Legal Assistant

Joining SCTS means that you are joining an organisation that plays a key role in the administration of justice. We fulfil our purpose by providing the people, buildings and services needed to support the judiciary, the courts, devolved tribunals and the office of the public guardian (OPG). Our work focuses on improving access to justice, reducing delay and cost within the justice system, modernising our services in line with reform, and using leading technology to improve our services for everyone.

The Judicial Institute for Scotland is seeking a highly organised and motivated Legal Assistant to undertake legal research to support the design and delivery of knowledge resources for judicial office holders in Scotland. This includes analysing case law and legislation and producing accurate, high-quality written work. You will also support the Institute’s Board, Advisory Council, and a range of committees and working groups. In this role, you will provide committee secretary support and help ensure smooth and effective governance.

We are looking for someone with excellent communication skills, strong legal research ability, attention to detail, and confidence using IT. You should be able to manage your own workload professionally, work effectively as part of a team, and adapt to new technologies. If you are organised, professional, and interested in contributing to judicial education in Scotland, we would welcome your application. Due to the nature of the role, it is essential that you hold a LLB Law (Honours) Degree at 2:1 or above. A diploma in Professional Legal Practice is also desirable, but not essential.

To help direct us towards achieving our purpose successfully, we embrace three key values of respect, service and excellence. These guide our behaviour, decisions and actions in pursuit of fulfilling our purpose to the highest standard.

The key responsibilities include:

• Conduct research into aspects of law and practice as required by members of the judiciary for publications such as bench books, briefing papers and brief notes, and for training course content as required.
• Undertake legal research projects under the direction of members of the judiciary.
• Liaise closely with members of the judiciary in drafting and updating a range of briefing and guidance materials such as bench books, knowledge resources, brief notes, briefing papers, case summaries, news items and other papers as required.
• Keep up to date with and monitor changes in relevant law and practice.
• Provide committee secretary support to, and support the work of the Board and Advisory Council of the Judicial Institute, and its various committees and working groups.
• Responsible for the timeous and accurate preparation and distribution of committee agendas, papers and minutes, and support in relation to membership matters.
• Prepare drafts of committee papers for consideration by the Chair, Vice Chair, Director, Deputy Director, Head of Education and Head of Legal and Secretariat as appropriate.
• Attend meetings, take minutes and assume responsibility for allocated work emerging out of the Jury Manual Committee, Advisory Council and the other committees and working groups of the Institute.
• Support colleagues by ensuring all organisational aspects of committee, working group and Advisory Council meetings are in place.
• Provide administrative and secretariat assistance as required.
• Draft and format a range of reports, documents and correspondence as required.
• Responsible for quality assurance, including checking content for typos, grammar, punctuation, and consistency in style and formatting.
• Responsible for carrying out any other duties as reasonably required to support the work of the Institute.

Our benefits include:

• Flexible working arrangements
• 25 days annual leave (rising to 30 days after 2 years’ service) plus 12 public and privilege holidays
• Special leave and paid leave for study or voluntary public service
• Excellent Civil Service Pension Scheme
• Family friendly policies
• Free and confidential Employee Assistance
• A variety of staff discounts and offers with major retailers
• Payment of professional membership fees
• Access to opportunities across all Civil Service departments that are not available to non-Civil Servants
• A supportive and professional induction programme with regular check-ins with your line manager
• Job stability and security with excellent and varied career prospects
• Security of full pay when unwell (up to a maximum of 6 months)
• Learning and development (including digital) opportunities

SCTS is committed to equality and diversity in employment and service delivery. The work of SCTS covers a broader range of issues than you may think. In providing support to Scotland’s courts, devolved tribunals and the OPG, we touch the lives of many people on a daily basis – be that through formal court or tribunal business, fulfilling your civic duty as a juror, paying fees or fines, seeking help in managing the affairs of an incapable adult or dealing with the estate of a loved one who has passed away. SCTS deals with over a quarter of a million cases and applications each year. Behind each one of these is an individual – looking to the system to help them assert their rights, address wrongs or provide support in a time of need. It is this work – which takes place every day in our courts, tribunals and administrative centres across Scotland – that consumes most of the time, energy and skill of our staff. We take pride in working as one team and providing high levels of service to all those who use the courts, tribunals and OPG.