The Criminal Division is seeking to appoint a Legal Adviser Band 2 to review, advise and prosecute criminal and regulatory legal matters. The ideal candidate will be a qualified Jersey Advocate or Jersey Ecrivain, Guernsey Advocate, or a Solicitor/Barrister/Advocate in England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, with experience of appearing in the Magistrate’s and Royal Court or an equivalent court. You must also be able to provide detailed written advice to stakeholders including the police and regulatory bodies. In addition, it would be beneficial to have experience of working in, or on behalf of a specialist unit.

The work will be interesting, challenging and varied, working with different government agencies both in Jersey and internationally. You will have the support of a friendly, inclusive, and highly professional team at the Law Officers’ Department, under the leadership of the Attorney General. The role will also include the supervision of legal advisers, assistant legal advisers, paralegals, and support staff by providing advice and guidance as appropriate. Please contact Linda Forde (l.forde@lawofficers.je) to arrange for an informal discussion.

The Law Officers’ Department "LOD" is officially recognised by Best Companies UK as a ‘very good organisation to work for’. Search for ‘Law Officers’ Department best companies to work for’ to see the independent review of the Department.

Job Purpose

1. Provide legal advice to the States of Jersey Police, Honorary Police, Customs and Immigration and other investigatory authorities in relation to cases under investigation by reviewing the adequacy of the evidence and the public interest tests in accordance with the Code on the decision to prosecute.

2. Supervise, research, and analyse the implications of case law, legislation and regulatory matters and provide advice as appropriate.  This will include supporting the Attorney General and Solicitor General “Law Officers” with research and reasoned advice.

3. Represent the Attorney General in criminal proceedings before the Magistrate’s Court and if suitably qualified the Royal Court.

4. Provide training to the Police and other stakeholders on relevant aspects of criminal law and procedure.

5. Supervise Band 1 legal advisers, assistant legal advisers, and support staff, providing advice and guidance as appropriate.

6. Support the team to plan and deliver their workload in line with LOD and States of Jersey “SoJ” priorities.

7. Ensure adherence to LOD and SoJ administrative procedures and policies including time recording, working within delegated authorities, and monitoring progress.

8. Carry out such other duties as the LOD may reasonably request.

Job Specific Outcomes

This is a busy, established team dealing with a demanding caseload in both the Magistrate’s and Royal Court. The team provides advice to several stakeholders on prosecutions and investigations, covering a wide range of criminal and regulatory offences such as; rape and serious sexual offences, drug importation and supply, violence including homicide, fraud including benefits fraud, and Health and Safety.

Qualifications

Jersey Advocate or Jersey Ecrivain, Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales, Called to the degree of the Utter  Bar of one of the Inns of Court of England and Wales, Member of the Faculty of Advocates or as a Solicitor in Scotland, Called to the Bar of Northern Ireland or as a Solicitor of the Court of Judicature of Northern Ireland, Called to the Bar of Guernsey.

General skills / attributes

The post holder will be able to:

• Present a point of view convincingly and persuasively through rational argument in writing and in person.
• Communicate effectively with stakeholders, defence advocates and other third parties and agencies at all levels of seniority.
• Demonstrate a knowledge of criminal law and procedures and a willingness to learn and or stay abreast of current developments in legal practice, Jersey laws and Jersey Court procedures.
• Interact effectively with colleagues, managers, and other relevant stakeholders to maintain an understanding of a wide range of related activities.
• Work effectively in a team of lawyers to achieve high levels of professional and technical standards, with the ability to supervise and support junior colleagues.
• Confidently and effectively make decisions on a wide range of offences.

Experience

The post holder will have:

• Significant relevant post qualification experience.
• Extensive experience of reviewing and advising upon criminal matters.
• Extensive advocacy experience, including the conduct of trials.
• Ability to demonstrate an aptitude for applying legal theory to practice. 
• Wider criminal knowledge with a competence in more than one specialism of criminal law, such as rape and serious sexual offences, including child sex offences, drug offences, fraud and regulatory offences.
• Experience of handling sensitive matters and dealing with complex or novel areas of law, with the ability to absorb and interpret information quickly and accurately.
• Experience of acting on own initiative and referring to others on more complex cases.
• Broad professional knowledge with a range of experience, which demonstrates the ability to develop, articulate and support conclusions.

Across the Government of Jersey and public service, the scope of our work means our people enjoy a wider range of opportunities – to work with recognised experts across teams, learn new skills and develop their careers. We actively look to recruit people from different backgrounds, with diverse perspectives. This creates a richer, more varied environment, where you’re exposed to new ideas, new ways of thinking and new opportunities, so you can develop an exciting and rewarding career.

Extraordinary, Everyday.