Government Legal Department

Job Title: Costs Lawyer / Draftsperson

Location: London, Leeds or Bristol

London- £65,647

National - £62,348

Put your costs expertise at the heart of government litigation

The challenge
• Government Legal Department (GLD) is the largest provider of legal services across government, working with all the main Whitehall departments. From roads to rivers, health to human rights, our work touches on most aspects of public life. From developing and drafting legislation to helping to secure economic and trade relationships, providing legal advice on polices to ensuring value from contracts, our work is stimulating and varied.
• is an opportunity to use your expertise to improve and drive delivery within the specialist and ever-developing area ofcosts litigation. Our Costs Litigation team undertakes legal costs litigation and also provides advice across a wide range of government departments and executive agencies. Costs budgeting created a demand for our... input at a much earlier stage of the wider litigation process and our specialists are playing an increasingly proactive role.

The role

You’ll join a team delivering high-quality, competitive legal costs services on a wide range of legal areas including judicial review, personal injury, clinical negligence, inquests and inquiries, human rights, employment and land tribunal, commercial and charities matters.

The work includes adverse, recovery and budgeting work ,and is often complex, high profile and, at times, unique.

Acting as joint technical lead for a team reporting to the Deputy Director, you will provide strategic leadership, management and technical direction to a team of around 20 staff.

You will maintain your own small caseload of complex, high value or high profile cost cases, including group litigation actions, as well as providing strategic input and direction on cases run by junior staff.

We’ll look to you to create a nurturing learning environment while also maintaining focus on quality and performance. Fostering the team’s relationship with external costs suppliers will be a key part of the role.

About you

A highly experienced Costs Lawyer / Draftsperson, you will demonstrate leadership, technical and management skills.

You’ll have a track-record of personally handling high value and complex costs casework requiring strategic direction in adverse, recovery and budgeting work. Experience of line management in a costs setting is essential.

We also look for the ability to:
• drive high performance behaviours within a team
• foster good working relationships with key clients and internal teams
• communicate effectively and convey complex issues to diverse audiences
• demonstrate precise attention to detail while seeing the bigger picture.

Benefits

GLD encourages its people to develop their skills in a nurturing environment.. Other benefits include access to a valuable civil service pension and flexible working arrangements.

Closing Date: 12th March 2023
Leeds UK

Salary Criteria