Crown Court Clerk

Ministry of Justice; Royal Leamington Spa; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Ministry of Justice's Crown Court Clerks training programme invites applicants to develop skills for managing hearings, drafting documents, and liaising with judges and participants in a fast-paced environment.

You will support daily Crown Court hearings, work as part of a clerking team, and learn to produce accurate, time-critical court orders and records while adapting to modern digital systems.

Qualifications

• Must be able to speak publicly in court and communicate with Judge and participants.
• Strong written and verbal communication, organisational and prioritisation skills.
• Ability to produce accurate and timely court documents and meet deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Speak publicly in court and liaise with the Judge, defence, prosecution, media, and the public on complex matters.
• Ensure the smooth running of Crown Court sittings, intervene when required and maximise judicial sitting time.
• Produce exact, time-critical court documents and record hearing outcomes accurately.
• Work with the clerking team and adapt to digital solutions for improved service delivery.

Skills

Speak publicly in court

Excellent communication and organising

Accurate document drafting

IT skills & adaptability

Job description

Our Crown Court Clerks are essential to ensure Crown Court hearings run smoothly. They have the self-assurance to speak in court, communicate confidently with the Judge and all participants and the skill to produce accurate and timely Court documents. Our Crown Court Clerk training programme provides a structured yet flexible approach to building the skills required to perform this vital role., 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. HMCTS welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs and are agreed prior to appointment. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the MoJ's Flexible Working policy.

Applications for part-time working would be considered however due to the nature of the role the minimum hours would be 32 hours per week over 5 days.

Skilled Worker Visa

This role is not eligible for new Skilled Worker visas in accordance with the current immigration rules.

From 22 July 2025, the Government introduced changes to the Skilled Worker visa route. The department cannot consider sponsoring you for this role unless you have held a Skilled Worker visa prior to the 22 July 2025 changes. If you have held a Skilled Worker visa continuously, please raise this during your vetting checks and eligibility will be assessed in accordance with the immigration rules and transitional provisions in place.

If you are applying for this role and you have not held a Skilled Worker visa prior to the 22 July 2025 changes, you will need to consider your options for obtaining and/or maintaining your right to work in the UK in light of these changes. Successful applicants must ensure they have and maintain the legal right to live and work in the Civil Service and in the United Kingdom.

The Department will continue to comply with UK Immigration Rules applied in the UK and Civil Service. You can read more about Skilled Worker visas and the eligibility criteria here.

This is a unique position at the heart of justice. It requires high emotional resilience, along with the ability to understand and be sensitive to many, sometime difficult, issues and take a non-judgemental approach to our service users.

You're an active listener and confident communicator; able to speak publicly in court, 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 with the clerking team, you'll ensure the smooth running of all the Crown 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 verdicts, conducting arraignments, producing Court orders and recording hearing outcomes accurately and efficiently.

Resilient, keen to learn and the ability to multi-task, 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

• 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.

This role gives you the opportunity to make a difference in delivery Justice and gives you the benefits developing your career in the Civil Service.

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.