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General Information

Salary
£34,140 - £37,105
Working Pattern
Full Time
Vacancy Approach
External
Location
Aberystwyth, Caernarfon, Cardiff, Haverfordwest, Llandudno, Llanelli, Merthyr Tydfil, Mold, Newport, Swansea, Wrexham
Region
Wales
Closing Date
28-Apr-2025
Post Type
Permanent
Civil Service Grade
HEO
Number of jobs available
6
Reserve List
12 Months
Job ID
4633

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

We are running six separate Trainee Legal Adviser recruitment campaigns at the same time for different regions; however you can only apply on one campaign. Your application that is submitted first will be taken as the region you wish to apply for and any subsequent applications that you make will not be progressed. 

Trainee Legal Adviser

Salary £34,140 pa (National) and £38,661 pa (London)

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.

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’ve passed the academic stage of qualification to become a barrister or solicitor in England or Wales, or you’re a graduate member of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives. 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. 

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.

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.

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 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 

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 - HM Courts & Tribunals Service Benefits (hmctsjobs.co.uk) 

It is desirable but not essential to visit your local Magistrates’ court prior to applying in order to better familiarise yourself with the role and the work of the Magistrates’ Court.

If this sounds like you, use our online application form to apply for the role of the trainee legal adviser. If you have any queries about the role, then please contact: HQlegal@justice.gov.uk

Additional Information

Qualifications 

All candidates must be able to provide proof of qualification at the point of offer in order to progress their application.  Candidates can apply for the role without final qualification, but certification will need to be uploaded before a final offer can be mad

 

Meet and Engage Sessions

We will be holding Microsoft Teams Meet and Engage sessions on the following dates and times:

These sessions will be available for candidates to ask any questions regarding this campaign, including clarification on eligibility for the role, nature of the role etc. There will be delegates on hand from HMCTS to answer any queries candidates may have.

 

Locational Appointment 

 

The reserve list for this campaign will be managed in accordance with location preference/s, as indicated in your application. We will appoint in merit list order for each location outlined in the vacancy and hold a separate locational reserve list for each of these locations. After appointments have been made using this locational appointment process, any remaining candidates who met the benchmark for the role will remain on a locational reserve list in accordance with their preferences for 12 months. Please only indicate preferences where you are prepared to work.  If you are subsequently offered a role from the reserve list for a location preference indicated in your application and decline it, you will be removed from the reserve list for the vacancy, across all locational preferences. 

 

Skilled Worker Visa 

From 4 April 2024, the Government increased the salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas. The starting salary for this role falls below the general salary threshold for sponsorship. 

The Department cannot consider sponsoring you for this role unless you have held a Skilled Worker visa continuously since before 4 April 2024, you qualify for relevant tradeable points, or you meet other criteria where a lower salary can be considered. Therefore, if you believe you meet the eligibility criteria (in whatever way possible) and you have received a provisional job offer, please raise this during your vetting checks. 

If you are applying for this role and you do not meet the new eligibility criteria for sponsorship, 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. 

 

You must declare any previous or pending prosecutions or convictions, including those considered “spent” under this Act. You are also required to declare any cautions or bind-overs (parking offences and congestion charge fines are not required). A criminal record does not necessarily mean you will fail vetting; each case is considered on an individual basis and all relevant convictions are taken into account. If you are uncertain about whether the incident is relevant, please declare it, rather than leaving it out. Support

  • A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
  • Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
  • For moves to or from another employer or moves across the Civil Service this can have implications on your eligibility to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for alternative government childcare support schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. More information can be found on GOV.UK or Childcare Choices. You can determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
  • Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
  • Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order:

 

  1. To Shared Service Connected Ltd (0845 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk);
  2. To Ministry of Justice Resourcing (resourcing-services@justice.gov.uk);
  3. To the Civil Service Commission (details available here)

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.

You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the TBS Recruitment Enquiries Team.

Contact Information

MoJ:

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Please quote the job reference

HMPPS

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Please quote the job reference

Job Description Attachment

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Application form stage assessments

Experience
We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods
Statement of Suitability
Statement of Suitability
Guidance for the Statement of Suitability
You will be asked to complete a statement of suitability of no more than 500 words setting out how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience make you suitable for this role. Please refer to the section, ‘How can I apply’, within the attraction pack to assist you.
Evidence of Experience
Statement of Suitability
Technical
Technical Questions Application Form Question Word Limit
250
Technical Question - Qualification Requirements
Specific qualification requirements
To be eligible to apply for this post, you must have passed the academic stage of qualification to become a barrister in England and Wales, or a solicitor 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.
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.

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates
Interviews are expected to take place in June 2025, subject to change.
Behaviours
Communicating and Influencing
Making Effective Decisions
Working Together
Leadership
Developing Self and Others
Strengths
Strengths will be assessed but these are not shared in advance. To learn more about Strengths and how they are assessed please click here.
Technical
Evidence of qualifications will be required at interview.

Other Assessments

Which assessment methods will be used?
Other 1
Other - Assessment Title 1
Legal Scenario Based Assessment
Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)
You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, including your CV, statement of suitability and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.
Level of security checks required
DBS Standard