Job Title: High Court Judicial Assistant
Location: London CTS Rolls Building EC4A 1NL, London CTS Royal Courts of Justice, WC2A 2LL
Duration: Fixed term contract for a period of 10 months commencing in September or October 2026.
Pay Span or equivalent: HEO
Background
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is responsible for the administration of the criminal, civil and family courts and tribunals in England and Wales and non-devolved tribunals in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It provides a fair, efficient and effective justice system delivered by an independent judiciary. HMCTS aims to ensure that all citizens receive timely access to justice according to their different needs, whether as victims or witnesses of crime, defendants accused of crime, consumers in debt, children at risk of harm, businesses involved in commercial disputes or as individuals asserting their employment rights or challenging the decisions of government bodies.
Role Purpose
The role of High Court Judicial Assistant offers those in the early years of their professional practice a ringside view of the trial process and first instance decision‑making from the perspective of the judge, for the most complex, high value and often high profile civil and family cases. The work will be based in London, where JAs will be expected to work in either the Rolls Building or the Royal Courts of Justice. Candidates should note that a judicial assistant works full time. It is not possible to conduct professional practice or to devote significant time to external study while working as a judicial assistant.
The High Court Judicial Assistants (JAs) are assigned to Judges across three Divisions. They assist the judge(s) to whom they are allocated, for example by carrying out legal research, summarising documents and providing general support for the judge(s) in the organisation of their work and hearings. The team will be selected so as to provide cover for the range of work handled by the High Court across the Chancery, Family and King’s Bench Divisions. The areas of working are further defined below (see ‘Assignment’).
Main Activities / Responsibilities
* JAs will be placed with a judge or judges working in their chosen specialisation or one of their chosen specialisations. They will assist the judge(s) to whom they are allocated by carrying out research, marking up and summarising case documents and transcripts, summarising submissions, discussing cases and hearings and providing general support for the judge(s) in the organisation of their work and hearings. The role will require candidates to manage involvement in multiple cases, some of them very large and involving extensive evidence. JAs will also be expected to aid their assigned judge(s) to meet tight deadlines.
Other Duties
The post holder will be required to work in a flexible way and undertake any other duties reasonably requested by their assigned judge or line manager which are commensurate with the level or responsibility of this post.
Experience and Skills Required
* Experience of practical legal research and writing and familiarity with civil procedure (it is expected that candidates will be familiar with and capable of dealing with issues arising out of the CPR).
* Experience gained in the early years of practice – from either arm of the legal profession - is also desirable, though candidates with comparable early years’ experience (for example in academia) are also eligible to apply.
Essential Criteria
* You must have excellent intellectual and legal ability.
* You must have practical legal research skills, being able to seek and analyse information to inform decisions based on the best available evidence.
* You will be able to communicate complicated factual and legal arguments both orally and in writing, in a thoughtful and concise way.
* You must be detail‑focused when carrying out research tasks and drafting factual narratives.
* Successful candidates will therefore have demonstrated a capacity to make effective decisions and have excellent written and oral communication skills. These will be assessed in application and interview.
Technical Skills / Qualifications
A 2:1 undergraduate degree or better (in law, or another degree with post graduate law qualification). Please note that you are expected to hold this qualification at the time that you apply for the post. Predicted degree grades will not be accepted.
J-18808-Ljbffr