Litigation Caseworker in Glasgow

The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter‑terrorism, policing, fire, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports. The Customer Services Group brings together Asylum & Human Rights, Asylum Support and Dispersal, Asylum Accommodation Centres, Resettlement Group, Passports, Citizenship & Civil Registration, Customer Operations Support Services and UK Visas & Immigration. As a major operational arm of the Home Office, we play a vital role in supporting the economy and cultural life of the UK.

Litigation Operations is an interesting, challenging and rewarding place to work. We are responsible for managing pre‑action protocol correspondence and judicial review challenges, often to tight legal deadlines. Some of the legal challenges we manage are complex, novel and politically sensitive and our handling is often in the public eye. Some of your cases may have ministerial interest and/or may be featured in the national press. These posts offer a great opportunity to join the Home Office and develop a career within the Civil Service.

As a litigation caseworker you will predominantly work on pre‑action protocol work and managing judicial review challenges in the Upper Tribunal and High Court. You may also be involved in cases progressing to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court and take on litigation cost negotiation or private law claim work. Initially, you will develop expertise in a particular area of immigration – perhaps around entry clearance or asylum – and, as you gain experience, there will be opportunities for you to take on a wider range of areas. With the support of colleagues, you will become skilled at identifying which decisions should be defended and which may need to be reconsidered.

You will need to prioritise and organise your work appropriately to ensure legal deadlines are met and quality is maintained. You will respond to pre‑action protocol correspondence as it arrives and be responsible for drafting clear responses setting out the Home Office position to the challenges, seeking input from operational decision makers as needed. If challenges proceed to judicial review, you will continue to work alongside operational decision makers, policy colleagues and other professional stakeholders to provide clear and timely instruction to the Government Legal Department (GLD). Ultimately, you will be responsible for the management of the judicial review from the start to the end, so will gain experience in litigation handling, preparing cases for court and managing conclusions.

Key Responsibilities

• Assessing the challenges set out in pre‑action protocol correspondence or judicial review claims against UK immigration legislation, guidance and policy to inform decision making.
• Responding to pre‑action protocol correspondence and referring to operational areas for action to remedy any original errors in the decision being challenged.
• Escalating policy or procedural issues arising from pre‑action protocol correspondence, judicial review claims and private law damages claims.
• Liaising with and instructing government lawyers to achieve an agreed course of action in managing litigation, including approving grounds of defence on behalf of Secretary of State for the Home Department.
• Supporting government lawyers and counsel on defending cases at the oral or substantive hearing stages, including securing witness statements when needed.
• Making decisions on when cases should be settled and working with stakeholders to secure financial authority where it is appropriate to do so, to ensure the best cost outcomes.
• Maintaining accurate records of activities/work completed across a range of systems.

Working Pattern

This role is available on a full‑time basis. This role is also suitable for part‑time working hours, with a minimum requirement to work 23 hours over 3 days per week due to business requirements.

Training

Clear guidance sets out how to manage your cases and you will be given regular opportunities to develop your knowledge through training and other learning initiatives. You will also be surrounded by other technical specialists, such as senior caseworkers, who will be on hand to help you navigate the management of your caseload. You will be supported by a line manager who will have regular coaching and performance conversations with you to help you reach and exceed your potential.

We do not expect you to have knowledge of immigration law – we deliver a comprehensive induction and ongoing training to enable you to become a subject matter expert – but an interest in immigration as well as experience in litigation may help you in hitting the ground running. We are proud of the support we give our staff to develop both within their roles and in the wider organisation.

Please note that due to the resource and time Lit Ops dedicates to training and mentoring colleagues to become effective in the litigation caseworker role, there is a general expectation that candidates will remain in post for a period of at least 12 months. Beyond that, the litigation caseworker role is a great springboard for an interesting career in the Civil Service and many of our litigation caseworkers progress on to other roles within ALAR, the Home Office and across the wider Civil Service.

Live Event: 26th November 2025 from 2pm to 3pm

We are holding a one‑hour live event to share some hints and tips with you. During the event, we will be giving an overview of the recruitment process and explaining how applicants can best showcase evidence from their examples. The session will include information about: the recruitment process, personal statement, blended interview and a question‑and‑answer session. Existing caseworkers will also provide an insight into a typical day working for Lit Ops. To attend the event you will be required to pre‑register on Eventbrite.