Ministry of Justice

Law Commission Grade 7 Lawyer – Criminal Law Team

The Law Commission of England and Wales is recruiting a criminal lawyer for the Criminal Law Team. This is an opportunity to make a real difference to the criminal law in England and Wales by working on challenging and high-profile law reform.

This role may involve work on our current project on the Law of Homicide or our upcoming projects on the Insanity Defence, Offences involving Dead Bodies or Consent in the Criminal Law.

Working as part of a small team led by Professor Penney Lewis, the Law Commissioner responsible for criminal law, and engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders, the successful candidate(s) will help to ensure the criminal law works justly in the modern context.

About the Law Commission

The Law Commission offers an unrivalled opportunity to work on some of the most complex legal and policy questions facing our society. It offers stretching, high quality work, the chance to make a positive difference to our society, access to fulfilling learning and development, and a positive work-life balance.

The Commission has, for 60 years, had a unique role – independent, but at the heart of Government. Its aims are:

•             To ensure that the law is as fair, modern, simple and cost-effective as possible.

•             To conduct research and consultations in order to make recommendations for reform.

•             To codify the law, eliminate anomalies, repeal obsolete and unnecessary enactments and reduce the number of separate statutes.

The Law Commission is an independent non-departmental body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice. It has a judicial Chair, four Commissioners, and around 80 members of staff. Its work is organised into four areas: Property, Family and Trust Law; Commercial and Common Law; Public Law and the Law in Wales; and Criminal Law.

Further information about the Law Commission and its work can found at www.lawcom.gov.uk/ .

Further information can be found at https://lawcom.gov.uk/working-at-law-commission/

About our lawyers

We recruit brilliant, creative lawyers from a wide range of backgrounds to join our teams. But our lawyers are not just lawyers. They engage in policy making, legislative procedure, project management and leadership. They examine legal and policy issues from every angle, engage closely with a huge range of stakeholders from all walks of life, draft clear and compelling consultation papers and reports, and work with Government officials to take our work forward in Parliament. While lawyers in private practice apply the law to individual cases, lawyers at the Law Commission have freedom to consider what the law should be.

About the Criminal Law team

The Criminal Law team conducts high profile project work across the criminal law of England and Wales. We have an excellent record in practical law reform. In recent years Parliament has passed laws based on our recommendations relating to intimate image abuse, corporate criminal liability, communications offences and the protection of official data, among others.

Our project on the Law of Homicide is currently underway and will run until 2028. Once our projects on Criminal Appeals and Contempt of Court are completed in 2026/27, we will start work on projects considering reform of the Insanity Defence, Offences Against Dead Bodies, and Consent in the Criminal Law.

The role

The main duties for the role include:

•             Leading, or co-leading, one or more law reform projects against an agreed timetable with the Commissioner and the Team Head, including its day-to-day and strategic management.

•             Leading research of the law and how it works in practice (both in the UK and overseas).

•             Analysing problems with the law, identifying options for reform and testing potential solutions.

•             Engaging with stakeholders, both inside and outside Government.

•             Writing consultation papers, reports and other documents in conjunction with the Commissioner, the Team Head and other team members, and preparing these for publication.

•             Analysing consultation responses.

•             Working with other professionals within the Law Commission including: the Head of Legal, the Head of Communications to organise publicity for our work; and the Economic Adviser to analyse the impact of reform options; and Parliamentary Counsel to consider legislative drafting.

•             Assisting with the promotion and implementation of recommendations from completed projects (including potentially working as part of a Bill Team to take legislation through Parliament) and contributing to the consideration of new project work.

•             Managing one or more Research Assistants.

•             Contributing to the corporate culture of the Law Commission, for example through supporting and leading activities on areas including: learning and development, wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, and recruitment.

Skills, behaviours and experience

Essential

1.           Technical - qualifications: You must meet both the following academic and professional qualification requirements:

a.           Academic: You should usually hold a minimum of a 2.1 undergraduate degree in any subject (or an overseas degree qualification equivalent to a 2.1 degree) but we will take into account subsequent experience if your degree class is lower than this; and

b.           Professional: You must be:

i.             a solicitor or barrister qualified to practise in England and Wales; or

ii.            somebody who can demonstrate a comparable level of legal ability, for example:

1.           a legal academic;

2.           an overseas professionally qualified lawyer; or

3.           a legal policy expert.

2.           Technical – motivational fit: You must have demonstrable understanding of the work of the criminal law team at the Law Commission, and relevant motivation to work as part of it. We are looking for people who have an interest in law reform and working at the Law Commission.

3.           Technical – legal skills: You must have demonstrable skills in interpreting and analysing law and legal policy, and in communicating complex legal analysis. We are interested in receiving applications from lawyers or academics with a criminal law background, who can demonstrate a capacity to acquire knowledge of complex areas of law quickly.

4.           Experience: You must have demonstrable experience in criminal law, with a career history, achievements, and skills that are relevant to the specific role of a Law Commission criminal lawyer.

5.           Behaviours:

a.           Delivering at pace – you must be able to take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.

b.           Making effective decisions – you must be able to use evidence and knowledge to support accurate, expert decisions and advice, carefully considering alternative options, and the implications and risks of decisions.

c.            Working together – you must be able to form effective partnerships and relationships with people both within and outside the Law Commission.

d.           Communicating and influencing – you must be able to communicate with clarity, integrity, and enthusiasm.

Desirable

•             Experience:

o             Experience of complex legal analysis and/or dealing with complex legal argument – this may include drafting legal opinions, undertaking legal research and advising clients.

o             Experience of drafting documents – this may include experience of: drafting documents that explain complex areas of law, advance complex legal arguments, or are for publication.

o             Experience of supervising others – this could include overseeing trainee solicitors or pupils and/or other lawyers, supervising staff or postgraduate students, or leading a small team.

o             We are interested in any experience you have which is directly relevant to our project on the Law of Homicide, or our upcoming projects on the Insanity Defence, the Offences Against Dead Bodies and Consent in the Criminal Law.

Location

This is a national role, and successful candidates can work from their nearest regional hub

(their “base location”).

However, candidates are also expected to attend the London office regularly (eg once each month) in line with business and team needs. In addition, some of our in-person meetings take place in London, for example at Parliament, with officials and Ministers across Whitehall and with legal stakeholders in and around the City of London and the Royal Courts of Justice, and candidates would be expected to attend such meetings as necessary.

All full-time Law Commission staff are expected to attend their base location (or the London office) at least 2 days a week. This hybrid working arrangement is not contractual and as a result staff could be asked to attend their base location more frequently.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked from within the UK and not overseas.

Salary

This role is graded at Grade 7. New staff will normally be appointed at the starting point of the scale; higher starting salaries will be considered in exceptional circumstances.

If you are already a civil servant and are successful in an external recruitment competition for a role with us, your starting pay will be the better of:

•             promotion terms or transfer terms, as appropriate; or

•             pay on appointment arrangements (minimum of pay range)

Duration

The post(s) is fixed-term for 24 months. Subject to business needs, there is a possibility that the fixed term could be extended, or that in due course the post could be converted to a permanent position. Successful applicants may join on loan from another Government Department, or on secondment.

Ways of working

At the Law Commission, we believe in and promote alternative ways of working in order to recruit and retain the best talent, so this role is available as full-time, part-time or job-share (where an application is made by a job-share partnership). We also offer flexible working patterns including a flexi time scheme and the opportunity to work compressed hours, subject to business needs.

The way our projects are resourced means we plan in terms of full-time equivalents, but we welcome applications from job share partnerships, who may work more than 1 full time equivalent jointly. We also welcome applications from those wishing to work part-time, but if you wish to work fewer than four days / week then we would regard that as a job share and need to be satisfied that a second job share applicant was available. It would be helpful to know in advance if you wish to work in a job share arrangement. Contact details are set out below if you would like to discuss with us in advance of applying.

We are committed to treating people openly and with respect. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce, and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit: Diversity and inclusion – Law Commission

Application process

You will be assessed against the Civil Service success profiles framework on Behaviours, Experience and Technical Skills. Please refer to the Civil Service Behaviours framework for more details at this grade (Grade 7): Success Profiles - GOV.UK

At the sift stage (written application) you will be assessed on your Experience, qualifications and Technical – motivational fit.

Candidates who are successful at sift stage will be invited to interview. You will be asked to complete a written piece of work and short presentation to gauge your suitability for the role and assess your Technical – legal skills. At interview, you will also be assessed on 4 behaviours which are listed below.

In the event of a high number of applications, we may carry out an initial sift on the lead technical criteria of Motivational Fit, along with your CV. If a large number of applications remain after the initial sift, we will conduct a second full sift on all the remaining criteria for those who passed the initial sift.

Experience

At the sift stage, you will be asked to provide a CV and Statement of Suitability (750 words) during the application process. Please demonstrate your experience in criminal law, and any elements of your career history, achievements, and skills that are relevant to this role (this must include how you satisfy the essential experience and, where applicable, the desirable experience above).

For your CV, include only a brief overview of your career to date setting out each employer, the dates of employment, and a short factual description of your role and key responsibilities. Please keep your CV brief and factual, you will have the opportunity to explain how your employment history applies to the experience required by the role in your statement of suitability.

Behaviours

The four essential behaviours (delivering at pace; making effective decisions; working together; and communicating and influencing) will all be tested at interview.

Technical

Qualifications: At application, you will be asked to demonstrate how you meet the essential academic and professional qualification requirements.

Motivational fit: At application, you will be asked to demonstrate your motivation for the role and how you align with the requirements.

Legal skills: Those who pass the initial sift (written application) will be invited for interview. Before the interview you will be asked to undertake a short-written test. At interview you will be asked to prepare a short presentation.

These will be used to assess your legal skills.

Candidates invited to interview

Please note that interviews will be carried out in person. We will consider requests for an online interview if your circumstances require it.

Interviews are expected to take place in mid April 2026.

If your application is successful, you will receive a formal letter offering you an appointment that will explain your terms and conditions of service in detail. Your appointment will include a period of probation.

If appointed, you will become a civil servant and will be subject to the Civil Service Code and there will be restrictions on your ability to undertake private practice.

Suitable candidates who are not successful will be held on a reserve list for future posts; such posts may be available in the next 12 months and offered to suitable candidates on the reserve list.

Membership of the Government Legal Profession

The Government Legal Profession (GLP) networks together Government lawyers and trainees, who between them provide legal services across the whole spectrum of Government activities. Some are members of the Government Legal Department (GLD): others (like Law Commission lawyers) are part of the wider GLP network.

A solicitor or barrister qualified to practice in England and Wales will, on joining the Law Commission, have access to the networking benefits and opportunities of the wider GLP. This will also apply to overseas qualified lawyers who fulfil the nationality requirements and are eligible to practice in England and Wales under the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme. Information about the QLTS can be obtained from the SRA (www.sra.org.uk).

Contact information

If you have any questions about the role or have any reasonable adjustments, please email recruitment@lawcommission.gov.uk. Please quote the Job Role in the subject line.

If you require any assistance, please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or email: Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com