Vacancy: Senior Solicitor

Key responsibilities

(a)      Undertake the general legal work of in-house solicitors to SLAB

(b)      Provide legal advice and assistance internally to SLAB client departments and areas, including the Chief Executive’s Office, Data Protection, Compliance, Policy, Finance,
Accounts, Recoveries and Client Legal Services

(c)      Provide technical advice and assistance, legal aid advice, and other support in areas of possible or intended legislative or regulatory change, and where Ministers decide to
make changes, to assist in the development of the relevant instruments

(d)      Provide and assist in the provision of representation to SLAB in litigation by and against SLAB in the Court of Session and sheriff courts, including:

• judicial review of SLAB decision-making
• litigation by SLAB
• litigation where SLAB has an interest or is invited to make representations, such as section 18 or 19 applications where representations are appropriate
• diets of taxation where there are technical legal matters
• hearings on notes of objections

(e)      Deal with technical and legal aspects of data protection and freedom of information requests

(f)      Undertake property and contractual legal work in relation to SLAB’s interests, either directly or by instructing external suppliers where expertise is required

(g)      Provide technical input to the drafting, maintenance and updating of published legal assistance guidance

(h)      Deliver internal and external training and briefings on legal aid matters, for example to the profession or outside bodies

(i)       Provide information, support and liaison with other agencies on technical legal matters, for example to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) or Scottish
Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS)

(j)      Assist with technical input regarding preparation of Board and Committee papers

(k)      Support the Principal Legal Adviser (and as accords substituting) in relation to their attendance on and work relating to external committees

(l)       Carry out legal research

(m)     Provide input into SLAB responses to relevant consultations

(n)      As required seek the opinion of, or instructing, counsel.

Essential Criteria

• Sound knowledge of legal aid legislation
• Knowledge of both the civil and criminal justice systems, or one
• Existing court experience and robust knowledge of court procedure with good pleading and representation skills, and sound preparation and timetabling skills
• Excellent legal research skills
• Well-developed communication, facilitation and influencing skills
• Strong client/customer awareness, able to build effective relationships
• Good and effective people skills
• Robust IT skills in the day-to-day legal context including effective and efficient use of email, the Internet, Word, Excel, PDF editing software and ideally Access or other databases, all to the effect that all work output is self-generated
• Electronic document bundling and preparation skills or knowledge
• Excellent judgement across the provision of services to in-house client departments and other external relationships
• Self-motivated, with good planning and organisational skills, monitoring progress against objectives.

How to apply

Full details about the role and an online application are available through our recruitment portal (external link).