Lawyer

Job summary

Are you a legal professional looking for a unique opportunity to work in a dynamic and evolving sector?

The Gambling Commission is expanding its Legal team and is seeking a lawyer to provide practical, solution-focused advice across a diverse range of complex and high-profile matters. Working closely with colleagues across the organisation, you will play a key role in supporting the Commission’s regulatory and criminal objectives and helping to ensure that gambling is fair, safe and free from crime.

This is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of a multi-billion-pound industry, tackling issues of significant public interest and real societal impact. We are looking for enthusiastic, collaborative team players who are keen to get involved, take ownership of their work, and contribute to a high-performing legal function.

If you are looking to develop your career while working on challenging and varied legal issues in a supportive and purpose-driven environment, we would love to hear from you.

Our offer to you

Generous Pension: Market-leading Civil Service pension with a 28.97% employer contribution rate.
Prime Location: Our central Birmingham city centre office is just a stone's throw from New Street train station, with convenient hybrid working arrangements.
Holidays: 26 days, increasing to 29 days after 2 years, with an option to buy up to 5 additional days.
Work Environment: Join one of the Best Places to Work as highlighted in the Times, committed to inclusivity, respect, and helping you achieve your full potential.
Work-Life Balance: Hybrid Working Arrangements, minimum 1 day a week in the office.

Job description

The role requires substantial experience in regulatory, public law and criminal prosecution matters, together with the ability to contribute to policy development, guidance, and support continuous improvement initiatives.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Providing clear, practical and solution-focused legal advice to internal and external stakeholders
• Advising upon regulatory and criminal investigations and prosecutions, including evidential analysis, the use of enforcement powers, advice upon charge, and disclosure management
• Assisting senior lawyers on complex or sensitive cases, including complex pre-action and litigation matters
• Building effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders

This unique role offers exposure to a broad range of high-profile legal issues and the opportunity to make a tangible impact in a challenging and evolving regulatory environment.

You will handle an exciting and varied caseload covering:

• Gambling law.
• Criminal investigations and prosecutions
• Regulatory and licensing matters.
• Administrative and public law, including litigation and judicial reviews.
• Contract and procurement law.
• Employment law.
• Freedom of information, data protection, and GDPR matter

You’ll have a direct impact on high-stakes decisions, attend key meetings in an advisory capacity, and deliver legal advice that drives real-world results.

Person specification

We’re looking for a proactive, creative legal mind who can work independently while being an integral part of our team. You’ll thrive in managing a complex caseload and be comfortable advising senior leadership, external solicitors, and counsel. Your ability to find innovative solutions within the regulatory framework will be key to making the Commission more effective.

Essential criteria:

• Qualified as a Solicitor with a current practising certificate, or a Chartered Legal Executive (CILEX Fellow with litigation rights) with, or in the process of obtaining, advocacy and litigation rights in criminal law
• 2+ years PQE or equivalent experience.
• Experience of advising on regulatory and public law matters, including the interpretation and application of statutory powers, public law principles, and regulatory frameworks. This must include advising on regulatory decision-making, pre-action correspondence, judicial review risk, and other public law challenges, and escalate issues appropriately to senior colleagues.
• Demonstrable experience of advising on, progressing criminal investigations and prosecutions, including investigating and prosecuting authorities on the use of enforcement powers, including warrants, search and seizure, and production orders, together with a strong working knowledge of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), and the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 (CPIA).
• Experience of cross-agency working and stakeholder management, with an ability to build and maintain effective relationships with law enforcement agencies, regulators, public bodies and other key stakeholders.
• Demonstrable ability to manage a varied caseload across a range of legal disciplines, including some complex matters, with appropriate supervision when required.
• Strong intellectual and analytical skills, with the ability to identify legal and regulatory risks, exercise sound judgement and provide clear, practical and solution-focused legal advice.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence, build credibility and develop effective working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels.

Desirable criteria:

• Proven experience of advising on gambling law and practice, including the application of gambling legislation and regulatory requirements.
• Experience of advising on civil, commercial, contract and/or information law matters.
• Experience of advising on data protection, information governance, and information rights issues.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £55,000, Gambling Commission contributes £15,933 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:

- A name-blind CV including your job history and previous experiences. Your CV should cover up to your last 5 roles, detailing your responsibilities and any key achievements (Max 500 words for all roles).

- 500 words max answer to the following question: