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JOB DETAILS
JOB BAND: F
CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent, Full-time.
JOB TITLE:
In-house title is Head of Legal.
DEPARTMENT: Information Rights, BBC Legal.
LOCATION: London based role with some hybrid working, currently Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: £115,000 - £125,000pa depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.
We're happy to discuss flexible working. If you'd like to, please indicate your preference in the application - though there's no obligation to do so now. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.
PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
Join the BBC Legal team for this exciting new role in Information Rights.
We are looking for an experienced lawyer to take management responsibility for the Information Rights team. You will also act as a legal adviser on content matters as part of the Programme Legal Advice team: spending approximately 50 per cent of time with each team.
In this role you will have overall management responsibility for the teams providing legal advice and compliance in relation to Freedom of Information and SARs. You will also undertake pre transmission legal advisory work on BBC content. This will include supporting journalists gain access to information and potentially participating in a news duty roster, including out of usual business hours, as experience is gained.
WHY JOIN THE TEAM
The FOI legal and compliance teams are responsible for responding to approximately 1800 FOI requests received by the BBC each year as well as Subject Access Requests.
They also advise on the BBC's obligations under the Freedom of Information Act including conducting internal reviews, responding to ICO complaints or tribunal proceedings, or occasionally proceedings in the High Court and beyond.
The roles sits within the BBC Legal Division which is responsible for providing legal advice and assistance across the BBC and for developing and implementing the BBC's legal strategy.
The Legal Division is led by the BBC's General Counsel. It is made up of the following departments: General Counsel's Office, Litigation and Information Rights, Intellectual Property, Employment, Programme Legal Advice, Commercial Data Protection and Technology, Distribution and Competition and Regulatory Law.
Our overall structure is similar to that found in private practice firms and we provide advice and support on a wide range of matters.
Whilst this means the work can be challenging and fast-paced at times, we are open to hybrid ways of working to support our staff, where appropriate and in line with our flexible working policies.
If you want to find out more about us https://tinyurl.com/d9n5rada
YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT:
As
Head of Legal
you will:
Manage the FOI legal and compliance teams
Supervise the provision of advice on FOI and Sars at all levels across the BBC Group, including the conduct of appeals to the ICO and Information tribunal
Work effectively with other team members within the Litigation and Information Rights Department and the wider legal team to provide a first class legal service.
Working in the Programme Legal Advice team, you will provide pre-transmission advice on defamation, contempt, privacy and other aspects of media law to journalists and content producers across the BBC. This will potentially include occasional participation in our duty lawyer service providing 24/7 support for BBC News outlets.
You will also support BBC journalism by challenging reporting restrictions and applying to courts and other bodies seeking access to, and the right to report, information.
YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:
Significant experience in advising on complex Freedom of information matters including up to Tribunal level as well as experience in advising pre-publication on defamation, privacy and contempt.
Qualified as a solicitor or barrister in a leading law firm or chambers with a minimum of 7 years PQE and possess a strong academic background and excellent problem solving and analytical skills.
Line Management - you will have the skills required to manage a team and great interpersonal skills.
Proven experience of advising clients directly and in sometimes urgent circumstances.
The ability to understand the varied needs of clients across the BBC and to advise and communicate with them on legal and other matters.
If you can bring these skills and experience, along with transferable strengths, we'd love to hear from you and encourage you to apply.
Before your start date, you may need to disclose any unspent convictions or police charges, in line with our Contracts of Employment policy. This allows us to discuss any support you may need and assess any risks. Failure to disclose may result in the withdrawal of your offer.
BPS25