for Key Skills and Experience and Technical: Legal Professional Skills. Full details can be found on the person specification slide.

3. Behaviour Statements (250 words each) for Making Effective Decisions (Lead Behaviour) and Working Together.

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 – [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date]’.

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 legal professional skills outlined in the person specification.

If there are a large number of applications the panel will conduct a three-part staged sift. The initial sift will be on the CV alone. If you meet the minimum criteria for the CV, your application will then be sifted on the personal statement. If you pass this stage, your application will then be sifted against the behaviour statements.

Candidates assessed as not demonstrating the required experience in their CV will not progress to have their personal statement assessed; they will be deemed as unsuccessful in the first stage of the three-stage sift. Candidates assessed as demonstrating the required experience in their CV will progress to the second stage of the three-stage sift where their personal statement will be assessed.

Candidates assessed as not demonstrating the required experience in their personal statement will not progress to have their behaviours assessed; they will be deemed as unsuccessful in the second stage of the three-stage sift. Candidates assessed as demonstrating the required experience in their personal statement will progress to the third stage of the three-stage sift where their behaviours will be assessed.

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

Behaviours

• Making Effective Decisions (lead behaviour)
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

Key Skills and Experience

Your interview will take place online.

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 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 : Bandy Karki
• Email : bandy.karki@governmentlegal.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : activecampaigns@governmentlegal.gov.uk

Online test instructions

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete 2 Civil Service Online tests: a Civil Service Verbal Test and a Civil Service Judgement Test. You can find out more information and guidance on the tests, including options to take practice tests.

If you are unsuccessful in passing these tests you will be unable to continue any further in the application process. If you successfully pass the/both test/s, you will then automatically progress to the next stage of completing the full application.

We suggest you allow enough time to complete the full application online, prior to the closing date and time, Tuesday 9th June 2026 at 12:00 Midday as once the application is closed you will no longer have access to the ability tests and the application.

Further information

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

463465 - HEO Senior Paralegal - (BPSS-CTC Clearance) - orig2 Opens in new window (pdf, 638kB)