Job Description

Litigation Director

Salary: \xc2\xa394,339 - \xc2\xa3107,900 per annum

Location: London

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time / Part time / Flexible

This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role at the forefront of litigation in competition law enforcement.

About the CMA

We help people, businesses, and the UK economy by promoting competitive markets and tackling unfair behaviour. Our work is wide ranging, ambitious and often new and challenging.

Our Litigation team plays a central and increasingly important role in delivering successful outcomes across the CMA\'s work - for example by defending our competition decisions on appeal, litigating to enforce consumer protection law, obtaining warrants to support our investigations and obtaining director disqualification orders.

The volume and profile of the litigation we undertake has increased substantially in recent years, and is expected to grow further in light of the expansion of our case work, following the UK\'s exit from the EU and the addition of new CMA functions.

The role

As Litigation Director, you will lead and manage our litigation work, with a particular emphasis on competition and consumer cases, working alongside two of our existing Litigation Directors. You will work on a variety of cases which are high-profile and receive strong external recognition in the UK and internationally.

As a senior member of the CMA\'s Legal Service, you will manage litigation case teams and lead the conduct of proceedings in all our civil litigation, working collaboratively with relevant project teams as well as external counsel.

You will work on a variety of interesting cases and investigations, with your professional development regularly reviewed and discussed with those you work with. You will also have a wider role in helping decision makers across the CMA to identify and manage litigation risk in their investigations and decision making.

This role will involve high level engagement throughout the CMA and externally. This will involve engaging with partners such as competition practitioners, business, domestic and international competition agencies and other Government departments.

About you

You will need extensive practical experience of litigating in England and Wales, or other common law jurisdictions, preferably in the Competition Appeal Tribunal and the High Court.

You will be a fully qualified lawyer, entitled to practise as a solicitor (Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive (CILEx Fellow) in England and Wales, OR a non-UK qualified lawyer who will have completed the Solicitors Qualifying Examination by no later than 31 January 2024.

A track record of effective leadership in the conduct of litigation and strong team working skills with the ability to manage and develop a talented cohort of staff is essential. You will also need experience in litigation casework and a proven capacity for strategic thinking and experience of leading, managing and delivering complex litigation.

What we can offer you

The CMA is a hugely diverse, rewarding and stimulating place to work - an opportunity to work for the public good and to stretch and develop yourself in doing so. We offer generous benefits, including an excellent pension scheme with an average employer contribution of 27%, at least 25 days leave (increasing to 30 over five years), and generous maternity/paternity leave provision. You can also take advantage of interest-free season ticket loans, a cycle to work scheme, and our extensive flexible working options.

We actively promote mental and physical wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme, a varied programme of wellbeing initiatives and a network of mental health first aiders.

To find out more about this opportunity and about working for the CMA, please click on the APPLY button.

Closing date: 23:55 on 18 September 2023.

The CMA, like many other organisations, operate a hybrid working model with a mix of office and home working. We believe this supports us to deliver our best work while allowing the flexibility to maintain balanced and healthy lives. Our staff work at least 40% of their time from their office location.

The CMA are an accredited Disability Confident Employer, and we are an equal opportunities employer, welcoming suitably qualified applicants from all backgrounds.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission\'s recruitment principles.

The Lawyer