legal advisor London, England
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Job summary
The Legal Division is the in-house legal function at UKEF and is part of the Legal and Compliance Group. It provides legal advice on all aspects of the Department’s work in accordance with the Department’s legal obligations and risk appetite and in a manner that achieves the Department’s commercial objectives as an export credit agency.
The work is varied on a daily basis, including entering into and managing banking and finance agreements with banks, exporters and overseas buyers in support of UK exports and overseas investments. Products range from short-term trade finance and trade credit insurance on standard terms to complex arrangements for the financing of high value infrastructure projects and assets involving multiple commercial parties and other national export credit agencies and multi-lateral institutions. Although UKEF’s agreements are governed by private law, the methods of operation of the Department and its decision-making processes are governed by public law.
The Legal Division is currently headed by the Co-Heads of the Legal Division, who alongside the Director of Legal and Compliance, are responsible for managing all legal advice and legal risk for the Department. The 15 or so other Legal Advisers and three paralegals maintain a busy work load consisting of transaction and advisory work for the Department and are organised into small teams, each reporting to a Team Leader. We are recruiting to increase the size of the Legal Division. The Division is supported by a Legal Support Team, which comprises the Office Manager/PA to the Co-Heads of the Legal Division, and a legal support assistant.
Job description
The post-holders (Legal Advisers) will be required to provide high-quality commercial, financial and public law advice over a wide range of areas of legal practice, with minimal supervision.
Banking and finance focused roles
Although individual Legal Advisers may have a focus on areas of finance such as syndicated lending, asset finance (including aviation and shipping), project finance and trade finance, Legal Advisers are required to operate in a wide range of areas of legal practice. These could include:
- export finance, general banking and trade finance matters;
- trade credit and investment insurance;
- public and private debt restructuring, claims and recoveries and reinsurance work;
- debt capital markets, Islamic financing, swaps and derivatives;
- public and private law litigation and judicial review;
- public law matters;
- international agreements governing the provision of export credits and public international law matters;
- information law, including the Freedom of Information Act and the Environmental Information Regulations requests and the UK GDPR;
Public procurement focused role
In addition to the above, the Legal Division is looking for an individual with demonstrable experience in providing legal advice on public procurement matters. The individual will also ideally have experience and knowledge of personal data laws including advising on data sharing agreements as well as some general commercial contracts experience. The successful candidate will progress these matters for the Department including some of the work matters described above. It is anticipated that this postholder will devote a majority of their time in the Legal Division working on these matters though they will, under appropriate legal supervision, also advise on the broader areas outlined above and depending on the needs of the team.
Legal Advisers are required to provide high-quality legal advice and support clients at all stages of transactions, from structuring, negotiation, signing and completion through to all aspects of post-issue transaction management, including amendments, claims and recoveries and litigation. This also involves responsibility for managing relationships with key clients within the Department and a variety of external stakeholders.
Assistance may also be needed for other aspects of the Legal Division’s legal work and amendments to existing products to reflect changes in law or policy as well as contributions to cross-Department projects. The roles in Legal Division are varied and the post-holders must therefore be willing to learn about areas of law with which they are unfamiliar.
Legal Advisers must have strong interpersonal skills to work as part of a team and to interact with Departmental colleagues, counterparties and other external stakeholders. They need to be able to prioritise work effectively and work to deadlines.
Legal Advisers are expected to contribute to the enhancement of the Legal Division’s reputation both internally and externally. This includes participating in Department-wide projects, training and initiatives in furtherance of the Department’s strategic and policy objectives.
Person specification
- Providing (and managing the provision) of high-quality legal advice; providing representation and support in relation to and managing transactions, occasional litigation and other matters in which UKEF is involved, including drafting relevant correspondence and legal documentation, and conducting negotiations. Some travel (including international travel) for work purposes may be required depending on the transactions and from time to time.
- Drafting and managing the drafting of transactional documentation based on UKEF templates (based on LMA standards) including Departmental specific policies.
- Instructing and managing law firms, counsel and other external legal advisers, both in the UK and overseas, and supporting the procurement of the Department’s Panel law firms.
- Carrying out (and managing the carrying out of) legal research and presenting results.
- Utilising, supervising and developing the paralegals and Legal Support Team in the Legal Division.
- Identifying training requirements, and devising, contributing to and delivering training to a range of clients and stakeholders, and organising training by external training providers or law firms.
- Contributing to Divisional and Departmental meetings and committees and cross-Departmental projects.
This list is not exhaustive. The roles may involve additional duties according to business need.
Qualifications
- Either a 2.1 degree in law or other subject
- Qualified to practice law in England & Wales as a solicitor or as a barrister
- Must hold LPC, BVC or equivalent
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Managing a Quality Service
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Technical - a short presentation (this will be on a topic determined by UKEF and will need to be prepared in advance).
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
You will be invited to complete the online application form. The application form must be completed by 23.55 on the day of the closing date for it to be accepted.
All applications will be sifted against our minimum selection criteria outlined in the personal specification.
You will be asked in the relevant sections of the application form to provide examples of evidence against a range of the success profiles (refer to appendix 1). Where applicants are asked to apply with a personal statement, you should fully articulate in 1000 words how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification within the Information Pack
For the initial sift your application will be evaluated against:
- Experience
- Ability
- Technical
- Behaviours
If you are successful following the sift stage, you will be invited to an initial interview; this will include the following assessment:
- Behaviours/Technical/Experience - a formal panel interview where you will be interviewed across all five behaviours highlighted and your technical ability to successfully carry out the role.
- Technical - a short presentation (this will be on a topic determined by UKEF and will need to be prepared in advance).
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
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Job contact :
Recruitment team
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