Legal advisor

Legal advisors work within the legal system of England and Wales. They provide advice on the law and court practices and procedures to help magistrates reach their decisions. They give advice on the correct sentences for particular offences, as well as guidance on difficult points of law.

Also known as:

Court legal advisor
Justices’ court clerk
Magistrates’ court clerk

Work activities

Legal advisors provide advice to magistrates during magistrates court proceedings, explaining points of law and court procedure, and advising on the correct penalty or sentence to give the offender. Legal advisors are involved in a wide range of areas, including:

Youth courts for juvenile offenders.
Family proceedings courts that decide issues of child care, contact and adoption.
Fine enforcement courts and licensing applications for alcohol, betting and gaming.

During the proceedings, legal advisors identify defendants, read out charges, take notes and record decisions. They also offer help to the members of public who must appear in court. They explain the charge and what’s going to happen in the court. Defendants who do not have their own legal representatives may ask a legal advisor for help. Both before and after case hearings, legal advisors may work closely with police officers, solicitors, social workers and probation officers. Some travel in the local area may be required for legal advisors, for example, to view the premises of people applying for licences.

Personal qualities and skills

As a legal advisor, you will need:

A wide knowledge of the law.
To be able to think quickly, and gather and analyse facts quickly.
Very strong communication skills to explain complex legal points quickly and clearly to the magistrates.
To be organised and methodical when dealing with your own work, and when allocating tasks to junior members of staff.
The ability to communicate effectively with people from widely different backgrounds.
To be able to explain things clearly to defendants who may never have been in court before.

Pay and opportunities

Legal advisors are paid on a rising scale. The pay rates given are approximate. Legal advisors earn in the range £21,000, rising to £41,000 with experience.

Legal advisors usually work a basic 33-40-hour week, Monday to Friday. Some courts require an early start, usually 8-8.30 am, and there may be some evening committee work. Occasionally, special hearings take place at weekends. Some travel in the local area may be required, for example, to view the premises of people applying for licences.

Her Majesty’s Courts Service (HMCS) employs legal advisors to work in the 600 Crown and County Courts throughout England and Wales. Legal advisors work in courts in towns and cities throughout England and Wales.

Where are vacancies advertised?

Vacancies are advertised on all the major job boards and on the HMCS website.

Entry routes and training

To become a legal advisor, you must be a qualified barrister or solicitor. For full entry routes, please refer to the relevant career profiles. To become a barrister or solicitor, firstly you’ll need a qualifying law degree or you can do a degree in a subject other than law and follow it with either a one-year full-time (two years part-time) course leading to the Common Professional Examination (CPE) or the postgraduate Diploma in Law (PgDL). Entry is also possible for Fellows of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) who have also completed the Legal Practice Course (LPC).

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act: This career is an exception to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. This means that you must supply information to an employer about any spent or unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands or warnings, if they ask you to. This is different from other careers, where you only have to reveal information on unspent convictions if you are asked to.

Qualifications

To enter a degree course in law, you usually need:

Three A-levels.
GCSEs at grades 9-4 or above in your A-level subjects.
A further two to three GCSEs at grades 9-4 or above, including English and maths.

Other qualifications are often acceptable as alternatives to A-levels, for example:

Edexcel (BTEC) level 3 National qualifications.
International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma.

Because of very strong competition for places on all legal courses, successful applicants usually have high A level grades - you should check prospectuses carefully for specific requirements. To get onto an Advanced Level Apprenticeship, you’ll usually need GCSEs at grades 9-4 or above, including English and maths, or to have completed an Intermediate Level Apprenticeship.

Adult opportunities

Age limits: It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

You must first qualify as a solicitor or barrister to become a legal advisor. If you are a non-graduate and want to become a barrister, you should contact the Bar Standards Board to see if any experience and qualifications you have could enable you to enter training (this is at the Bar Standards Board’s discretion). An alternative, non-graduate, route to becoming a solicitor is to first qualify as a legal executive. To do this, you must have passed the membership qualifications of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) and have at least five years’ qualifying legal experience (including at least two years after passing all the examinations).

Some individual academic institutions relax academic entry requirements for law degree courses. If you don’t have the qualifications needed to enter your chosen degree or HND course, a college or university Access course (e.g., Access to Law) could be the way in. These courses are designed for people who have not followed the usual routes into HE. No formal qualifications are usually needed, but you should check this with individual colleges.

Related careers

Advocate
Lawyer
Legal executive
Paralegal
Solicitor