About the job

Job summary

Please refer to Job Description

Job description

Your base location can be in Swansea, Port Talbot or Llanelli. You will need to travel to smaller courts in the area as required.

The role of the legal adviser is vital to the smooth running of HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and is a highly rewarding position within our organisation. If you have a passion for law, being a part of a team committed to providing a quality service and want to take your career in a new direction, this could be the right role for you.

You’re an excellent communicator with the ability to inspire confidence in everyone you work with and the self-assurance to speak in court.  You’ll need to be a qualified solicitor, barrister or fellow of CILEX, enthusiastic about the responsibility that comes with being on the front line of the justice system and you're now ready to develop your career further and make a positive difference to society and the communities we live in.

Our work at HMCTS is vitally important to the smooth running of a fair, accessible and efficient justice system, as we are responsible for the administration of criminal, civil and family courts and tribunals in England and Wales. We’re looking for legal advisers to join our exceptional legal team in Suffolk to provide magistrates with advice on points of law, practice and procedure, and assist with the formulation and drafting of the reasons behind their judgments. You’ll also be required to exercise a range of authorised judicial functions. Not only will this draw on your sound legal skills, but you’ll need to demonstrate judicial independence, integrity and impartiality at all times.

Your role

When you join us as a legal adviser, you’ll quickly discover that this isn’t your normal 9 to 5 role, as no two days are the same. You’ll work at pace in a fast-moving, fluid environment, and help to keep the courts running smoothly and efficiently. Working on everything from minor motoring offences to serious crimes, or in family on parents disputes about their children or whether a child should be removed from their family by the state. 

Your training will include enrolment on a 12 to 18 month national induction programme where you will acquire knowledge of law, practice and procedure and the court skills required to be a legal adviser.  You will be supported by a mentor, manager and your colleagues.  You will collect evidence throughout your training to support your promotion to a qualified Legal Adviser.  Once you have completed your training, there is a wide range of career opportunities either within HMCTS, or your training will provide you with the knowledge and experience relevant for you to apply for judicial roles.

Work as the qualified, professional face of the courts

Rather than acting for a client you’ll be providing legal advice to magistrates and progressing cases to ensure they are dealt with justly, fairly and expeditiously.  

If you work in the crime jurisdiction your role will be to advise magistrates on law practice, procedure and accurately record court decisions on the court system.  With experience, you will be given authority to manage cases both in and outside the courtroom. You will be committed to providing a quality justice service to people in Suffolk.  

You’ll act as the professional face of the court, so we’ll expect you to work with integrity, empathy and understanding, and ensure that everyone who attends is treated with humanity and respect at all times.

Apply all your skills as you increase your knowledge of the law

In addition to being legally qualified and having excellent communication skills, you’ll be committed to developing and practising your knowledge and skills in the jurisdiction to which you have been assigned. Open, approachable, professional and supportive, we’ll expect you to have excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to think on your feet in a busy court. Important decisions will be made, these can have a profound effect on the people who come to court, so you’ll be confident, impartial and capable of considering a wide range of risks and implications. Flexible and adaptable and with a high degree of personal responsibility, there are times when you’ll be faced with challenging situations. You’ll be resilient and remain calm under pressure and have a diplomatic and tactful approach to everyone you work with.

This is an office based/court based frontline role. You’ll be allocated to your work base location that has been agreed between yourself and line manager as part of the recruitment process.

All our employees have to be security cleared before being appointed so you’ll undergo a vetting process if your application is successful.

Enjoy a healthy work/life balance with our range of benefits

When you join us, you’ll be making an important contribution to HM Courts and Tribunals Service – but how will we help you in return?

In addition to a competitive salary, generous holiday entitlement and a Civil Service pension, we’ll support your development with training opportunities to help you advance your career with us. We also understand the importance of a healthy work/life balance and with this in mind we offer flexible working schemes, paid maternity and paternity leave and excellent childcare benefits.

The vital work we do takes an incredible community of colleagues with different skills, backgrounds, cultures and identities. We support every individual, so you’ll always know you’re welcome and valued. We have strong and proactive staff networks, reasonable adjustments for those who need them and diversity talent programmes to help everyone, irrespective of their background, to achieve their potential.

If this sounds like you, use our online application form to apply for the role of the legal adviser. If you have any queries about the role, then please contact: HQlegal@justice.gov.uk   

We currently have three Legal Adviser campaigns running for Wales covering Crime in South East Wales, Crime in Dyfed Powys and North Wales; and Family in Mid and West Wales

Technical 1  

To be eligible for entry to this post, candidates must be fully qualified to practice as a Solicitor or Barrister in England & Wales or hold the Qualifying Lawyers Transfer Test (QLTT) or be a Fellow of CILEX/CILEX Lawyer, including the completion of the relevant prescribed period of professional experience (e.g. training contract or pupillage).  

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £39,868, HM Courts and Tribunals Service contributes £10,804 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.