Assistant Parliamentary Counsel

Job Details

Reference number: 436434

Salary: £80,000 plus allowance rising to 25%. A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.

Contract type: Permanent

Working pattern: Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time

Location: Westminster, London

The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel is a team within the Civil Service of around 50 lawyers and 10 support staff. Our job title is “counsel” but the job is open to barristers, solicitors and legal executives. Our main role is to draft Government Bills for introduction into Parliament and Government amendments to Bills as they go through Parliament on their way to becoming Acts.

Parliament can legislate about anything, so our work covers a wide variety of subjects and we do not specialise in any particular area of law. The Bills we draft can be hugely politically significant and topical, but may also be niche, specialised or technical. Our Office drafted the Bills that became Acts creating the NHS, nationalising and then privatising public utilities, delivering devolution, implementing Brexit and dealing with the COVID‑19 pandemic and its economic consequences.

In the past 12 months alone we’ve produced bills on a wide range of subjects, including biodiversity in the oceans, renters’ rights, border security, employment rights, data protection, energy, criminal law, taxation, water, planning, women bishops, railways and the steel industry.

Because we may need to deal with legislation affecting any aspect of modern life, we recognise the importance of being a diverse organisation composed of excellent lawyers from a wide range of backgrounds.

We are committed to producing clear and effective legislation to the highest possible standards in the public interest. We lead the legislative drafting profession within Government and work to promote high standards of drafting and awareness of the principles underpinning good law. In addition to drafting Bills we advise the Government on Parliamentary procedure and liaise with Parliamentary authorities on behalf of the Government, we draft or review some subordinate legislation, where our expertise is called for, and we advise the Government on legal, Parliamentary and constitutional questions falling within our expertise.

Assistant Parliamentary Counsel (APCs) assist in all aspects of the Office’s work with a view to being able to take the lead on a Bill once they are promoted to the grade of Deputy Director (see further below). APCs are supervised in their work, with the level of supervision reducing as they grow in expertise and experience, but will be responsible for drafting legislation from the beginning of their time in the Office.

Although one drafter generally takes the lead on each Bill, and the First Parliamentary Counsel (the head of the Office) and team leaders oversee the work, the Office is a collaborative and non‑hierarchical environment in which all contributions are welcome. APCs, working alongside a more experienced drafter, may be drafting deeply complex or controversial provisions from their very first day.

• Assist in drafting Bills which are effective, clearly written and well‑structured (by both drafting and reviewing the work of other drafters).
• Work with officials across Government to ensure that the process of Bill preparation, publication and Parliamentary handling is handled effectively and efficiently.
• Provide advice to Government departments on parliamentary procedure.
• Review, draft and advise on some subordinate legislation.
• Contribute to the training and development of other drafters, departmental lawyers, policy advisers and members of Bill teams (who coordinate work on a Bill).
• Contribute actively to the wider objectives of the Office (providing a high‑quality drafting service, leading the legislative drafting profession within government, and promoting good law).

Once they reach the required standard to take the lead on a Bill, APCs can expect to be promoted to Parliamentary Counsel at the grade of Deputy Director, with a current starting salary of £87,000 (plus allowance rising to 35%). Parliamentary…