JOB SUMMARY

The AGO is a ministerial department serving the Attorney General and the Solicitor General (the Law Officers). The Law Officers are the Government’s chief legal advisers.
The Law Officers make important decisions that affect public life. Among other things, they decide whether to send criminal sentences that may be too low to the Court of Appeal; whether to open inquests into deaths (for example, the Attorney General made the decision to open new inquests into the deaths at Hillsborough); are the Government’s chief legal advisors, providing advice to both the Prime Minister and Secretaries of State on a range of pressing issues touching on every aspect of daily life in the UK; and they represent the Crown Prosecution Service and Serious Fraud Office in Parliament.
The Office comprises around 63 multidisciplinary, engaged and high performing team members advising and supporting the Law Officers in all aspects of their work. We pride ourselves on our problem-solving creativity, sophisticated political and handling awareness, and smart ways of working.
The Law Officers also work alongside the Justice Secretary and Home Secretary to provide a more efficient, effective, and accountable criminal justice system for victims and the public.
The AGO comprises a high-performing, multi-disciplinary, engaged, and resilient team that prides itself on our:
• legal professional excellence and creativity;
• role and reputation;
• team spirit, ethos, and values; and
• individual development and wellbeing.
While the workload can be demanding and there may be times of pressure, the AGO is committed to staff wellbeing and ensuring colleagues have all the support and resources they need to succeed and ensuring our staff maintain a healthy work-life balance. AGO operates a hybrid working policy where there is a requirement of 60% office attendance.
AGO supports the Civil Service vision of being recognised as the UK’s most inclusive employer, by setting stretching diversity and equality objectives for our organisation.
AGO is an employer which promotes equality and aims to reflect the diversity of the society in which we live. It is committed to maximising the skills and potential of all its staff. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons irrespective of disability, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital status or religion/belief.
Further information about the work of the Law Officers and the Office can be found at www.gov.uk/ago

JOB DESCRIPTION

The successful candidate will work as a paralegal officer in the AGO’s Domestic Law Team. This role involves briefing (with or without supervision as appropriate) the Law Officers and the conduct of casework across the team’s responsibilities, including the unduly lenient sentencing scheme, consents to prosecute, contempt of court, family law cases, charity law cases and inquests. The successful candidate will conduct legal research across a wide range of issues, including constitutional law and devolution.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• Candidates should have attention to detail, the ability to follow processes and ensure compliance with them, as well as the ability to analyse large volumes of information, to produce clear and concise summaries conveying only the key facts, and a reasoned and explicable recommendation. The AGO is a fast-paced department and candidates should be confident working at pace and advising on a wide range of legal issues.
• It is desirable but not essential that candidates have experience of criminal law and/or public law.
• The role primarily involves supporting the AGO’s work in relation to public interest casework, including, but not limited to, unduly lenient sentences, charity law, inquests and family law. This involves managing a busy caseload, interacting with external organisations, litigants in person and courts on behalf of the AGO, and drafting written submissions to the Law Officers. The postholder will conduct legal research across a range of issues including constitutional law and devolution and will support the AGO’s parliamentary and legislative work.
• The postholder will need to work to short deadlines, briefing the Law Officers orally and in writing as necessary. The postholder will provide clear, concise, high quality and timely advice in relation to their allocated casework and ensure that there are full audit trials for casework decision making on all cases.
• We are looking for an enthusiastic, adaptable paralegal officer with a law degree or equivalent legal qualification who can master new areas of law quickly and has the potential to handle complex advice and command the confidence of Ministers and senior officials.
• This is a valuable opportunity to gain an understanding of the workings of a Whitehall department, working directly with the Law Officers, senior lawyers and officials within AGO and across Government. The job holder will be required to adopt a proactive and flexible approach across their range of responsibilities.

QUALIFICATIONS

Law Degree (2:2 minimum) or equivalent legal qualification

TECHNICAL SKILLS

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

• Should you be successful in being invited to interview, you will be assessed on the behaviour and strength elements of the success profile framework. Candidates will be asked to complete a technical exercise as part of the interview process.

REQUIRED SKILLS, EXPERIENCE AND BEHAVIOURS

This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours / Strengths.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate the following Success Profiles behaviours in your application and at the interview at Higher Executive Officer (HEO) level:

• Behaviours:
• Making effective decisions - Lead Behaviour
• Communicating and influencing
• Delivering at pace
• Working together

Should you be successful in being invited to interview, you will be assessed on the behaviour and strength elements of the success profile framework. Candidates will be asked to complete a technical exercise as part of the interview process.
Your application will be sifted by an AGO panel. In the event that we receive a high number of applications, an initial sift will be carried out on the lead behaviour: Making effective decisions.

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