Life as a trainee in the Government Legal
Service (GLS)
I joined the Government Legal Service in
September 2006, having graduated from New
College, Oxford in 2004 and secured a two
year training contract with the Treasury
Solicitor's Department (TSol). I presently sit
within the Attorney General's Office, which
offers an enormous variety of work involving
liaison with lawyers and policy advisors
across Whitehall and beyond. My first two
‘seats' were in the Immigration Public Law
and Ministry of Defence Private Law teams.
One of the most striking and enticing things
about being a legal trainee with the GLS is
the amount of responsibility and variety of
work you are given at an early stage. Trainees
are expected to handle their own caseload
from day one, albeit with the support of
colleagues who are always willing to impart
their own experience and offer guidance on
case handling.
My first seat in the Immigration Team proved
to be both intellectually demanding and
engaging. I had sole conduct of some
challenging judicial review proceedings and
statutory appeals before the Court of Appeal
and assisted my supervisor with sensitive
and high profile national security work.
Immigration law and policy is shaped by a
constantly evolving body of human rights
jurisprudence and to be actively engaged in the
litigation directly behind such developments
was an exhilarating experience.
My second seat exposed me to a new area of
law, with its own policy implications and
challenges for the client, the Ministry of
Defence. Again I managed a varied caseload,
on this occasion giving me the opportunity to
conduct my own advocacy, appearing in
hearings in the County Court. My work
covered everything from advising as to the
MoD's liability in respect of accidents
occurring in the Sovereign Base Area of
Cyprus, to assisting in the conduct of Inquests
into the deaths of service personnel in Iraq,
which attracted significant media interest.
My final seat will be with the Cabinet Office
Legal Advisors, who assist in the conduct of
litigation before the European Court of
Justice in Luxembourg, as well as co-ordinate
and advise on the Government's response in
respect of new developments in EC law.
Unlike private practice where, upon
qualification, I would be expected to
specialise in one field, the GLS actively
encourages its lawyers to move around
departments, shifting between litigation and
advisory work and gaining a new portfolio of
skills in the process. I would imagine that the
breadth of the work opportunities on offer,
combined with the supportive nature of the
working environment, is why so many
solicitors leave the City to join the GLS.
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