JOB SUMMARY

Do you want to play a vital leadership role in one of Scotland’s most significant public inquiries, helping shape its progress at a critical stage?
The Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry is recruiting additional Deputy Solicitors to join its senior legal team, due to the scale and complexity of its work. The legal team supports the Inquiry in investigating the handling of the pandemic in Scotland and delivering a comprehensive and meaningful report for the public.
As a Deputy Solicitor, you will support the Solicitor to the Inquiry by coordinating and advising on a range of workstreams, including evidence gathering, investigations, stakeholder engagement, and strategic planning. The core purpose of the role is to provide high-quality legal advice and leadership across the Inquiry’s operations to help ensure its effective delivery.
This is a Fixed Term Appointment (Fair & Open) for a period of up to 23 months, with a minimum duration of 18 months. This is not a permanent post.

JOB DESCRIPTION

• Line-manage approximately six Assistant Solicitors and provide indirect oversight of a wider team.
• Assist the Solicitors to coordinate and project manage extensive investigations and the advisory work of the legal team.
• Work closely with the Counsel team to ensure they have the necessary material to prepare for hearings.
• Provide legal advice to the Chair, the Chief Executive and other members of the Inquiry team.
• Liaise effectively with other operational functions in the Inquiry to deliver the Inquiry’s work, including the Hearings and Witnesses team and the Document and Evidence Management team.
• Participate in senior management meetings, and steering conversations on forecasting, risk management, and project planning of the legal work.
• Draft/advise on Inquiry procedures and protocols.
• Work closely with the UK Inquiry team to ensure minimising of duplication and to ensure both legal teams work effectively alongside each other.
• Advise upon and conduct any ancillary litigation involving the Inquiry.
• Ensure that fairness, independence, human rights, and a trauma informed approach is core to the Inquiry’s work.

QUALIFICATIONS

You must be a solicitor or advocate entitled to practise in Scotland or be willing to become so entitled prior to beginning work with the Inquiry.

TECHNICAL/PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:

• Strong legal skills applicable, or transferable, to public law in Scotland.
• Ability to conduct sound legal analysis taking account of multiple sources of information and data.

EXPERIENCE:

Prior experience supervising/managing/motivating a team of legal professionals, ideally within a public sector setting.
Experience of delivering complex legal projects by matching resources to competing priorities and managing risk effectively.

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)
• 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

Legal Services