Job Overview

About the BMA

The British Medical Association (BMA) is the trade union and professional body for doctors in the UK.  We represent, support and negotiate on behalf of all UK doctors and medical students. 

Join the BMA at a crucial time for doctors and the NHS and be part of a team working for better pay and conditions for the profession.

About the role

In this key role the Senior Solicitor will provide the BMA with effective, senior level legal advice and representation. They will collaborate closely with the BMA’s corporate and union leaders, departments and committees with a particular focus on supporting the trade union, policy and political functions of the organisation.

If you are a qualified senior solicitor or barrister (7+ years PQE), looking for a varied role tackling legal issues affecting thousands of doctors, we’d love to hear from you.  You’ll be joining a hard -working and supportive in-house legal team with the opportunity to make a real difference for our members on really important issues.

As a Senior Solicitor you will:

• Provide a high level of legal support to the BMA’s corporate and trade union leaders and committees, as well as staff across the BMA.
• Provide legal advice in a range of areas including employment law, contract law, public law, data protection, pension law etc in the sphere of medical practice.
• Advise as to the effect of legislative changes or Court rulings and their potential impact on the employment of doctors and on medical practice.
• Advise as to whether the BMA may have scope to legally challenge controversial aspects of proposed regulatory changes or decisions taken by public authorities.
• Litigation advice – advising the BMA as to the prospects of success of potential legal actions, drafting pre-action correspondence, preparing, issuing and servicing legal proceedings;
• Commence High Court litigation, seeking judicial reviews of decisions taken by public authorities which are believed to be damaging to the interests of the medical profession.
• Commission external legal advice and representation for the BMA as required to progress strategic litigation and managing the same, including through scrutiny of expenditure and regular reporting within the BMA.
• Advise on responses to public consultations and proposed legislative or administrative changes that may affect the working lives of doctors.
• Assisting the BMA’s secretariat and advisers to help them achieve their objectives through the provision of legal advice and litigation.
• Manage a large and varied case load and prioritise effectively, being able to work at speed under pressure without compromising on quality of advice.
• Risk Management – including advising upon legal, reputational and commercial risks to the organisation.
• Provide legal training and development to colleagues from different departments across the BMA.

To be successful as a Senior Solicitor you'll have:

• You’ll be a qualified lawyer or barrister with at least 7 years post qualification experience with the ability to practise law in England and Wales. Post-graduate and professional qualifications are required.
• Knowledge and experience of practising in various fields of the law (such as public law, employment law, commercial law, civil/employment litigation, data protection and defamation).
• Knowledge of, and ability to comply with, the professional and ethical rules relating to a lawyers’ conduct.
• Strong relationship building and partnering skills.
• The ability to understand the medical, regulatory and employment related issues that concern the BMA.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• You’ll be a team player who will collaborate with and assist colleagues across the organisation.

Why work for us?

We offer a wide range of benefits including:

• 30 days holiday entitlement plus bank holidays and a BMA company day
• Double matching pension contributions up to 12% of salary
• Additional leave entitlement for volunteering, moving house or wedding leave (after completion of probationary period)
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
• Group Income protection & life assurance that is seven times your annual salary
• Annual salary reviews & incremental salary increases from year one to year three
• Onsite gym and subsidised café (at BMA House in London)
• Electric Vehicle and Cycle to work salary sacrifice scheme's (available after completion of probationary period)
• Access to a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) with free confidential counselling, a helpline and specialist support available
• Long service recognition every 5 years
• Professional subscription cover where membership of a professional institution is required for your role
• BMA Law - discounted rates for employees requiring legal services such as will writing/conveyancing
• Multiple flexible benefits and discounts through our employee benefits platform
• Lots of Learning and Development/training opportunities via our internal learning hub
• Season ticket loan (up to £10,000) (after completion of probationary period)
• Additional annual leave- buy up to 5 additional holiday days per year

Anonymous recruitment

The BMA endeavours to be an inclusive employer, ensuring fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for roles. To support our aims, we use specific software to remove all personal identifying information from CVs and applications.  Personal information such as name, date of birth, age and gender are anonymised and will only become visible to hiring managers if you are selected for interview.

To apply please upload an up to date version of your CV and supporting information setting out your suitability for the role. 

Whether the role needs you to work at home, in an office or in a hybrid way, we`ll provide all the support you need.  

If this sounds like the right opportunity for you, please apply through our website. However,  if you require any reasonable adjustments or additional support at any point during the application process, please email recruitment@bma.org.uk.

This vacancy will close for applications at midnight on the closing date. 

The role profile outlines the current key responsibilities and expectations for the position. However, the British Medical Association (BMA) is presently engaged in an organisation design process, which aims to ensure that our structure, roles, and ways of working best support our strategic objectives and the needs of our members. As a result, the responsibilities and scope of this role may be subject to change as the association evolves. The BMA is committed to communicating any such changes transparently and supporting colleagues through any transitions that arise as part of this process.

Diversity & Inclusion Monitoring: 

Our ambition is to work together to promote a more inclusive environment, which attracts everybody with the right skills and experience and signals our commitment to celebrate and promote diversity.

BMA is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge as we recognise that diversity makes us stronger.

Please note, we are unable to provide sponsorship under the UK points-based immigration system, as we do not hold a sponsorship licence.