Job Description

Hours of Work:

Full-Time

Location:

Greater Belfast

Closing Date/Time:

03/11/2025 3:00pm

Reference Number:

HRPLA3025

Job Background:

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The main purpose of the role is to deliver key legal advice and representation for the PSNI. The role-holder will provide legal advice and manage complex litigation spanning a number of areas, including public law, employment law, inquests, public inquiries and other civil litigation within the jurisdiction of the High Court and County Court.


The role-holder may be deployed to one of the specific areas above or may work across a number of areas, depending on business need.


When providing advice or managing litigation, the role-holder must identify any wider policy, operational or reputational implications for the organisation, and offer comprehensive guidance in respect of these.

Hours of Work:

Monday - Friday, 37 working hours per week.

Salary:

61,673 - 64,469 plus 1365 environmental allowance.

Main Activities:

The main duties and responsibilities associated with the role include the following:

Legal Advice

Provide specialist legal advice on matters pertaining to public law, employment law, inquests, public inquiries and other civil litigation within the jurisdiction of the High Court and County Court. Advise on the legal implications of organisational policies and operational decisions.

Litigation Management

Lead on litigation within the High Court, County Court, Employment Tribunal or Coroner's Court. Manage and instruct external counsel when required, ensuring cost-effective and high-quality representation. Prepare pleadings, witness statements, and other legal documentation to ensure proceedings are conducted effectively and on time.

Legal Strategy and Risk Management

Identify potential legal risks and contribute to strategies to mitigate these. Monitor changes to legislation and best practice to ensure the PSNI remains compliant and responsive.

Team Leadership and Oversight

Provide guidance, mentoring, and oversight to junior lawyers, paralegals, and administrative staff. Coordinate work across legal projects, ensuring efficient handling of employment matters.

Additional Responsibilities and Scope

Exercise autonomy in managing legal matters, escalating only those with significant organisational impact. Provide advice to senior leaders, including the Chief Constable, and liaise with external bodies such as the Department of Justice and the courts. Authorise settlements and legal costs within defined limits. Contribute to the review and development of policies, protocols, and practices.

This reflects the main duties and responsibilities associated with this position. It is not intended to be exclusive or exhaustive.

Additional Information:

An appointment will be dependent on the individual satisfying the vetting requirements for the post. The vetting requirement for successful candidates will depend on the work area appointed to.


In some work areas the vetting clearance requirements are Counter Terrorist level (CTC), Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). All applicants must be prepared to submit to the relevant level of clearance against the post to which they are allocated.

Person Specification

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Essential Qualifications

A Degree Level Qualification

AND

qualified as a barrister or solicitor and eligible of becoming entitled to practice in Northern Ireland by the date of appointment.

Essential Skills and Experience

Minimum three years post-qualification experience of advising orally and in writing on significant legal issues within a complex environment.
Minimum three years post-qualification experience in leading and managing litigation within the High Court, County Court, Employment Tribunal or Coroner's Court. Ability to mentor and guide junior lawyers, paralegals, and administrative staff. Strong analytical, problem-solving, and risk-assessment skills. Highly effective communication and interpersonal skills for explaining complex legal concepts. Personal resilience and confidence in representing the organisation in adversarial or high-pressure situations.

Essential Other

IT literate specifically in the use of the Microsoft Office suite. (Including MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Excel and MS Outlook). The successful candidate must have access to a form of transport which will enable them to fulfil the responsibilities of the job in full.

Desirable Skills & Experience

Knowledge and experience of applying legal provisions in a complex policing or comparable public sector context.

Complex environment' is defined as significant matters pertaining to: public law, employment law, inquests, public inquiries and other civil litigation within the jurisdiction of the High Court and County Court.

Shortlisting will be carried out based on essential criteria. Please note in some instances, for example, where there is a high volume of applicants, desirable criteria may be assessed.

Successful applicants will be retained on a merit list for future opportunities arising.

We would encourage you to check the spam within your email system for any relevant correspondence.

Selection Methodology

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PSNI uses the Competency and Values Framework (CVF) which sets out nationally recognised behaviours and values to support all policing professionals. You will be assessed against the values and at the competencies level as indicated below. This will include both past and future focused questions. Further guidance and information about the Competency and Values Framework (CVF) is available here on our website. Please use the 2024 CVF for this role.


Applicants meeting the eligibility criteria and essential qualifications, skills and experience will be required to demonstrate their experience for the following criteria:

Competency and Values Based Presentation and Interview

Values

Courage and Integrity Public Service

Competencies - Level 3

We Analyse Critically We Take Ownership We Collaborate * We Are Emotionally Aware