74631 - Senior Legal Manager Tier 4 - Family - North West

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.

Position: Tier 4 Senior Legal Manager

Directorate: HMCTS

Location: National

Band: Grade 6

Salary: National salary starting scale £63,185 pa, London salary starting £66,698 pa

Contract Type: Permanent

Reserve List: Yes (12 months)

Overview

Why we exist

Magistrates’ Courts deal with approximately 95% of criminal cases, 70% of civil cases and 60% of family cases. Dealing with cases justly and speedily, and in ways that meet the needs of our court users, is at the heart of what we do.

The role of a legal adviser is pivotal to the smooth running of the court.

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.

Success in the role will enable you to make a positive difference to your community and your society.

We are here to ensure everyone in need of our courts and tribunals receives a service that suits their needs.

What are we doing?

We are completing a £1bn, six-year Reform Programme to change what we do and make our services better for the society we serve. The Reform Programme is one of the most ambitious of its kind in the world.

How are we going to fulfil our vision?

Every year, millions of people seek justice in our courts and tribunals.

We are focused on radically improving the customer’s experience by:

• Employing digital technology to enable access to justice by enabling victims and witnesses to give evidence in a less intimidating way via video link;
• Enabling self-service, where appropriate, to ensure people can get fast and easy access to simple judicial services;
• Streamlining processes so we can reinvest in improvements that benefit our customers;
• Progressing cases efficiently and effectively through the court by maximising the use of new digital processes.

As a Tier 4 Senior Legal Manager, you will be at the forefront of delivering this improved service and experience to our customers both in and outside the court room.

Job Description

The key purpose of the role

The purpose of the role is to represent the Head of Legal Operations as Legal Adviser to the Magistrates and District Judge (Magistrates’ Courts) in accordance with legislation and the Criminal and Family Practice Directions.

To enable a Legal Adviser to progress to Tier 4, all of the requirements to satisfy the roles, responsibilities and competences for a fully competent Tier 3 Legal Team Manager must have been met and continue to be met. A Tier 4 Senior Legal Manager will be expected to maintain the base line competencies for a Tier 1 Legal Adviser and regularly take courts

To function as a Tier 4 Senior Legal Manager, the role holder is required to undertake the additional responsibilities as set out in the Legal Adviser Career Structure and to achieve and maintain competence in this (or these) practice areas. It is likely to take at least 5 years to develop the extensive knowledge and experience required for a Tier 4 Senior Legal Manager role.

The Tier 4 Senior Legal Manager post covers a range of different functions and those appointed to the role can be expected to undertake any of those functions, including the provision for a level of specialisation.

The roles and responsibilities for a Tier 4 Senior Legal Manager should contribute and impact on the work of the courts across their assigned cluster or region as directed by the Head of Legal Operations, and not just be limited to their local court. To achieve this, a Tier 4 Senior Legal Manager will demonstrate leadership within HMCTS and in the relationship with the Magistracy, the Judiciary and partner organisations. A Tier 4 Senior Legal Manager would be expected to demonstrate effective team working with colleagues throughout HMCTS (including colleagues working in other jurisdictions/disciplines) and particularly with Operations and Delivery Managers.

A Tier 4 Senior Legal Manager will, in conjunction with the Head of Legal Operations provide support to Bench and Panel Chairs in their advice and support capacity.

Technical

To be eligible for this post candidates must satisfy the Authorised Court Staff (Legal Advice Functions) (Qualification Regulations) 2020 and have experience as a T2 legal adviser and / or as a T3 Legal Team Manager.

For Applicants applying for a specialist Tier 4 Role such as the following additional eligibility requirements apply:

• For the role of Family Senior Legal Manager, experience of taking Family Courts at tier 2 level (at least) is required.
• For the role of Advisory and Training Senior Legal Manager, a relevant training qualification such as a NVQ Level 3 Certificate in Training Practice or HMCTS Judicial College Training, CTP must have been completed.

Knowledge and skills

In addition, the following roles and key responsibilities are applicable to Tier 4 Practice areas;

National Expert

The role of a National Expert within the Legal Adviser Career structure provides the opportunity for a Tier 4 Senior Legal Manager to be defined as a national expert within the Professional Services work stream. The role holder will gain recognition for their knowledge and skills in a recognised legal practice area. Also for these skills to be used for the benefit of courts on a national basis.

Key Responsibilities will include:

• Knowledge and skills relevant to their special expertise in a legal practice area
• The ability to impart more detailed and in-depth information in a specialist legal practice area to colleague on a national basis.
• The ability to provide further guidance and knowledge to members of staff, Magistrates and other court users

And /Or

Research

A Tier 4 role in respect of National Legal Research within the Professional Services stream of the Legal Adviser Career Structure will provide the opportunity for a Legal Adviser to be involved with legal research at a national level as part of the Professional Services work stream of the Legal Adviser Career Structure

And /Or

Manging Bench Activates

A Tier 4 Legal Adviser appointed to the Management stream of the Legal Adviser Career Strcuture will have the responsibility for the manager of one or more Benches comprising of Magistrates and (if appropriate) a District Judge(s) (Magistrates’ Courts)

Key responsibilities include;

• Manager of Bench(es)
• Working with Bench Chairman
• Advising the Bench on matters of law, practice and procedure
• Support Bench Committees
• Communicating with the Bench
• Identifying local Bench training needs and assisting with the devising, delivery and evaluating magistrates’ training at a local / regional level
• Manager Bench performance appraisal and competence
• Dealing with complaints about magistrates
• Participation with Advisory Committee functions where appropriate
• Their duties relevant to the ongoing support of a Bench or Benches

And

Managing a Legal Team

A Tier 4 Senior Legal Manager who is appointed into the Management stream will have the day to day management responsibility for a team of Legal advisers

Key responsibilities include:

• High level of interpersonal skills to develop and maintain effective relationships with staff
• First line Management responsibility for Tier 1,2 and 3 Legal Advisers (where appropriate) including the responsibility to agree work responsibilities and performance objectives
• Middle line management responsibility for members of the wider legal team which may consist of Tier 1, 2 and 3 Legal Advisers
• Middle line management responsibility for the professional development of members of the Legal Team
• Middle line management responsibility for the pro-active management of Legal Adviser Career Structure for every member of their team in the context of the wider organisation
• The responsibility to carry out individual performance reviews in line with the DCA Performance Review Framework
• The responsibility to motivate and manage on-going performance of the team in accordance with HMCTS & DCA policies and procedures
• The responsibility to undergo regular team briefings
• The responsibility to proactively manage sickness, grievance and disciplinary issues in accordance with HMCTS and DCA policies and procedures
• The responsibility to work with other managers to ensure achievement of business and performance objectives
• Middle management responsibility for Human Resource planning, resource allocation, recruitment and retention of Legal Advisers

And /Or

Strategic Legal Manager Responsibilities

A Tier 4 Senior Legal Manager who is appointed into the Management Stream will have the day to day responsibility for the strategic legal management of the court and its Legal Team

Key responsibilities include:

• Assisting with the development of the strategic plan for the area/region
• Assisting with business process development – ensuring the right systems are in place to deliver the service
• Ensuring local and area court performance targets are met, identifying and analysing issues adversely affecting this and devising and implement strategies to address tis and achieve targets.
• Assisting with the management of budgets
• Assisting with the delivery of effective project planning and management of change.
• Delivering effective services within budgetary constraints
• Leadership skills that demonstrate the ability to balance control with the ability to empower staff to act.
• Working with other agencies at a business development level
• Responsibility for achieving key business targets and negotiating with other stakeholder groups
• Responsibility for performance management – fact finding and analysis is problems, gathering and analysing data, establishing systems for improvement, dealing with complaints about performance.
• HR resource management – dealing with resources and complaints
• Pilot of national projects e.g. Common Platform
• Ability to allocate, utilise inter-agency working on a strategic level and promote the effective liaison of court users and agencies
• The ability to deploy legal adviser resources effectively and efficiently to meet business needs
• The ability to deal with complaints about the provision of the local legal services

And / Or

National Training

A Tier 4 role holder assigned to the Education Stream of the Legal Adviser Career Structure will be involved with the development of the national strategy for the implementation of Learning and Development requirements for the Service.

Key Responsibilities include;

• Assisting the National and regional Legal Adviser Resource Committees in identifying the number of Legal Adviser Trainers required in the ‘Education Stream’ of the Legal Adviser Career Structure.
• Assisting in the development and establishment of a National Training Plan for the delivery of Legal Adviser Training and assisting in the delivery of that plan
• Working with the TAAAC’s and liaising with other TAAAC’s officers to ensure consistency and economies of scale
• Leading and/or assisting with the delivery of national projects with regard to Learning and Development
• Oversee Regional learning activities
• Liaison with the Head of Legal Operations in the region to ensure consistency and that business learning and development needs are met and continue to be met. (This may be through the Legal Adviser Learning & Development lead)
• Establish and maintain links with other stakeholder Learning & Development personnel at a national level

And / Or

Service Educator link to Institutions

A Tier 4 role holder assigned to the Education Stream of the Legal Adviser Career Structure will be involved in the development of links to legal education al institutions.

Training

It is expected that a candidate appointed to a Tier 4 role would be fully functional in that role no later than 6 months from appointment.

Functions of the role

Undertaking main Tier 1 Functions and undertaking additional Tier 4 practice areas;

• National Expert
• Research
• Managing Bench Activities
• Strategic Legal Management
• Managing wider Legal Team
• National Training Role
• Service Educator – linked to institution

Knowledge and Skills

Additional skills required to meet the requirements of additional practice areas in Tier 4:

• Experience of exercising judicial discretion and pro-active case management
• Knowledge of rules relating to committees and panels
• Knowledge and skills relevant to a specialist legal practice area
• The ability to organise and manage a Bench
• The ability to organise and manage the wider legal team
• Strategic Legal Manager skills
• Training skills to develop a national training strategy
• Time Management
• Personal Management of workload
• Working as part of a team

Problem Solving

The role holder is required to advise in court for their assigned number of court sessions each week

The nature and volume of work assigned to the court room is inherently unpredictable. A Tier 4 role holder is required to have an extensive legal understanding and knowledge of court procedures and the ability to research all aspects of the law that may arise during the course of the hearing. A fully competent Tier 4 role holder must be capable of undertaking the most complex of cases conducted in the Magistrates’ court and provide guidance as a senior legal manage r to members of his/her team.

Decision Making

Own Decisions

There are three main areas of decision making; Judicial, Legal and Administrative

Judicial Decisions

The Justices’ Clerk has discretion to delegate to the role holder a range of delegated powers. The range and extent of powers delegate d to a Legal Adviser fall to the discretion of the Justices’ Clerk.

Legal Decisions

Legal Decisions include identifying the pertinent legal issues of a case which may arise in court, which may often be difficult or contentious. This may include identifying relevant statues and case law and undertaking appropriate legal research , using IT and other resources to ensure soundly based outcomes are achieved

Administrative Decisions

Administrative decisions include decisions that relates to progressing cases swiftly and effectively though the court process. This can include prioritising cases that have all parties and paperwork present, avoiding delays to witnesses; ensuring defendants held in custody are dealt with promptly, avoiding the adjournment of cases, making the best use of court time and the resource s of the bench and advocates available in the court room.

Management Decisions

Management decisions include decisions related to managing the legal team, managing the Bench and strategic legal management decisions.

In relation to managing the legal team, this can include recruitment, selection, discipline, grievance and other areas covered by key HR policies that require decision making by anybody responsible for others.

In relation to managing the bench, this can include managing Bench performance, appraisal and competence and other duties relevant to the ongoing support and management of the Bench.

In relation to strategic legal management decisions, this includes allocating resources and planning to meet wider business objectives.

Management of Resources

Financial and Other Resources

The role holder is not a budget holder but must ensure that they make effective use of time and resources

Leadership and Team working

The role holder is a member of a team of Legal Advisers and will have Line Management of other responsibilities for a team of Legal Advisers which may include a mix of Tier 1, Tier 2 and potentially other Tier 3 Legal Advisers. Legal Advisers are senior members of HMCTS and are always expected to demonstrate the behaviours appropriate to a Leader/Manager.

The HMCTS Success Profile for a Tier 4 Senior Legal Manager Role includes a number of Civil Service Behaviours:

Communicating and Influencing

You communicate clearly and concisely, listening to others and adapting your style to suit the audience. You have excellent influencing skills and demonstrate tact and diplomacy in all your interactions. You build strong working relationships with individuals and groups and cascade information to keep others informed.

Delivering at Pace

You demonstrate high levels of accountability and are committed to achieving results. You have excellent time management skills and quickly identify where to focus your attention to have the most impact. You are highly resilient and can work effectively under sustained pressure.

Leadership

You communicate the business strategy across your team and inspire people to deliver the vision and achieve the required results. You embed a strong performance culture and take ownership for all aspects of operational delivery and corporate governance. You have an inclusive and collaborative leadership style and have a genuine desire to help others meet their full potential.

Making Effective Decision

You make confident, timely and robust decisions about business strategy and objectives. You analyse a wide range of complex information to guide your decisions and you are quick to anticipate and mitigate the potential risks and impacts. You develop clear plans and rationale for your decisions and use these to gain the support of stakeholders.

Seeing the Big Picture

You take an outward-looking, future-focused, and consultative approach to understanding the wider context in which you are operating. You deliver change in line with business strategy and adapt your plans where necessary to respond to internal and external constraints.

Strengths

(As part of the Success Profile Framework, strengths applicable to the role will be assessed at interview).

Ability

1) IT Skills – you are confident and competent in the use of Information Technology (e.g. you have experience using Word, Excel, Outlook, Skype, PowerPoint, OneNote, legal research applications etc).

2) High level of Verbal and Written English Skills – you have a high level of verbal and written English, including presentation/briefing skills and the ability to write reports and formal responses.

Career Development

Within Role

Progression to the role of Head of Legal Operations will require compliance with the statutory guidelines as set out in S.27 Courts Act, 2003

Secondments/Transfers/Work Shadowing

Opportunities may arise for the Tier 4 Senior Legal Manager to gain more experience and contribute to MoJ through secondment, transfer and work shadowing experiences.

Judicial Appointment

Within the Legal Advise Career Structure, a Tier 4 role holder has the opportunity to apply for and be considered for judicial Appointment. HMCTS is supportive of such applications and a number of legal advisers within HMCTS sit as fee paid judiciary in tribunals, county courts and magistrates’ courts.

Learning & Development Opportunities

There are a range of learning opportunities available to support progression which are contained in the “HMCTS Legal Advisers’ Learning and Development Compendium”.

Base

A successful candidate will be offered a post at a base courthouse. However, there are requirements to travel to different locations across business areas, within reasonable distance and travel time on a non-permanent basis.

This job description is a guide to the principal current duties of the post. It is not an exhaustive list of the duties and responsibilities of the post and the postholder may be required to undertake any other duties from time that are commensurate with the seniority and nature of the post.

If you require any assistance please call 0845 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or email Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com

Please quote the job reference: 74631

Legal.recruitment@justice.gov.uk