Ministry of Justice

Job Title & Grade: High Cost Family Case Manager - EO

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary range (depending on location): National - £28,312 to £30,011

Please note that unless you are currently employed by the Civil Service and are earning more than the minimum above, if successful you will be offered the minimum for the grade depending on your location.

Location: South Tyneside

Directorate: Case Management

Team: High Cost Family (HCF)

Working Pattern:  The post is supported by the MOJ flexible working policy and includes colleagues who work flexibly, remotely (as part of hybrid working), part time or as part of a job share etc.

If you are applying for a part time role, please note that in order to meet business demands we need cover for a minimum of 21 hours and to cover 3 days of the week

To meet legal requirements, if you are between the ages 16-18 and you are a successful candidate, you will be required to complete an apprenticeship after your initial on the job training. 

Reporting to: Team Manager

Closing date for applications: 22nd August 2025

The Legal Aid Agency

We are an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). We are responsible for operationally administering the legal aid fund to provide criminal and civil legal aid advice to people in England and Wales.  

Our people are at the heart of achieving excellence. Employing around 1,200 colleagues across England and Wales, we feel proud to have some of the best People Survey results in the Civil Service. 

Our LAA commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain, and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. 

As a Disability Confident organisation, we will offer a guaranteed interview to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for this role. Under the Equality Act 2010 a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities which has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 months. 

If you are responding to a role within the Legal Aid Agency and would like to be considered under the guaranteed interview, please indicate this in your application and let us know of any reasonable adjustments you may require during the sift or later selection processes.

The LAA’s goal is to build an organisation that is open and inclusive and truly values and celebrates the diversity of its workforce. One that reflects and understands the needs of the diverse society we serve. This is regardless of social background, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, beliefs, disabilities or long-term illness or caring responsibilities.

Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. If you have a disability or long-term condition (for example dyslexia, anxiety, autism, a mobility condition or hearing loss) and need us to make any reasonable adjustments to support you through the recruitment process, please let us know by adding the information to the applications system or emailing LAARecruitment@justice.gov.uk after you have applied so that we can discuss options with you. 

Case Management

The Case Management Directorate is the operational delivery function of the LAA, and our staff ensure that each year in excess of 500,000 new clients are able to access the justice they require, and that their providers are fairly remunerated for the delivery of the legal aid. With staff based across multiple sites we deliver services for those facing both criminal and civil legal problems including family, immigration, mental health, housing and exceptional funding cases.  

High Cost Family

The High Cost Cases team manage all family cases (complex care cases, private law family, child abduction, inherent jurisdiction and warship) over £25,000 through case planning and ongoing negotiations. This includes cases with single and two counsel and accounts for £120m of the fund.  The team deals with some of the most complex and costly cases the LAA receives. Due to the higher value of each certificate, the team are also involved in provider, counsel and cost lawyer engagement and improvement. Once costs are agreed on a case plan, providers can bill up to this amount, based on the decisions made by a case manager.  

Job Summary

As a High-Cost Family Senior Case Manager, you will be expected to effectively and pro-actively manage case plans, including amendments and correspondence. This will require making evidence-based decisions using relevant guidance. Where limited guidance is available, you will be required to make clearly justified decisions on costs using discretion. 

You will be responsible for establishing and maintaining professional links between the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) and key stakeholders to promote a closer working relationship whilst also being confident enough to challenge current protocols to achieve greater levels of efficiency and customer service.

Key Responsibilities:

• Acquiring a comprehensive and up to date understanding of current guidance and regulations and using this to make decisions on new and ongoing high cost case plans. 
• Make decisions to approve, refuse or reject amendments. This includes complex cases where expert judgement is required. 
• Deal with complex issues that have been escalated including complaints from clients, Head Office MP’s and external bodies. Taking effective action by using discretion and expert judgement and identifying learning points and corrective action. 
• Apply discretion and reasoned judgement in instances of ambiguity, or where limited guidance is available 
• Ensure all data is processed accurately, securely and in accordance with LAA data security guidelines 
• Act as an expert in specified areas of complex and non-complex work that can be sensitive or have far reaching implications. 
• Taking responsibility for providing guidance and making suggestions for best practice and/or improvement to others in specified work areas, ensuring team are aware of and understand any changes to be implemented. Act as an expert in specified areas of complex and non-complex work that can be sensitive or have far reaching implications.  
• Liaise with suppliers and clients as appropriate providing accurate and timely responses to correspondence and telephone calls received from internal and external customers 
• Participate in and contribute to project groups both locally and nationally to review and improve procedures 
• Prepare, deliver and, where appropriate engage in designing internal and external training 
• Act as a quality controller and engage in the QC/XOQC and consistency processes to ensure improvements are made where errors are identified. Provide guidance and make suggestions for best practice and/or improvement to others in specified work areas. Taking an active role in promoting consistency and using expert judgement when priorities conflict. 
• Effectively contribute to the development of others through one to one training, mentoring and providing constructive feedback against LAA standards  
• Contribute to and lead on the review and development of processes to ensure ongoing efficiency and effectiveness of work procedures, providing an effective link between policy/quality improvement groups and the team. 
• Identify key policy/regulations issues and questions on the team and act as an effective link between the quality improvement groups (ccBIG/MIT/LIT) taking forward issues/queries and communicating responses to ensure effective implementation of changes.  
• Contribute in meetings, getting actively involved in the sharing of views, ideas and solutions. 

Essential Knowledge, Experience and skills 

• Ability to negotiate successful outcomes effectively using influencing skills  
• Established analytic and numerical skills and experience in making accurate evidence-based decisions in line with statutory / regulatory framework and guidance.  
• Established communication skills both verbal and written with proven experience of giving feedback.  
• Ability to build relationships with a wide range of stakeholders 
• Excellent time management skills 
• Experience of coaching or mentoring, including the ability to deliver training. 

Desirable Knowledge, Experience and skills

• A legal qualification 
• Previous experience in a casework environment 
• Worked with stakeholders to successfully resolve complex issues 
• Experience leading on projects and business improvement activity  

Person Specification

• Enjoys working in a fast-changing environment.
• Enjoys working independently and as part of a team

Assessment approach 

Application Process 

To apply please provide a statement of suitability showing how you meet the essential criteria in no more than 1000 words.

Your statement should demonstrate your ability to do all of the essential criteria listed, using examples can help strengthen your application.

Please note we do not require a CV.

A 45-minute webinar is scheduled on 13 August starting at 9:30am to allow applicants to discuss the role further. If you are interested in attending, please register your interest within this link 

Interview / assessment Process

If you are successful through the application stage, you will be invited to an interview / assessment centre in person or via Microsoft Teams where you will be assessed against the following: 

• Strengths relevant to the role
• Some or all of the following Behaviours: 

Making Effective Decisions 

• take responsibility for making effective and fair decisions, in a timely manner
• analyse and research further information to support decisions
• talk to relevant people to get advice and information when unsure how to proceed
• explain how decisions have been reached in a clear and concise way, both verbally and in writing
• demonstrate the consideration of all options, costs, risks and wider implications, including the diverse needs of end users and any accessibility requirements

Managing a Quality Service

• work with customers to understand their needs and expectations
• create clear plans and set priorities which meet the needs of both the customer and the business
• clearly explain to customers what can be done
• keep colleagues and stakeholders fully informed of plans, possibilities and progress
• identify common problems that affect service, report them and find possible solutions
• deliver good customer service which balances quality and cost effectiveness

Communicating and Influencing

• communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing
• take time to consider the best communication channel to use for the audience, including making the best of digital resources and considering value for money
• interact with others in an enthusiastic way
• express ideas clearly and with respect for others
• listen to and value different ideas, views and ways of working
• respond constructively and objectively to comments and questions
• handle challenging conversations with confidence and sensitivity

Your Experience of implementing, promoting, or understanding diversity and inclusion policy - Diversity is the presence of difference, this can include one or more of the protected characteristics (Gender, Age, Race, Disability etc.) or it can be about working patterns, whether we like to jump into a task or reflect on it before acting. Inclusion is how we welcome, value, and celebrate diversity, giving everyone a voice, tapping into ideas, and enabling everyone to be themselves at work and achieve their potential.

For this grade/ role we would expect the candidate to demonstrate understanding of the terms Diversity and Inclusion and be able to explain why they are important to them and to where they work. Examples of action they have taken (in or outside of work) to embrace diversity (e.g., increasing understanding) or improve inclusion for others will increase the strength of their answer. 

Shortlisting is planned for week commencing 25th August 2025

Interviews are planned for week commencing 8th September 2025

If you would like more information on this opportunity, please contact –John.Campbell@Justice.gov.uk