Head of Legal Team (Senior Legal Advisor) (Ref: 14475)

Job summary

Please refer to Job Description

Job description

Grade 7 Head of Legal Team (Senior Legal Advisor)

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. We receive over 40,000 applications a year for compensation, from people who have lost loved ones or have been injured as a result of violent crime. We know financial compensation can never fully redress what they have suffered. Nevertheless, what we do is an important part of providing justice for victims and we take pride that the compensation we pay helps people move forward with their lives.

Some of the material you will access may include upsetting personal accounts of harm inflicted by others. This could include sexual assault and violence against children which is distressing. We recognise the personal impact this may have and we provide resilience training, to promote wellbeing.

We employ around 300 people and are based in Glasgow city centre, with excellent transport links. We are a small, engaged, productive workforce with a real sense of corporate community. We want to keep improving our services and the way we work to best serve the public, meet new challenges, deliver value for money and ensure CICA is a great place to work.

This position is based at Buchanan Wharf, 10 Clyde Place, Glasgow, G5 8AQ. We currently operate a hybrid working business model, where a typical employee spends 50% of their working time in the office and the remainder at home.

Role Description

As Head of Legal, you will play a key role in CICA’s Legal and Policy Directorate, reporting directly to the Director of Legal & Policy Services and being a member of CICA’s Senior Leadership Team. You will manage a small team of Legal Advisors which may include a Trainee Solicitor.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide sound legal advice on a range of issues relating to interpretation and application of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Schemes, data protection, freedom of information matters and other matters.
• Have principal conduct of a caseload of litigation, including complex judicial review claims, ensuring that CICA’s is appropriate represented; drafting submissions and instructing counsel as appropriate in Tribunal and court proceedings.
• Lead, supervise and manage solicitors and legal trainee(s) within the legal team, ensuring they are supported to provide high quality legal advice and input.
• Contribute to the achievement of CICA’s corporate objectives by providing sound legal advice to ensure CICA delivers a compassionate, efficient, trauma-informed service to victims of violent crime, managing the day to day running of the legal service and directing the work flow through the legal team.
• Support the Director of Legal & Policy Services in ensuring that CICA operates in accordance with legislative and policy frameworks and in ensuring the effective provision of a range of legal services.
• Set clear expectations of individuals within the team, discuss performance regularly to motivate and enhance services which meet customer expectations and comply with Law Society training requirements.
• Assist the Director of Legal & Policy Services in the selection and employment of legal staff.
• Where compensation is to be paid into trust, provide legal input to the trust provisions and ensure the trust is fit for purpose.
• Support the team of Presenting Officers who represent CICA at appeal hearings before the First-tier Tribunal, review Tribunal decisions, represent the CICA before the Tribunal where required and, where necessary, raise judicial review proceedings on behalf of CICA.
• Be a model leader for the organisation through participation in senior management meetings and contributing to the formation and delivery of CICA’s corporate objectives, deputising for the Director of Legal & Policy Services as necessary.
• Undertake other duties as required including providing training and managing staff disciplinary proceedings.

Essential criteria:

• Solicitor qualified to practice in Scotland and/or England & Wales, who has been in continuous practice as a solicitor for a period of at least three years.
• The ability to draft written argument, guidance and correspondence to the highest quality standards.
• An excellent and demonstrable understanding of public law.
• A familiarity with criminal law, trust law and data protection legislation.
• Strong organisation and time-management skills, with the ability to prioritise effectively when under time pressure.
• Strong analytical and reasoning skills, with the ability to assimilate information quickly and interpret statutes, case law and other sources of law.
• Effective managerial and supervisory skills in the oversight of a team of solicitors.

Desirable criteria:

• Experience of conducting judicial review litigation in the Court of Session and/or the Administrative Court/Upper Tribunal.
• Experience of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 and older Schemes including the pre-statutory schemes.

Other duties:

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

How to apply

The selection process for this vacancy will utilise Civil Service Success Profiles and will assess your Experience, Behaviours and Strengths.

Stage 1

Applicants should provide a CV and a statement of suitability which evidences the essential criteria. The statement should be no more than 750 words in length.

Stage 2

If you are invited to interview, you will be tested on the following behaviours:

Seeing the Bigger Picture

Making Effective Decisions

Communicating and Influencing

Managing a Quality Service

During the panel interview, you will be asked behaviours and strengths-based questions.

Interviews are expected to take place in March 2026.

We will be conducting all interviews in person at Buchanan Wharf, 10 Clyde Place, Glasgow, G5 8AQ.

Apply and Further Information

Once the application closing date has closed, the advert will no longer be available to view. You may want to save a copy for your records.

A reserve list may be created and will be valid for 12 months. If further vacancies arise for this or similar roles within the organisation, candidates may be appointed from the reserve list in order of merit.

We offer flexible working 7am – 7pm, Monday to Friday. This role is offered on a full-time (37 hours per week) basis.

For queries about the role, please email Laura.Johnston@cica.gov.uk

Reasonable Adjustments

Tell us if you have a disability when you apply, and we can offer reasonable adjustments to help with the selection process.

If you require any assistance at any time, please call 0845 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am-6pm) or e-mail MoJ-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com.

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Licences

Solicitor qualified to practice in Scotland and/or England & Wales, who has been in continuous practice as a solicitor for a period of at least three years.

Memberships

Candidate must have a valid practicing certificate or be eligible to obtain one - from either the Law Society of Scotland or the Law Society of E&W.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £58,511, Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority contributes £16,950 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Access to learning and development
• A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Annual Leave
• Public Holidays
• Season Ticket Advance

For more information about the recruitment process, benefits and allowances and answers to general queries, please click the below link which will direct you to our Candidate Information Page.

Link: https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team
• Email : moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
• Telephone : 0345 241 5359

Recruitment team

• Email : moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles and would like to raise this, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance. If the role has been advertised externally (outside of the Civil Service) and you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm…

https://jobs.justice.gov.uk/careers/JobDetail/14475?entityId=14475