In recent years human rights law has become a popular choice for both students and practitioners. University law faculties are increasingly offering human rights modules as part of their law degrees and more firms and chambers are boasting specialisms in the field. The introduction of the Human Rights Act 1998 has made the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) directly enforceable in the national courts.

Steve Gocke had always been interested "in the analytical side of the law", so his decision to study it at university was fairly straightforward - although he does note that had he known at the time about the GDL conversion course, he might have chosen a different degree subject.

More circuitous was his route to the GLS, which took in a few stops along the way: "I did my training contract at a firm in Reading, then worked in private practice at a couple of firms specialising in family and crime. I then prosecuted at the Crown Prosecution Service for around three and a half years, before joining the GLS." And his journey didn't stop there: "I started off in the Criminal Appeal Office, which I really enjoyed, then moved on to do private international law, specialising in family law, in the then-Lord Chancellor's Department. I spent much of my time negotiating EU regulations in Brussels on parental responsibility and child abduction, and also negotiating a new convention on maintenance at The Hague. That was a great combination of policy and law; it was very interesting to work with lawyers from other countries and see how different countries operate in a nonadversarial way."

Steve is now part of the human rights team of the Ministry of Justice's Legal Directorate. He describes his role as "both inward and outward facing. On the inward side of things, we provide advice to clients and ministers within the ministry, usually on the human rights aspect of a particular bill or piece of litigation. On the outward side, we coordinate across Whitehall the government's position on the Human Rights Act and the ECHR. In terms of litigation, we are often consulted by other government departments on human rights issues and whether a certain point should be taken in proceedings."

Steve's stint in Brussels stands out for him as particularly rewarding, since he had primary responsibility for the negotiations, but his work involving Article 1 of the ECHR is a highlight as well: "There has been a lot of litigation around Article 1, which is about the scope of the convention and who it applies to. It refers to people within the jurisdiction of a particular state, but at issue is whether jurisdiction applies just to the geography of the state or something broader. For example, does it apply in a military combat zone - do civilians in Iraq, for example, fall within the article for ECHR purposes? The logistics of affording rights in such a situation would prove very difficult." When we spoke, Steve was coordinating the government's response to a significant judgment from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg on an Article 1 military case.

In terms of hot topics, GLS lawyers find themselves very much at the heart of leading-edge law making. "On the legislation side, we have had involvement with various topical bills, including the Legal Aid and Sentencing Bill," explains Steve. "We've been checking the human rights provisions on that one. It just had its second reading and has had some very high-profile responses." Steve also mentions the much-discussed and publicised UK bill of rights: "A commission to look at a possible bill of rights was set up in March and we are expecting to work with our policy clients on responses to the commission. It's an interesting area, but it's only at the very early stages." Another high-calibre project has been the negotiations on EU accession to the ECHR: "The interface between the two organisations is complicated, making negotiations very technical.

To succeed as a human rights lawyer, Steve suggests that along with "strong analytical skills and sound judgement", you need an interest in international law and jurisprudence, and a flair for creative thinking: "When asked for legal advice, it is no good saying, ‘No, you cannot do that.' You need to find a workable solution. In fact, that applies more broadly to all lawyers - you sometimes have to find an alternative route to achieve the same result."

And there's no room for dogged individualists: "You have to be a good team player. It is a very friendly and helpful environment here; you can bounce ideas off people, share problems and help each other out. I think it's very different from private practice in that way, and it's one of the attractions of working here. I also really like it that the work we do is cutting edge and high profile. Advising ministers and drafting legislation - it keeps you on your toes!"

Added to which, this particular area of law is often fast-moving and continually evolving: "You've got to have an eye on the news to keep abreast of developments in your area domestically and internationally." All of this means that finely tuned research skills are essential: "Knowing where to look is important. Textbooks become quickly out of date. Often blogs and other online sources are better at keeping pace with developments."

Finally, Steve sings the praises of working at the GLS, and particularly the benefits as a trainee: "I'm the training principal for the Ministry of Justice. We're keen to ensure that trainees get a good grounding in the three main areas of a government lawyer's work: advisory, litigation and legislation. We also ensure that they get as wide a perspective of ministry work as possible by working in different teams. I think the ministry provides excellent opportunities for trainees, mainly because of the variety and the high-profile work we do: working on the referendum earlier this year, House of Lords and legal aid reform. You're exposed to so many different areas of law - both public and private law. It can be daunting at times, but there is always support and everything you learn comes in useful at some point. It's interesting stuff!"