About the job

Job summary

This position is based nationally

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.

Background:

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is an agency of the Ministry of Justice. We provide support for the legal system across England and Wales, ensuring justice works for everyone.   

The Probate Service has recently introduced the roles of Probate Legal Caseworkers and Senior Probate Legal Caseworkers (Deputy Registrar) and in 2022, the responsibility for the management of this role transferred to Legal Operations. Probate Legal Caseworkers and Senior Legal Caseworker are authorised persons with delegated authority to exercise Registrar functions under the Non-Contentious Probate Pules (NCPR). It is therefore important that these posts are managed by lawyers. This role will have responsibility for line managing one Senior Probate Legal Caseworker who in turn manages 3 Probate Legal Caseworkers within the Probate jurisdiction.

The role:

• The purpose of this role is to represent the Head of Legal Operations as the Legal Team Manager for the Probate Service. The Tier 3 Legal Team Manager will require specialist Probate knowledge, or quickly develop it.
• The roles and responsibilities for a Tier 3 Legal Team Manager should contribute and impact on the work of the Probate Service as directed by the Head of Legal Operations and/or a Senior Legal Manager. To achieve this, a Tier 3 Legal Team Manager will demonstrate leadership within HMCTS and in the relationship with the Judiciary and partner organisations.
• The Tier 3 Legal Team Manager for Probate will provide support to Probate hearings in their advice and support capacity, advise the Senior Probate Legal Caseworker and Probate Legal Caseworkers, make discretionary orders and respond to legal challenges.
• The Tier 3 Legal Team Manager will have oversight over all processes and lead the team to make grants of Probate in the name of the High Court, having ensured all enquiries and queries have been answered satisfactorily. Powers are discharged on behalf of the President of the Family Division.

Key Responsibilities:

• First- and second-line management responsibility for the Probate Legal Team.
• Full responsibility for the professional development of the members of their team to include pro-active management of the Probate Career Structure in the context of the wider organisation and across various legal jurisdictions.
• Carrying out individual performance reviews and agree with each team member work responsibilities and performance objectives.
• The responsibility to motivate and manage the on-going performance of the team in accordance with MoJ and HMCTS policies and procedures.
• Ensuring that regular team information meetings are held.
• Ensuring that continuous improvement activity is undertaken by each team member to resolve issues and improve processes.
• Pro-actively manage sickness, grievance and disciplinary issues in accordance with MoJ and HMCTS policies and procedures.
• Working with other managers to ensure the achievement of business and performance objectives.

 Key skills:

• Knowledge and skills relevant to the role-holders specialist expertise in legal practice area.
• Knowledge of rules and procedures relating to Probate.
• The ability to manage a team.
• The ability to lead and motivate others during periods of change.
• The ability to manage a designated project using project management procedures.
• Time management.
• Leadership skills and role modelling behaviour.
• The capability to work across different legal jurisdictions in HMCTS.
• Mentoring and Coaching.
• Decision making.

In this role you will need to have the ability to quickly assimilate new areas of law and master and interpret complex legislation and relevant law being able to produce and communicate sound decision making using secure legal research, and to advise clearly, persuasively and constructively, both orally and in writing. You will consider issues in their practical context and recognise the wider issues which a case may raise, suggesting viable solutions where appropriate.

Qualifications (Essential Criteria):

The role holder must be a fully qualified barrister, solicitor or FILEX qualified with 5 years PQE or have 5 years’ experience working in the principal registry of the Family Division or a district probate registry.

Ways of working

 There is an expectation that you can be flexible with your working hours to accommodate the needs of the business, the post holder may also be required to travel to other sites nationally where required. HMCTS welcomes all part-time, flexible, and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs and are agreed prior to appointment. Particular requests for part-time, flexible, and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the MoJ’s Flexible Working policy.

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £54,358, HM Courts and Tribunals Service contributes £15,165 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.