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We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Salary: London (within M25): £55,720 – £64,135

Contract type: Permanent

Number of hours per week: 37

Number of vacancies: 2

Reserve List: Yes

Background

Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is responsible for the administration of the criminal, civil and family courts and tribunals in England and Wales and non-devolved tribunals in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It provides a fair, efficient and effective justice system delivered by an independent judiciary. HMCTS aims to ensure that all citizens receive timely access to justice according to their different needs, whether as victims or witnesses of crime, defendants accused of crime, consumers in debt, children at risk of harm, businesses involved in commercial disputes or as individuals asserting their employment rights or challenging the decisions of government bodies.

Consequently, there are high expectations of all staff regardless of the job they do, and high performance is expected from everybody. The organisation is continuously adopting new or better ways of working to ensure that it focuses on just that which is essential. HMCTS senior management expects all leaders to operate in a culture of openness and honesty, demonstrating a commitment to change through involvement and empowerment, and by delivering results.

Introduction

The RCJ legal operations group includes all the lawyers working in the offices which support the Court of Appeal (criminal and civil divisions) and the High Court. It also includes lawyers working in the Upper Tribunal (including EAT).

The work of Administrative Court Office (‘ACO’) supports the Administrative Court, part of the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court, which exercises a supervisory administrative and public law jurisdiction for England and Wales, as well as a supervisory jurisdiction over lower courts and tribunals. This jurisdiction is exercised through the procedure of judicial review and statutory challenges.

The office has responsibility for administration of: the Planning Court, which deals with all matters related to Town and Country Planning; extradition appeals; criminal judicial reviews and case stated appeals; applications for habeas corpus and contempt; appeals against decisions of disciplinary bodies and judicial review in wide variety of subjects including prisons, police, immigration, tax, education, community care, housing and armed forces.

The lawyers are authorised to exercise judicial functions under CPR 54.1A (judicial review) and CrimPR 2.6 (extradition). The role includes providing legal support to the High Court Appeals Office in relation to appeals lodged in the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court, with a particular focus on providing guidance to court users and administrative staff on jurisdictional and procedural matters.

Job Description

Administrative Court Office lawyers are responsible for pro-active case management of proceedings; they provide expert advice and assistance to the parties and the judiciary by overseeing the management of cases, advising on how and when they should be heard and by undertaking analysis and legal research.

Key responsibilities and duties:

Case management

• Promote and practise proactive case management, to ensure that cases are progressed consistently, efficiently and in accordance with the Civil Procedure Rules (overriding objective) or other relevant rules with a view to minimising delay and reducing outstanding cases

• Exercise judicial functions subject to authorisation by the Lord Chief Justice (LCJ) and President of the Queen’s Bench Division (PQBD) to ensure that judicial resources are utilised efficiently

• Prepare accurate and concise legal notes in all cases

• Provide guidance on the procedural requirements of the relevant court to staff, professional court users and members of the public, in particular litigants in person

• Maintain an accurate overview of all legal issues relevant to the jurisdiction, including identifying cases raising linked issues and test cases

• Prioritise case load effectively in accordance changing business demands, adapting focus as necessary to ensure that urgent and/or high-profile matters are progressed appropriately

• Identify important and high-profile cases for inclusion in the flagged cases schedule

Develop and apply legal skills

• Maintain and develop specialist skills by keeping up to date with developments in public law generally, relevant procedural rules and case law with a strong focus on continuous learning

• Identify developing trends in the caseload area

• Attend in-house and external training courses to complete relevant continuous professional development requirements

Keep stakeholders informed

• Respond to questions and queries from solicitors, counsel and litigants in person accurately and promptly

• Maintain an effective working relationship with, and respond to queries from, the judiciary

• Maintain a dialogue and exchange of information with other stakeholders, for example the lower court, other agencies and legal representatives

Other duties

Accountability

The post holder will report to the Senior Legal Managers.

The post holder is required to work in a flexible way and to undertake any other duties reasonably requested by line management which are commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of this post.

Location of Post

Located within the Royal Courts of Justice.

Recruitment Process

You will be assessed against the Civil Service Success Profiles framework.

Required Skills, Qualifications & Experience

• Solicitor or barrister qualified to practise in England and Wales (i.e. having completed training contract or pupillage), or Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (eligible where (i) a Qualifying Law Degree (QLD) is held; or (ii) the GDL/CPE has been completed; or (iii) where exams have been passed (i.e. a score of 50% or above achieved), at CILEx Level 6*, in all of the seven foundation subjects in law).
• Post qualification experience with good working knowledge of public law and procedure.
• You will be asked to provide a CV during the application process in order to assess any demonstrable experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to the role.

You will be required to provide evidence of the following behaviours:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace

Should we receive a large number of applications, we will sift primarily on experience and on the lead behaviour of Making Effective Decisions. Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview, where they will be assessed against both behaviours and strengths.

Candidates invited to Interview

Please note that interviews will be carried out in person in London.

Candidates invited to interview will be required to undertake a situational legal skills judgement test. The following legal professional skills will be assessed:

The interview will assess both technical legal skills (situational legal skill questions) and Behaviours and Strengths from the Success Profiles framework.

You can refer to the Civil Service Strengths dictionary for more details: Success Profiles – Civil Service Strengths Dictionary (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Interviews dates will be confirmed.

Salary, Working Arrangements & Further Information

Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on ‘modernised’ terms in their current post or onto ‘unmodernised’ MoJ terms if they are on ‘unmodernised’ terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

Starting Salary

The starting salary for this post is £55,720.

Flexible working hours

The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices.

Eligibility

Staff on fixed term appointments must have been recruited through fair and open competition.

Salary

£55,720 - £64,135

Additional Information

Working Arrangements & Further Information

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised roles, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to a MoJ office location, which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. This will be discussed and agreed on the completion of pre-employment checks.

Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on ‘modernised’ terms in their current post or onto ‘unmodernised’ MoJ terms if they are on ‘unmodernised’ terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

Flexible working hours

The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices.

Benefits

The MoJ offers a range of benefits:

Annual Leave

Annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years’ service.

There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Pension

The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Training

The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.

Networks

The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

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

• To Shared Service Connected Ltd (0845 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am – 6pm) or e mail [email protected]);
• To Ministry of Justice Resourcing team ([email protected]);
• 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 SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team.

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.