Legal Officer (Immigration)

Legal Officer (Immigration)

Location: Law Centre NI, State Building, 2 Arthur Place, Belfast, BT14HG

Salary:

£33,820 - £38,296 (PO1 - PO2) + 5% employer pension contribution.

Where a solicitor has 2 + years PQE, the starting salary will be £35,411.

Hours of work: 35 hours per week (full time)

Part-time hours may also be available. Please indicate your preference on the application form.

Report to: Senior Lawyer (Migration Justice)

Contact with:

• Clients and the public
• Legal professionals
• Referral agencies and statutory and voluntary organisations
• Northern Ireland Courts & Tribunal Service
• Law Centre staff, volunteers, students and members
• Elected representatives and policy makers
• Media

Note: this post may require occasional travel and evening and weekend work.

Job purpose

Legal Officers take forward LCNI's mission of using the law to change lives by providing high quality legal advice, casework and representation across NI. The post-holder will manage a caseload and contribute to strategic litigation, policy advocacy, training, and legal information resources.

Note that this Job Description is not exhaustive and will be subject to review from time to time in line with the changing business needs of the organisation.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Provide immigration legal advice by different means including outreach and community-based legal work.
2. Conduct casework as required, including preparing initial immigration applications and representing LCNI clients before the tribunal.
3. Prepare instructions and work with counsel in cases in the higher courts.
4. Identify strategic legal issues and, subject to direction, initiate and conduct appropriate cases in accordance with LCNI's Casework Strategy.
5. Comply with all regulatory requirements including Law Society NI / Immigration Advice Authority, Lexcel Quality Standard, Legal Aid, etc.
6. Contribute to the Migration Justice team's policy advocacy and influencing work, media contributions, preparing and delivering information sessions and training, preparing and disseminating public legal information, etc.
7. Identify law, policy and practice issues and engage effectively with LCNI's policy specialists to progress these, including by contributing to consultation documents and policy statements.
8. Provide support, guidance and/or supervision to volunteers and trainees.
9. Represent LCNI with key stakeholders at meetings, events and conferences.
10. Develop and maintain effective relationships with LCNI members and other external stakeholders that support the overall work of LCNI.
11. Continuously maintain and develop professional expertise, including ensuring compliance CPD requirements, in consultation with line manager.
12. Act as ambassador for LCNI, upholding its public image in its legal work.
13. Maintain accurate records and undertake relevant administrative duties to ensure compliance with all Law Centre policies and procedures.
14. Be available to occasionally work outside standard business hours.
15. Undertake such other duties as may be required from time to time

For further information about the role, please see the Candidate Booklet below.

Please note the following important information about the application process:

• Please complete the application form in full. You should ensure that you give examples that demonstrate how you satisfy the relevant criteria, including relevant dates. CVs will not be considered.
• Please ensure you remain within the word limit specified. Any excess will be disregarded by the panel.
• Please return your application form as a Word document by email to the email address specified in the application form. Please also return a completed monitoring form as directed.
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Applications should be submitted by email to: by the closing date.
• We will communicate with candidates by email so candidates should ensure that they regularly check their inbox.
• The panel reserves the right to enhance the criteria as appropriate in the event of a large volume of applications.

Closing date for receipt of applications: 10am Monday 24 November 2025.