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Role details

LawtechUK Panel Member

Application deadline 10 February 2023

Page contents:

Summary

Organisation
Legal Services Innovation
Sponsor department
Ministry of Justice
Location
Various
Sectors
Business and Trade
Skills
Commercial, Technology / Digital, Legal
Number of vacancies
3
Time commitment
4 day(s) per annum
Length of term
2 years
Application deadline
Midday on 10 February 2023

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    • Timeline for this appointment

    1. Opening date

      27 January 2023

    2. Application deadline

      Midday on 10 February 2023

    3. Sifting date

      17 February 2023

    4. Interviews expected to end on

      3 March 2023

    Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

    About the role

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    Role description

    The LawtechUK Panel 
    The Panel was formed in July 2018 as an industry-led, government-supported initiative to support the use of technology in the legal sector. The Panel aims to provide leadership and direction to the sector and create an environment where innovation and new technology can thrive.
    Since November 2019, the Panel has acted as an advisory board to the LawtechUK programme, supporting the development of the delivery plans and the running of the projects/programme. 
    LawtechUK is moving into phase II and the Panel will provide support to achieve the programme’s objectives during the next delivery period from April 2023-March 2025. These objectives are to:
    • Increase innovation and the adoption of lawtech in the delivery of UK legal services.  
    • Support the growth of the lawtech sector in the UK. 
    • Enable English and Welsh law and the UK’s jurisdictions to become the foundation for emerging technologies, by supporting and promoting the UK Jurisdiction Taskforce’s work.   
    Panel Membership 
    The Panel membership comprises leaders and experts from government, the judiciary, academia, legal services, and technology. Successful candidates will join current Panel members. More information about the current Panel members can be found here. 
    The role of Panel Members
    As a Panel member, you will work with industry leaders and experts to play a pivotal role in advancing the legal sector through technology, for the benefit of all. 
    Panel members will be expected to provide: 
    • Sponsorship and advocacy; by adding weight to and promoting the programme as well as helping the programme access members’ networks.
    • Feedback and guidance; through quarterly meetings (both hybrid and in person) and 1-1 engagement, including on strategy, delivery and communications. 
    • Support; the delivery of the LawtechUK programme to maximise its impact and value for money. This may include supporting individual workstreams/ projects on a 1:1 basis where appropriate and in line with members’ particular expertise.

    Person specification

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    Essential criteria

    Candidates will need to be able to demonstrate the following:
    • A commitment to innovation within the legal sector for the benefit of society and the economy. 
    • A leader with a proven track record at a senior level in their area of expertise. 
    • An ability to advise and support on issues relating to technology, legal services and innovation.  
    • Evidence of committee working and relevant inter-personal skills.
    • A commitment to valuing diversity.
    • Able to commit sufficient time and energy. 
    • High standards of integrity and confidentiality apply.
    No individual commercial aims may be advanced through the LawtechUK panel. 
    Role Profiles 
    Those applying will need to demonstrate how they fit one (or more) of the following profiles:  
    Access to Legal Services for Individuals and SMEs
    • Candidates will be a leading expert on the barriers faced to innovation and the drivers to unlock collaboration and growth needed to improve access to legal services for individuals and SMEs (ideally with hands-on-experience). 
    • Candidates will have access to existing community and network groups involved in improving access to legal services. 
    Legal Service Innovation
    • Candidates will be a leading voice in legal service innovation and Lawtech, working at a senior-board level at a law firm, corporate or alternative legal service provider and be able to promote innovation and change within legal services. 
    • Candidates will be a leading expert on the barriers to innovation and tech adoption within legal services. 
    • Commercial awareness is essential for this role – ideally with insight in both the corporate and high street legal sectors. 
    Applicants are welcomed from a variety of backgrounds, including but not limited to: lawyers; entrepreneurs; technology experts; social justice experts; academics and business representatives

    Application and selection process

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    How to apply

    To make an application, please send to alicia.love@justice.gov.uk:

     

    1. A CV (maximum two sides of A4) detailing your qualifications, employment history and any appointments or offices you hold or have held. Please also provide your preferred contact number and email address.

        A statement of suitability (maximum 500 words). Please demonstrate what you would bring to the panel, this will be assessed based off the essential criteria and role profiles.

    2. Please complete the conflict-of-interest document, reference request and diversity monitoring form.

    Overview of the application process

    The assessment process

    • An assessment panel will assess whether candidates meet the eligibility criteria for the role.

    • At the shortlisting meeting the panel will assess applications against the eligibility criteria and decide which candidates have best met the criteria. Candidates may be appointed based solely off their written application. • Candidates may be invited for interview if there are many successful written applications. If required, interviews will be held on Friday 3rd March.
    • You will be advised (by e-mail) whether you have been successful. • If interviews go ahead, the panel will meet again to interview candidates and determine who is appointable to the role. • The minister will confirm appointments following the panel’s recommendations. Up to three panel members may be appointed. • Once the decision on the appointment has been made, interviewed candidates will be advised of the outcome of their application, including whom they may approach for feedback.
    Further information about appointments, including tips on applying, can be found on our guidance pages on gov.uk.

    Advisory Assessment Panel (AAP)

    The assessment panel is made up of: 
    • John Heavens (chair) – Deputy Director Legal Services Policy, Ministry of Justice 
    • Christina Blacklaws – CEO at Blacklaws Consulting and former President of the Law Society. Chair of the LawtechUK panel. 
    • Jacqui Francis – Part of Adinamay consultancy, specialising in independent scrutiny of recruitment exercises to public bodies. 
    The assessment panel will recommend up to three candidates to the minister for appointment. 

    Eligibility criteria

    The Government expects all panel members to work to the highest personal and professional standards. 

    You cannot be considered if:

    • you are disqualified from acting as a company director  (under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986);

    • have an unspent conviction on your criminal record;

    • your estate has been sequestrated in Scotland or you enter into a debt arrangement programme under Part 1 of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 17) as the debtor or have, under Scots law, granted a trust deed for creditors.

    When you apply, you should declare if:

    • you are, or have been, bankrupt or you have made an arrangement with a creditor at any point, including the dates of this. 

    • you are subject to a current police investigation.

    You must inform the sponsor department if, during the application process, your circumstances change in respect of any of the above points. 

    When you apply you should also declare any relevant interests, highlighting any that you think may call into question your ability to properly discharge the responsibilities of the role you are applying for. (see Outside interests and reputational issues section below)
    If you need further advice, please contact  alicia.love@justice.gov.uk

    Security clearance

    .

    Additional information for candidates

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    Equality and diversity

    We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom. 
    We have supplied a diversity monitoring form to collect information about the diversity of applications. You do not have to complete this form, you can also select ‘prefer not to say’ to any questions you do not wish to answer. The information provided will not be seen by the Assessment Panel who review applications against the advertised criteria and conduct interviews. 

    Disability confident

    We are a member of the Government’s Disability Confident scheme. We use the Disability Confident scheme symbol, along with other like-minded employers, to show our commitment to good practice in employing people with a disability. The scheme helps recruit and retain disabled people. 
    As part of implementing the scheme, we guarantee an interview for anyone with a disability whose application meets the essential criteria for the role, set out in the advert, and who has asked that their application is considered under the scheme. Indicating that you wish your application to be considered under the scheme will in no way prejudice your application. By ‘minimum criteria,’ we mean that you must provide evidence which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required under each of the essential criteria, as set out in the job-advert.
    When you apply you will have the opportunity to select if you would like your application considered under this scheme.

    Reasonable adjustments

    We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to make sure applicants with disabilities, physical or mental health conditions, or other needs are not substantially disadvantaged when applying for public appointments. This can include changing the recruitment process to enable people who wish to apply to do so.
    Some examples of common changes are:
    • ensuring that application forms are available in different or accessible formats;
    • making adaptations to interview locations;
    • allowing candidates to present their skills and experience in a different way;
    • giving additional detailed information on the selection / interview process in advance to allow candidates time to prepare themselves;
    • allowing support workers, for example sign language interpreters;
    • making provision for support animals to attend.
    When you apply you will have the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments to the application process.

    Principles of public life

    Holders of public office are expected to adhere to and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life. These are:
    1. Selflessness - Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.
    2. Integrity - Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.
    3. Objectivity - Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.
    4. Accountability - Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.
    5. Openness - Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.
    6. Honesty - Holders of public office should be truthful.
    7. Leadership - Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

    Code of conduct for board members

    .

    Management of outside interests and consideration of reputational issues

     Before you apply you should consider carefully: 
    • any outside interests that you may have, such as shares you may hold in a company providing services to government; 
    • any possible reputational issues arising from your past actions or public statements that you have made; 
    • and/or - any political roles you hold or political campaigns you have supported; 
    which may call into question your ability to do the role you are applying for.
    You will need to answer relevant questions in relation to these points when making an application. Many conflicts of interest can be satisfactorily resolved and declaring a potential conflict does not prevent you from being interviewed. If you are shortlisted for an interview, the panel will discuss any potential conflicts with you during that interview, including any proposals you may have to mitigate them and record that in their advice to ministers. Alongside your own declaration, we will conduct appropriate checks, as part of which we will consider anything in the public domain related to your conduct or professional capacity. This may include searches of previous public statements and social media, blogs or any other publicly available information. The successful candidate(s) may be required to give up any conflicting interests and their other business and financial interests may be published in line with organisational policies. 
    Details of declared political activity will be published when the appointment is announced, as required by the Governance Code (political activity is not a bar to appointment, but must be declared).

    Status of appointment

    This is a voluntary role to be part of an industry-led government supported advisory panel.

    Appointment and tenure of office

    Duration
    The role of the panel will be reviewed in 2025.  

    Remuneration, allowances and abatement

    This role is unremunerated. 

    Pension and redundancy

    .

    Application feedback

    We will notify you of the status of your application. We regret that we are only able to offer detailed feedback to candidates who have been unsuccessful at the interview stage.

    How to complain

    We aim to process all applications as quickly as possible and to treat all applicants with courtesy.
    Please contact the public appointments team in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at publicappointmentsteam@justice.gov.uk. They will acknowledge your complaint upon receipt and respond within 15 working days.

    Data protection

    The Cabinet Office will use your data in line with our privacy policy.
    Your personal data will be stored securely by the Ministry of Justice and processed in compliance with GDPR. All stored information will be deleted one year from the date of the application deadline, that being February 10th 2024. 

    Contact details

    If you have questions about the appointment process, you can contact the Public Appointments Team at: PublicAppointmentsTeam@Justice.gov.uk

    Attachments

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