Litigator

Are you interested in litigating appeals, managing cases from start to finish?  

If so, continue reading to find out more about this fantastic opportunity to join HMRC. 
 
About SOLS
 
Across Solicitor's Office and Legal Services (SOLS) we provide legal services to the whole of HMRC. This includes:

The conduct of independent reviews of decisions made by HMRC which are requested by customers under the legislative provisions.

The conduct of tribunal and civil litigation on a full range of services.

Work on new legislation.

Drafting of statutory instruments and other legal documents.

Legal advice to ExCom and staff.

We also provide technical accountancy and forensic services to HMRC, our head of Compliance Accountants and Insolvency Professions, as well as handling Ministerial Correspondence and Freedom of Information requests for HMRC. 
 
The Team 

These vacancies are with HMRC SOLS Legal Operations and specifically within National Tax Litigation business stream. It is an exciting time to join our team which works a range of litigation appeals, mainly defending appeals on behalf of the wider department made by taxpayer customers in the Tax Tribunal. 

Job description

Successful candidates will be responsible for delivering casework, key responsibilities will vary depending on the post but will include some of the following:

Make decisions about case progression.

Independently drafting and serving notices and applications on the Tribunal.

Independently draft and send case correspondence.

Check, proof and serve witness statements.

Prepare chronologies.

Identify relevant documents and produce bundles.

Presenting hearings on behalf of HMRC at Tribunal/Court.  

Draft statement of case and other key documents.

As a case-holder, manage or support all aspects of case management from commencement of proceedings through to hearing and conclusion, ensuring legal deadlines are strictly adhered to.

Provide legal support to experienced senior colleagues on complex cases.

Some administrative duties, and may include instructing counsel if necessary.

Essential Criteria 

The successful candidate must have the following: 

Good written and verbal communication skills.

An ability to work under pressure and to changing demands and priorities. 

A tax professional, OR a legal professional background, OR litigation experience (tax, non-tax and benefits and credits).

A candidate with a tax professional background must have completed Foundation Tax training or equivalent, or already have passed a qualification in any HMRC regime e.g. Employer Compliance, Corporation Tax, Income Tax, VAT or Customs. Or have successfully completed the Quality Assessment Framework (QAF) and learning routeway to at least level 1 or have successfully completed the SOLS Practical Assessment Framework (PAF).

A successful Legal Professional candidate should have a legal qualification, for example a law degree.

A candidate with litigation experience will be able to demonstrate having operated in a litigation role including advocacy and/or the drafting and submission of key litigation documents, such as, Statement of case, Particulars of Claim, Skeleton Argument or similar activities. 

Other information

There may be a need to travel across the UK with occasional overnight stays being required and there may be a need for occasional travel for business purposes.

This vacancy is only available at the specified locations, alternative locations are not available.

Your office location is contractual so if you are successful, there is an expectation that you will attend that office location as required by the business. You need to consider how you will meet this requirement before you apply and discuss any concerns with the vacancy holder before accepting any role.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,092, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £9,474 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. 

HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.

We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.

Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 27% of their salary.

Family friendly policies.

Personal support.

Coaching and development