Everyone at GLD contributes and benefits from an inclusive work environment. GLD takes systematic action against discrimination, bullying and harassment. GLD is recognized as a leading legal organization that promotes diversity in the legal profession. Cities, towns, counties, school districts and school boards all employ lawyers. Large urban centers often have a city attorney, attorney, or business consulting firms that provide legal advice to city officials and represent the city in litigation (such as the attorney general`s office at the state level or the DOJ at the federal level). Many large cities also have in-house attorneys for municipal authorities, such as the local Civil Rights Commission or the city`s Child Protection Authority. Small municipalities may also employ municipal lawyers to represent and advise in litigation and legal advice on day-to-day matters such as personnel and zoning matters, as well as in the drafting and negotiation of laws, public contracts and real estate contracts. The Attorney General`s offices represent the state in civil litigation (both defensive and affirmative) and appeals; State AG offices also provide legal advice to government officials and authorities. Many public authorities have in-house lawyers specialising in rights within their area of competence, such as public health or transport, as well as in legal issues of general importance for the management of a public authority, such as employment and contracts. In addition, state legislators employ lawyers in positions comparable to those on Capitol Hill; Attorneys work as legislative assistants and advisors to members and as staff members for state Senate and House committees. As a company, our vision is to consistently provide excellent services while offering value for money. Through our high-quality work, we aim to build trust in public services and support government agencies in their legal needs. We want to be recognized throughout the legal profession for the quality of our legal work and be the best employer for our employees.

Hiring government employees is largely decentralized, with no fixed timeline, and networking often plays a crucial role in securing permanent employment. To help Georgetown law students network and find employment, the Office of Public Interest and Community Service organizes several state recruitment and networking programs. GLD has 15 client-focused advisory services that provide legal advice on the development, design and implementation of government policies and decisions, assist policy makers and ministers, and work with parliamentary counsel in the development of primary and secondary law. We are a non-departmental department with over 1,800 qualified lawyers who operate one of the largest law firms in the country. GLD is primarily based in London, but has expanding teams in Bristol, Leeds and the North West. The government asks its lawyers to advise them on a wide range of issues – complex, new, politically sensitive and often public. GLD lawyers work not only with other lawyers, but also as part of a larger team that includes decision-makers and professionals from other areas of expertise. They participate in both the drafting of the law and its interpretation.

Our cross-divisional litigation, labour and commercial law panels provide specialized legal services to a wide range of government departments and public institutions. GLD encourages its employees to develop their skills and offers them the opportunity to switch between consulting, litigation, employment law and commercial law throughout their careers. For newly qualified lawyers (NQ) with less than one year of experience, GLD applies a “2+2” policy. During the first four years of work at GLD, these lawyers are employed for two years in a litigation team (litigation or employment law) and two additional years in a non-litigation consulting center or vice versa. The programme is designed to help NSs develop a wider range of skills by working in different jurisdictions and in new environments. Few areas of legal practice offer the variety and intellectual challenge of working here at GLD. Tens of thousands of attorneys work in government agencies, from federal agencies to attorneys general, municipal prosecutors and district courts, and many others. Early employment in government brings with it important responsibilities, intellectually challenging work, and the opportunity to serve the common good. Lawyers work in all three branches of government and in many capacities, including civil and criminal litigation, advising legislators, drafting laws and regulations, enforcing legal compliance, preparing administrative law opinions, and more. In addition to working in all three branches (executive, legislative, and judicial), government lawyers are also employed by independent agencies such as the National Labor Relations Board and the Federal Communications Commission.

Have you ever wondered what life is like as a government lawyer? Watch our film to learn more. A unique opportunity arose for a number of experienced lawyers to join GLD to advise and develop legislation of unprecedented scale and complexity. This work is designed to help us cope with the increased demand for legal services due to the impending withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. We have a variety of truly unique jobs available for limited timeframes of up to 2 years. Temporary and permanent employees have full access to our free in-house training program accredited by professional development. This is developed by GLD lawyers and the wider state legal community to provide training and lectures that are both necessary and interesting covering the full spectrum of work done by the department and the state legal profession. We also work with Civil Service Learning to help our employees make the most of their extensive learning offerings, including management support. All of this supports our goals of providing unparalleled opportunities for interesting, varied, high-quality and challenging roles and helping our employees reach their potential.

Each year, GLD participates in the Public Survey, which regularly confirms that we are one of the departments with the highest score in terms of the overall engagement index, compared to other sectors of the public service. Managers take great care to ensure that employee engagement is a high priority throughout the year. We advise ministries on issues that are frequently discussed in parliament and in the media. Our clients range from departments such as the Department of the Interior, the Department of International Trade to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Defense, to name a few. In private practice, lawyers and lawyers work for a number of clients. GLD`s lawyers work for only one client – the government of the day – who needed advice and support on a wide range of national and European issues. The special thing about working at GLD is to ensure that employees – wherever they work – are involved in advising the government on current events and making headlines every day. This opportunity to participate in our national life and serve the British public makes GLD a very real place to work. The legal advice provided to almost every government department and agency means that there`s always a lot going on at GLD. While previous experience or knowledge may be relevant to some of our roles, government work will likely involve a learning curve to gain legal skills and knowledge that are not required in private practice. We help you gain the necessary expertise and have a successful CPD accredited in-house training program. The Government Legal Department (GLD) is the largest legal service provider in all of government, working with all major departments in Whitehall.

From roads to rivers, from health to human rights, our work touches on most aspects of public life. GLD offers a variety of flexible working models to meet business needs, including working from home, compressed working hours, part-time, flexible hours, and other alternative models, such as part-time work. In addition, we have generous policies for maternity and paternity leave, parental leave, and special leave for domestic emergencies. The public service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. As a disability-conscious manager, we are committed to equality in the workplace. We offer a generous annual vacation allowance of 25 days per year, which increases to 30 days after 5 years of service. In addition, we offer 9 days of public and preferred leave per year – annual vacation pay of 25 days, then 30 days after 5 years of total service. GLD traditionally rewards its top performers each year with a single, non-consolidated award. In addition, there is a special bonus system for the year to recognize individual and team achievements. We are a member of the Independent Public Service Commission, which regulates appointments to the public service to ensure that they are made through a fair and open merit-based competition.