Kavita Roy, a senior lawyer in the Government Legal Department (GLD), emerged as a finalist for In-House Lawyer of the Year at the 2023 Yorkshire Legal Awards. In this interview, Kavita delves into her diverse and rewarding career, shedding light on the numerous factors that led to her prestigious nomination.
Can you provide an overview of your current role as an in-house lawyer and the specific industries or sectors your work primarily supports?
I am a senior lawyer in the Government Legal Department (GLD) working in the specialised Commercial Law Group. Personally, I advise the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on commercial legal matters within various initiatives.
I am one of more than 200 colleagues based in GLD’s Leeds Office. We collectively act for clients throughout government, including the Cabinet Office, Crown Commercial Service, the Department for Education, and the Department for Work and Pensions. Outside the Commercial Law Group, my colleagues advise on developing legislation, policy, government litigation and employment matters. Working with them to understand the bigger picture for government is really important.
The work in the Commercial Law Group is truly cutting edge – both fast paced and intellectually challenging. I joined the Commercial Law Group just before the pandemic in 2020. The prime minister’s ventilator challenge, announced in March that year, thrust me into the deep end. It encouraged UK businesses to design and manufacture more mechanical ventilators for the NHS.
Since then, I have taken over responsibility for adult social care within DHSC legal advisers. This requires a strong understanding of the health and social care sector in the country, its pressure points and how good social care makes a difference to the daily lives of people.
What specific achievements or projects do you believe led to your nomination for this prestigious award?
I was one of the pioneers of the business partner model within the Commercial Law Group. The aim of the business partnering role was to create a trusted legal partner resource for relevant projects. The resource is designed to act as the first point of contact and ultimately embed commercial lawyers into the multidisciplinary teams required for large projects.
In GLD, client relationships are key – understanding the way the client business works including its risk tolerance, priorities, regulatory or other constraints. The team have a unique offering for our clients. Because we work across so many parts of government, we can connect clients and projects on the ground so that stakeholders can share knowledge and expertise.
Equally important in GLD are the social values that we demonstrate in the course of our work. I am a mental health first aider and a health and wellbeing lead. In the past, I have also set up a forum for our lawyers to have a safe space to discuss matters that are personal to them, as well as other diversity and inclusion initiatives.
My nomination was a combination of the high quality, rapid response advice I have provided on several crucial government initiatives, along with the social values that underpin my performance.
Collaboration is often essential for in-house lawyers. How do you work with other departments or teams within your organisation to achieve legal and business objectives?
All lawyers in GLD are encouraged to build strong networks and individual relationships with their clients, this includes individuals outside of their current sphere of operations. In our case these are senior civil servants and, ultimately, ministers. My clients view me as a respected collaborator and an essential part of their project team. Through proactive project management activity, we have been able to predict resource requirements to deliver projects successfully.
While the Commercial Law Group comprises of experts in commercial law, we regularly work with colleagues in GLD who take the lead on public law and advise on policy. We each draw in suitable expertise at appropriate times within the lifecycle of a project. This may be external support such as expertise from other areas within GLD or the client, or senior / junior lawyers within the team. As a result, our interactions with clients have become much more efficient as each party clearly communicates their expectations for the other. In our experience, this has contributed to the overall efficacy of GLD in delivering legal services.
Can you offer some advice for aspiring in-house lawyers who are looking to excel in their careers and possibly receive similar recognition in the future?
As in-house lawyers, two things are key. Firstly, the ability to engage with colleagues as normal human beings. Secondly, our understanding of our clients’ business. Within GLD the latter is a challenge on account of the sheer breadth of the work we undertake, including energy, security and health and welfare. Often, issues that we advise on within the health and social care space have cross-cutting implications for other departments across government.
Our advice is often required very quickly with its impact felt not only across the country but, quite often, internationally as well. Furthermore, it’s essential to be aware of the general commercial reality of the marketplace or, in the case of government lawyers, the political environment in which advice is provided.
The Yorkshire Legal Awards ceremony is a significant event in the legal community. Can you describe your experience leading up to the awards night and the emotions you felt as the event approached?
Being nominated is a wonderful recognition of the work that government lawyers do. I don’t view my nomination as mine alone because no lawyer is an island, and behind every successful professional – regardless of where they practice – is a highly efficient team. I was excited to be the torchbearer for my team at GLD and government lawyers in general at the Yorkshire Legal Awards. My team is absolutely brilliant. It was also thrilling to air my glad rags for the ceremony. As a special treat, I had my hair done!
Walk us through your experience at the awards ceremony itself. What were the highlights of the evening, and were there any memorable moments you’d like to share?
The award ceremony delivered the glitzy glamour we had anticipated, and a particular highlight for me was Helen Skelton, the MC, who seemed amazingly familiar with the work of various law firms! New Dock at the Royal Armouries was filled with luminaries from the Yorkshire legal world, and I had a delightful experience flying GLD’s banner in such splendid company. Unfortunately, we didn’t come home with any silver on this occasion, but it was nevertheless rewarding to see GLD’s name on the big screen. We hope that future awards will recognise the hard work and brilliance of GLD’s excellent lawyers in Leeds.
Image: Government Legal Department
