Court Associate

Ministry of Justice; Grimsby; Hybrid; GBP 27,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Job summary

Ministry of Justice's HM Courts & Tribunals Service is recruiting Our Court Associates to support Magistrates Court hearings. You will work onsite with a hybrid arrangement, ensuring smooth proceedings and accurate court documents. The role is customer-facing, requiring clear communication with the Judge, defence, prosecution and public.

Standard full-time hours are 37 per week. The position offers hybrid working where 60% office-based and flexible arrangements may apply, with opportunities to

Qualifications

• Experience in a customer-facing role within a public sector environment.
• Ability to produce accurate court documents to strict deadlines.
• Strong communication skills, able to liaise with Judge and participants.
• Proficient IT skills to adapt to new systems and digital solutions.

Responsibilities

• Ensure Magistrates Court hearings run smoothly on a day-to-day basis.
• Produce accurate and timely court documents and orders.
• Communicate confidently with the Judge, defence, prosecution and public.
• Work onsite with a hybrid working arrangement as required.

Skills

Public speaking

Court documentation

Customer service

IT literacy

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Our Court Associates

Our Court Associates are essential to ensure Magistrates Court hearings run smoothly. They have the self‑assurance to communicate confidently with the Judge and all participants and the skill to produce accurate and timely Court documents.

These operational roles are customer facing, requiring successful applicants to be office based to provide HMCTS services to the public. Standard full‑time working hours are 37 hours per week.

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non‑contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and/or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity. Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone's circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review. For nationally advertised role: all successful candidates will be appointed to the nearest viable office nearest to their home postcode and on its respective pay scale. This will be at either a HQ building (subject to desk allocation, a Justice Collaboration Centre (JCC) or a Justice Satellite Office (JSO) - See Map). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity. For current MoJ employees, your base location will need to be changed to the nearest viable office (to your home postcode), either at a HQ building, JCC or JSO within the National Office Network and moved its location's respective pay scale (any legacy arrangements/locations will need to be amended). Some of MoJ's terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made. MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain their grade on lateral transfer. All candidates who are currently in receipt of Mark Time / Pay Protection should ensure they are familiar with the new policy on permanent and temporary promotion which can be found on the employee intranet.

Flexible working hours The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices. Standard full‑time working hours are 37 hours per week. MoJ welcomes part‑time, flexible and job‑sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part‑time, flexible and job‑sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the MoJ's Flexible Working policy.

A sift based on the lead behaviour, Managing a Quality Service, may be held if a large number of applications are received. If a large number of applications remain after the initial sift, your application will be progressed to a full sift, where all behaviours will then be considered.

Behaviours Application Form Question Word Limit 250 Managing a Quality Service Experience We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods: Statement of Suitability Statement of Suitability Guidance for the Statement of Suitability. Please tell us why you are suitable for this role. Demonstrate your transferrable skills, knowledge and experience against the essential criteria outlined in the job description. This can be work or education based or gained in other environments such as volunteering. Using the full word count and providing personalised real‑life evidence of experience gained will help achieve the highest scores. Evidence of Experience Statement of Suitability Interview stage assessments Interview Dates Interviews expected to take place November/December 2026, via Microsoft Teams.

Behaviours Working Together Communicating and Influencing Delivering at Pace Strengths Strengths will be assessed but these are not shared in advance. To learn more about Strengths and how they are assessed please click here. Level of security checks required DBS Standard

You're a confident communicator; able to speak publicly, with the self‑assurance to confidently liaise with the Judge, the defence, prosecution, media, members of the public and more, regarding complex and sensitive matters in a calm and professional manner. A real team player, working within a Legal Team and with a Judge, you'll ensure the smooth running of all the Magistrates Courts sitting daily, able to intervene in Court when required and maximise judicial sitting time. With experience in producing exact and time critical documentation, your ability to focus will be key in taking pleas, producing Court orders and recording hearing outcomes accurately and efficiently. Resilient and keen to learn, you're familiar with working within process and have the IT skills to adapt to new systems and technologies as we're constantly investing in digital solutions to improve the way we deliver the justice people deserve in today's world.

Your skills and experience · Ability to be a supportive team player delivering excellent customer service and achieve effective performance. · Able to speak publicly and within a court room environment. · Excellent communication, organisational and prioritisation skills. · Ability to complete documents accurately and to deadlines. · IT proficient with the ability to learn and adapt to different technologies and software packages.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is responsible for the administration of criminal, civil and family Courts and Tribunals in England and Wales. Our roles support our service users and colleagues within HMCTS, where people and businesses access potentially life‑changing justice. We’re looking for individuals who are committed to public service and making a difference in people's lives to deliver justice. 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 and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. A Great Place to Work for Veterans The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces. For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making