Assistant Parliamentary Counsel

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. 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.

The main tasks of an APC are:

• To assist in drafting Bills which are effective, clearly written and well-structured (by both drafting and reviewing the work of other drafters);
• To work with officials across Government to ensure that the process of Bill preparation, publication and Parliamentary handling is handled effectively and efficiently;
• To provide advice to Government departments on parliamentary procedure;
• To review, draft and advise on some subordinate legislation;
• To contribute to the training and development of other drafters, departmental lawyers, policy advisers and members of Bill teams (who coordinate work on a Bill);
• To 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).

We have an extensive induction and training programme, though new APCs usually find they learn most on the job from working with more experienced colleagues. 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. The Office is divided into four teams, each of which drafts Bills for a group of Government departments and is led by a Director General.

It is important that, through your CV and supporting statement that you provide evidence of the professional skills, breadth of experience and personal qualities for this post.

Essential Criteria

We are looking for lawyers who are motivated to produce legislation of the highest quality and who have the following skills and attributes:

• Excellent powers of analysis and reliable judgement in applying that analysis;
• Ability to express complex ideas clearly, coherently and accurately;
• Ability to master new information at speed, work under pressure and deliver at pace;
• Ability to problem solve and come up with creative solutions;
• Ability to work collaboratively;
• Good self-awareness and a commitment to learning and developing as a professional.

The skills and personal qualities we are looking for can be demonstrated through a wide range of legal and other experience. We encourage and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, and particularly welcome applications from people who are disabled or who are black, Asian or from minority ethnic groups, as they are currently under-represented in the Office.

Qualifications

You should have a good honours degree (2:1 or above or an overseas equivalent) in any subject. Applicants who do not have a 2:1 degree are considered only where they provide strong evidence of equivalent high level academic and/or professional achievement. You must be qualified to practise as a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales or Northern Ireland or a solicitor or advocate in Scotland. You must have completed a training contract, pupillage, qualifying employment or equivalent, or have been exempted from this by the relevant regulatory body. Chartered Legal Executives are also eligible to apply if:

• they hold a Qualifying Law Degree (QLD);
• they have completed the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)/CPE; or
• they have passed exams (i.e. a score of 50% or above achieved), at CILEx Level 6*, in all of the following seven foundation subjects in law:

• Contract Law
• Criminal Law
• Equity and Trusts Law
• European Union Law
• Land Law
• Public Law
• Law of Tort

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £80,000, Cabinet Office contributes £23,176 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career within the Office and wider Civil Service. It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead, and you’ll benefit from regular performance and development reviews to ensure this development is ongoing. As a Civil Service employee, you’ll be entitled to a large range of benefits. This includes:

• 25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service. This is in addition to 8 public holidays. This will be complemented by one further day paid privilege entitlement to mark the King’s Birthday;
• A competitive contributory pension scheme that you can enter as soon as you join where we will make a significant contribution to the cost of your pension;
• Generous paid maternity and paternity leave which is notably more than the statutory minimum offered by many other employers;
• Childcare benefits (policy for new employees as of 5 April 2018): The government has introduced the Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme. Working parents can open an online childcare account and for every £8 they pay in, the government adds £2, up to a maximum of £2000 a year for each child or £4000 for a disabled child;
• Interest-free loans allowing you to spread the cost of an annual travel season ticket or a new bicycle;
• The opportunity to use onsite facilities including fitness centres and staff canteens (where applicable);
• Occupational sick pay.

Closing date: 2 February 2026.