About the job

Job summary

Please refer to Job Description

Job description

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Legal adviser to the Master of the Rolls

Salary:  £58,847 - £66,670           

Number of jobs available:  1

Detail of reserve list:  12 months

Region:  London

City/ town:  London

Building/ site:  London CTS Royal Courts of Justice, WC2A 2LL

Grade:  Grade 7

Organisation Grade for MoJ:  Grade 7

Post type:  Permanent

Working pattern:  Full time

Role type:  Legal services, Policy

Job description - overview

This is an exciting opportunity for a lawyer to work directly with the Master of the Rolls, his team, and other members of the senior judiciary.

In addition to his duties as head of the Court of Appeal’s Civil Division, the Master of the Rolls is Head of Civil Justice. He is chair of the Civil Justice Council (the statutory body responsible for scrutinising the operation of the civil justice system and advising on its improvement), of the Civil Procedure Rule Committee (the body responsible for the rules of court that govern the practice and procedure in the civil courts of England and Wales) and of the new Online Procedure Rule Committee (the new body that will oversee the development of rules for online proceedings across the Civil, Family and Tribunals jurisdictions). His office’s historic responsibility for public records is today reflected in his overall responsibility for judicial data and in his chairmanship of the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives and of the Forum on Historical Manuscripts and Academic Research.

As the Master of the Rolls’ lawyer you will advise him and the Deputy Head of Civil Justice, and judges to whom they delegate, on the development of policy, rules and procedure; identify and advise upon legal risks that may emerge from the development of civil justice policy; and assist with the preparation of lectures, speeches and articles on both legal and policy matters. Further to the Master of the Rolls’ responsibility for judicial data, you will also be expected to advise him , the wider judiciary and your Judicial Office colleagues on data protection issues.

This is a high-profile role for a lawyer and offers the opportunity to become a recognised and respected voice at the heart of the justice system. You will need to be confident in advising all of the senior judges with responsibility for civil justice, including the Master of the Rolls, the Deputy Head of Civil Justice and the Vice-President of the Court of Appeal (Civil Division), as well as the judicial chairs of the Senior Data Governance Panel and the Judicial Data Protection Panel.

You will have a large degree of autonomy in undertaking your work and will need to be able to work independently to provide high quality legal, strategic and policy advice to the senior judiciary.

You will also need to be able to form strong working relationships with members of the judiciary (at all levels), with the lawyers in other judicial private offices, and with a wide range of key officials across the civil justice system.

You will be an essential member of the Master of the Rolls’ busy private office team. You will work closely with his Private Secretary to support the Master of the Rolls in fulfilling his wide and varied responsibilities. Part of the enjoyment and challenge of working within a private office is that work can be fast paced and unpredictable, particularly during the judicial termtime. The Master of the Rolls’ private office is a small and friendly team, with a sociable outlook, that enjoys supporting each other.

Job description – specific responsibilities

Specific responsibilities will include:

• Advising the Master of the Rolls on the development of the digital justice system, in particular supporting him as chair of the new Online Procedure Rules Committee;
• Supporting the Deputy Head of Civil Justice in preparing for meetings of the Civil Procedure Rules Committee and advising on amendments to the Rules and on new Practice Directions;
• Supporting the Master of the Rolls in preparing for meetings of the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives and advising on the law relating to public records;
• Advising the Master of the Rolls on appointments to statutory tribunals for which he has responsibility;
• Advising the Master of the Rolls in relation to the duties delegated to him by the Lady Chief Justice under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005;
• To conduct legal research and assist with the preparation of lectures, speeches, and articles for the Master of the Rolls on both legal and policy matters;
• To provide advice to the Master of the Rolls, the Judicial Data Protection Panel and the Judicial Office’s Data Privacy Officer on the application of data protection law to the judiciary and the Judicial Office;
• To deputise for the Private Secretary to the Master of the Rolls on occasion.

Qualifications and experience

The successful applicant must:

• Be qualified to practice as a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales and hold a valid practising certificate (if required) or be able to obtain one;
• Have experience of the operation of the civil justice system and an interest in legal policy issues;
• Have a sound knowledge and understanding of the Civil Procedure Rules and the work of the civil courts;
• Be able to provide high quality legal advice (both written and oral) which fits into the wider policy and operational context.

Desirable professional qualifications and experience include:

• Experience of data protection law, and an interest in the legal, practical and strategic policy issues surrounding data.

Selection criteria

Technical legal skills

The successful candidate will be required to provide evidence of:

• Sound understanding of the civil law and procedure;
• Expertise in or an understanding of public law and constitutional law;
• Sound analysis, using legal research to produce timely and fit for purpose advice;
• Ability to communicate advice effectively both in writing and orally, with little formal legal supervision;
• Reliable legal judgment and appreciation of legal risk, being able to identify and explain legal options, giving a steer as appropriate, and extract key legal issues;
• Understanding of the role of an advisory lawyer.

Behaviours

During the application process you will also be asked to provide an example of how you have met the following behaviours:

• Communicating and Influencing;
• Making Effective Decisions;
• Delivering at Pace.

Should we receive a large number of applications we will sift primarily on the lead behaviour of communicating and influencing. Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview. The above technical skills and behaviours will be tested at the interview, alongside strengths-based questions that are not shared in advance. (See the Civil Service Strengths Dictionary for more details). Candidates invited to interview will also be required to do a short presentation or scenario test.

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

Interview dates

Interviews estimated w/c 22 January 2024.

Level of security checks required

Counter-Terrorism Check (CTC)

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £58,847, Ministry of Justice contributes £16,418 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. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.