Law Commission Research Assistant - Criminal Law Team (Ref:13040)

This position is based at 102 PETTY FRANCE (MOJ) LONDON, SW1H 9AJ

Job Summary

Please refer to Job Description

Job Description

RESEARCH ASSISTANT POSTS AT THE LAW COMMISSION - CRIMINAL LAW TEAM

Details of these posts are set out in the separate Guide for Applicants available at: How to apply – Law Commission

The general guide is available on our website, and Welsh translations of both the How to Apply guide and the General Guide are also provided on the website.

You MUST read the Guide for Applicants before applying. The skills and qualifications required for the posts, including minimum academic criteria are set out in the guide. If you attempt to apply without reading the guide first, your application is likely to fail automatically.

There is a separate recruitment campaign for each of our four legal teams. This campaign is for the Criminal Law Team. Please ensure you submit your application to the correct team. Please only apply to one team as it is not our practice to consider multiple applications.

The posts are offered on a fixed term basis of up to 103 weeks (two years), with the option for a 52-week (one-year) contract if preferred by the successful candidate.

If a large number of applications are received, a sift based on the lead experience of Legal Research may be held. If a large number of applications remain after the initial sift, an additional sift of all the remaining criteria will be done on those applications which passed the initial sift.

The Law Commission

The Law Commission is a statutory body set up under the Law Commissions Act 1965 to keep the law of England and Wales under review and to recommend reform where it is needed.

Its Aims Are:

• To ensure that the law is fair, modern, simple and as cost-effective as possible
• To conduct research and consultations in order to make recommendations for reform for consideration by Parliament
• To codify the law, eliminate anomalies, repeal obsolete and unnecessary enactments and reduce the number of separate statutes
  
  

The Law Commission is an independent non-departmental body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice. Further information about the Law Commission and its work can be obtained from here.

RESEARCH ASSISTANT POSTS AT THE LAW COMMISSION - CRIMINAL LAW TEAM

Details of these posts are set out in the separate Guide for Applicants available at: How to apply – Law Commission

The general guide is available on our website, and Welsh translations of both the How to Apply guide and the General Guide are also provided on the website.

You MUST read the Guide for Applicants before applying. The skills and qualifications required for the posts, including minimum academic criteria are set out in the guide. If you attempt to apply without reading the guide first, your application is likely to fail automatically.

There is a separate recruitment campaign for each of our four legal teams. This campaign is for the Criminal Law Team. Please ensure you submit your application to the correct team. Please only apply to one team

as it is not our practice to consider multiple applications.

The posts are offered on a fixed term basis of up to 103 weeks (two years), with the option for a 52-week (one-year) contract if preferred by the successful candidate.

If a large number of applications are received, a sift based on the lead experience of Legal Research may be held. If a large number of applications remain after the initial sift, an additional sift of all the remaining criteria will be done on those applications which passed the initial sift.

The Law Commission

The Law Commission is a statutory body set up under the Law Commissions Act 1965 to keep the law of England and Wales under review and to recommend reform where it is needed.

Its Aims Are:

• To ensure that the law is fair, modern, simple and as cost-effective as possible
• To conduct research and consultations in order to make recommendations for reform for consideration by Parliament
• To codify the law, eliminate anomalies, repeal obsolete and unnecessary enactments and reduce the number of separate statutes
  
  

The Law Commission is an independent non-departmental body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice. Further information about the Law Commission and its work can be obtained from here.

Person specification

Qualifications

By September 2026, candidates should have completed two years of full-time legal studies (or part-time equivalent) and achieved results at first-class or good 2:1 level, with some first-class work. Applicants with a GDL/CPE plus LPC/BPC, or SQE 1 and 2, may also apply.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
  
  

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Motivational Fit
  
  

Alongside your salary of £40,014, Ministry of Justice contributes £11,592 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Access to learning and development
• A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Annual Leave
• Public Holidays
• Season Ticket Advance
  
  

For more information about the recruitment process, benefits and allowances and answers to general queries, please click the below link which will direct you to our Candidate Information Page.

Link: https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Ability, Experience and Technical skills.

https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Ability, Experience and Technical skills.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
  
  

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job Contact :

• Name : SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team
• Email : moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Telephone : 0345 241 5359

Recruitment team

• Email : moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
  
  

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles and would like to raise this, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance. If the role has been advertised externally (outside of the Civil Service) and you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitment/complaints/

https://jobs.justice.gov.uk/careers/JobDetail/13040?entityId=13040