Legal Jobs In Scotland

Scotland has its own legal system that is different from England and Wales. For instance, there is no separate probation service; youth crime and offending is dealt through the Children’s Panel. The Justice system in Scotland is the responsibility of the Scottish Government and includes the courts, criminal prosecution and the prisons.

Legal jobs will appeal most to those with an interest in working with people. Most jobs are full time; in 2004 more than 90% of all workers were full-time.About 80% of both police and prison officers are male. In Scotland, 60% of all solicitors and 77% of all advocates are male.A third of the workforce is aged between 35-44 years. Jobs for school leavers tend to be limited as the work requires a degree of maturity.

The legal services sector provides a range of services for clients needing legal help. A solicitor is the first point of contact for clients; advocates represent clients in the courts on the instruction of solicitors.

If you are looking to secure work in this industry sector, you can expect to be applying for some of these jobs;

• Commercial lawyer jobs
• Conveyancing jobs
• Family law jobs
• Lawyer jobs
• Legal cashier jobs
• Legal executive jobs
• Legal secretary jobs
• Paralegal jobs
• Personal injury jobs
• Probate jobs
• Solicitor jobs

In Scotland, there are approximately 37,100 staff employed in the justice sector as a whole. The majority of jobs are in the public sector.There are an increasing number of private sector firms working in the sector.

More than four-in-ten (43%) medium-sized law firms have reduced graduate recruitment over the last year, according to a recent poll from legal referrals service, Contact Law.*

The research also shows 56% of law firms surveyed have seen a rise in job applications from graduates, an overwhelming 76% confirmed they have no plans to recruit graduates in the year.

Dan Watkins, director, Contact Law, says: “The results of our survey are stark. Three quarters of medium-sized law firms are not planning to recruit graduates over the next 12 months. Graduate lawyers need to be prepared for a tough year, as firms concentrate on maintaining current staffing levels and put their recruitment drives on hold. It also means that the competition for the few vacancies on offer will be fierce.

“To improve their prospects of picking up a graduate contract, applicants may be wise to focus on firms which specialise in legal areas that have seen steady growth over the past two years, such as those specialising in family law, employment and commercial disputes.”

Two thirds of in-house lawyers claim they are more attracted by the prospect of a four-day week than a year ago, according to research from legal recruiter Laurence Simons.

Two in three said they are willing to cut their salary by a fifth and lose £16,500 a year to have a three-day weekend, with just 6% less attracted to a four-day week than this time last year, while just over a quarter of respondents did not feel differently.

In the custodial sector, nearly 24,000 are with the eight Scottish Police Forces. There are just over 4,500 staff employed in the 15 Scottish prisons; managed by the Scottish Prison Service.Kilmarnock Prison is run by Premier Custodial Group, and is Scotland's only private run prison.

Jobs in legal services are not always easy to get. (460 advocates and 9,100 solicitors in Scotland)

The legal industry is to remain stable over the next 10 years. Job prospects in this industry are subject to change in the political views of the government of the day.

Scottish Jobs On The Net have an excellent working relationship with employers and recruitment agencies in the Legal Services industry. Bookmark this page, and save to your favourites to ensure you don’t miss out on the vacancies we advertise.

*Source Recruiter July 2011