Senior Lawyer

Lawyers will be expected to take responsibility for leading their areas of work, be it, high value litigation, leading projects or managing the delivery of a specific area of legal work. They will be accountable for the delivery and management of significant volumes of complex, high profile work and need to have the ability to work collaboratively with policy teams and senior stakeholders to achieve Departmental objectives.

In addition, we expect our Grade 6 Senior Lawyers to be able to work collaboratively across HMRC Legal Group, HMRC, the Government Legal Profession (GLP) and external stakeholders as appropriate, taking into account wider issues when delivering advice and contributing to the leadership of our organisation.

Our G6 Senior Lawyers need to have excellent legal professional skills, the ability to provide robust risk based legal advice and to effectively supervise the provision of legal advice of others they are leading.

We have two types of roles: 1) Mini Team Leader and 2) Specialist Senior litigation/advisory Lawyers. Successful candidates will be allocated a role which will be determined by business need at the time of taking up appointment.

Candidates must note that it is expected that during a career within HMRC Legal Group, Senior Lawyers are expected to move between specialist and management roles, depending on business need.

This is an excellent opportunity to develop within two core areas, law and leadership. We have developed a structured and fully supported leadership and management development programme.

Please refer to the current role profiles for Grade 6 Team Leaders and Grade 6 Specialist Lawyer roles. These set out our expectations of Senior lawyers for these roles.

Through this campaign we seek to fill multiple roles across a full range of teams and specialisms, both for vacancies now as well as those anticipated before this campaign concludes. Within our lawyer community there are also regular opportunities to broaden skills and experience, switch between specialist and team leader roles and work in different teams. We, therefore, encourage applications that demonstrate experience and capabilities across the full range of legal roles.

The candidate pack includes more information about HMRC Legal Group, the work that we do, an outline for the roles and responsibilities of an HMRC Legal Group Senior Lawyer and the selection process.

Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.

Person specification

Have substantial experience of dealing with complex legal issues relevant to one or more of the areas of work our HMRC Legal Group lawyer teams HMRC cover. Our work involves all aspects of advising and litigating issues relating to various areas including, public law, tax, customs, commercial, criminal, elements of welfare, EU and international/international trade law, supporting both operational decisions and major policy initiatives and advising on new legislation, including drafting secondary legislation.

Excellent legal professional skills with knowledge of public law; demonstrate an understanding of the role of lawyers within government; possess the ability to give and oversee authoritative risk-based legal advice that is creative in facilitating practical solutions and mitigations; the ability to understand the strategic importance and impact of legal advice; the ability to communicate legal advice effectively in writing and orally.

The ability to work collaboratively with stakeholders and lawyers inside and outside their organisation; has an understanding of diverse customer needs which supports delivery of high quality and efficient legal services; can see issues in their wider context and advise accordingly.

A legal professional who values and role-models continuous self-learning and develops themselves and others to achieve goals, ensuring that development opportunities are inclusive. Someone who is comfortable with working in an uncertain environment that changing political priorities may bring.

A leader who thinks holistically about the organisation, focussing on organisational outcomes rather than just their team's own interests, commanding credibility from senior stakeholders, who can contribute to the effective leadership of not only their team, but also the organisation that they are part of.

A leader who encourages a positive, diverse, and inclusive culture that supports wellbeing and encourages learning and development.

Want to know more about the role and the application process:

https://forms.office.com/e/2E4wfHq8Eu Candidate session link - 18th March 12-1

https://forms.office.com/e/gVBBZd5RWk Candidate session link 26th March 3-4

Essential Criteria

Solicitors, Barristers or Chartered Legal Executives must have completed a training contract/pupillage/qualifying employment or have been exempted from this by the Law Society, the Bar Council or CILEx. Chartered Legal Executives must have a Qualifying Law Degree or have completed the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)/CPE or have passed exams (i.e. a score of 50% or above achieved) at CILEx Level 6, in all the seven foundation subjects in law: contract law, criminal law, equity and trusts law, European Union Law, land law, public law and law of tort.

You will need to be qualified as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive and able to practice as such in England and Wales.

Further Background on qualification requirements:

If you are a qualified lawyer in a jurisdiction outside England and Wales, we need you to become qualified in England and Wales within 2 years of starting employment with us, and your employment will be conditional upon you successfully becoming qualified within this time. This may cause you some cost. Further information on qualification is available from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and the Bar Standards Board (BSB).

Please indicate whether you would like to be considered for specialist roles or mini-team leader roles, or both in the Essential Criteria box. Remember that if you are successful, business need will dictate what role you will be offered and in any event, as your career in the HMRC Legal Group progresses, you will be expected to move between being a mini-team leader and a specialist advisory lawyer.

Behaviours

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

• Developing Self and Others
• Managing a Quality Service
• Leadership

Technical skills

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

• You will be asked a legal skills question, further information on this will be provided to those invited to interview.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £68,966, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £19,979 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.

We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.

• Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues' Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
• Family friendly policies.
• Personal support.
• Coaching and development.

To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it's really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service .

Things you need to know

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

How to Apply

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:

• A name blind CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements on no more than 2 pages. Please ensure you have also provided reasons for any gaps.
  
  The total word count of your CV must be no more than 800 words.
• A Personal statement of up to 1250 words, providing examples and evidence which demonstrate how you meet the Person Specification.
  
  It is important that through your CV and Personal Statement you provide evidence and examples which explain how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience make you suitable for the role with particular reference to the criteria in the Person Specification.
• A 500-word statement on how you meet the Essential Criteria: there is an allowance of up to 500 words for essential criteria however you need only confirm your qualification type (Solicitor, Barrister, CILEX lawyer). Please indicate whether you would like to be considered for specialist roles or mini-team leader roles, or both in this box. Remember that if you are successful, business need will dictate what role you will be offered and in any event, as your career in the HMRC Legal Group progresses, you will be expected to move between being a mini-team leader and a specialist advisory lawyer.

It is important to note that Behaviours will not be tested at the application stage. The CV and Personal Statement will be given a combined score.

We acknowledge that AI can assist you in your application. Find our guidelines here.

Sift

In the event of a large number of applications being received, an initial sift may be held on the essential criteria statement.

At full sift your CV and Personal Statement will be assessed and given a combined score, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.

We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.

Interview

During the panel interview, your experience and behaviours will be assessed, to determine your suitability for the role.

You will also be asked a legal skills question, further information on this will be provided to those invited to interview.

Interviews will take place via video link. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Eligibility

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: unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.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]'.

To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application .

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles - if this applies to you, we'll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.

Criminal Record Check

Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.

Merit List

After interview, a single merit list will be created, and you will only be considered for posts in locations you have expressed a preference for. Appointments will be made in strict merit order in line with the set number of roles in each location.

Reasonable Adjustments

We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.

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

• Contact the UBS Recruitment team via unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the "Assistance required" section in the "Additional requirements" page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers:

This role may be suitable for existing HMRC employees who are contractual homeworkers. Occasional attendance to the office will be required where there is a business need. Please consider the advertised office locations for this role when applying and only select locations from the 'location preferences' section that you can travel to.

Terms and Conditions

Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.

HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations .

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.

Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.

Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.

Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.

Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.

If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

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 the Civil 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 : HMRC Legal Group Resourcing Team
• Email : legalresourcingteam@hmrc.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk

Further information
Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel there has been a breach of the Recruitment Principles.
In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly via ubsrecruitmentcomplaints@hmrc.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their website.

Attachments
Combined TC and OGD Pay - English - July 2024 Opens in new window (docx, 132kB) Grade 6 Lawyer specialist role profile 2025 Opens in new window (doc, 150kB) Grade 6 Lawyer Team Leader role profile 2025 Opens in new window (doc, 175kB) G6 Lawyers brochure Opens in new window (docx, 6402kB)