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Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Defra, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, brings together all aspects of policy on the environment, rural affairs, farming and food production. Defra’s mission is to enable us to live within our means, ensuring that the resources and environment that we need and enjoy are available for us all, now and in the future. Defra has roles in both EU and global policy-making, so its work has a strong European and international dimension.

Defra was created in June 2001 from the then Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and from the environmental and countryside business areas of the then Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

Work of Defra Legal Advisors

Defra Legal Advisers (DLA) is one of the largest legal teams in Government. Our lawyers are employed by the Treasury Solicitor’s Department, but are mainly co-located with our Defra clients in Westminster, Central London.

We undertake legal work across a diverse spectrum of policy areas, much of it at the forefront of high-profile Government initiatives; waste policy, climate change adaptation, animal health and welfare, including animal disease emergencies, protection of rural communities, sea fisheries and food labelling. We also have a large part to play in the green economy, sustainable development, and environmental protection and pollution control.

The work is varied, fast-paced and often on controversial issues. In addition to providing legal support to Defra, we also advise a number of delivery agencies and work closely with others such as the Food Standards Agency and lawyers in the devolved governments. DLA provides a great opportunity to gain experience of a wide range of Government legal skills and to work on issues affecting operational delivery as well as policy across Whitehall.

Legal Advice
Defra lawyers work closely with Ministers and policy officials in the Department and across Whitehall. A team-based approach is used and lawyers collaborate with administrators and other specialists including vets and scientists on the development, delivery and implementation of policy. The legal issues arising from policy options include:-

• the application of EU legislation
• administrative law
• human rights
• devolution.

Where necessary, we accompany policy colleagues to Brussels and elsewhere to take part in negotiating European and international agreements. We also have a specialist unit dealing with commercial issues.

Litigation
Our litigators have a varied practice with a high public law content including high-profile judicial reviews, private law matters such as personal injury and sometimes proceedings in the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Drafting
We instruct Parliamentary Counsel on the drafting of Bills and with policy colleagues attend Parliamentary debates. We ourselves draft a wide range of secondary legislation to implement Government policy and EU obligations.

Vacancies

Qualified lawyer vacancies for posts in this Department are advertised through the central GLS scheme. All vacancies are posted on the Civil Service Recruitment Gateway (this link will open in a new window).

Trainee Solicitors and Pupil Barristers are recruited through the GLS Legal Trainee Scheme.

Further Information

For further information visit http://www.defra.gov.uk or http://www.tsol.gov.uk