About the job

Job summary

Are you looking for a legal traineeship that offers a unique and stimulating start to your legal career, working right at the heart of government?

GLSS (Government Legal Service for Scotland) is recruiting for our two-year traineeships commencing in September 2025.

Our traineeships are one of the most varied and rewarding available, offering opportunities for trainees to be involved at the cutting edge of public law. We deal with big issues that have a tangible effect on people’s lives, the work of a wide range of organisations and our environment.

GLSS consists of a number of offices based in Edinburgh and Glasgow that provide legal services to central government in Scotland (in particular the Scottish Government and the UK Government).

Your training will involve high quality, often high profile, work covering a wide range of legal issues that impact our society in Scotland. We advise on government policy, legislation and functions as well as on topics such as human rights, constitutional law and private law. We represent the Scottish and UK governments at courts, tribunals and inquiries and play a key role in the implementation of new powers devolved to Scotland such as social security. The legal work of GLSS is varied, topical, rewarding and much of it is unique.

There will be opportunities to work in a variety of GLSS offices, as well as the possibility of secondment in the second year to a private practice firm or to the Office of Solicitor to the Scottish Parliament. The majority of seats are based in Edinburgh, with hybrid working in line with current Scottish Government policies, but seats in other locations are sometimes possible or required.

There may be the possibility of a permanent role after the traineeship subject to satisfactory performance, vacancies at the end of your traineeship and success in a formal assessment centre.

We’re more than ambitious about diversity and inclusion. It’s our people that make us great and we want them to reflect the make-up of modern Scotland.  We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and particularly from groups currently under-represented in Scottish Government and the legal profession in Scotland, including people with a disability, from minority ethnic communities or from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Visit our website for more detail on our commitment to diversity and our traineeships.

Job description

Competencies

Analysis and Use of Evidence

Self-Awareness

Communications and Engagement

Improving Performance

We will also test, at assessment stage, the specialist skill of Legal Knowledge

Person specification

Qualifications

You must have an LLB in Scots Law from a provider accredited by the Law Society of Scotland along with a completed Diploma in Professional Legal Practise before commencing your traineeship.

Essential Criteria

1. Ability to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of public law and its practical application to government in Scotland or an equivalent jurisdiction.

2. Ability to organise and manage your own workload in a flexible way to respond to competing priorities.

3. Ability to make and clearly explain decisions based on your analysis of relevant evidence.

4. Strong interpersonal and communication (written and verbal) skills, with the ability to establish and build strong working relationships.

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Provisional Sift Dates

February - March 2024

Provisional Interview Dates 

Mid – late April 2024

Please apply using the link provided.

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.