Ministry of Justice

The Role

The postholder will be responsible for the provision of legal support and social welfare advice – the support that citizens receive before their issues crystallise into ones needing specialist intervention through legal aid.

This is an exciting cross Government agenda that involves close working with partners across government, within the Ministry of Justice and the third sector on a preventative agenda that supports earlier resolution of legal problems. The team is responsible for oversight and delivery of £20m multiyear grant funding to support advice provision via sectors partners.

The postholder will also be responsible for two major programmes within an innovative legislative agenda delivering a manifesto commitment and key Government priorities. The Government has consulted on the establishment of an “Interest in Lawyers Client Accounts” scheme – a revenue raising scheme, the first of its kind in the UK, mirroring those in Canada and Australia to raise new funds to support access to justice. The postholder would be responsible for delivery of legislation to underpin the scheme, as well as the complex implementation of such a scheme, should it be taken forwards.

The postholder would also be responsible for key delivery of a manifesto commitment relating to Hillsborough programme, via a Bill currently going through Parliament. The bill will secure a legally enforceable ‘duty of candour’ for public authorities and publicly funded legal aid in inquest proceedings. The postholder will lead the delivery of the legal aid for inquests provisions in the Bill, working closely with the Legal Aid Agency.

Key Responsibilities

Reporting to the Director, you will be responsible for:

• Leading, supporting and developing a team of around 25 FTE, securing its resilience and delivery.
• Setting the strategic direction for legal support services, working closely with other Government Departments and third sector partners, taking account of the cross Government devolution agenda, opportunities and challenges presented by AI and the interface with formal legal aid provision.
• Supervision of a 3 year £20m grant programme for legal support, working with third sector partners to deliver against a new outcomes framework focussed on maximising the impact of investment where it is needed most.
• Chairing the Legal Support Strategy Delivery group (comprised of senior representatives from the advice sector, academics and legal profession for partnership working and collaboration driving evidence led policy making.
• Leadership of a cross Government Legal Support Strategy Group, leveraging different programmes of work across Government to drive improvements in social welfare advice
• Development of the policy and legislation, subject to consultation, that would be necessary to support the establishment of an ILCA scheme, with the potential to raise several hundreds of millions to support access to justice priorities.
• Engaging the legal profession and banking sectors to ensure the deliverability of the scheme, subject to the outcome of the consultation earlier this year.
• If taken forwards, designing in parallel plans to implement the ILCA scheme, which would include establishment of new monitoring functions within MoJ and close working with legal services regulators and financial institutions. 
• Developing the policy and legislative approach to the legal aid provisions in the ‘Hillsborough Bill’, which represent the largest expansion of legal aid in decades. Working closely with Ministers, No.10, campaign groups, bereaved families, Parliamentarians and legal practitioners to achieve the best outcomes for those affected.
• Driving the implementation programme for the inquests provisions, working with the Legal Aid Agency to design and deliver a new digital system to support the administration of legal aid in these cases, with a projected increased caseload of over ten thousand.
• Overseeing the business support team for the directorate.

Additional Responsibilities

You will also be a key member of the LALSD leadership team and expected to take responsibility for sponsoring and guiding elements of the corporate and staff engagement work of the directorate.

Essential Experience:

• An ability to provide visible and supportive leadership, working to establish, inspire and maintain high performing teams, including in a multi – disciplinary environment, for example across operational, financial, legal, analytical and digital teams, to drive the delivery of workstreams.
• Experience translating strategy, policy, regulation or legislative requirements into practical delivery plans in a complex environment, working collaboratively with a range of internal and external partners to develop solutions that can be implemented effectively.
• Strategic thinking, demonstrating the ability to horizon scan, anticipate, spot opportunities and resolve ambiguities to support your team to deliver in a complex and uncertain landscape, planning for the future as well as delivering current programmes.
• Ability to build, manage and influence senior relationships across organisational boundaries, demonstrating sound judgement, strategic thinking, and building credibility by displaying delivery grip and awareness of the wider operating context.
• Working across teams to develop evidence-based advice and options across complex issues where operational and external stakeholder pressures and data gaps present challenges.