National
Trainee Legal
Adviser Scheme
Justice Matters
| Justice Matters
What the courts and tribunals do every day is supremely
important. States without justice do not function;
the rule of law is one of the things that makes us
civilized and lets us live life knowing that there are
fundamental underpinnings of fairness.
At HMCTS, we play a crucial role in running of a fair,
accessible and efficient justice system. We are
responsible for the administration of criminal, civil
and family courts and tribunals in England and
Wales.
We’re always looking to recruit into our
exceptional legal team to make a difference.
Legal Advisers, across England and Wales have
played, and will continue to play, a valuable
and vital part in our justice system.
Legal Advisers, across England and Wales have
played, and will continue to play, a valuable
and vital part in our recovery efforts’.
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| What does a
Legal Adviser do?
The role of a Legal Adviser is pivotal to the smooth running of the
court. Magistrates are unqualified judges drawn from the local
community and sit on a voluntary basis.
Magistrates’ Courts deal with approximately 95% of criminal cases, 70% of civil
cases and 60% of family cases.
As Magistrates do not have a legal background, the legal adviser is
required to sit in court with them to advise on legal points, practice
and procedure and assist with the formulation and drafting of
their reasons.
As a Legal Adviser to magistrates, you are responsible for
ensuring that those attending court, whether as defendant,
victim or witness are treated with humanity and respect.
Good legal knowledge and the ability to communicate that
clearly to magistrates and court users is vital to the courts
ability to deal with cases justly.
Stuart Riley - Trainee Legal Adviser
“The role itself is the most challenging thing I have ever done. It
has definitely pushed me beyond my limits, which is something
I am very grateful for. I learn a new skill every day, I learn
something new every day."
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| Fact File - Trainee Legal Adviser
Training: 24 months
Band: HEO
Contract Type: Permanent
Salary: £34,140 pa (National) and £38,661 pa (London)
Qualifications required:
Candidates can be currently studying for the appropriate qualifications at the point of application but must be able to evidence their
final certification at the point of an offer being made to be able to proceed to appointment. Candidates who cannot evidence the
correct certification at the point of offer will be removed from the process.
To be eligible to apply for this post, candidates must have passed the academic
By way of example, the following list reflects the currently approved academic
stage of qualification to become a barrister in England and Wales, or a solicitor
qualification routes. If you remain unsure whether your qualifications make you
of the Senior Courts of England and Wales, or a Fellow of the Chartered
eligible, please email:
Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) or CILEX Lawyer by virtue of —
HQLegal@justice.gov.uk for clarification:
(i) having passed the necessary examinations; (example of which are listed
• The Legal Practice Course (LPC) for Solicitors, or BOTH the SQE1 and SQE2
below)
stages of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam; or
(ii) having been granted an exemption in relation to the necessary
• The Bar Training Course; or equivalent for Barristers; or
examinations (example of which are listed below) by the appropriate
• The CILEx Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice and the CILEx
examining body; or
Level 6 Diploma in Law and Practice; or
(iii) any combination of the two.
• The CILEx Graduate Fast Track Diploma; or equivalent for Graduate
Membership of CILEx.
(see pages 10 - 11 for more).
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| Video Biographies
Scan the QR codes below to watch our video biographies.
Hear from Karnveer, who discusses his experience being a Trainee Legal Adviser and from Chris on his journey from Legal Adviser
to his appointment as a District Judge.
Scan the code
Scan the code
watch Karnveer’s story
watch Chris’ story
Karnveer Saberwal - Trainee Legal Adviser
Judge Chris Williams - District Judge (Magistrates’ Court)
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| What’s involved in the role?
“The requirements to become a legal
“In becoming a family trainee legal adviser, you
adviser are multi-dimensional, you will
will mainly be involved in cases involving children and
develop and increase your legal knowledge
providing the best possible outcome for them."
in criminal law and procedural law
“You will commence with private law proceedings, dealing with issues such as
throughout the two year training period."
who the child is to live with, how much time should that child spend with the
non-resident parent. You will start at the application stage, learning how to make
“Before your training is completed you will have observed
decisions about which level or justiciary the matter is listed and preparing the
necessary order for the first hearing.
courts, been supervised in courts before you sit alone with
magistrates advising on cases involving offences from minor
You will also be involved in the court proceedings, starting with observations and
motoring and TV licensing to serious offences which are
giving guidance to parties at dispute resolution hearings, encouraging parties to
ultimately dealt with in the Crown Court.
agree the terms of an order in the best interest of their child, and advising the
Justices on relevant issues of law and practice and assisting them in giving their
Whilst supporting you in your training to become a legal
reasons for the decision they make.
adviser within two years, if you have completed the academic
stages of your training and wish to progress in completing your
The next stage is to consider specific issue orders, prohibited steps orders and
professional qualifications such as a through a training contract
special guardianship orders, these involve a wider understanding of family law.
or FILEX / CILEX Professional Stage of CPQ, we may be able to
After a 12 month you should be in a position to take all types of private law cases
also support this during your training programme."
unsupervised.
During this time, you will have the benefit of a mentor who will guide you
through each stage of the process."
Peter Curran - Senior Legal Manager (Family)
Dawn Elsbury - Family Legal Manager
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“The role of a legal adviser is interesting
and varied."
“As a legal adviser, I am lawyer who gives advice about the law to Justices. I am not
on any particular side, my role allows me to assume the role of a judge in applying
the law to matters presented in court and ensuring that the law is being applied
correctly. I facilitate the legal decision making process by applying a structured
approach, identifying legal relevant issues that ought to be incorporated into
justices’ sentencing reasons.
I am passionate about law and I feel this role is a perfect fit as it allows me to only
focus on the law rather than acting for a particular client. There is a lot of room
to learn as the law is constantly progressing. Working in the court room daily
has sharpened my negotiating skills and my ability to lead and make tough legal
decisions under pressure.
The recruitment process was straightforward and thoroughly explained at
every stage. It was all conducted via Teams due covid restrictions at the time,
nonetheless, it all went smoothly. Good luck with your applications as HMCTS is a
great place to work and every day is surrounded by different learning opportunities.
It is very rewarding to be part of an organisation that strives to transform the legal
justice system"
Samantha Sango - Trainee Legal Adviser
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| How can I apply?
Success Profiles Framework which assesses the behaviours, strengths and potential of candidates. The Civil Service is a diverse and inclusive
workplace, and we want to help you demonstrate your full potential throughout the assessment process. You can find more information at
gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles - We will be testing at Level 3 behaviours on the framework for HEO level.
Behaviour questions
Keep the focus on you; what specific steps did you
During your interview you will be asked questions to
Behaviours will be assessed at both application
take and what was your contribution? Remember to
understand whether you have strengths relevant to
and interview stage. When looking at behaviours,
include how you did it, and the behaviours you used. the job role. It is important to remember that there
we want to get an understanding of the actions/
Try to use “I" rather than “we" to explain the actions are no right or wrong answers to these questions. Do
activities you have undertaken in the past which
you took that led to the result.
not rehearse your answers because we are looking
could have resulted in a successful outcome. The
Results - Don’t be shy about taking credit for your
for your initial response.
qualities required for the role will be described in
behaviour. It may help to provide specific facts and
Your strengths will be assessed alongside the other
the job description and the best way to prepare
figures. What results did the actions produce? What
elements of the Success Profile to get a more
is to have examples from both home or work life
did you achieve through your actions, and did you
rounded picture of your suitability for the role. The
demonstrated in the following STAR approach
meet your goals? Was it a successful outcome? If
job description will outline the elements required for
manner outlined below.
not, what did you learn from the experience?
the role.
The STAR method
Keep the “situation" and “task" parts brief and
Reserve Lists
Situation - Describe the situation you found
concentrate on the action and the result. If the
If HMCTS receives applications from more suitable
yourself in. You must describe a specific event or
result was not entirely successful, describe what
candidates than we have vacancies for at this time,
situation and not provide a general description of
you learned and what you would do differently next
we may hold suitable applicants on a reserve list for
your job/skills.
time. Make sure you focus on your strengths.
12 months for any future Trainee Legal Adviser roles
Task - We want to understand what task you had to Strengths questions
which could be offered to candidates on a reserve
complete and why. Tell us what you tried to achieve
When looking at your strengths and abilities, we
list without having to re-apply.
from the situation you found yourself in.
want to find out whether you and the organisation/
Actions - What did you do? We will be looking for
job role are a good fit. We will look at what you
Please refer to the job advert for details of
evidence of what you did, how you did it and why.
enjoy doing and what you do well and often.
what behaviours will be tested at application
and interview stages
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Terms, conditions and benefits
Personal Development
Working Arrangements
With competitive maternity, paternity and parental
Whatever your role, we take your career and
This role is available for full time however requests
leave we also recognise the importance of a good
development seriously and want to enable you to
for part time or flexible working arrangements may
work life balance and offer flexible working and a
build a really successful career with the Department
be considered subject to business needs.
family friendly approach to work.
and wider Civil Service. It is crucial that our
employees have the right skills to develop their
Pension
Staff Wellbeing
careers and meet the challenges ahead.
Your pension is a valuable part of your total reward
Flexible working including part time or term time
working and access to Flexible Working Schemes
At HMCTS you’ll benefit from regular performance
package.
allowing you to vary your working day as long as you
and development reviews to ensure this
We provide you with a competitive contributory
work your total hours
development is ongoing. As a Civil Service employee, pension scheme that you can enter as soon as
you’ll be entitled to a large range of benefits.
you join, and where we will make a significant
Generous paid maternity and paternity leave
contribution to the cost of your pension. Also, your
Childcare benefits (policy for new employees as of
Equality Diversity and Inclusion
contributions will come out of your salary before any 5 April 2018): The government has introduced the
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and
tax is taken
Tax Free Childcare (TFC) Scheme, so working parents
invest in talent wherever it is found.
In extreme cases such as illness or death before
can open an online childcare account and for every
To learn more please see the Civil Service People
retirement, your pension will continue to provide
£8 they pay in, the government adds £2, up to a
Plan, Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy at valuable benefits for you and your family. For more
maximum of £2000 a year for each child or £4000
GOV.UK.
details, visit: www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk
for a disabled child. Parents then use the funds to
pay for registered childcare.
Appointment Term
Generous Annual Leave and Bank Holiday
Existing employees may be able to continue to claim
Permanent
Allowance
childcare vouchers, so please check how the policy
25 days annual leave on entry, to 30 days after 5
would work for you here.
Location
years’ service. This is in addition to 8 public holidays.
Various - Nationwide. Travel will be expected across
This will be complimented by one further day paid
the region and base location could change within a
privilege entitlement to what was previously known
region due to business needs.
as the Monarch’s birthday.
10
Contracted Hours
Cross government functions provide professional
Place of work and Mobility
Your contracted hours are 37 hours excluding lunch
services and support to departments and
You will be allocated to your work base location that
breaks.
supplement the 25 recognised professions within the has been agreed between yourself and line manager
Civil Service.
You will be required to work those hours over five
as part of the recruitment process. This will also be
days, including Saturdays and Public Holidays and
We are also committed to investing in our staff
confirmed in the formal contract that you receive.
due to the nature of this post you may be required
and we offer a range of work based training and
Your place of work as set out in your contract,
to work additional hours to enable the courts to
qualifications, coaching and mentoring opportunities relates to your base location for the duration and
perform their statutory tasks and duties.
and a guaranteed five days of learning a year.
purposes of training. You will be expected to spend
This may be on a rota basis or could be as directed
the duration of your training at your agreed base
Reasonable Adjustments
by your management team. You will normally be
location to fulfil the demands of the training and the
If you require any reasonable adjustments to our
given a minimum of one weeks’ notice if required
business needs in that location.
recruitment process, please let the recruiting
to work on a Saturday or Bank Holiday but should
manager know. Examples of adjustments include
On completion of training, you will be allocated
a business need arise you may be directed without
providing documents in large print or braille or,
a base by the Head of Legal Operations and this
such notice.
allowing more time for an interview
decision will be based upon business demand and
requirements.
Training and Development
Season Ticket and Bicycle Loan
The Department offers engaging jobs in work that
Interest free loans allowing you to spread the cost of
really matters. These jobs have a direct impact on
an annual travel season ticket or a new bicycle
the quality of public services.
Our roles can offer great job satisfaction. There are
Modernised Terms and Conditions
many opportunities to develop and progress both
Civil Servants taking up appointment on promotion
within the Department and across the wider Civil
will adopt the modernised Civil Service terms and
Service
conditions which came in to effect from 1 July 2013.
To create a more skilled and unified organisation,
Existing Civil Servants appointed on level transfer
the Civil Service is developing 10 specialist areas of
will retain their existing terms and conditions.
expertise.
11
Frequently asked questions
What qualifications do you need to work as a
Is this role suitable for part time working?
• individuals with limited leave to remain or
Trainee Legal Adviser?
This is a full-time role, 37 hours per week. Requests
indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to
To be eligible to apply for this post, candidates must
for part time or flexible working arrangements may
apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
have passed the academic stage of qualification
be considered where they meet the demands of
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of
to become a barrister in England and Wales, or
the role and business needs and are agreed prior to
Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to
a solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and
appointment. All applications for part-time, flexible
work in the Civil Service
Wales, or a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of
and job-sharing working patterns will be considered
Further information on nationality requirements
Legal Executives (CILEX) or CILEX Lawyer. For
in accordance with the MoJ’s Flexible Working policy. (opens in a new window) gov.uk/government/
clarification;
publications/nationality-rules.
What nationality do I need to hold to apply?
The Legal Practice Course (LPC) for Solicitors, or
BOTH the SQE1 and SQE2 stages of the Solicitors
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
Do you offer visa sponsorship?
Qualifying Exam; or
• UK nationals
The MoJ has a skilled worker licence that allows us
to sponsor an applicant who meets the qualifying
• The Bar Training Course; or equivalent for
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
criteria into a qualifying role. Information on details
Barristers; or
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have for eligibility for a skilled worker visa can be found
• The CILEx Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law
the right to work in the UK
here gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa.
and Practice and the CILEx Level 6 Diploma in
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway,
Law and Practice; or
Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of
From April 2024, the minimum salary sponsors
must pay for a skilled worker visa is a minimum
• The CILEx Graduate Fast Track Diploma; or
those nationalities with settled or pre-settled
of £38,700 per year. External candidates join MoJ
equivalent for Graduate Membership of CILEx.
status under the European Union Settlement
Scheme (EUSS) gov.uk/settled-status-eu-
on the Band minima which is currently National
How many hours does a Trainee Legal Adviser
citizens-families
£32,827 and London £37,174. Existing Civil Servants
work?
are transferred in line with MoJ pay and reward
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway,
Your contracted hours are 37 hours excluding
policy.
Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members
lunch breaks. You will be required to work those
of those nationalities who have made a valid
Does the role involve travel?
hours over five days, including Saturdays and Public
application for settled or pre-settled status
Holidays and due to the nature of this post you may
Travel will be expected across the region, and base
under the European Union Settlement Scheme
be required to work additional hours to enable the
location could change after completion of the
(EUSS)
courts to perform their statutory tasks and duties.
training period dependant on business needs.
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Can I apply if I am not a civil servant?
What reasonable adjustments can be made if I
Yes. This role is open to suitably qualified people in
have a disability?
the external market and to existing civil servants.
We are committed to making reasonable
adjustments to provide support to all applicants
Is security clearance required?
wherever required, to ensure that no one is at a
Yes. If successful you must hold, or be willing to
disadvantage during the recruitment and assessment
obtain, security clearance to DBS level. Certain
process. Our application form asks if you require
areas may also require a higher level of SC or DV
any reasonable adjustments and allows you to note
clearance. More information about the vetting
these down at application stage, should you wish,
process can be found at the following link: gov.uk/
alternatively you can notify the recruitment team
government/publications/government-baseline-
of any requirements you may have. Reasonable
personnel-security-standard
adjustments could include using closed captions or
typing questions in the chat in a video interview or
I am having problems submitting my application ensuring that information is provided in an accessible
who do I contact?
format.
If you have submitted an application or are having
issues uploading any documents, and you require
Can I receive feedback on my application?
assistance please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday
Due to the high volume of applications, we are only
to Friday 8am - 6pm) or email Moj-recruitment-
able to provide feedback to those candidates that
vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com quoting the job
make it through to the final interview stages.
reference ID.
If I am currently working as a Civil Servant, can I
There are currently Trainee Legal Adviser roles
transfer across on the same salary?
being advertised across a number of different
Existing Civil Servants will be transferred in line with
regions. Can I submit applications for more
the MoJ pay and reward policy.
than one region?
No, only one application should be submitted for
your preferred location. The first application will
be considered. Any duplicate applications time
stamped at a later date and time will be disregarded.
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Notes
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