Overview
The Costs Litigation team sits within the Justice and Development Division of GLD's Litigation Directorate but works across the entire Directorate and beyond. The Directorate provides litigation services to the majority of government departments and executive agencies, as well as many non-departmental public bodies. Its work is often high profile and raises questions of constitutional importance. The work encompasses litigation in public and private law as well as supporting public inquiries and inquests. Lawyers attend hearings in a wide range of courts, including Coroners' Courts, the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal, the Royal Courts of Justice and the Supreme Court.
GLD's Costs Litigation Team is a Centre of Excellence working in the heart of government. The team undertakes legal costs litigation and provides advice across a wide range of HM Government departments and executive agencies. The team delivers high quality, competitive legal costs services to our clients on areas including Judicial review, Personal Injury, Clinical Negligence, Inquests and Inquiries, Human Rights, Employment and Land Tribunal, Commercial and Charities matters. The work includes adverse, recovery and budgeting work. The team attends hearings at various courts including the Senior Courts Cost Office and the Supreme Court. The team is supported by a panel of external costs service providers.
We are looking to fill two Cost Lawyer/Draftsperson posts at Senior Executive Officer level as part of our commitment to grow and develop the team as a designated Centre of Excellence. Litigation costs work is a specialist and evolving area, and the costs team proactively assists and collaborates with its litigation colleagues early in the litigation process. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Costs Lawyer/Draftsperson with proven, technical skills to deal with a very varied caseload.
Responsibilities
* Provide a high quality, professional and cost effective service that achieves client satisfaction, maintains client base and contributes to the achievement of GLD, Division and Team objectives.
* Have a sound understanding of CPR and litigation process as well as key costs case law and procedure.
* Be accountable for all aspects of each allocated case from outset to completion.
* Manage a varied case load without close supervision but with technical and strategic support.
* Prioritise work and identify what can be delegated, to assist on larger, more complex or urgent cases.
* Comply with policies, standards, procedures and service level agreements set at GLD, divisional and team level.
* Provide day to day line management and development support to one or two junior Costs Lawyers, Costs Draftspersons or trainees, creating a nurturing environment while maintaining focus on quality and performance.
* Provide advice and guidance to colleagues and clients on costs.
* Contribute to delivery of the team's and litigation group's corporate objectives.
* Maintain relationships with key clients and internal litigation teams and contribute to furtherance of client objectives.
* Champion the Centre of Excellence status and identify, devise and deliver costs training to internal colleagues and clients where appropriate.
Person specification and essential criteria
* Essential: demonstrable track record of personally handling costs casework including adverse and budgeting in a variety of litigation types.
* Desirable: line management experience.
* Technical - Essential: good technical knowledge and costs experience in a variety of areas; experience on a variety of case types in different courts; strong adverse and budgeting experience; sound negotiating skills.
* Desirable: advocacy experience; experience of recovery work.
* Qualifications - Minimum Eligibility Criteria: Qualified costs lawyer or experienced costs draftsperson.
Security, eligibility and the Civil Service
All GLD employees must hold BPSS security clearance. The post holder must hold, or be willing and able to obtain, BPSS Level clearance. The Civil Service Code governs standards of behaviour; we recruit on merit and promote equal opportunities. Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion initiatives and schemes, including Disability Confident, are part of our commitment to a diverse workforce.
Benefits and organisation
We offer a salary of £41,727 plus £12,088 employer contribution towards the Civil Service Pension scheme, learning and development tailored to your role, flexible working options, an inclusive culture, and a Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
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