Legal Case Officer

Appeals, Litigation and Administrative Review (ALAR) is part of the Asylum & Protection business area within the Home Office. The team is made up of nearly 900 staff, across 15 locations, and is responsible for defending tens of thousands of immigration decisions and dealing with applications for appeal. We’re currently recruiting Entry Level Legal Case Officers, also known as ‘Presenting Officers’, to represent the Home Office and act as effective advocates within the Immigration Tribunal environment.

About the role

As a Legal Case Officer, you’ll join a busy team preparing and presenting cases at the local Tribunal Hearing Centre. In some cases, you might need to travel to a Hearing Centre that’s located elsewhere or present via video link. You’ll also be reviewing immigration decisions and responses to legal representations. This is a challenging role that requires resilience in the face of a complex and adversarial legal environment, but it can also be extremely rewarding.

You will have a degree of flexibility and autonomy in managing your workload, deciding how to pursue cases and develop your own style and approach. Legal Case Officers develop strong communication skills, the ability to make decisions and review information quickly and deal with complex legal arguments.

You’ll undergo a training period at the start, which includes mentoring and a foundation programme to provide you with a solid base of knowledge. You’ll then be supported to continue your learning as you need. No experience necessary.

Key responsibilities

• Presenting cases before the Immigration Tribunal 60% of the time.

• Reviewing and preparing cases and reviewing decisions, alongside legal representation.

• Provide cross-examination in a court environment.

• Review immigration work in line with rules, instructions, guidance and standards.

• Develop strong working relationships with key stakeholders at all levels.

What you’ll need

• The ability to gain a strong working knowledge of immigration law.

• The ability to work in an environment with key skills in communicating and influencing with a range of external stakeholders.

• Ability to work in a changing and time-pressured environment.

• Strong analytical skills.

Benefits

Alongside a competitive salary of £38,350 - £41,035 we also offer a range of benefits, including:

• Learning and development tailored to your role

• An environment with flexible working options

• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

• A Civil Service pension, with an average employer contribution of 27%

• A hybrid working pattern may be available for these roles.

How to apply

We recommend you read the full job description on the Civil Service Careers website before you apply. It will help you to understand what we require from candidates and to know what the recruitment process looks like. Applications close at 23.55 on Thursday 7th December 2023.