Legal Adviser

Legal Adviser

Overview

It is an exciting time to join the Legal Services Board as we work in collaboration with the legal services sector to deliver our 10-year strategy. Our strategy is driven by a fundamental need to reshape legal services to better meet society’s needs and underpinned by our eight regulatory objectives. We have identified some big challenges facing the legal services sector that we need to tackle to ensure fairer outcomes, stronger confidence, and better services for the public. This includes improving access to justice and dismantling barriers to a diverse and inclusive legal profession at all levels.

From the use of technology like AI and blockchain to consumers’ increasing expectation for more transparent, personalised, and cost-effective services, the legal sector is affected by wider political, socio-economic, and technological trends. As the oversight regulator, it is important that we can anticipate and respond to opportunities and risks across the whole of the sector and we are looking for someone to help us fulfil that ambition. By closely monitoring external drivers, including political, economic, regulatory developments, we will be able to adapt and inform our policy development, regulatory oversight, and delivery of the strategy.

You can see our latest business plan here: https://legalservicesboard.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Final-Business-Plan-2024-2025.pdf

Why does our work matter?

Legal services are of central importance to consumers, our economy and wider society:

• On average, 7-8m people experience a legal problem every year.
• 3 out of 10 small businesses face a legal problem every year.
• Estimated annual losses to small businesses due to legal problems is £40bn.
• The sector contributes around £37bn to the economy and employs 350k people.
• An estimated 1m individuals suffer ill health because of legal problems annually.

As the oversight regulator for legal services, we are responsible for ensuring that the legal services market is working well for consumers and the public more widely.

The role

The interim Legal Adviser is responsible for advising colleagues so that they may deliver their policy objectives having effectively managed legal risk. Proactively considering regulatory and public law issues, the interim Legal Adviser will contribute to project teams and deal with ad hoc requests for advice.

Statutory interpretation, the drafting of instructions to counsel and formal decision notices and the conduct of public law litigation in relation to regulatory and public law risks are frequent tasks. Advice on a range of in-house topics such as contract and procurement law  may also arise. The interim Legal Adviser will also assist the Corporate Governance Manager with Data Protection/Freedom of Information compliance.

The role reports to the General Counsel.

Core responsibilities

The interim Legal Adviser’s core responsibilities are to

• Provide high quality and timely written and oral legal advice LSB colleagues
• Assist in training and sharing of legal expertise across the LSB
• Provide support, specialist knowledge and constructive challenge as part of a team

Experience and qualities

The person that we are looking for will have the following:

• As a guide, at least 3 year’s post-qualification experience as a lawyer authorised to practise within England and Wales (although demonstrable experience will be considered irrespective of length of qualification)
• Experience of providing legal advice in-house, ideally either in a regulatory body or regulated business
• Experience of statutory interpretation and applying public law principles and best regulatory practice
• Familiarity with policy development and/or regulation and an ability to apply it to legal services regulation
• Experience of driving intellectually complex issues to a firm, practical conclusion
• Excellent drafting skills – previous experience of writing formal decision documents or legislation
• Highly developed interpersonal skills to build and maintain complex, sensitive and influential relationships across a wide group of stakeholders
• Proactive, prepared to be accountable for their actions and with a maturity of outlook
• Strong commitment to equalities and diversity as both a colleague and a regulator
• Good organisational and computer skills, including use of MS Office suite Strong team player

Benefits

This role is part time and we are open to someone who wants to work either three or four days a week. The post is an interim contract until the end of September 2025. Other benefits include a competitive salary, a defined contribution pension scheme with an employer’s contribution of 12% of salary, benefits allowance of 10% which can be taken as salary and an annual leave entitlement of 25 days in addition to statutory bank holidays.

Further information

The LSB has a flexible working policy that enables colleagues to choose whether they want to work from home, the office, or a hybrid of both.  You can be based anywhere in the UK.

The LSB is committed to reducing inequality, valuing diversity, and enabling inclusion. We welcome applications from people from all parts of the community.

How to apply

Please write a cover letter outlining why you want the job and the skills and experience you will bring (based on the person specification) and with your CV send it by email via the button below.

You must be eligible to work in the UK.

Please send your covering letter and CV as one word document(not a separate cover letter and CV) as we anonymise the applications before they go to the shortlisting panel.

Please note that applications that do not have a cover letter or CV will not be considered.