12935 - Legal adviser to the Senior President of Tribunals
| Posting date: | 17 December 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £63,343 to £70,725 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 14 January 2026 |
| Location: | WC2A 2LL |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 2 days per week |
| Company: | Ministry of Justice |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 12935 |
Summary
Legal adviser to the Senior President of Tribunals
Salary £63,343 - £70,725
Number of jobs available 1
Detail of reserve list 12 months
Region London
City/ town London
Building/ site London CTS Royal Courts of Justice, WC2A 2LL
Grade Grade 7
Organisation Grade for MoJ Grade 7
Post type Permanent
Working pattern Full time
Role type Legal services, Policy
Job description - overview
This is an exciting opportunity for a lawyer to work directly with the Senior President of Tribunals and other members of the senior judiciary.
The SPT is the head of the tribunals judiciary. He provides leadership to the judges and members of the First-tier Tribunal, Upper Tribunal, Employment Tribunals and Employment Appeal Tribunal – in all, around 5000 judicial office-holders.
The SPT has a number of statutory responsibilities. These include representing the views of the tribunals judiciary to the Lord Chancellor, parliament and ministers, and maintaining arrangements for the training, guidance and welfare of tribunal judges and members.
The unified tribunals system in England and Wales was created separately from the structure of the courts and has different statutory underpinnings. In recent years the senior judiciary in England and Wales has sought to build stronger links between the courts and tribunals judiciaries. Further work is underway to create a unified statutory leadership structure which will unite the tribunals in England and Wales with the courts of that jurisdiction under the leadership of the Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales. This will entail changing the office of Senior President of Tribunals and will require primary legislation. It is envisaged that the SPT will continue to lead the tribunals, with a role equivalent to that of a Head of Division of the High Court. As the SPT’s lawyer you will assist in this important project and will work with other lawyers in the Judicial Office and in the Ministry of Justice to bring it to fruition.
This is a high-profile role for a lawyer and offers the opportunity to become a recognised and respected voice at the heart of the justice system. You will need to be confident in advising all of the senior judges with responsibility for administrative justice, including the SPT and his deputy, as well as the presidents of the chambers in the First-tier and Upper Tribunals and of the Employment Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal.
You will have a large degree of autonomy in undertaking your work and will need to be able to work independently to provide high quality legal, strategic and policy advice to the senior judiciary. You will also need to be able to form strong working relationships with members of the judiciary (at all levels), with the lawyers in other senior judges’ private offices, and with a wide range of key officials across the civil and administrative justice systems.
You will be an essential member of the SPT’s busy private office team. You will work closely with his Private Secretary to support the SPT in fulfilling his statutory responsibilities. Part of the enjoyment and challenge of working within a private office is that work can be fast paced and unpredictable, particularly during the judicial termtime. There may be opportunities for travel, both within the UK and internationally, supporting and participating in judicial engagements such as conferences and court visits.
Salary £63,343 - £70,725
Number of jobs available 1
Detail of reserve list 12 months
Region London
City/ town London
Building/ site London CTS Royal Courts of Justice, WC2A 2LL
Grade Grade 7
Organisation Grade for MoJ Grade 7
Post type Permanent
Working pattern Full time
Role type Legal services, Policy
Job description - overview
This is an exciting opportunity for a lawyer to work directly with the Senior President of Tribunals and other members of the senior judiciary.
The SPT is the head of the tribunals judiciary. He provides leadership to the judges and members of the First-tier Tribunal, Upper Tribunal, Employment Tribunals and Employment Appeal Tribunal – in all, around 5000 judicial office-holders.
The SPT has a number of statutory responsibilities. These include representing the views of the tribunals judiciary to the Lord Chancellor, parliament and ministers, and maintaining arrangements for the training, guidance and welfare of tribunal judges and members.
The unified tribunals system in England and Wales was created separately from the structure of the courts and has different statutory underpinnings. In recent years the senior judiciary in England and Wales has sought to build stronger links between the courts and tribunals judiciaries. Further work is underway to create a unified statutory leadership structure which will unite the tribunals in England and Wales with the courts of that jurisdiction under the leadership of the Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales. This will entail changing the office of Senior President of Tribunals and will require primary legislation. It is envisaged that the SPT will continue to lead the tribunals, with a role equivalent to that of a Head of Division of the High Court. As the SPT’s lawyer you will assist in this important project and will work with other lawyers in the Judicial Office and in the Ministry of Justice to bring it to fruition.
This is a high-profile role for a lawyer and offers the opportunity to become a recognised and respected voice at the heart of the justice system. You will need to be confident in advising all of the senior judges with responsibility for administrative justice, including the SPT and his deputy, as well as the presidents of the chambers in the First-tier and Upper Tribunals and of the Employment Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal.
You will have a large degree of autonomy in undertaking your work and will need to be able to work independently to provide high quality legal, strategic and policy advice to the senior judiciary. You will also need to be able to form strong working relationships with members of the judiciary (at all levels), with the lawyers in other senior judges’ private offices, and with a wide range of key officials across the civil and administrative justice systems.
You will be an essential member of the SPT’s busy private office team. You will work closely with his Private Secretary to support the SPT in fulfilling his statutory responsibilities. Part of the enjoyment and challenge of working within a private office is that work can be fast paced and unpredictable, particularly during the judicial termtime. There may be opportunities for travel, both within the UK and internationally, supporting and participating in judicial engagements such as conferences and court visits.