Senior Knowledge Development Lawyer

Government Legal Department (GLD); Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 71,000 - 74,000; Full time

Job summary

A UK government agency is seeking a Senior Knowledge Development Lawyer to lead its Knowledge Management function. You will guide a team, manage legal developments, and deliver training to enhance the department's legal knowledge. Ideal candidates will have strong leadership skills and a deep understanding of Public Law, along with the ability to communicate complex legal concepts effectively. The position offers significant responsibilities and the opportunity to influence legal practices across government.

Benefits

Access to a civil service pension

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• Qualified Solicitor, Barrister, or Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales.
• Experience of advising clients and conducting cases in Public Law.
• Well developed experience in knowledge management.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of the Directorate’s knowledge and learning plans.
• Line manage a team of four Knowledge Development Lawyers.
• Monitor and promote legal developments across platforms.
• Ensure access to online research services.
• Organize and deliver relevant training.

Skills

Strong leadership skills

Sound understanding of Public Law

Organizational skills

Ability to communicate complex legal issues

Experience in knowledge development

Education

2.1 honours degree or equivalent

Graduate Diploma in Law or Bar Professional Training Course

Job description

Senior Knowledge Development Lawyer

London, Leeds, Bristol or Manchester

£74,000 (London), £71,000 (National)

The Government Legal Department (GLD) is the largest provider of legal services across government, working with all the main Whitehall departments. From energy to security, and from roads and rivers to health and human rights, our work touches on most aspects of public life. Developing and drafting legislation, helping to secure economic and trade relationships, providing legal advice on polices and ensuring value from contracts, our work is as varied as it is stimulating.

The Litigation Directorate focuses on public and private law litigation relating to cases that frequently involve questions of constitutional importance. Our lawyers also provide expert representation to inquests and public inquiries, and play a key role in delivering GLD’s core purpose, vision and strategy. We deal with matters of national importance such as immigration, welfare, climate change and energy, and cover a full range of judicial review challenges. Our private law practice represents Government departments in personal injury, clinical negligence, misfeasance in public office and other claims, and regularly handles cases at the forefront of developing law.

Your role

When you join us in this important leadership role, you’ll take responsibility for the development and improvement of our Knowledge Management function. Fostering a positive culture of knowledge sharing and learning among our lawyers, you’ll provide strategic support to our senior management team and work closely with colleagues in other areas of GLD, including the Professional Development, Digital and Change teams. Your additional responsibilities will include:

• Leading on the development of the Directorate’s knowledge and learning plans
• Line managing a team of four Knowledge Development Lawyers, each of whom has a different specialism or focus – these are public law, private law, immigration and public inquiries
• Monitoring, curating and promoting relevant developments in law and practice across a variety of platforms to ensure lawyers are kept up to date
• Ensuring the team has access to relevant online research services and collections
• Using online knowledge and learning platforms to create, collect and share ideas and information
• Working with legal training sub-groups and other specialists to organise, design, promote and deliver relevant training
• Signposting and procuring training on research resources and carrying out research on specific issues
• Supporting our clients with legal awareness publications, training and the on-going development of material for the client portal
• Identifying colleagues with relevant expertise and promoting this
• Participating in innovation programmes, promoting improvements to the legal process and liaising with panel firms to learn from their experience

In order to carry out your work successfully you’ll need to have security clearance to BPSS level. More information about the vetting process can be found here.

About you

To be a success in this role you should possess strong leadership skills and a sound understanding of Public Law gained by advising clients and conducting cases, or through a specific knowledge-focused role. With the skills to approach legal issues by applying sound research, reliable judgement and an appreciation of risk, you should also have experience of developing knowledge resources and delivering training.

Capable of seeing legal issues in their wider context and advising accordingly, you’ll be highly organised and timely in your coordination and delivery of projects. Able to communicate complex legal issues in a way that is accessible and tailored to your particular audience, we’ll except you to have well developed experience of knowledge development, while an understanding of immigration law would be desirable.

You should be a qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales, and will have completed a training contract, pupillage or qualifying employment, or been exempted from this by the Law Society, the Bar Council or CILEx. You’ll also need a minimum of a 2.1 honours degree in any subject in your first degree (or its overseas equivalent), or evidence of high-level academic or professional achievement, such as a Graduate Diploma in Law, Legal Practice Course or Bar Professional Training Course, any of which must be underpinned by practical experience.

Chartered Legal Executives are eligible to apply where a qualifying law degree is held or the Graduate Diploma in Law has been completed, or where CILEx Level 6 exams have been passed at 50% or above in Contract Law, Criminal Law, Equity and Trusts Law, European Union Law, Land Law, Public Law and the Law of Tort.

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.

Much more than law

Our vision is to be an outstanding legal organisation and a brilliant place to work where everyone can thrive and fulfil their potential. This is an exciting time for GLD, with cutting edge legal work on global issues and a transformation agenda which is ensuring the Department exemplifies the Modern Civil Service.

Closing date for applications: Noon Monday 1^st September 2025.