Job advertisement – Legal Researcher
Salary: £27,233 - £32,760
Number of jobs available: 1
Detail of reserve list: 12 months
Region: London, Midlands, or, North-East
City: London, Loughborough, or Leeds
Grade: EO
Post Type: Fixed Term (up to 2 years)
Working pattern: Full Time, with flexible options available
Role Type: Legal Services
Job Description:
This is an existing, fixed term, role within the Judicial College Legal Team and presents an exciting opportunity for the post holder to develop and build a portfolio of interesting and varied legal experience. The post of Legal Researcher was created by the Judicial College in recognition of the volume and quality of training required by an ever growing and more diverse magistracy. It is intended to provide those considering a legal career with a unique opportunity to work at the very heart of the judiciary, gaining a distinctive perspective on the legal system and what it takes to deliver justice for a period of 2 years.
You will be a self-motivated, enthusiastic, and flexible person with excellent legal research and written communication skills, including the ability to explain complex information clearly and succinctly. You will have excellent organisational skills, be able to prioritise workstreams and deliver at pace, with strong interpersonal qualities that create good working relationships with a diverse range of people.
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
Job Title / Group / Directorate
Legal Researcher, Judicial College, Judicial Office
Reports To
Legal Training Developer, Judicial College
Location & Terms of appointment
This is an FTC and can be based in any one of the Judicial Office locations in London, Loughborough or Leeds, however travel would be expected to attend meetings and training events. The main office is Judicial College, 9th Floor Thomas More Building, The Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London WC2A 2LL
Salary and Grade
This post is Grade EO
New entrants to the Civil Service will be expected to join on the minimum of the pay range.
Existing Civil Servants will have their salary calculated in accordance with the Department’s pay on transfer / pay on promotion rules.
The Judicial College
The principal role of the Judicial College is to support the Lady Chief Justice and the Senior President of Tribunals in fulfilling their responsibilities for the arrangements for training the judiciary in an ever-evolving justice system.
The Judicial College is part of the Judicial Office (JO), an arm’s length body of the Ministry of Justice. Our purpose is to strengthen the rule of law and improve the administration of justice through delivery of essential training for the judiciary in courts and tribunals, as well as a framework of training for magistrates.
We are a unique branch of the civil service, independent from Government, dedicated to supporting the judiciary and promoting judicial independence, to maintain confidence in the rule of law. The Judicial Office reports to, and is accountable to, the Lady Chief Justice and was set up in 2006 to provide support to the LCJ and to the wider judiciary following the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. In addition, we support, and are accountable to, the Senior President of Tribunals, whose responsibilities extend to Scotland and Northern Ireland. We support some 26,000 judicial office holders, providing policy, legal and handling advice and operational support.
Role Purpose
You will be joining the Judicial College Legal Team, who are a supportive, dynamic, and committed team. Legal team members assume personal responsibility for national delivery of projects, in all jurisdictions including adult crime, youth crime and the Family Court for both legal advisers and magistrates.
Legal team members advise the relevant Judicial College training committees, supporting them to identify w national training is required and then work with stakeholder groups to develop, draft, update and deliver training material for magistrates and HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) legal advisers.
Within each jurisdiction, the legal team are also responsible on a national basis for the development and delivery of mentor training to those HMCTS legal advisers appointed as mentors to trainee legal advisers.
The Legal Researcher will be line managed by the Legal Training Developer and will work ly with the rest of the legal team, the publications team and the digital learning design team by aiding in the preparation and review of training materials for magistrates and legal advisers, updating those materials and ensuring that they remain current. You will have excellent relationship-building, organisational, planning, drafting, formatting, I.T. and research skills. You will also possess a sound understanding of the legal systems and processes in England and Wales and be able to examine and interpret complex legal information. You will keep up to date with relevant legislative and case law changes in order to identify those materials that require updating. You will provide legal research into specific areas of law as requested by the legal team. You will support a wide range of governance groups and in doing so will gain excellent secretariat experience.
Duties and responsibilities
The job holder will be required to undertake the following duties and responsibilities:
- To assist the legal team with updating the current training materials by keeping up to date with legal changes and their effects on training material.
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To work with the publications and the digital learning design teams to ensure new and current training materials are in line with Judicial College branding and house style guidelines.
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To support the legal team to achieve and maintain the required accessibility standards in materials published on Judicial College Learning, the learning management site for judicial office holders.
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To complete legal research into discrete areas of the law as requested by the legal team.
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To attend face to face training with the team and work with the Planning and Operational Support Teams as required.
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To support the secretariat function for the Judicial College magistrates and legal adviser training committees.
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To attend face to face team meetings and training events.
Other Duties
The post holder will be required to work in a flexible way and undertake any other duties reasonably requested by the legal team or their line manager which are commensurate with the level or responsibility of this post.
Person specification
Technical skills/qualifications
Candidates for this post must be able to demonstrate rigorous and sound legal research and analysis skills at degree level or equivalent.
You will be asked to provide a CV.
Experience
Experience of practical, contemporary and robust methods of legal research is essential. Whilst you do not require a specific area of expertise, you must be able to demonstrate sound and competent legal research ability and will be selected to provide cover for the range of work handled by the legal team.
Behaviours
- Delivering at pace
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Developing self and others
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Communicating and influencing
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Managing a quality service
Qualifications
A minimum of a 2:2 undergraduate degree, in law, or, with law as the primary subject.
Selection process details
At the application stage you will be asked to provide a CV, statement of suitability and 250-word statements evidencing the required behaviours (above). Applications will be sifted based on this information. If a large number of applications are received, they will be sifted on the basis of the primary behaviour, namely, delivering at pace.
At interview stage candidates will be asked questions on the behaviours above and also asked strength-based questions, but those strengths are not shared in advance. You will also be asked for a short presentation on a point of legal research on a topic to be notified.
Interviews will take place between 22/9/26 – 6/10/26.
Reserve list
A reserve list will be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made.
