Associate Legal Advisor

Job Description

Please note that this role will close at 00:01 on Monday 23 March, and therefore we advise getting your application in by no later than midnight on Sunday 22 March. 

Salary: £64,000 - £74,000 depending on experience with an excellent benefits package 

Due to the Easter break, interviews for this role will take place in mid-late April 

About the Team

The Legal team is part of Ofcom’s Legal & Enforcement Group. We are a friendly, diverse team of around 90 qualified lawyers across London, Manchester and Edinburgh. We bring together a range of backgrounds and specialisms to provide first-class, proactive legal advice and support across the whole organisation.

Working closely with colleagues from multiple professions – including policy specialists, economists and technologists – we help to create, implement and enforce communications regulation and provide legal advice on Ofcom’s key decisions.

The team comprises Ofcom’s general counsel, legal directors, legal principals, senior associates, associates, plus a paralegal, apprentices and a small number of non-legal administrative assistants.

Manchester

Our Manchester office is 4 years old and rapidly growing, now home to over 170 colleagues across a range of specialisms including online safety and technology. We currently have a team of 17 lawyers in Manchester and are looking to expand further.

Edinburgh

Our Edinburgh office hosts colleagues across Ofcom’s regulatory functions, including online safety, infrastructure and competition. Our Edinburgh legal team of 5 works closely with colleagues locally and across Ofcom’s wider offices, and we are seeking to grow this team.

Purpose of the Role

Legal work at Ofcom spans regulatory and competition matters, consumer issues, media, technology, online safety, data protection, litigation, and public law. Over recent years, Ofcom’s remit has expanded to encompass telecoms security, video sharing platforms, online safety and cyber security. We also have important new legislation to implement, including the Media Act 2024. We are growing our legal team to meet this important and high-impact work.

As an Associate Legal Adviser, you will help shape regulatory frameworks that affect millions of people and businesses across the UK. You will apply legal analysis to issues at the forefront of political, technological and societal change, helping Ofcom deliver fair, effective and futureproof regulation.

You will work:

• collaboratively with colleagues and experts from a range of disciplines and professions across Ofcom
• throughout the life cycle of projects, including early-stage policy development, consultation processes, decision-making and any subsequent litigation or enforcement
• with more senior lawyers either as a team of lawyers working on a big project or with a more senior lawyer acting as a peer reviewer

Associates at Ofcom gain exposure to issues of national importance, work closely with experts across disciplines, and benefit from strong support for professional development.

Your key responsibilities

Legal analysis and advice 

• Advising on a portfolio of legal work across diverse projects and sectors, including assessing and resolving legal risk in the context of Ofcom’s overall strategy
• Developing knowledge in new areas, including advising on areas of law that are new to you and learning about new industry sectors and technologies 
• Working with other lawyers in the team and colleagues across Ofcom to assess and resolve legal risk 

Regulatory decision-making & drafting 

• Providing analysis and support for Ofcom’s policy and programmatic work 
• Drafting regulatory conditions, rules, codes and guidance and possibly statutory instruments 

Litigation & enforcement 

• Working with enforcement colleagues to progress investigations and reach robust decisions
• Helping to conduct litigation 

Contributing to Ofcom as an organisation 

• Liaising with external stakeholders, including central government, other regulators and regulated industries 
• Contributing to the strengthening of Ofcom as an organisation by engaging actively in internal initiatives 

This role may at times involve reviewing material or themes relating to harmful or illegal online content. Ofcom provides a comprehensive package of support for colleagues who work with such material, including annual psychological assessments for those in high-risk roles and 24-hour access to counselling services.

The skills, knowledge and experience you will need for success

We welcome applications from qualified lawyers (solicitor, barrister or equivalent qualification enabling practice in the UK) from a range of specialisms. There is no one-size-fits-all type of lawyer at Ofcom. You do not need experience in a directly relevant area of law at Associate level, as long as you are a qualified lawyer and have a clear interest in learning. 

We look for people who can demonstrate: 

• Articulating ideas: The ability to communicate clearly and concisely, in writing and orally, adapting your message to different audiences 
• Evaluating problems: The ability to analyse new areas of the law and solve problems by thinking strategically and creatively 
• Forming relationships: Working collaboratively and building relationships with colleagues from a range of disciplines, such as policy specialists, technical experts and economists 
• Pursuing growth: A commitment to expanding your legal knowledge and skills into new areas 
• Embracing change: The ability to manage and prioritise competing demands on your time 

You will receive training, support and professional development on the legal knowledge and skills relevant to Ofcom’s remit.

For more information, please contact laura.king@ofcom.org.uk.