Job Title: High Court Judicial Assistant


Location: London CTS Rolls Building EC4A 1NL, London CTS Royal Courts of Justice, WC2A 2LL


Duration: Fixed term contract for a period of 10 months commencing in September or October 2026.


Pay Span or equivalent: HEO


Background:


HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is responsible for the administration of the criminal, civil and family courts and tribunals in England and Wales and non-devolved tribunals in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It provides a fair, efficient and effective justice system delivered by an independent judiciary. HMCTS aims to ensure that all citizens receive timely access to justice according to their different needs, whether as victims or witnesses of crime, defendants accused of crime, consumers in debt, children at risk of harm, businesses involved in commercial disputes or as individuals asserting their employment rights or challenging the decisions of government bodies.




Role purpose:

The role of High Court Judicial Assistant offers those in the early years of their professional practice a ringside view of the trial process and first instance decision-making from the perspective of the judge, for the most complex, high value and often high profile civil and family cases. The work will be based in London, where JAs will be expected to work in either the Rolls Building or the Royal Courts of Justice. Candidates should note that a judicial assistant works full time. It is not possible to conduct professional practice or to devote significant time to external study while working as a judicial assistant.


The High Court Judicial Assistants (JAs) are assigned to Judges across three Divisions. They assist the judge(s) to whom they are allocated, for example by carrying out legal research, summarising documents and providing general support for the judge(s) in the organisation of their work and hearings.


The team will be selected so as to provide cover for the range of work handled by the High Court across the Chancery, Family and King’s Bench Divisions. The areas of working are further defined below (see ‘Assignment’).



Main Activities / Responsibilities:


The job holder will be required to undertake the following duties and responsibilities:

JAs will be placed with a judge or judges working in their chosen specialisation or one of their chosen specialisations. JAs will assist the judge(s) to whom they are allocated, for example by carrying out research, marking up and summarising case documents and transcripts, summarising submissions, discussing cases and hearings and providing general support for the judge(s) in the organisation of their work and hearings. The role will require candidates to manage involvement in multiple cases, some of them very large and involving extensive evidence. JAs will also be expected to aid their assigned judge(s) to meet tight deadlines.



Other Duties:


The post holder will be required to work in a flexible way and undertake any other duties reasonably requested by their assigned judge or line manager which are commensurate with the level or responsibility of this post.


Experience and skills required:


Experience of practical legal research and writing and familiarity with civil procedure (it is expected that candidates will be familiar with and capable of dealing with issues arising out of the CPR).


Experience gained in the early years of practice - from either arm of the legal profession - is also desirable, though candidates with comparable early years’ experience (for example in academia) are also eligible to apply.


The essential criteria for the role are:

Successful candidates will therefore have demonstrated a capacity to make effective decisions and have excellent written and oral communication skills. These will be assessed in application and interview.



Technical skills / qualifications:



A 2:1 undergraduate degree or better (in law, or another degree with post graduate law qualification).



Please note that you are expected to hold this qualification at the time that you apply for the post. Predicted degree grades will not be accepted.


Interview Process:


If selected for interview, you will be assessed on behaviour and strength questions. You will also be required to complete a test of legal technical skills, which may include a written test.


Please note, face to face interviews will be required for candidates progressed from sift stage


Assignment:

Candidates will also be asked their preference for the Court or Division to which they would like to be assigned, namely:



If invited to interview, candidates will be free to select as many or as few of these specialisations as they wish. Candidates will be informed of the Court to which they have been assigned at the point at which they receive the offer. While every effort will be made to assign successful candidates to their Court or Division of choice, there may be occasions on which a degree of flexibility will be required, and judicial assistants will be asked to lend support to a judge in another part of the High Court.

Location:


This post is based in the London CTS Rolls Building/Royal Courts of Justice, EC4A 1NL, London CTS Royal Courts of Justice, WC2A 2LL Travel to other court sites may be required.



Security Level:


Counter-Terrorism Check (CTC)

To apply for roles in MOJ you will need to confirm your employment and residence history for at least 3 years prior to the date of application so that pre-employment checks (BPSS) can be undertaken. If you have spent significant time abroad (a total of 6 months in the past 3 years) you would be required to give a reasonable account of the reasons why. 


For this role you will be required to successfully complete National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorism (CTC) level as a condition of appointment. To meet CTC requirements, you will need to have been resident in the UK for at least 3 years prior to the date of application.


If you do not meet the above requirements, you may still be considered if, for example:



In such cases you will need to be able to provide referee cover for the period(s) of residence overseas. The duration of overseas residence and the country of abode will also be taken into account, and you may need to provide a local police certificate.



Skilled Worker Visa:


This role is not eligible for new Skilled Worker visas in accordance with the current immigration rules.


From 22 July 2025, the Government introduced changes to the Skilled Worker visa route. The department cannot consider sponsoring you for this role unless you have held a Skilled Worker visa prior to the 22 July 2025 changes. If you have held a Skilled Worker visa continuously, please raise this during your vetting checks and eligibility will be assessed in accordance with the immigration rules and transitional provisions in place.


If you are applying for this role and you have not held a Skilled Worker visa prior to the 22 July 2025 changes, you will need to consider your options for obtaining and/or maintaining your right to work in the UK in light of these changes. Successful applicants must ensure they have and maintain the legal right to live and work in the Civil Service and in the United Kingdom.


The Department will continue to comply with UK Immigration Rules applied in the UK and Civil Service. You can read more about Skilled Worker visas and the eligibility criteria here.



Further Information:


These operational roles requiring successful applicants to be office based to provide HMCTS services to the public. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. Due to the nature of role and the variety of court duties performed, this role is not suitable for part-time working, job sharing or frequent working from home.


Fixed term appointments (FTA) on promotion:


MoJ employees may apply for FTA opportunities in MoJ that are advertised at a higher grade than their current substantive grade. Where an employee accepts an FTA on promotion, this promotion will be temporary, and the employee will revert to their substantive grade upon return to their home business area, as per the loan policy for OGD loans. Before applying, employees must seek approval from their line managers to ensure they can be released for the duration of the FTA and can return to their substantive role at the end. If there is no role available at the end of the FTA, the employee will be subject to redeployment and potentially redundancy procedures.


Loans/Detached Duty:


The terms of the loan or detached duty will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant (candidate). This includes grade on return. Prior agreement to be released on a loan or detached duty basis should be obtained before commencing the application process.









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