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Court legal adviser

Court legal adviser

Alternative titles for this job include Court clerk, assistant to justices' clerk

Court legal advisers are trained lawyers who advise magistrates and district judges about the law.

Average salary (a year)

£20,500 Starter

£43,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

35 to 40 a week

You could work

9am to 5pm

How to become a court legal adviser

You can get into this job through:

working towards this role
applying directly

Work

You may be able to start as a trainee legal adviser if you've passed the academic training stages to qualify as a solicitor or barrister. You can find out more about this from The Law Society.

As a trainee, you would complete the Judicial College Legal Adviser Induction Training Programme. This can take around 2 years.

Direct application

You can apply directly for jobs if you've got some of the relevant experience and knowledge needed for this role.

You'll usually need to be a fully qualified solicitor, and have experience as a magistrate. Employers may also look for customer service and administration skills.

More information

Further information

The Bar Council and The Law Society have more information about legal careers and training.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

legal knowledge including court procedures and government regulations
knowledge of English language
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
analytical thinking skills
excellent verbal communication skills
the ability to read English
the ability to use your initiative
the ability to think clearly using logic and reasoning
being able to use a computer terminal or hand-held device may be beneficial for this job.

Restrictions and requirements

You'll need to:

pass enhanced background checks

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

In this role you could be:

managing court schedules to make the best use of time and resources
preparing for court sessions and making sure evidence is ready
advising magistrates on the law and procedures
making sure defendants understand how the court works
reading charges to the court
identifying and researching legal issues during hearings
helping with the decision-making process using a formal method
training administrative staff and magistrates

Working environment

You could work in a court or in an office.

Career path and progression

The legal adviser career structure has 5 levels, known as tiers. On any tier, you could become a mentor. To move up, you'll need to prove your ability in your current role.

With 5 years' experience, you could become a deputy district judge or district judge (magistrates' courts). With more experience, you could become a justices' clerk (running several courts).

You could also apply for legal and non-legal secondments within the wider departments of Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS), the Ministry of Justice and other government agencies.

Another option is to move into private practice as a solicitor or barrister, or join the Crown Prosecution Service as a crown prosecutor or crown advocate.