Magistrates Court Legal Advisor

Magistrates' court legal advisers give legal advice to magistrates in magistrates' courts throughout England and Wales. They help the magistrates, who are volunteers, to make decisions and state the legal reasons that underpin those decisions. They also advise all parties at court on law, practice and procedure.

Magistrates' court legal advisers work from around 8.45am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, but may work outside these hours when necessary. They work in the courtroom and in an office in the court building. Formal dress is required and some local travel may be necessary.

Salaries range from at least £18,775 for a trainee up to £50,192 a year for an experienced legal adviser.

A magistrates' court legal adviser should be:

• excellent at communicating complex information concisely, both verbally and in writing
• self-confident, reliable, patient and tactful
• good at organising, problem solving and working to deadlines
• aware of the importance of confidentiality
• good at dealing with people.
• interested in criminal and family law.

Magistrates' court legal advisers are employed by Her Majesty's Courts Service. There are around 2,000 legal advisers working in around 600 magistrates' courts throughout England and Wales.

There are two main entry-level posts: trainee legal adviser and legal adviser in training.

Applicants for trainee legal adviser posts must have completed the academic stage of training to become a solicitor or barrister or be a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives. They then need to complete the Legal Practice Course (LPC - for solicitors) or Bar Vocational Course (BVC - for barristers). Fellows of the Institute of Legal Executives can only apply for the LPC course.

Applicants who have completed a recognised training contract as a solicitor or pupillage as a barrister are eligible to apply as a legal adviser in training.

Both trainee legal advisers and legal advisers in training must complete the Judicial Studies Board Legal Adviser Induction Training Programme, lasting two years. It includes supervised practice in courts, observation of legal advisers and others, such as court administrative staff, visits to related services, such as prisons and probation offices, and a course of directed reading. Trainee advisers are also expected to complete a Law Society training contract as a solicitor.

Legal advisers can progress through a five-tier system, taking on area, regional or national responsibilities. They may eventually become justices' clerks or judges. They can specialise in training magistrates, looking after a team of magistrates' court legal advisers, or managing the whole legal side of a court. They can apply for other legal positions and secondments in the Civil Service or use their experience to develop a career as a solicitor or barrister.

Further details