Assistant Parliamentary Counsel - London, United Kingdom - Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office

Verified Company

London, United Kingdom

3 weeks ago

Posted by:

Tom O´Connor

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Description

Details:

Reference number:

Salary:

- £71,300- £71,300, plus allowance rising to 25%. Existing Civil Servants will be appointed in line with the normal Civil Service pay rules.

A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Job grade:

Other

Assistant Parliamentary Counsel (APC)
Contract type:
Permanent
Business area:
Office of the Parliamentary Counsel (GiP Group)
Type of role:
Legal Services
Senior leadership
Working pattern:
Flexible working, Fulltime, Job share, Parttime
Number of jobs available:
3Contents

Location

About the job

Benefits:

Things you need to know

Location

LondonAbout the job

Job summary:

The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel is a team within the Civil Service of around 50 lawyers and 10 support staff.

Our job title is "counsel" but the job is open to barristers, solicitors and legal executives.

Our main role is to draft Government Bills for introduction into Parliament and Government amendments to Bills as they go through Parliament on their way to becoming Acts.

Because we may need to deal with legislation affecting any aspect of modern life, we recognise the importance of being a diverse organisation composed of excellent lawyers from a wide range of backgrounds.

We are committed to producing clear and effective legislation to the highest possible standards in the public interest.

We lead the legislative drafting profession within Government and work to promote high standards of drafting and awareness of the principles underpinning good law.

In addition to drafting Bills we advise the Government on Parliamentary procedure and liaise with Parliamentary authorities on behalf of the Government, we draft or review some subordinate legislation, where our expertise is called for, and we advise the Government on legal, Parliamentary and constitutional questions falling within our expertise.

Job description:

APCs are supervised in their work, with the level of supervision reducing as they grow in expertise and experience, but will be responsible for drafting legislation from the beginning of their time in the Office.

Although one drafter generally takes the lead on each Bill, and the First Parliamentary Counsel (the head of the Office) and team leaders oversee the work, the Office is a collaborative and nonhierarchical environment in which all contributions are welcome.

APCs, working alongside a more experienced drafter, may be drafting deeply complex or controversial provisions from their very first day.

The main tasks of an APC are:
To assist in drafting Bills which are effective, clearly written and well-structured (by both drafting and reviewing the work of other drafters);
To work with officials across Government to ensure that the process of Bill preparation, publication and Parliamentary handling is handled

effectively and efficiently;- To provide advice to Government departments on parliamentary procedure;

To review, draft and advise on some subordinate legislation;
To contribute to the training and development of other drafters, departmental lawyers, policy advisers and members of Bill teams (who coordinate work on a Bill);
To contribute actively to the wider objectives of the Office (providing a highquality drafting service, leading the legislative drafting profession within government, and promoting good law).

Find out more:

None of the members of the Office attending the workshops will be members of the selection panel or able to discuss the workshops with the panel.

Person specification:

It is important that, through your CV and supporting statement that you provide evidence of the professional skills, breadth of experience and personal qualities for this post.

Essential Criteria
We are looking for lawyers who are motivated to produce legislation of the highest quality and who have the following skills and attributes:

Ability to express complex ideas clearly, coherently and accurately;
Ability to master new information at speed, work under pressure and deliver at pace;
Ability to problem solve and come up with creative solutions;
Ability to work collaboratively;
Good selfawareness and a commitment to learning and developing as a professional.

The skills and personal qualities we are looking for can be demonstrated through a wide range of legal and other experience.

Qualifications:

Minimum Academic and Professional Qualifications:

You must be qualified to practise as a solicitor, barrister or chartered legal executive in England and Wales. If you are qualified in a jurisdiction outside England and Wales, you will be required to qualify in England and Wales within 2 years of appointment, and employment will be conditional upon doing so. You should note that qualifying in England and Wales involves a cost to the individual. You must have completed a training contract/pupillage/ qualifying employment, or have been exem