Ministry of Justice UK
Legal Scenario Based Assessment
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DESCRIPTIONS & REQUIREMENTS
Job description
Proud to serve. Proud to keep justice going.
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. You’ll be surrounded by learning opportunities every day, so if you have a passion for law, this could be the right role for you.
About us
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. Right now, we’re looking for trainee legal advisers to join our exceptional legal team and develop the skills 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.
Important:
It is essential in understanding the unique nature of this role that prospective applicants visit a Magistrates’ Court to observe court proceedings before the interview stage of the process - if successful in reaching that stage. Candidates are encouraged to plan ahead because the time period between confirmation and date of interview may be limited and interviews may not proceed if an observation has not been made. The observation provides valuable insight into the duties of a Trainee Legal Adviser and offers a practical understanding of the courtroom environment, as well as the various roles and responsibilities involved. Those who have undertaken this experience often report increased confidence and motivation to excel in the role.
About You
To be eligible to apply for this post, you must have passed the academic stage of qualification to become a solicitor or Barrister of the Senior Courts of England and Wales or a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) or CILEX Lawyer. Please refer to the entry requirement section for more information.
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’re enthusiastic about the responsibility that comes with being on the front line of the justice system. And now you're ready to take your career to the next level and make a positive difference to society and the communities we live in.
Learn new legal skills as you develop your career
When you join us as a trainee 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 learn new skills every day as you 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, you’ll be supported and mentored throughout your two-year training period. Once you’ve completed this, you’ll then have the opportunity to further develop your legal career within HMCTS.
Work as the qualified, professional face of the courts
Rather than acting for a client you’ll be offering impartial and objective legal advice, so you’ll need to be passionate about the law and the issues that must be considered when magistrates are delivering judgments and sentences.
Helping to conduct case management hearings will be another key part of your role, as will liaising with outside agencies who are involved in specialist court work. Once you’re qualified, 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.
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Apply all your skills as you increase your knowledge of the law
In addition to your academic qualifications and excellent communication skills, you’ll be committed to increasing and maintaining your knowledge of the law. 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, and 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. With this in mind 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.
You’ll be expected to spend the duration of your training at your agreed base location to fulfil the demands of the training and the business needs in that location.
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.
Your benefits with us
As part of our training we support qualifying work experience for the SRA and CILEX enabling legal professional qualification as a solicitor or CILEX.
This role is being offered on a Permanent basis. This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years – in line with the deliverables outlined within the advert. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something that is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by.
Upon successful completion of the full training and submission of your training portfolio (usually completed within two years), a Trainee legal adviser will then progress to a SEO Tier 1 Legal adviser role (with the associated increase in pay, in line with the HMCTS Legal adviser Tier Progression Framework). You’ll have access to a variety of legal careers in HMCTS and beyond. As part of the Ministry of Justice, you’ll be entitled to a range of benefits including a civil service pension, flexible working arrangements, generous annual leave, childcare and travel allowances and numerous staff networks and clubs. For further information on our benefits please select here Why join us - HM Courts & Tribunals service
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Entry Requirements
To be eligible to apply for this post, you must have passed the academic stage of qualification to become a solicitor or Barrister of the Senior Courts of England and Wales or a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) or CILEX Lawyer by virtue of —
(i) having passed the necessary examinations; (example of which are listed below)
(ii) having been granted an exemption in relation to the necessary examinations (example of which are listed below) by the appropriate examining body; or
(iii) any combination of the two.
By way of example, the following list reflects the currently approved academic qualification routes.
- The Legal Practice Course (LPC) for Solicitors, or BOTH the SQE1 and SQE2 stages of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam; or
- The Bar Training Course; or equivalent for Barristers; or
- The CILEx Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice and the CILEx Level 6 Diploma in Law and Practice; or
- The CILEx Graduate Fast Track Diploma; or equivalent for Graduate Membership of CILEx.
Important Information for Bar-Qualified Candidates
HMCTS welcomes applications from candidates who have completed the Bar Training Course (BTC) or an equivalent qualification.
Please note that this recruitment campaign is separate from HMCTS's future pupillage provision.
Candidates whose primary objective is to obtain pupillage should note that HMCTS expects to advertise pupillage opportunities through a separate recruitment campaign from 2027, that will be promoted through the Pupillage Gateway, and Civil Service Jobs, with applications submitted through Civil Service Jobs. Details of that campaign will be published separately.
Successful appointment through this campaign will not lead to, guarantee, or provide access to pupillage within HMCTS.
You can apply for this role whilst you are completing the final academic stage of qualification but must be able to evidence your final certification at the point of an offer being made, to be able to proceed to appointment.
If you are unable to evidence the correct certification at the point of offer, you will be removed from the process.
Training HMCTS delivers a bespoke training programme for trainee legal advisers to develop the skills, and knowledge for the legal adviser role. The training is delivered through a variety of methods, and you will be supported by an allocated mentor to guide them throughout the Induction and Training Programme. You will be required to attend a two-day Induction Programme run by the Judicial College which is followed by supplementary training in the workplace and the completion of modules contained in the Judicial College’s legal adviser Manual. This learning will be enhanced by relevant court observations and additional local and regional training events with peers.
Application process
Behaviour question: Developing self and others (250 words)
Please describe your understanding of the role of a Legal Adviser in the Magistrates' Court.
From that understanding tell us what you think that would mean for how you would approach your learning and development as a Trainee Legal
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