Litigation Caseworker
Description
- Job grade: Executive Officer
- Contract type: Permanent
- Business area: HO - Asylum Group
- Type of role: Operational Delivery
- Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time, Compressed hours
- Number of jobs available: 15
Location
About the job
Job summary
The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) determine who can visit, study, work and stay in the UK, protecting national security and supporting lawful migration. We support the economy and society by licencing organisations and deciding visa applications. We operate the United Kingdom's asylum system, providing protection to vulnerable people while working with partners to help refugees access essential services.
Job description
The Asylum Group is driving the government’s commitment to operate a fair, efficient and transparent asylum system. The key priorities include, operational excellence, ending the use of hotels to house asylum seekers and reducing the number of people supported by the asylum system.
The Litigation and Strategic Challenge command (LSC) sits within Asylum Group and is an interesting, challenging and rewarding place to work. LSC Litigation Operations teams are responsible for managing pre-action protocol correspondence and judicial review challenges, often to tight legal deadlines. Some of the legal challenges we manage are complex, novel and politically sensitive and our handling is often in the public eye.
These posts offer a great opportunity to join the Home Office and develop a career within the Civil Service.
As a litigation caseworker you will predominantly work on pre-action protocol work and managing judicial review challenges. In England and Wales judicial reviews are lodged in the Upper Tribunal and High Court and caseworkers work closely with the Government Legal Department (GLD). You may also be involved in cases progressing to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court or take on litigation cost negotiation or private law claim work. Our team based in Glasgow, predominantly manages litigation across the Scottish and Northern Irish jurisdictions, working with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and the Crown Solicitors Office (CSO) accordingly.
Initially, you will develop expertise in a particular area of immigration – perhaps around entry clearance or asylum and, as you gain experience, there will be opportunities for you to take on a wider range of areas. With the support of colleagues, you will become skilled at identifying which decisions should be defended and which may need to be reconsidered. You will need to prioritise and organise your work appropriately to ensure legal deadlines are met and quality is maintained.
You will respond to pre-action protocol correspondence as it arrives and be responsible for drafting clear responses setting out the Home Office position to the challenges, seeking input from operational decision makers as needed. If challenges proceed to judicial review, you will continue to work alongside operational decision makers, policy colleagues and other professional stakeholders to provide clear and timely instruction to the GLD, OAG or CSO.
Ultimately, you will be responsible for the management of the judicial review from the start to the end, so will gain experience in litigation handling, preparing cases for court and managing conclusions.
Key Responsibilities:
- Assessing the challenges set out in pre-action protocol correspondence or judicial review claims against UK immigration legislation, guidance and policy to inform decision making.
- Responding to pre-action protocol correspondence and referring to operational areas for action to remedy any original errors in the decision being challenged.
- Escalating policy or procedural issues arising from pre-action protocol correspondence, judicial review claims and private law damages claims.
- Liaising with and instructing, government lawyers to achieve an agreed course of action in managing litigation, including approving grounds of defence on behalf of Secretary of State for the Home Department.
- Supporting government lawyers and counsel on defending cases at the oral or substantive hearing stages, including securing witness statements when needed.
- Making decisions to settle litigation and working with stakeholders to secure financial authority where it is appropriate to do so, to ensure the best cost outcomes.
- Maintaining accurate records of activities/work completed across a range of IT systems.
The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary.
Working Pattern
This role is available on a full-time basis with the option of compressed hours working. This role is also suitable for part-time working hours, with a minimum requirement to work 4 days / 28 hours per week due to business requirements.
Training
Please note that you may need to have increased availability/flexibility during the training period.
Successful candidates may be expected to attend the office for the full duration of the training programme.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
- A minimum of a 2:2 degree in law or direct experience in managing a caseload of litigation, including experience of drafting legal documents.
- Ability to analyse complex information with a focus on identifying errors and irregularities.
- Good communication and customer service skills with a particular emphasis on excellent written/drafting skills.
- Ability to comply with set standards following guidance and procedures to develop a strong working knowledge of immigration law.
- Experience or ability to make high quality decisions in a changing and time pressured environment.
Qualifications
It is essential that you hold the required qualification(s) for this role at the time of application. Evidence of your qualification(s) will be checked during the selection process. Candidates who do not hold the required qualification(s) or are unable to provide evidence, will be deemed ineligible and withdrawn from the recruitment process.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Managing a Quality Service
Benefits
In addition to your salary, a career with the Home Office offers a range of benefits, including:
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
- In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements.
- 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service to 30 days.
- Eight days of public holidays, plus one additional privilege day.
- Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office.
- See more of our benefits on our careers website.
Sign-up on our website to receive emails with information about careers at the Home Office.
Things you need to know
Artificial intelligence
Selection process details
This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.
We will endeavour to conduct the selection process in line with the dates indicated below, but cannot guarantee that these will not, where necessary, be revised.
As part of the application process, you will first be asked to confirm your eligibility by providing some basic personal information.
After submission of this first stage, you will be invited to complete the following Civil Service Casework Skills test.
- Online Test – by 17th November 2026
If you successfully pass the Casework Skills test, you will be invited to complete the full application form. Please complete the online test(s) as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended). If you fail to complete the online test(s) or full application before the deadline, your application will be withdrawn.
Guidance for the Civil Service test(s) will be available when you are invited to take the test(s). The online tests are accessed via the Civil Service Jobs website.
You cannot complete the tests on a mobile phone or tablet.
Following successful completion of your test/s, you will then be asked to complete the full application form.
You will be directed to the Talogy - True Talent – Scheduled Maintenance Window Webpage for online tests during an outage.
Our online test supplier will be performing scheduled maintenance between 4pm and midnight on 1st November and between midnight on Saturday 14 November and 6am on Monday 16 November. You will be unable to access tests during this period.
If you are in the middle of a test when the maintenance begins, your progress will be paused. You will be able to resume your test from where you left off via your application centre once the downtime has ended. Please note that you will not be able to launch any new tests while the system is offline.
2. Application – by 17th November 2026
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:
- Personal Statement (maximum 500 words).
The Personal Statement should be aligned to and demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience set out in the essential criteria, detailed in the job description.
Please ensure your degree or evidence of your litigation experience is clearly detailed within your statement as this is one of the essential criteria it will be assessed against.
For guidance and information on how to construct your application (Personal Statement), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.
3. Sift – commencing 19th November 2026
The sift will be held on the Personal Statement.
4. Interview – commencing 11th January 2027
If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview that will be Behaviours (as listed in the job advert) and Strength based questions.
The interview will take place via MS Teams.
For guidance and information on what to expect and how to prepare for an interview, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers.
Problems during the application process
If you experience problems accessing this advert, or you think you’ve made a mistake on an initial application, please contact [email protected], including the vacancy reference, at least two working days before the vacancy closes. Further information can be found on our website.
Do not create or attempt to submit another application, online test or use a different Civil Service Jobs account to proceed as this would be in violation of the candidate declaration.
Location Preferences
You can select up to two locations in order of preference. Please ensure that these are locations you are prepared to travel to. If you are offered a role at one of your preferred location(s) and you decline, your application will be withdrawn.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made. There is no guarantee that being held on a reserve list will lead to a job offer. Further information can be found on our website.
Reserve lists will be held for each location. Candidates will be appointed in merit order by location.
Please note: Currently not all locations have vacancies, however a reserve list will be held to cover any future vacancies.
Breaking Tied Scores
The behaviours and strengths have been ranked in order of importance to enable us to differentiate between candidates with tied interview scores.
Standards
All Civil Servants are expected to comply with the Civil Service Code, and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.
Additional Security Checks
As well as successfully obtaining UK Security Vetting clearance, candidates will be subject to a range of additional checks. The range of checks carried out will depend on whether you are a current Home Office employee, existing civil servant or an external new entrant as well as the role requirements. Further details are included in the Notes to Candidates.
Further Information
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service/Disclosure Scotland on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct.
If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email [email protected]
Reasonable Adjustments
If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact Government Recruitment Service via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
- Complete the “Assistance Required” section in the “Additional Requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
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
Working for the Civil Service
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).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Home Office Resourcing Centre (HORC)
- Email : [email protected]
Recruitment team
- Email : [email protected]
Further information
Attachments
| candidate_information_v18_July_2026 Opens in new window (pdf, 8MB) |
| 2025-11-17 Pre-employment Checking - Document Requirements (V17) Opens in new window (pdf, 231kB) |
Share this page
- Gmail