Current Vacancies

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If you have any queries or would like any further information please contact us by email at mailbox@jabs.gov.scot or by telephone on 0131 244 3131.

The Office of Sheriff - Closing Noon Tuesday 19 November

The Office of Sheriff – Closing noon on 19 November 2024

Update on Friday 8 November 2024 at 14:00

JABS has been informed that the Lanark post currently advertised is subject to further consideration.

As soon as the final decision on the post has been communicated to JABS, we will notify applicants.

If you wish to apply for the Lanark post and/or any of the other posts advertised, please mark “Yes” in the appropriate box against the location/s for which you wish to apply. All applications will still need to be received by the closing date of 19th November 2024.

In the event it is decided that the vacancy for Lanark is not to be confirmed, any applications for it will cease to be considered further. However, if you have applied for other posts in addition to Lanark, your application will continue to be processed.

We are sorry for any inconvenience that this situation causes for potential applicants.

Update on Friday 1 November at 16:30

PLEASE NOTE

A Special Case will shortly be heard in the Court of Session regarding eligibility requirements for applicants for the role of Sheriff, specifically that an applicant ..

(b) at the time of appointment—

(i) is legally qualified, and

(ii) has been so qualified throughout the period of 10 years immediately preceding the appointment.

The issue in question is the eligibility of advocates of less than 10 years call, who prior to devilling left the roll of solicitors and who seek to combine their time spent in both legal roles to meet the minimum ten years requirement.

JABS will consider all such applications, providing the applicant is otherwise eligible to apply for the role of Sheriff. However, we cannot ultimately confirm if such applicants are eligible for recommendation until the outcome of the Special Case is known. Candidates should be aware that JABS may not be able to recommend an individual depending on the outcome of the Special Case.

The Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland (JABS) invites applications from suitably qualified and experienced individuals who wish to be considered for appointment to the Office of Sheriff. This is an important opportunity to contribute to justice in Scotland.

The Office of Sheriff Role Profile, provided by the Judicial Office for Scotland, provides applicants with information about the role. The salary for a full-time Sheriff is £167,167.

It is expected that successful applicants will commence training with the Judicial Institute in June 2025 and take up post on completion of this induction.

There are 11 full time vacancies, and all are for resident Sheriffs at the base courts shown below. For all posts there is a requirement to reside within one hour’s travelling distance of the base court. Those appointed will be expected to remain in the location before seeking transfer for a period of 5 years.

See further details on these vacancies and the requirements below.

Sheriffdom	Posts/Base Court(s)	Further details
Glasgow and Strathkelvin	3 x Glasgow Sheriff Court	1 x this post requires someone with considerable experience and knowledge of criminal law, particularly solemn proceedings. 2 x these posts require someone with considerable experience and knowledge of civil law and procedure. Experience in commercial actions, family actions and/or Adults with Incapacity would be advantageous but is not essential.
Grampian, Highlands and Islands	1 x Peterhead	The post holder will be expected to cover all areas of business.
Lothian and Borders	1 x Edinburgh Sheriff Court (ASSPIC)	This post requires considerable experience of Personal Injury litigation at a senior level.
Lothian and Borders	1 x Livingston Sheriff Court	The post holder will be expected to cover all areas of business.
South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway	1 x Ayr Sheriff Court	The post holder will be expected to cover all areas of business. There may be a requirement to work occasionally in other courts within the Sheriffdom.
	1 x Dumfries Sheriff Court	The post holder will be expected to cover all areas of business. A background in civil practice would be desirable. There may be a requirement to work occasionally in other courts within the Sheriffdom.
	1 x Lanark Sheriff Court (Subject to further consideration)	The post holder will be expected to cover all areas of business. There may be a requirement to work occasionally in other courts within the Sheriffdom. JABS has been informed that the Lanark post currently advertised is subject to further consideration. As soon as the final decision on the post has been communicated to JABS, we will notify applicants. If you wish to apply for the Lanark post and/or any of the other posts advertised, please mark “Yes” in the appropriate box against the location/s for which you wish to apply. All applications will still need to be received by the closing date of 19th November 2024. In the event it is decided that the vacancy for Lanark is not to be confirmed, any applications for it will cease to be considered further. However, if you have applied for other posts in addition to Lanark, your application will continue to be processed. We are sorry for any inconvenience that this situation causes for potential applicants.
Tayside, Central & Fife	1 x Stirling Sheriff Court	The post holder will be expected to cover all areas of business. There may be a requirement to work occasionally in other courts within the Sheriffdom.
North Strathclyde	1 x Dumbarton Sheriff Court	The post holder will be expected to cover all areas of business. There may be a requirement to work occasionally in other courts within the Sheriffdom.

The essential requirement for the role of a Sheriff is to possess the ability and legal standing to perform the functions of the office. This requires knowledge and experience not only of civil law and practice but also that relating to summary and solemn crime.

It is essential that those applying for appointment as a Sheriff who do not have knowledge or experience in each of these disciplines demonstrate the ability to acquire knowledge in unfamiliar areas of the law.

We encourage applications from a wide and diverse range of suitably qualified people. The principles of fair and open competition will apply and recommendation for appointment will be made solely on merit.

Please ensure that you read our Guidance Note in full before you start your application.

In order to support candidates applying for the current Office of Sheriff recruitment round, an information session was held virtually on 23rd October 2024.

A recording of the session is available on the JABS Youtube channel: JABS Youtube Channel: Sheriff 25 Information Session Recording

Questions from candidates received during the event have been collated and are available here: Sheriff 25 - Q & A - 1 Nov

To apply please click here.

Applications must be submitted by noon on 19 November 2024

Appointment of a Legal Member (Solicitor) to the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland (JABS) - now closing Noon Friday 22 November

** Public Appointments have extended the deadline for this vacancy to close noon Friday 22 November**

The role of JABS is to recommend to the First Minister or other relevant Minister, individuals for appointment to judicial offices within the Board’s remit. It makes recommendations for the following appointments:

•    Senator of the College of Justice
•    Sheriff Principal
•    Sheriff
•    Part-time Sheriff
•    Summary Sheriff
•    Part-time Summary Sheriff
•    Chair of the Scottish Land Court
•    Scottish Tribunal appointments
•    The Parole Board of Scotland

These recommendations are made solely on merit following an application and assessment process which considers the legal, judicial and personal qualities of candidates. They must also be of good character.

The Board comprises judicial, legal and lay members.

Legal member (Solicitor)

The role of the legal member (Solicitor) is to participate in decision-making on the suitability of individual applicants for judicial appointment and contribute to the development of the board’s policies.

Applicants will wish to be aware that we are operating a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants with disabilities. For further information, please see the applicant information pack .

Scottish Ministers welcome applications from people from a wide range of backgrounds who have the following skills/knowledge/experience.

For further infomation and how to apply, please see the Scottish Government Website.

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