Solicitor

Location & Amenities
VisitScotland operate an agile working culture, partially office and partially home based. This role can be based anywhere in Scotland but may require travel throughout Scotland. Occasional international and domestic travel may be required.

What does the team do?

The Legal Department is responsible for the provision of advice and management of legal issues. This includes areas such as general commercial work, data protection, records management and freedom of information/corporate complaints.

The scope of the department encompasses the activities of VisitScotland Group and all its Directorates, as well as the opportunity to be involved in any major projects which VisitScotland undertakes and/or is tasked to deliver.

The post holder will report directly into the Interim Head of Legal. The department also includes a Legal Administrator and a data protection team comprising two data protection specialists.

This is an important role within the organisation to provide professional in-house legal support to VisitScotland and reflects the need for high quality readily available advice alongside the increasing complexities of the VisitScotland Group operating environment.

What are you responsible for?

• Timely responses to freedom of information requests in accordance with the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
• Timely responses to corporate complaints received by VisitScotland
• Providing advice and support to all departments within VisitScotland in all areas of law such as commercial, data protection, intellectual property and/or freedom of information
• No budget responsibility
• No line management responsibility

Background to the role

Responsibility for freedom of information requests and corporate complaints has recently been added to the remit of the Legal Department. The post-holder will be responsible for developing this area within the Legal Department and across the organisation by ensuring there are policies and procedures in place; educating staff to enable them to recognise such a request or complaint and what they should do about it; as well as providing timely responses.

The post holder will be a solicitor and in addition to the freedom of information and corporate complaints element of the role, the post holder will also provide legal advice to the organisation and will be supported in their role by the Interim Head of Legal.

VisitScotland negotiates and concludes contracts over a diverse range of work areas such as partnership agreements for large national and international projects; sponsorship agreements; projects involving public sector and commercial partners, both in the UK and abroad; the provision of grants to further tourism in Scotland; procurement contracts ranging from fully open tendered to the use of pre-existing frameworks and sub-threshold; company funded research agreements; consultancy agreements; and licences.

VisitScotland has an ambitious programme of work over the foreseeable future, and as such the activity and, consequently, the volume and scope of legal work are likely to increase.

As an in-house solicitor your role will involve providing advice to the organisation on a wide range of matters, enabling us to manage our legal risks. You will also be involved in implementing processes, controls and business improvements to embed a positive culture of legal risk management. The role requires to be filled by someone with a strong work ethic and personal depth legal knowledge who is an excellent professional and good communicator with the ability to explain complex legal matters in an understandable way.

What is the job?

1. Responsible for providing timely responses to (i) freedom of information requests in accordance with the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002; and (ii) corporate complaints received by the organisation. Work with relevant teams across the organisation to collate responses, apply exemptions as permitted and provide advice in relation to such responses. This will also include preparing reports for the Executive Leadership Group and the Board.
2. Deliver training to enable staff to identify a freedom of information request and/or complaint; reviewing and updating current policies and processes in relation to Complaints Handling Procedures and the organisation’s Publication Scheme.
3. The post holder will provide advice and support to all departments within VisitScotland in all areas of law such as commercial, data protection, intellectual property and/or freedom of information. In addition to the provision of advice you will influence and design processes with both internal and external partners to build compliance.
4. Drafting and negotiating commercial contracts; marketing/partnership agreements; terms and conditions. Providing procurement and data protection advice; and embedding regulatory/governance requirements.
5. Deliver timely and high quality advice in a practical, understandable and commercially focused way in relation to all relevant matters that reduce risk, resolve issues and maximise the opportunities for VisitScotland to deliver its strategies.
6. Ensure the management of the organisation’s corporate records to support freedom of information requirements. Implement processes and systems to ensure information set out in the Publication Scheme is made available and regularly reviewed and updated.
7. Develop and maintain appropriate contacts across the organisation and externally to gain a greater understanding of VisitScotland and the legal requirements and issues affecting it.
8. Provide advice in relation to new and relevant Scots, UK and international law. Prepare for changes and developments in legal requirements as a result of updated/new legislation. Raise awareness of legal issues which impact operational matters.
9. Develop, update and maintain template legal documents, terms and conditions and other materials. Managing legal files to ensure they are recorded/retained in an organised manner and are easily accessible.
10. Manage the expectations of colleagues across VisitScotland, working in a proactive way to progress and balance numerous competing priorities.

Competencies

• Impact and influence: The ability to convince, persuade, influence or impress others toward a point of view. It is about working collaboratively with others to gain agreement to a course of action, idea or future vision.
• Initiative and drive: The ability to identify or anticipate current or future challenges and opportunities. Adopting a proactive approach when addressing those opportunities or taking preventative measures to avoid the problems. The drive to put the energy into achieving results and take action to exceed goals and expectations.
• Teamwork and leadership: The willingness and ability to work co-operatively and supportively with your colleagues, developing positive, open working relationships in order to solve problems and to achieve business goals. The ability to lead and motivate others, energising them and gaining their commitment to a vision, thereby enabling them to contribute to the best of their ability.
• Creative thinking: The ability to generate new, creative ideas as well as an ability and willingness to adapt existing systems, concepts or ideas. This includes the ability to stand back from the detail to identify patterns, make connections and to build up ideas as to the key or underlying issues in complex situations.
• Concern for quality: The underlying drive to ensure that quality is not compromised within the working environment. The identification and maintenance of standards to meet the needs of the business, together with a desire for accuracy in the workplace.
• Drive for Results: The energy to achieve results and take action to exceed goals and expectations. This includes striving for continuous improvement and taking calculated risks to pursue opportunities to make services and work practices more efficient and effective.

To access the full job description, please click on this link.

What you must have

• Thorough and relevant PQE having qualified in Scots law with a current Law Society of Scotland practising certificate or ability to obtain an unrestricted Law Society of Scotland practising certificate in time for start date
• Experience of responding to freedom of information requests and complaints
• Recent relevant experience of delivering contracts for diverse organisations and managing governance and risk.
• Ability to provide commercial advice and take a pragmatic approach to solving legal and other problems.
• Excellent communication (both written and oral) and interpersonal skills.
• Self-motivation with the ability to work independently and as part of a team, using initiative, demonstrating flexibility and managing own workload in a timely and efficient way.

What we’d like you to have

• Knowledge of intellectual property law, data protection law, procurement law, employment law
• Experience of working in public sector especially in a Non Departmental Public Body and relevant legal issues
• Ability to prioritise and manage workload to ensure that deadlines are met
• VisitScotland actively promotes the Gaelic language and an interest in the language or possession of Gaelic Language skills would be considered a desirable attribute in any prospective employee.