Apply here by 23 May 2022
The Organisation
The CMA is an independent non-ministerial UK government department and is the UK’s principal competition and consumer protection authority. They work to ensure that consumers get a good deal when buying goods and services, and that businesses operate within the law. CMA’s statutory duty is to promote competition, both within and outside the UK, for the benefit of consumers, and their mission is to make markets work well in the interests of consumers, businesses and the economy. The CMA is a hugely rewarding, diverse and stimulating place to work – an opportunity to work for the public good and to stretch and develop yourself in doing so.
With the UK’s exit from the EU and rapidly evolving markets, the CMA has an exciting and challenging agenda making it an incredibly interesting place for lawyers to grow and define their careers. The work within their advisory teams is varied, complex and highly rewarding, and Lawyers are encouraged to apply their legal skills across a number of practice areas while also developing specialist expertise.
The role
Reporting to Assistant Legal Directors and Legal Directors, your key focus will be to ensure that decisions taken by the CMA are legally robust, including by identifying legal risks early, and by working with senior lawyers, case teams and decision makers to ensure that these are managed appropriately. CMA’s advisory lawyers are embedded in project teams working across the CMA’s entire portfolio as follows:
-> Competition law enforcement: (for example the hydrocortisone, liothyronine and recently opened Apple and Facebook (now Meta) abuse of dominance cases).
-> Consumer law enforcement: (for example tackling misleading online reviews and endorsements, unfair promotions by gambling firms and ensuring fair holiday cancellation and refund rights during the COVID-19 pandemic).
-> Merger control: (for example the Phase 2 investigation into the Facebook/GIPHY merger and the recent Sabre/Farelogix litigation).
-> Markets work: (for example the current market studies into mobile ecosystems and music and streaming and past work on digital advertising, funeral services and electric vehicle charging).
-> Regulatory work: ensuring fair conduct in the appeals and references to the CMA in regulated sectors – often concerning key price controls.
-> Digital markets regulation: (for example supporting the CMA’s involvement in the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum and the forthcoming establishment of the Digital Markets Unit).
-> UK internal market and subsidy control: (for example supporting the CMA’s Office of the Internal Market, and post-Brexit subsidy control).
As a Legal Advisor, you will advise case teams and decision makers throughout the life of a project and contribute to the delivery of high-quality analysis, decisions, reports and policy. At any one time, you may focus primarily on one or more of merger, markets and regulatory activity, competition or consumer law enforcement, UK internal market or subsidy control.
The role will involve engagement throughout the CMA and externally. You may also have the opportunity from time-to-time to fulfil a delivery function; that is, to be responsible for project managing a case.
Requirements
As a minimum requirement, you will be a fully qualified lawyer entitled to practise as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive (CILEx Fellow) in the UK. Applicants qualified in a jurisdiction outside the UK will be required to undertake the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme/SQE within 3 years of appointment, and employment will be conditional upon the successful completion of the QLTS/SQE within this time period.
In order to succeed in this role, you will have significant experience delivering high quality analysis, providing case advice, report writing and contributing to policy in complex and technical areas of law and practice. Knowledge and post-qualification practical experience in one or more of UK and EU competition or consumer law, subsidy control or regulatory law together with knowledge and appreciation of applicable public law is particularly relevant.
Please note CMA are also recruiting for Assistant Legal Directors If you would like to be considered for the roles of Assistant Legal Director and Legal Adviser, you will need to submit a separate application for each role.
You can view learn here what life is like working in the CMA Legal Services team Working in the CMA Legal Services Team – YouTube
The CMA are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. It is a priority to make the workforce as diverse as possible, and they welcome applications from under-represented groups, including ethnically diverse people, people with a disability, and people with diverse gender identities.
Benefits
All CMA staff enjoy generous benefits, including an excellent pension scheme, at least 25 days leave (increasing to 30 over five years) generous maternity/paternity leave provision and a hybrid working model. You can also take advantage of interest-free season ticket loans, a cycle to work scheme, favourable consideration of flexible working and the possibility of working from different offices across the UK.
Salary: £53,527 – £60,599 per annum plus benefits
Application
The CMA will be hosting a virtual recruitment event on 18 May 2022. Candidates will have the opportunity to find out more about the organisation and the opportunities available. For further details please contact recruitment@cma.gov.uk or register to attend at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cma-legal-services-recruitment-event-attendance-by-teams-tickets-334406437657
To find out more about this opportunity and about working for the CMA, please visit: https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi?jcode=1787070
Apply here by 23 May 2022
