Vacancy: Solicitor – Aberdeen

An excellent opportunity for anyone with a track record of excelling at civil litigation to help shape how we deliver impactful legal services and promote access to justice.

Solicitor (Grade 6) – CLAO Aberdeen
Full time, fixed term (up to 12 months)
Application deadline: Sunday 13 July, midnight

We’re looking for a committed and capable Solicitor to join our CLAO Aberdeen team to cover maternity leave for up to 12 months.

You’ll handle a mixed and often complex legal aid caseload, delivering high-quality, trauma-informed legal advice and representation in key areas like child law, public family law, housing, and more.

The role is based within the geographical area covered by our Aberdeen office and will involve regular attendance at in-person court and children’s hearings in both Aberdeen and other areas within Aberdeenshire. Our preference is for the successful candidate to be based locally. Whilst we will consider applications for those wishing to work remotely, for example homeworking or in one of our other offices (Edinburgh and Inverness), the successful candidate will be expected to attend the Aberdeen office on a regular basis.

Key responsibilities include:

• managing your own complex and varied civil legal aid caseload
• advising and representing clients in a timely, independent, and trauma-informed manner
• supporting colleagues across CLAO’s network to ensure consistent delivery of casework services
• delivering and contributing to training and resources for staff, partner agencies and external organisations
• participating in duty solicitor schemes, CLAO helplines and second-tier advice rotas
• building strong relationships with local solicitors, courts, and support organisations
• assisting with policy development and CLAO’s strategic project work
• supporting Heads of Office with peer supervision, work allocation and team support.

To succeed in this role, you will need:

• strong civil court experience and advocacy skills
• in-depth knowledge of the civil justice system and legal aid legislation
• experience in at least one key area: child law, housing, homelessness, mental health, AWI, debt, or benefits appeals
• confidence in working with vulnerable groups and managing complex, often urgent cases
• excellent communication, legal research, and IT skills
• a proactive, self-motivated attitude with the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

About Civil Legal Assistance Office (CLAO)

CLAO is a network of publicly funded court solicitors and support staff employed by the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB). We help people with their civil law problems by providing advice and representation to legally aided clients within our core areas of work. In addition, we operate a referral service to other providers of legal assistance and offer second tier support and training to advice organisations. Our work involves developing partnership links and project work with local and national organisations operating within the geographical areas we cover.

CLAO is part of SLAB’s Client Legal Services Directorate, which also includes the Public Defence Solicitors’ Office (PDSO) and Solicitor Contact Line (SCL), making us Scotland’s largest multi-disciplinary legal aid practice and a unique place to work.

How to apply

Full details about the role and online application are available on our recruitment portal (external link).