Lawyer

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.

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. Your work could also include advising on 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. This vital work will see you engaging with other lawyers, policy and operational colleagues in law enforcement, the Crown Prosecution Service, government departments across Whitehall, the Government Legal Department, and our UK intelligence partners.

You can expect a fascinating and varied workload, working on unique legal problems that make a direct contribution to protecting national security and keeping the country safe. Working at the cutting edge of the law, you'll tackle areas as varied as human rights, data and information, immigration, public law, litigation, and investigatory powers.

This role offers the chance to make a real difference to the safety of the country and its citizens, giving you immediate responsibility, coupled with plenty of on-the-job support and professional development to help you build new skills and expertise.

The role involves:

• Advising internal colleagues on how to achieve objectives in a legally compliant way.


• Thinking creatively to identify ways of achieving objectives that may not be immediately apparent.


• Demonstrating balanced judgement, breadth of perspective and an appreciation of the policy context of the work.


• Organising and prioritising work and anticipating problems.


• Liaising effectively at senior level with internal colleagues and representatives of other departments and organisations.


• Managing MI5 equities in complex casework (both advisory and litigation).


• Helping to develop new law (either through having conduct of litigation and taking cases up to and including the Supreme Court) or delivering legislative change.


You will join one of our many legal teams based on business need and aligned with your skills, experience, and expertise. Within your team, you will take on individual responsibilities and conduct your own matters, cases and advisory areas, but will do so within a supportive and collegiate team environment.

We understand that no candidate will be the complete package, so we are looking for potential and the ability to pick up new areas of law and new responsibilities. In time, you will become a "national security lawyer" capable of adding value across a huge range of disciplines and practice areas. You will achieve that with support, encouragement, and training, but also with the raw skills to pick up new areas of work quickly and the intellectual curiosity to try new areas of law.

You may have the opportunity to lead cross-disciplinary teams of lawyers and non-lawyers, and lead on specific projects and areas of work. There are no direct line management responsibilities although there will be opportunities for promotion in due course.

Our Lawyers work a standard work pattern. As we're a 24/7 intelligence agency you may be required to provide out-of-hours urgent advice. However, we don't expect you to work a formal shift pattern or a non-standard working pattern. National and international travel will be infrequent and is not an expected aspect of the job.

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., You will have the potential to develop into an effective all-round "national security lawyer". We will provide the support, training and personal and career development to help you develop your knowledge, practice and expertise, with an initial induction, on the job training, a personal development plan, access to courses in our internal training academy, the chance to build on professional development and wider support in a collegiate environment.

However, you'll also take responsibility for your own training and development and take advantage of opportunities appropriate to your own development goals and needs. Training and development is both short and long term, and over time there will be opportunities to develop expertise and experience in new areas while building deep subject matter expertise in specialist fields.

You will have an induction into your team, as well as a wider induction into the legal department (and the wider national security legal community). There will be personalised training and development and the right support in place to ensure that you get up to speed as quickly as a possible. All our lawyers have new things to learn and there is an atmosphere of continuing development.

In addition to a Line Manager, you will be allocated a mentor and buddy within the team who will provide assistance and support.,
• If successful, you will receive an invitation to attend an assessment and, then if successful, a final competency based interview.


• If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment.


Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next. Your application may take around 6 - 9 months to process including vetting, so we advise you continue any current employment until you have received your final job offer.

Before You Apply

To work at MI5, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. You can read our full eligibility criteria here.

This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It's something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. You can find out more about the vetting process here.

Please note we have a strict drugs policy, so once you start your application, you can't take any recreational drugs and you'll need to declare your previous drug usage at the relevant stage.

Before you apply, we advise you to consider setting up a separate email address for your contact with us, to ensure your personal and application correspondence remain separate. Try to avoid having identifying features in your email address, such as your first and/or surname and date of birth. This is good practice and will help you to manage your application with us more discretely.

The role is based in Central London, so you'll need to live within a commutable distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application. A loan is available to support people relocating to London.


• You must be a solicitor or barrister, qualified to practise in England and Wales.


• Have a minimum of 2 years PQE.


• Have intellectual curiosity and ability to pick up new areas of law.


• Relish problem solving and finding creative solutions to difficult legal problems.


• Take a proactive approach to their work with the ability to take on responsibility.


• The potential to handle complex and sensitive casework with credibility.


• The ability to operate independently but with the right judgement about when to seek support and assistance.


• Be persuasive and diplomatic, with strong written and verbal communication skills.


• Be capable of making sound decisions in a fast-moving environment.


We are not looking for lawyers already experienced in "national security law". We are looking for the potential of lawyers to develop this expertise, and that potential exists in any and all current practice areas. You will be working on cutting edge, unique, intellectually challenging and fast paced work.

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.

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., You'll receive a starting salary of £79,953 or £88,540 (dependent on experience) plus other benefits including:

- 25 Days Annual Leave automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 days public and privilege holidays.
- Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme.
- Personal Learning Budget.
- Interest-free season ticket loan.
- Excellent pension scheme.
- Cycle to work scheme.
- Facilities such as a gym, restaurant and on-site coffee bars (at some locations).
- Paid parental and adoption leave.