Working for the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel: Jack Connah
Updated 7 July 2023
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I joined the office as an Assistant Parliamentary Counsel in February 2017, and I still smile that when someone asks what I do, I can truthfully reply that I write the law.
I first came across Parliamentary Counsel after I graduated from my law degree while I was working on law reform projects as a research assistant at the Law Commission. Thinking that it looked like a fascinating role, I stored it away as a potential career to pursue in the future. After going back to study for a masters in public law and then several years practising as a planning and environmental law barrister in private practice, I decided that adversarial litigation wasn’t for me. When I saw that OPC was recruiting I didn’t hesitate and was incredibly fortunate to get the opportunity to join the office.
The job is challenging but also incredibly rewarding. Starting out with a blinking cursor on a blank page and a set of instructions is daunting, and drafting even what looks to be the most straightforward of provision takes time, concentration and real attention to detail. But rising to that challenge and crafting new laws is immensely satisfying. Nobody joins the office as a perfect drafter (and many won’t have any drafting experience at all), so the office supports new recruits all the way. It runs a useful training programme introducing the basics of drafting and offers continual support and development opportunities. When starting out you’ll work closely with a senior drafter and may be given discrete parts of Bills to work on which you’ll then discuss in detail, tweaking and revisiting as you go. You’ll never stop learning.
Some people are surprised to hear of the variety involved in the work. I’ve worked on topics ranging from data protection to the armed forces. But not only does working in the office involve drafting across all areas of law, it also involves working on different types of laws, meeting with departments, advisory work, liaising with the parliamentary authorities, getting to grips with parliamentary procedure and drafting amendments. Often you’ll be working on different projects at the same time, so good time management is essential.
Now is a fascinating, and fast-paced, time to be part of the office. It’s exciting to be working at the business end of projects being discussed in the media. Now that I’ve been here for 18 months I can already look back and see how far I’ve developed as a drafter and I’m looking forward to seeing that progression continue.