23102 - Senior Casework Lawyer

Proud to serve. Proud to keep justice going

Background

His Majesty’s 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 provide citizens with 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.

Consequently, there are high expectations of all staff regardless of the job they do, and high performance is expected from everybody. The organisation is continuously adopting new or better ways of working to ensure that it focuses on that which is essential. HMCTS Senior Management Team expects all leaders to operate in a culture of openness and honesty, demonstrating a commitment to change through involvement and empowerment, and by delivering results.

Introduction

Legal Operations in the Royal Courts of Justice and Upper Tribunal provides high-quality legal and operational support to the judiciary across the Court of Appeal, High Court, Upper Tribunal, and associated specialist jurisdictions. The function delivers authoritative legal advice, case management and decision-making support, ensuring that proceedings are conducted fairly, efficiently and in accordance with legislation, procedural rules and judicial guidance. Legal Operations works closely with the judiciary, court users and justice partners to support the effective administration of justice, exercising delegated powers where authorised, managing complex and sensitive casework, and leading continuous improvement in service delivery, governance, people capability and ways of working.

Role purpose

This is a senior legal role at the heart of some of the most complex and significant work undertaken across the Royal Courts of Justice and Upper Tribunal. Senior Casework Lawyers provide senior professional legal expertise and delegated decision-making support to the judiciary across the RCJ and Upper Tribunal jurisdictions. Operating with a high degree of autonomy, postholders are accountable for the delivery of legally robust, efficient and fair case management, exercising authorised judicial or quasi-judicial functions where applicable, and acting as trusted advisers to judges, court users and justice partners.

In addition to delivering complex casework, Senior Casework Lawyers are expected to provide professional leadership within their area of expertise, contributing to the development of colleagues, the continuous improvement of legal services, and the maintenance of consistent professional standards across Legal Operations. Through their expertise, judgement and influence, postholders support organisational priorities and help ensure the effective delivery of justice across jurisdictions.

Jurisdiction-specific responsibilities, statutory powers and specialist expertise are set out in the annexes.

Key accountabilities

1. Case Management and Decision‑Making

• Take responsibility for proactive end-to-end case management, ensuring proceedings are progressed fairly, efficiently and in accordance with relevant procedural rules, practice directions and the overriding objective.
• Exercise authorised or delegated judicial / registrar functions confidently and lawfully, within agreed governance and escalation frameworks.
• Identify urgency, complexity, linked issues and test cases; ensure appropriate prioritisation and escalation of high-risk or high-impact matters.
• Maintain accurate oversight of caseloads, ensuring delay is minimised and statutory or judicial time limits are met.

1. Legal Analysis and Professional Expertise

• Produce clear, accurate and well‑reasoned legal analysis, advice and notes to support judicial decision-making.
• Maintain authoritative and up-to-date knowledge of relevant substantive law, procedural rules and case law.
• Identify emerging trends, novel points of law or procedural risk, and advise on their implications for case management and service delivery.
• Undertake proportionate legal research where required, applying sound professional judgement and legal risk awareness.

1. Judicial and Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as a trusted professional interface between the judiciary and Legal Operations, responding promptly and constructively to queries.
• Communicate complex legal or procedural issues clearly to judges, legal professionals, court users and litigants in person.
• Maintain effective working relationships with administrative staff, justice partners and (where relevant) external agencies.

1. Professional Leadership and Capability

• Work collaboratively across Legal Operations, sharing expertise and promoting consistent legal practice.
• Provide professional leadership within their area of expertise, including coaching, mentoring and constructive challenge.
• Support the development of legal and operational capability through knowledge sharing, guidance and training.
• Act as a role model for professional excellence, integrity, inclusion and public service values. Contribute to an inclusive and high-performing professional culture.

1. Governance, Assurance and Risk

• Ensure decisions are appropriately recorded, auditable and compliant with governance requirements.
• Escalate matters outside delegated authority or involving material legal, procedural or reputational risk.

1. Service Improvement and Organisational Contribution

• Contribute professional expertise to cross-jurisdictional initiatives, governance forums, reform activity and organisational priorities.
• Lead or support improvements to quality, efficiency, consistency and service outcomes.
• Act as a recognised subject matter expert within Legal Operations, supporting business planning, service improvement and policy development where required.
• Represent Legal Operations at internal and external meetings, forums or working groups as appropriate, providing informed professional advice and contributing to organisational decision-making.

Qualifications and experience

Essential

• Qualified to practise as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales (i.e. having completed training contract, pupillage or qualifying period of employment) with post qualification experience in a relevant area of law.
• Demonstrated ability to analyse complex legal and procedural issues, exercise sound professional judgement and make robust decisions, including where information is incomplete or priorities compete.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, including the ability to explain complex legal issues clearly.
• Experience of managing complex legal casework with a high degree of autonomy, including identifying and resolving legal and procedural issues and managing competing priorities.
• Experience of positively influencing professional practice, supporting the development of others or contributing to organisational improvement beyond individual casework responsibilities.

Desirable

• Experience of working within courts or tribunals.
• Experience of exercising delegated judicial or registrar functions.
• Specialist expertise relevant to the applicable jurisdiction (see annexes).

Scope and flexibility

This overarching profile applies across Legal Operations. Jurisdiction-specific responsibilities, statutory powers or specialist expertise are set out in the relevant annex or annexes, ensuring consistency while retaining necessary specialism. Each annex describes an equivalent Grade 7 Senior Casework Lawyer role, adapted to its jurisdictional context. Individual responsibilities of post-holders may cover one or more areas outlined in jurisdictional annexes.

Other duties

The post holder is required to work in a flexible way and to undertake any other duties reasonably requested by line management which are commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of this post.

Accountability

Postholders report to a Senior Legal Manager (Grade 6)

ANNEX G – The Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber)

Specialism: Immigration and asylum appellate and judicial review casework, delegated judicial functions and Chamber-wide legal support.

This annex sets out the additional delegated responsibilities, specialist functions and areas of expertise required for Senior Casework Lawyers working within the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber). It should be read alongside the overarching Senior Casework Lawyer role profile.

G1. Immigration, asylum and public law case management

Postholders will:

• Provide high-quality legal and procedural support to the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), ensuring the effective and lawful progression of appeals, judicial review proceedings and related applications.
• Take a primary lead in proactive end-to-end case management, identifying barriers or risks to progression and ensuring cases are progressed efficiently, delay is minimised and the interests of justice are upheld.
• Manage complex, urgent or high-profile cases, including taking responsibility at short notice and conducting case management hearings or pre-hearing reviews where authorised.
• Maintain oversight of the caseload as a whole, identify linked issues and potential test cases, and ensure important or high-profile matters are appropriately recorded, prioritised and escalated.

G2. Exercise of delegated judicial functions

Postholders will:

• Exercise the range of judicial or quasi-judicial functions delegated by the Chamber President, within the scope of individual authorisation and demonstrated competence.
• Exercise judicial discretion and independence in case management decisions, ensuring decisions are legally robust, properly reasoned and appropriately recorded.
• Recognise matters outside delegated authority or involving material legal, procedural or reputational risk and ensure timely escalation to judicial or managerial colleagues.

G3. Specialist immigration, asylum and public law expertise

Postholders will:

• Maintain authoritative and up-to-date expertise in immigration and asylum law, public law, the Tribunal Procedure (Upper Tribunal) Rules 2008, and relevant practice directions, practice statements and practice notes.
• Identify the pertinent legal issues in difficult or contentious cases, undertake proportionate legal research and apply relevant legislation and case law to support sound outcomes.
• Provide clear guidance on the procedural requirements of judicial review and statutory appeals to UTIAC colleagues, professional users and litigants in person.
• Acquire and apply knowledge of new jurisdictions or practice areas that come within the scope of the Chamber.

G4. Judicial and stakeholder engagement

Postholders will:

• Work closely with the Chamber President, Upper Tribunal judges, the Senior Legal Manager, lawyers, legal officers and operational teams, acting as a trusted professional interface on legal and procedural matters.
• Communicate effectively with professional court users, litigants in person, user groups and representative organisations, including through case management hearings where required.
• Prepare reports and papers, make representations and recommendations, and act as an advocate for the Chamber in internal and external forums as appropriate.

G5. Professional leadership, training and improvement

Postholders will:

• Support the identification of legal knowledge and skills needs and contribute to the design, delivery and evaluation of training for legal officers and other staff.
• Lead or support proportionate development projects affecting the Chamber or its legal processes, planning the work, engaging stakeholders, maintaining appropriate documentation and communicating outcomes.
• Work collaboratively across UTIAC to develop more effective and efficient ways of working, considering wider policy and organisational implications beyond the postholder’s immediate area of responsibility.
• Share expertise and support the development of colleagues, strengthening capability, consistency and resilience across the Chamber.

G6. Governance, assurance and service resilience

Postholders will:

• Contribute to governance, assurance and risk management arrangements relating to UTIAC casework and delegated decision-making.
• Support consistency, quality assurance and continuous improvement in Chamber processes and working practices.
• Assist in maintaining service resilience, including covering urgent work and supporting colleagues across UTIAC where necessary.