Lawyers

Legal & Corporate Governance

Level 6690 of 1200 points

Job description

Lawyers

Job purpose

To advise and represent clients on their legal rights and obligations, to draft and review legal instruments, and to prepare, argue and settle cases in court and before government agencies, so that the client's position rests on a sound reading of the law and disputes and transactions are concluded on defensible terms.

Skills

Extensive command of law and government: statutes, the Constitution, decisions, regulations and the ordinances of quasi-judicial bodies; court procedure and precedent; the drafting of wills, deeds, patent applications, mortgages, leases and contracts; and the law of claim liability, estates and business transactions. Requires an exact command of written English for briefs, opinions and instruments. Practice may be broad or concentrated in a single field, and knowledge must be kept current as the law changes. A doctoral-level legal qualification is the norm, with a substantial minority holding a first professional degree; entrants arrive already qualified, with extensive experience — for many positions more than five years — assumed rather than trained in post.
Advises clients on business transactions, claim liability, legal rights and obligations and the advisability of prosecuting or defending a suit; represents them in court and before government agencies; presents and summarises cases to judges and juries, argues motions and questions witnesses. Interviews clients and witnesses to establish the facts, confers with colleagues in specialist fields to verify the basis for proceedings, negotiates settlements of civil disputes and contractual agreements, and interprets rulings and regulations for individuals and businesses. Register moves between advocacy, negotiation and advice; persuasion is central.
Analyses the probable outcome of cases from precedent, examines legal data to determine whether a suit should be defended or prosecuted, gathers evidence and develops the strategy and arguments to be advanced. Problems are unstructured and adversarial: the facts are contested, precedent may point in more than one direction, and an opponent is working to the opposite conclusion. Judgement is exercised on incomplete information, and error carries consequences for the client.
Sets own tasks, priorities and goals, and plans matters from instruction through preparation to hearing, filing or completion against court timetables and limitation periods that cannot be moved. Develops longer-range strategy for a case or practice area, coordinates colleagues and legal assistants around it, and performs the management functions attached to the practice of law, under time pressure throughout.
Work is carried out seated at a desk and in meetings, hearings and court, using legal research and document systems. No manual handling or dexterity demands.

Responsibilities

Supervises legal assistants and coordinates the work of others on a matter, setting standards for their output, directing them and developing their capability; accountable for their work outcomes as well as for the postholder's own.
Negotiates the settlement of civil disputes and the terms of contractual agreements, so advice and agreement commit or preserve substantial value, though no budget is held. May act as agent, trustee, guardian or executor for businesses or individuals, and probates wills and advises executors and administrators of estates, placing others' assets under the postholder's stewardship.
Ordinary care of a workstation and of legal research and document systems, with custody of case files, executed instruments, deeds and title documents. Property is held only in a fiduciary capacity when acting as trustee, guardian or executor.
Prepares, drafts and reviews the legal documents on which clients' rights depend, writes briefs, opinions and appeals, and searches public and other legal records to establish ownership. Content and form are set by statute, court rules and the client's instructions, but accuracy is the postholder's responsibility: an error in an instrument or a filing is consequential and often difficult to retrieve.

Effort required

Long periods of exacting reading, analysis and drafting, where the meaning of a clause or the wording of a filing decides the outcome, combined with strategic judgement about how a case will run. Decisions are frequent, taken under time pressure and on facts that are incomplete or disputed, with impact on clients, colleagues and organisational results.
The work is adversarial by nature: conflict situations arise in negotiation, in litigation and in dealings with opposing parties, and the postholder deals with people who are unpleasant, angry or discourteous while maintaining composure and an advocate's detachment. Personal accountability for the outcome sits with the postholder, and the field is competitive.
Predominantly seated work, at a desk, in conference and in court. No lifting or exertion.

Working conditions

Indoors in a controlled office environment, with proceedings conducted in court and before government agencies. No physical hazard, noise, weather or contaminant exposure is recorded. Psychosocial demand comes from conflict situations, from dealing with unpleasant, angry or discourteous people, from the level of competition in the field and from the consequence of error for those advised.
Incumbents are on a regular established schedule, with no shift or unsocial-hours pattern recorded; the working week nonetheless runs beyond forty hours for two-thirds of them. Works with wide freedom to make decisions and determines own tasks, priorities and goals within statute, court rules and professional obligation, under time pressure and with personal accountability for judgements whose consequences reach clients and the organisation.

Skills

40% · 320 points▾

KnowledgeLevel 6 of 8
108 of 144 points
Advanced knowledge of a field of work with a deep understanding of theories and principles. The job requires high-level knowledge, showing expertise and practical knowledge, to solve complex and unexpected problems within a specialised area.
Interpersonal and communication skillsLevel 4 of 5
77 of 96 points
Advanced communication and interpersonal skills. The job holder is required to manage complex interactions, mediate interpersonal conflicts and support group collaboration.
Problem-solving skillsLevel 4 of 5
77 of 96 points
Non-standard problems. The job involves solving complex, non-standard problems involving multiple factors to consider. Solutions often require careful analysis and the adaptation of current methods.
Planning and organisational skillsLevel 4 of 5
58 of 72 points
Advanced organisational skills required. The job requires planning and managing complex, often overlapping tasks or schedules. The job requires a degree of autonomy and joint planning, and managing interdependencies across teams or departments.
Physical skillsLevel 0 of 5
0 of 72 points
Not applicable. The job does not require any particular physical skills (although there is likely to be some physical activity).

Responsibility

35% · 207 points▾

PeopleLevel 4 of 5
115 of 144 points
High level of responsibility for people. The job involves significant responsibility for the well-being and development of others. This includes making decisions that affect others' jobs, tasks or welfare, such as managing teams, providing care, teaching or ensuring psychological safety. It can also include hiring, evaluating, motivating, coaching and leading workers.
Goods and equipmentLevel 2 of 5
34 of 84 points
Some responsibility for goods or equipment. The job involves the use and maintenance of equipment or stock, and the job holder is responsible for ensuring resources are used appropriately and safely.
InformationLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Moderate responsibility for information. The job involves managing information to ensure it is accurate, of high quality and secure. The job holder may make decisions about the handling of sensitive data.
Financial resourcesLevel 0 of 5
0 of 96 points
Not applicable. The job does not require any responsibility for financial resources.

Effort

15% · 106 points▾

Mental effortLevel 4 of 5
48 of 60 points
Very high level of mental effort. The job requires continuous high-level mental concentration, with few or no breaks, involving intellectually demanding tasks that require continuous focus.
Psychosocial and emotional effortLevel 4 of 5
58 of 72 points
High psychosocial and emotional effort. The job involves frequent exposure to emotionally charged situations, requiring significant resilience and managing personal emotions while interacting with others.
Physical effortLevel 0 of 5
0 of 48 points
Not applicable. The job does not require any physical effort.

Working Conditions

10% · 57 points▾

Environment (physical, psychological or emotional)Level 3 of 5
50 of 84 points
Regular exposure to hazards or stress. The job requires regular exposure to physical hazards (e.g. exposure to chemicals, temperature extremes or minor risk of injury) or moderate psychological risks (e.g. isolation, repetitive tasks or occasional threats of violence). It may occur monthly or as a build-up of milder hazards.
Organisational environmentLevel 1 of 5
7 of 36 points
Minimal organisational demands. The job requires standard working hours with no night shifts or irregular schedules. There is little or no need for travel or digital connectivity beyond typical working hours.