Public Law Lawyer – Scotland

About the Role

The role requires a qualified Scottish lawyer, who has considerable experience of running their own cases and who has minimal or no need for supervision on day-to-day casework. 

We are interested in hearing from both generalist public lawyers and those with particular specialisms, including housing, social welfare, social care, education, the environment and climate change, protest and civil rights.

This is a very exciting opportunity to join Good Law Project at the inception of its expansion into Scotland. The successful candidate will be proactive, have a sense of adventure, and feel comfortable in a dynamic and fast-paced environment. 

The full job description, person specification, Good Law Project values and structure chart are located at the end of this job pack.

You will report to the Legal Director of Good Law Project. 

About Us

Good Law Project is a not-for-profit campaign organisation that uses the law to hold power to account, protect the environment and ensure no one is left behind.

We had a primary role in overturning the prorogation of Parliament in 2019. We successfully challenged the Government’s operation of a fast track ‘VIP lane’ for awarding lucrative PPE contracts to those with political connections, and our campaigning played a key role in the Met Police opening an investigation into Boris Johnson over the Partygate scandal. In July, we forced the Government to accept that its flagship Net Zero strategy is unlawful and to come up with a proper plan.

Good Law Project has previously brought a number of leading constitutional cases in Scotland to improve governance of the Brexit process such as the Wightman case to establish whether Article 50 could be unilaterally revoked should Parliament choose, the Benn Act case to compel the Prime Minister to seek an extension to the date of our departure from the European Union, and the case challenging the prorogation of Parliament in 2019.

A bold, young organisation with a ground-breaking track record, we speak the truth and act with integrity. We are proud to be primarily funded by members of the public, which keeps us fiercely independent. Our organisation has experienced meteoric growth over the last two years. 

Our close-knit team of staff work across five core areas: campaigning, external affairs,legal, operations and partnerships. We’re nimble and reactive to external events, which means Good Law Project suits people who thrive in a fast-paced environment and share our passion for upholding democracy, protecting the environment and ensuring no one is left behind. Our culture is one of openness and innovation that encourages all staff to pitch ideas and influence our direction. We are brave, honest and decisive – those are Good Law Project’s values. We recognise the value of our employees, individually and collectively, and are committed to investing in their welfare and development. 

In August 2022 we established an independent SRA-regulated law firm in London, Good Law Practice, to support and develop our work.

How to apply

Please send us one 3-page document consisting of:

• your CV (max two pages) 
• your covering letter of no more than one page outlining:
  • how your skills and experience meet the requirements in job description and person specification
  • what motivates you to work at Good Law Project
  • if you have a disability, any adjustments or access requirements and how we can help you during the recruitment process
  • your desired hours and working pattern if less than 21 hours
  • that you have suitable facilities and space to be able to work from home safely should that be an option (excluding IT kit which we will provide)  
  • your current notice period
  • include details of two employment referees
  • your availability on 12 January 2023 for interview and w/c 16 January 2023 for second interview

We ask all candidates to send their 3-page document to jobs@goodlawproject.org using the subject heading, “Public Law Lawyer”. 

Interview details: We intend to hold interviews for short-listed candidates via Zoom on 12 January 2023 with the likelihood of second interviews the following week. It’s important that you check your junk mail for emails from Good Law Project as well as your main inbox.

Join us in the fight for a fairer future

Apply now

Or email: jobs@goodlawproject.org with the subject line: Public Law Lawyer

Encouragement of equal opportunity and reasonable adjustments

Encouragement of equal opportunity and reasonable adjustments: We welcome and encourage applicants from all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability (physical or learning), LGBT or relationship status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex or social class. We particularly welcome applications from racialised ethnic groups and/or those with lived experience of disadvantage. 

We guarantee to interview all applicants who consider themselves to have a disability provided they meet the essential criteria for the role.  If this applies to you, please flag that you have a disability in your cover email and we will contact you to check if there are any adjustments or special arrangements that you need to help you with either the application process or for an interview.