Job title: Lawyer
Salary: £79,953 or £88,540 (dependent on experience).
Location(s): Central London. National and international travel will be infrequent and is not an expected aspect of the job.
Flexible working: Although remote working, or home working will not be possible, other flexible working options such as part-time (minimum three days per week), compressed hours and job shares would all be considered.
MI5 keeps the country safe from serious threats like terrorism and attempts by states to harm the UK, its people and way of life. We carry out investigations by obtaining, analysing and assessing intelligence, and then work with a range of partners, including MI6 and GCHQ to disrupt these threats. Through our protective security arm, we provide advice and guidance to government, businesses and other organisations about how to keep themselves safe. A role in MI5 means you’ll do unique and challenging work in a supportive and encouraging environment, making a real difference to UK national security.
MI5’s mission is to keep the country safe and protect national security. We are looking for lawyers to help deliver that mission, but previous experience of national security law is not essential. We are looking for bright and agile legal minds – irrespective of personal and professional background – to support and deliver our mission across a whole range of legal disciplines and practice areas, many of which are unique to the world of intelligence and national security and all of which are exciting, varied and at the cutting-edge of the law.
Experience of national security law is not essential, as long as you are a solicitor or barrister, qualified to practise in England and Wales.
Working in one of our legal teams (but with the expectation that over time you will work across all our legal teams), you will deal with novel, complex and challenging legal issues arising from the delivery of MI5’s mission. You will advise on operations and investigations; the development and deployment of technical capabilities; data and information acquisition – use and sharing; the use of executive powers and the disruption of terrorist and hostile state activity; litigation and engagement with oversight and scrutiny bodies; and the development of new legislation and powers. You will work with lawyers, and policy and operational colleagues in law enforcement, the Crown Prosecution Service, government departments across Whitehall, the Government Legal Department, and our UK intelligence partners.
We are not looking for lawyers already experienced in “national security law”. We are looking for lawyers with the potential to develop this expertise, and that potential exists in any and all current practice areas. We will provide the support, training and personal and career development to help you develop your knowledge, practice and expertise.
As part of your application, if you’re eligible, you will be invited to an online Insight Event where you will learn more about the role Lawyers play at MI5 and have a chance to ask our team some questions. Please note, you will need to submit a completed initial application, to be considered. This will require you to complete and answer all of the following sections of our initial application form:
- Your Personal details
- Answer our Eligibility questions
- Answer some security questions (Vetting)
- Complete our equal opportunities questions
- Submit your initial application
Once you start your application our Progress Tracker will help you see what sections you’ve completed (you will see a green tick against the sections you’ve completed). Please note if you don’t complete all these details, or submit your initial application, you will not be eligible to attend the event. Anyone who has submitted an initial application, and passes our initial eligibility checks, will receive an email with details of the event.
At MI5 diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under-represented in our workforce such as women, those from an ethnic minority background, people with disabilities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds. Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity on our websites
www.MI5.gov.uk/careers/diversity
To find out more and apply, please use this link: https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/clk/593412728;401783829;s
To be eligible to apply, you must be a British Citizen. If you hold dual nationality, of which one component is British, you will nonetheless be considered. Candidates must normally have been resident in the UK for seven out of the last ten years. This is particularly important if you were born outside the UK. You can apply at the age of 17 years, if successful you will not be offered a start date prior to your 18th birthday. Full eligibility details can be found on our website: www.MI5.gov.uk/careers/applying-for-jobs