Professional Support Legal Assistant (2818)

Job summary

Are you looking for a role that develops your legal research skills and helps deliver high quality legal services for the people of Scotland?

We are looking to recruit two Professional Support Legal Assistants (PSLAs) to join the Scottish Government Legal Directorate (SGLD) to undertake legal research and provide Knowledge Management (KM) support to solicitors.

SGLD delivers a full range of legal services to the Scottish Government and various public bodies. This includes instructing primary legislation, drafting secondary legislation, and advising Ministers and officials across a broad range of legal issues. It is a fast-paced and high-profile environment, often involving complex and sensitive legal matters.

PSLAs provide a vital service to solicitors across SGLD. They contribute to the delivery of timely, high-quality legal advice through research and KM activities. Research supports both legislative and advisory work, while KM activities help maintain and improve the Directorate’s knowledge resources, underpinning the delivery of its KM Strategy. While PSLAs work closely with solicitors to enhance the quality and efficiency of legal services, they do not provide legal advice or draft statutory instruments.

SGLD has a complement of four PSLAs (including these two posts). Each PSLA is assigned to two Divisions, providing shared support across both. These vacancies will be assigned to the following Divisions:

• One post will support Rural Affairs Division (RA) and Marine, Planning and Natural Resources Division (MPNR).
• The other post will support Economy and Social Protections Division (ESP) and Transport, Commercial and Information Division (TCI).

PSLAs may be asked to support colleagues outside the Divisions to which they are primarily assigned.

Job description

Responsibilities

• Conducting legal research to support the delivery of high-quality legal services. This may involve preparing accurate and concise summaries of legal topics, or research related to specific legislative or advisory matters.
• Maintaining and enhancing KM resources through regular reviews, proposing improvements, and supporting the Division and Directorate in managing its KM systems effectively. This includes updating the internal knowledge management system (the Wiki) and contributing notes and articles for its content.
• Supporting solicitors in staying up to date with legal developments, which may include attending training and CPD events, and preparing legal update notes for circulation within the Division or Directorate. PSLAs will be guided by team members on developments of particular relevance.
• Contributing to the KM Group within SGLD, helping to improve and develop the Directorate’s overall KM infrastructure. This includes helping coordinate and contributing to the production of the Directorate’s regular Knowledge Management Update and similar activity.
• Maintaining appropriate contact with the other PSLAs and with solicitors in their Divisions.

Person specification

Qualifications

Applicants should have a first or upper second-class Honours degree in law (LLB (Hons)) OR a first- or second-class Honours degree with a relevant postgraduate qualification (e.g. LLB (graduate entry) or LLM in law).

Alternatively, applicants may be eligible to apply if they can provide evidence of excellent legal research skills and substantial work experience in legal research.

Success Profile

Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of skills, experience and behaviours candidates will be assessed on.

Technical / Professional Skills:

• Lead criterion - The ability to undertake effective and efficient legal research and identify, interpret and clearly communicate relevant information.

• Knowledge and understanding of public law and its practical application to government in Scotland.

Experience:

• Experience in organising and managing your own workload in a flexible way to respond to competing and changing priorities and deadlines.

Behaviours:

• Communicating and influencing - Level 2.

• Working Together - Level 2.

You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours, here.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £33,754, Scottish Government contributes £9,778 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

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

How to apply

Apply online providing a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 1000 words) which provides evidence of how you meet the skills, experience and behaviours listed in the Success Profile above. If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and presentation.

In the event of a high number of applicants, we will conduct an initial sift based on the lead criterion of Technical/Professional Skills. Candidates who pass the initial sift will have their applications fully assessed against all remaining criteria as outlined in the Success Profile.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application, but all statements and examples 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, and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment. If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and presentation. Assessments are scheduled for w/c 16 March 2026, however this may be subject to change.

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 : Stephanie McGuinness
• Email : Stephanie.McGuinness@gov.scot

Recruitment team

• Email : scottishgovernmentrecruitment@gov.scot