About HMRC Legal Group

HMRC Legal Group provides legal services to the whole of HMRC. This includes:

• Legal advice to ExCom and staff.
• Work on new legislation.
• Drafting of statutory instruments and other legal documents.
• The conduct of independent reviews of decisions made by HMRC which are requested by customers under the legislative provisions.
• The conduct of tribunal and civil litigation on a full range of services.

We also provide technical accountancy and forensic services to HMRC, are head of the Compliance Accountants’ and insolvency professions as well as handling Ministerial Correspondence and Freedom of Information requests for HMRC.

The Role

The roles are available in the Customs, Excise and Environmental team. Working from London. We are a large, friendly team with approx. 45 highly enthusiastic, motivated and helpful lawyers, providing legal advice and support to our clients. We are committed to supporting professional development, and there is considerable support and guidance available to support the team’s work.

The team undertakes a mix of work including providing advice on operational matters looking at the interpretation and application of customs legislation and legislative guidance pertaining to particular cases, legal advice on the development of policy and draft primary and secondary legislation, including considering compatibility with the Human Rights Act and international law. In particular, we advise on all areas of Customs law including customs duty/tariff, customs procedures and non-duty customs matters administered by HMRC and aspects of EU law relating to customs as they apply in the UK in respect of Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework. Our team is often at the forefront of exciting developments as result of UK exit. Both our operational and our policy development work entail working closely and building strong, ongoing relationships with HMRC/HMT policy colleagues, team members, other members of HMRC Legal Group and other government departments.

Examples of matters worked on by our team include supporting the negotiation of the Windsor Framework and its implementation, and supporting the development of the Borders Target Operating Model, published at the end of August 2023, which sets out a new model for controls over importing goods into the UK from countries inside and outside the EU.

Skills and experience

We are looking for an intellectually capable, highly motivated lawyer with powerful oral and written communication skills and excellent interpersonal skills.

You will need solid legal professional skills, including the following essential requirements:

• reliable legal judgement and appreciation of legal risk
• sound analysis of issues, using secure legal research
• making evidence based decisions
• managing a quality service for clients

Legal professional experience of one or more of the following areas is highly desirable:

• Customs or Tax (whether in this or another comparable jurisdiction), and / or
• International and/or domestic public law

You need to have good self-awareness and a commitment to using feedback to learn and develop as a professional, and work as part of a team.