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Fact File - Legal Officer
Band: Higher Executive Officer (HEO)

“The role of a Legal Officer is pivotal

to the smooth running of the

Tribunal. There are many Tribunals,
What qualifications/experience do I
covering a wide range of areas
Role overview:
need?
affecting day-to-day life.

Working within a Courts & Tribunals Service Centre or
There are no formal qualification requirements, though a
The First-tier Tribunal hears appeals from citizens
Regional Hearing Centre, the Legal Officer will support the
law degree or equivalent technical experience is desirable.
against decisions made by Government departments
effective administration of Tribunals business by undertaking
Equivalent technical experience has been defined as: “The
or agencies, while proceedings in the Property
a range of complex case work and assessment activity in
demonstration of a transferable decision-making aptitude,
Chamber are on a party v party basis as are
order to determine how best to advance caseloads and
working within a set framework or guidance and previous
proceedings in the Employment Tribunal. As a legal
remove any barriers to effective and timely case progression.
precedents, under a form of supervision." Legal Officers
officer you are responsible for the case management
Working closely with judiciary, legal professionals and
demonstrate a variety of skills, from drafting and verbal
of an appeal using delegated judicial powers to make
Tribunal administration teams, the Legal Officer will
communication to teamwork and problem solving. If you
decisions and progress the appeal as you determine
undertake initial assessments on a range of incoming
can demonstrate these skills and have an interest in the law
best.
Tribunal work, including case files, applications and
and delivering justice, the Legal Officer role may be for you.
Although it is not necessary to have a law degree, (a
correspondence in order to establish the level of authority
Full training is provided to all new recruits, and there are
good legal knowledge or) relevant technical
and expertise needed to address the case and determine the
opportunities to study for formal legal qualifications/
experience is vital to the job to help you deal with
most effective route for case progression. Working to
apprenticeships. The Legal Officer Career Progression group
appeals justly."
delegated judicial functions and working to directions from
continuously looks for ways to help Legal Officers develop.
the judiciary, the Legal Officer will provide ongoing and
proactive management of caseloads, identifying any barriers

Zaynab Hussain - Legal Officer, Immigration
or risks to effective case progression and developing
and Asylum Chamber, Bradford

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What’s involved in the role?
“Legal Officers (LOs) have responsibility for a wide
Katie Agada - Legal Team Manager (Tribunals)
range of case management decisions throughout  the
“As a Legal Officer you will work closely with the judiciary
appeal process"
and tribunal administration teams providing proactive
These decisions range from ensuring an appeal is valid right through to ensuring
management of caseloads."
hearing requirements are captured in preparation for the substantive hearing. You will
be using your delegated judicial powers to make complex decisions and draft
“You will start by learning the law, appeal process and observing hearings within your
directions for the parties to comply with. In some jurisdictions, LOs can hold case
jurisdiction to allow you to identify barriers to effective case progression, and what
management appointments with the parties to resolve any issues. Effective case
interventions or actions are required to resolve these.
management is really important to ensure appeals progress through the system and to
Once authorised, you will work to delegated judicial functions and directions from the
prevent adjournments at the substantive hearing. We have LOs across 10 jurisdictions
judiciary making decisions on applications from the parties such as postponing
including Employment Tribunal, Immigration and Asylum Chamber and Mental Health.
hearings, withdrawing proceedings or extending/varying time to comply with an
Each jurisdiction has different delegations but at the core of all of the jurisdictions is
aspect of the procedure rules.
the need to settle disputes as efficiently as possible.
You will have the benefit of a mentor judge who will support
You will have a judicial mentor to guide your decision
you in your role and if you wish to obtain legal
making and provide you with training on the law.
qualifications, we may be able to fund this through an
The judiciary are always incredibly approachable and willing to help with any questions
on using delegated powers. You will report to a Senior Legal Officer (SLO) who will
apprenticeship programme.
monitor your progress, provide feedback and give you the support you need to be
There are also opportunities to progress your career as I have done from Legal Officer
effective in your role. LOs can also apply for a place on the Level 3 or Level 6 CILEx
to Senior Legal Officer and now Legal Team Manager.
apprenticeship to gain more knowledge of the law and to improve legal skills.
I completed the Level 6 apprenticeship and found it particularly useful to improve my
Louise Hayhurst - Legal Team Manager (Tribunals)
drafting skills. I started as an LO before progressing to SLO and, upon completing my
apprenticeship, I successfully applied for a Legal Team Manager role.
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How do I apply?
Legal Officer roles will be advertised via the Civil Service Jobs website: www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk.  You can sign up for job
alerts to be notified about new vacancies.
•
Results - What was the outcome? What results did you
Keep the “situation" and “task" parts brief and concentrate
achieve? Use numbers and percentages whenever
on the action and the result. If the result was not entirely
The selection process will use the Civil Service Success
possible. If the result was not positive, describe what
successful, describe what you learned and what you would
Profiles Framework which assesses the behaviours, strengths
you learned.
do differently next time. Make sure you focus on your
and potential of candidates. The Civil Service is a diverse and
strengths.
inclusive workplace, and we want to help you demonstrate
The STAR method
your full potential throughout the assessment process.
•
Situation - Describe the situation you found yourself in.
Strengths questions
You must describe a specific event or situation and not
Behaviour questions
provide a general description of your job/skills.
When looking at your strengths and abilities, we want to find
out whether you and the organisation/job role are a good fit.
Behaviours are assessed at both application and interview
•
Task - We want to understand what task you had to
We will look at what you enjoy doing and what you do well
stage. When looking at behaviours, we want to get an
complete and why. Tell us what you tried to achieve
and often.
understanding of the actions/activities you have undertaken
from the situation you found yourself in.
in the past which have resulted in a successful outcome. We
During your interview you will be asked questions to
are looking for answers which follow the CAR/STAR
•
Actions - What did you do? We will be looking for
understand whether you have strengths relevant to the job
approach, as outlined below.
evidence of what you did, how you did it and why. Keep
role. It is important to remember that there are no right or
the focus on you; what specific steps did you take and
wrong answers to these questions.  Do not rehearse your
what was your contribution? Remember to include how
The CAR method
answers because we are looking for your initial response.
you did it, and the behaviours you used. Try to use “I"
•
Context - Explain the situation; what, where and when.
rather than “we" to explain the actions you took that led  The qualities required for the role will be described in the job
Simply describe the challenge that you faced. Give the
to the result.
description and the best way to prepare is to reflect on what
reader some background, just enough to set the scene.
you feel your personal strengths are and your preferred ways
•
Results - Don’t be shy about taking credit for your
of working.
•
Actions - Make sure that you explain how you did
behaviour. It may help to provide specific facts and
something, not just what you did. What action or steps
figures. What results did the actions produce? What did
Your strengths will be assessed alongside the other elements
did you take? How did you do it? For some examples,
you achieve through your actions and did you meet your
of the Success Profile to get a more rounded picture of your
this might be quite detailed so try to summarise as best
goals? Was it a successful outcome? If not, what did you
suitability for the role. The job description will outline the
as you can.
learn from the experience?
elements required for the role.
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Reasonable Adjustments
Contracted Hours

If you require any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment  37 hours, excluding lunch breaks. You will be required to work

process, please let the recruiting manager know. Examples of
those hours over five days, Monday-Friday.
adjustments include providing documents in large print or

braille, allowing more time for a test or interview or

providing assistance at an assessment centre.
Training and Development
Eligibility
The Department offers engaging jobs in work that really matters.

These jobs have a direct impact on the quality of public services.
Right to work:
Reserve Lists
Our roles can offer great job satisfaction. There are many
To be eligible for employment to this role you must be a
opportunities to develop and progress both within the department
national from the following countries:
If we receive applications from more suitable candidates
and across the wider Civil Service.
than we have vacancies for at the time, we may hold suitable
•
UK nationals

applicants on a reserve list for 12 months for any future Legal
•
Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right
Officer vacancies.  In these circumstances, roles would be
To create a more skilled and unified organisation, the Civil Service is
to work in the UK
offered to candidates on the list without having to re-apply.
developing 10 specialist areas of expertise. Cross-government
functions provide professional services and support to
•
Nationals of the Republic of Ireland

departments and supplement the 25 recognised professions within
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Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with (or
eligible for) status under the European Union Settlement
Personal Development
the Civil Service. We are also committed to investing in our staff
and we offer a range of work-based training and qualifications,
Scheme (EUSS)
We take your development seriously and want to enable you to
coaching and mentoring opportunities and a guaranteed five days
•
Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in
build a successful career within the department or the wider Civil
of learning a year.
the Civil Service
Service. It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to
•
Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have
develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead. At HMCTS

built up the right to work in the Civil Service
you’ll benefit from regular performance and development reviews
to ensure that your development ongoing. You’ll also be given the

•
Certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or
training required to allow you to perform effectively in your role.
Turkish nationals

designed to help everyone, irrespective of background, to achieve
If you do not have existing right to work in the UK, or you are

their potential.
not eligible for status under the EUSS, please be aware that for

this role we are not able to offer sponsorship under the Skilled

Worker route. We encourage you to check your RTW status
Pension

prior to applying.
Your pension is a valuable part of your total reward package. We

provide you with a competitive contributory pension scheme.
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