Official Solicitor and Public Trustee

Grade 7 Family Litigation Lawyer

Job Title	Lawyer - Property and Affairs
Band	Grade 7
Business Group	ALB: Official Solicitor and Public Trustee
Location	National
Last Updated	20 March 2026

Background

The Offices of the Official Solicitor and Public Trustee (OSPT)

The OSPT is an Arms’ Length Body of the Ministry of Justice and combines the duties and responsibilities of 2 separate independent statutory office holders - the Official Solicitor to the Senior Courts and the Public Trustee. There are around 135 staff who support the work of the Official Solicitor and Public Trustee, including lawyers, lay case managers and administrators. We promote access to justice for the most vulnerable members of our society who might otherwise be unable to use the services offered by the justice system due to their lack of mental capacity or because of their young age. We are committed to providing the best level of service we can for our clients.

We have a Grade 7 Lawyer vacancy in our Family Litigation lawyer team.

Job Purpose and Summary

We are looking for a highly motivated qualified lawyer eligible to practice in England and Wales at the point of applying for this role, to join the Official Solicitor’s family litigation team.

The successful candidate will work to the Senior Family Lawyer and will be expected to fulfil all elements of a lawyer role, and to contribute to OSPT’s corporate objectives.

You will need to be able to work efficiently in a dynamic work environment. You will need to be a team player, have strong communication skills, good self-awareness and a commitment to role modelling positive behaviours and using feedback to learn and develop as a professional. You will be expected to make confident and informed decisions within your own casework and in advising colleagues, while also escalating risks and seeking guidance from senior colleagues where appropriate. You must be able to demonstrate specific professional skills, knowledge, and qualifications.

The Family Litigation Team

The Official Solicitor’s Family Litigation team manages family cases in the Family Court, the High Court and the appellate courts where the Official Solicitor has been appointed as litigation friend of a party.

In family proceedings the Official Solicitor can be asked to act as litigation friend of a protected party or non-subject child.

When acting as litigation friend the Official Solicitor retains external solicitors to act for the vulnerable client and to advise her about the conduct of the proceedings. The successful applicant will be required:

to case manage more complex cases
to provide timely and proportionate advice, guidance and training to non-lawyer case managers, and
to advise the Official Solicitor herself when called on to do so
to work with stakeholders.

The casework covers the full range of family law although it is predominately made up of public and private law cases about children and financial remedy cases. The work is often time critical and may involve novel points of law.

In addition to supporting the Official Solicitor in her family litigation work, her family lawyers provide legal support and guidance to two administrative teams co-located in OSPT - the International Child Abduction and Contact Unit (ICACU) and the Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders (REMO) unit - which carry out the work of the Lord Chancellor as central authority in England and Wales for the operation of the 1980 and 2007 Hague Conventions, and - in England only - as central authority for the 1996 Hague Convention.

The successful candidate will be expected to:

take on the full range of family work,
support the work of the central authority teams (ICACU and the REMO unit)
take on cases in other jurisdictions - primarily Court of Protection welfare cases - if so required
engage with stakeholders including the legal profession, the judiciary and others.

Skills and Qualities

The vacancy will give a lawyer the opportunity of involvement in challenging and rewarding family work, working on behalf of some of the most vulnerable members of society.

Eligible applicants must be:

Qualified to practice as a barrister or solicitor, in England and Wales or,

A CILEX Fellow where (i) a Qualifying Law Degree (QLD) is held; or (ii) the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)/CPE has been completed; or (iii) where exams have been passed and a score of 50% or above achieved, at CILEx Level 6*, in all the following foundation subjects:

Contract Law
Criminal Law
Equity and Trusts Law
European Union Law
Land Law
Public Law
Law of Tort

Qualification for appointment is 2 years post qualification relevant experience as a solicitor, barrister, or CILEX Fellow at the point of making the application for this post.

The post holder will be expected to have broad experience of family litigation work and a sound knowledge of the Family Procedure Rules 2010 and of family process.

Essential skills:

an ability effectively to communicate legal advice in writing and orally
an ability to identify and act on legal developments and risk
an ability to work flexibly and collaboratively, with legal and non-legal colleagues
an ability to work at pace.

A sound knowledge of children law is essential.

Knowledge of financial remedy work and private international family law is desirable; otherwise, an aptitude for and willingness to undertake such work is essential.

Knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and practice and procedure in the Court of Protection would also be of assistance; otherwise, the successful applicant must be able and willing to develop their knowledge in this area.

If you would like to discuss the Family Litigation Lawyer role, or the work of the team/office in more detail you can do so by contacting the Senior Family Lawyer, Helen Clift by email helen.clift@ospt.gov.uk or by phone 07966 135475.

Application process

The Civil Service Success Profile will be used to assess suitability.

Success Profiles - Civil Service Behaviours (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Applicants will also need to submit an up-to-date CV.

You will also be required to provide evidence of the following behaviours at application and interview.

Making Effective Decisions (Lead)

Delivering at Pace
Communicating and Influencing
Working Together

There will be a technical exercise at interview by way of a case study.

We can offer:

flexible and smarter working options, and
development opportunities.

The OSPT is based at 102 Petty France, London, but the successful candidate does not have to be London-based. We currently operate a hybrid working arrangement. This means that a minimum of 40% of the working week is office based. The successful candidate will be appointed to an MoJ office location, which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. If not based in London the successful candidate may be required to attend the London office on occasion for training or other purposes.

This is an exciting and interesting area of work which offers unique challenges and provides great openings for continuous learning.

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity