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Senior Associate - Energy and Regulated Industries Team

Employer
Gowling WLG
Location
Birmingham, West Midlands
Salary
Competitive
Closing date
12 Jun 2019

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Vacancy Type
Solicitors – Private Practice
Contract Type
Permanent
Practice Area
Public Sector & Local Authority
Experience Level
2-5yrs PQE, 5+ yrs PQE
Role Classification
Lawyer

Job Details

About Gowling WLG

We have more than 1,400 legal professionals working around the world. Our offices span across 19 cities in Canada, the UK, Continental Europe, Asia and the Middle East. There's strength in our global presence – we embrace our differing cultures and work together as one team. We also understand the importance of investing in relationships that build knowledge and trust, while we provide legal advice that's tailored to our clients' world.

'Our people and distinct culture are what makes us different. We know this through client and employee feedback and this drives everything we do'' Chris Oglethorpe, HR Director.

There are great opportunities for all our people to flourish. Through training and personal development they can grow in their role. Our people are the cornerstone of our success, across legal, business support and early talent. We care about their happiness and believe in the power of teamwork. We want them to feel empowered and recognise that by supporting, respecting and embracing everyone's different contributions we achieve more.

Working flexibly, working fairly

Agile working offers people more freedom and flexibility in where, when, and how they work. As technology advances and our workforce becomes more diverse – and with clients often working to a 24/7 rhythm – having extra flexibility is key to helping us balance work and other commitments sensibly and productively.

By supporting people to choose where and when they get their work done, we help them to make a full and fair contribution to their team – while maintaining that all important work-life balance.

Where possible and depending on business needs, we will consider all flexible working options such as part-time working, job sharing, working from home and staggered hours. If in considering a role with Gowling WLG you favour flexibility in your working arrangements, please discuss this with the recruitment team in the early stages of the application process.

About the Team

We are one of a small number of UK law firms with specialist public law and regulation expertise. Our dedicated Public Law & Regulation team is a single centre of excellence in the areas of public administrative and regulatory law, and is well known for its highly specialised and bespoke service.

The team provides public law and regulatory advice across a range of sectors including energy, health, water, education, transport, pharmaceuticals, telecoms, gambling and food and drink.

We act for wide range of clients including multinational companies (e.g. Volkswagen), government departments (e.g. BEIS), sectoral regulators (e.g. Ofqual, Ofwat), other public bodies (e.g. HM Inspectorate of Probation, NHS Trusts) and representative bodies (such as trade associations and consumer councils) – both in the UK and elsewhere.

We work closely with in-house legal, commercial, and policy teams and are regularly instructed directly by policy makers, commercial leads, chief executives and board members. Working collaboratively with each other and with our clients (and their other advisors, such as economists and consultants) is important to us and a key to our success. We are also actively involved in a number of cross-firm teams focusing on particular sectors such as health, food and drink, and emerging technologies such as autonomous vehicles.

Our practice comprises both contentious and advisory work and includes judicial review, statutory and regulatory appeal mechanisms, human rights and equalities law, constitutional law and applicable frameworks, statutory vires, statutory interpretation and application, the development and drafting of legislative and subsidiary legal instruments, regulatory compliance and enforcement, due process and consultation duties and principles, and economic and consumer regulation.

The team is central to the firm's Brexit work. Team members have published extensively on Brexit related issues since before the referendum in 2016, and been widely quoted in the media. The team has also been involved in a range of advisory work in relation to Brexit on behalf of public and private sector clients, both in the UK and elsewhere.

Led by partner John Cooper, the team also comprises two Directors,  an Associate, a Paralegal Apprentice and a Trainee. We operate as a single cohesive unit with each member working across the range of disciplines and sectors noted above. Active supervision and regular discussion is a key factor in developing, and ensuring the high standards expected of, all team members.

Main Purpose of the Job

We are a busy team. Our client base is growing and there is considerable potential for it to grow even further.

We are currently looking for an experienced junior lawyer to join the team and help us explore and develop the opportunities that are open to us. The role will involve providing support to the senior lawyers in the team on matters spanning the breadth of work that we undertake, as well as having supervised conduct of your own matters where appropriate.

You will (with appropriate supervision) be involved in:

  • Advising on the application of public administrative law, including equalities law and human rights law.
  • Representing clients in judicial reviews and other appeals and complaints mechanisms such as regulatory tribunals.
  • Drafting legislative and sub-legislative legal instruments, including: licences, statutory instruments, clauses for new Bills before Parliament and new laws for overseas governments.
  • Advising on the interpretation of statutory powers and duties applying to regulators and government (under both domestic and EU law).
  • Advising on the development of constitutional frameworks, policies and procedures for public bodies.
  • Providing sector specific advice in regulated industries such as energy, water, communications, transport, telecoms, gambling, education and health (including advising on economic regulation).
  • Advising on compliance and enforcement issues, including civil penalties.
  • Representing private sector clients in negotiations with regulators and government on the development of new law and the enforcement of existing legislation.

The appointment is Birmingham based but there is occasional travel to and working out of our London office (in addition to the need to travel to client offices). There may also be the opportunity from time to time to carry out international regulatory development work, in particular in the Middle East and East Africa.  

Qualifications

Key skills and experience

We are currently looking for an experienced junior lawyer (around 4-5 years PQE).

We do not expect applicants to have experience of all of the types of work that we undertake, or across all of the sectors in which we are involved. However, at least some relevant experience of the type of work that we undertake is essential. For example, it may be that you have worked in a sector based team and have some experience of regulation in that sector, or that you have a background in judicial review litigation.

It will also be essential to demonstrate that you have a real interest in this specialised and often complex area of law, as well as the requisite skills and aptitude to build on your current experience.

As such, a strong record of academic achievement will be highly desirable in demonstrating the ability to work to the high standards expected of you.

Equal Opportunities

Gowling WLG is committed both to promoting equality and diversity in the firm and to Equal Opportunities in employment.  The firm believes in equality of opportunity regardless of race or racial group (including colour, nationality, ethnicity, national origins), religion or belief, age, disability, sexual orientation, sex, gender re-assignment and gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy, maternity and paternity.  This also includes any incidents of perceptive or associative discrimination and harassment.

At Gowling WLG we seek to attract and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures, to create an exciting and rewarding place to work.  Our aim is to fulfil everyone's potential and together to achieve personal and business goals. 

Company

About Gowling WLG

We have more than 1,400 legal professionals working around the world. Our offices span across 19 cities in Canada, the UK, Continental Europe, Asia and the Middle East. There's strength in our global presence – we embrace our differing cultures and work together as one team. We also understand the importance of investing in relationships that build knowledge and trust, while we provide legal advice that's tailored to our clients' world.

'Our people and distinct culture are what makes us different. We know this through client and employee feedback and this drives everything we do'' Chris Oglethorpe, HR Director.

There are great opportunities for all our people to flourish. Through training and personal development they can grow in their role. Our people are the cornerstone of our success, across legal, business support and early talent. We care about their happiness and believe in the power of teamwork. We want them to feel empowered and recognise that by supporting, respecting and embracing everyone's different contributions we achieve more.

Working flexibly, working fairly

Agile working offers people more freedom and flexibility in where, when, and how they work. As technology advances and our workforce becomes more diverse – and with clients often working to a 24/7 rhythm – having extra flexibility is key to helping us balance work and other commitments sensibly and productively.

By supporting people to choose where and when they get their work done, we help them to make a full and fair contribution to their team – while maintaining that all important work-life balance.

Where possible and depending on business needs, we will consider all flexible working options such as part-time working, job sharing, working from home and staggered hours. If in considering a role with Gowling WLG you favour flexibility in your working arrangements, please discuss this with the recruitment team in the early stages of the application process.

Company info
Website
Location
4 More London Riverside
London
SE1 2AU
GB

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