Legal Officer

Deliver leadership advice in challenging environments.

Joining the Army Legal Services (ALS is a challenging and varied role and as a Legal Officer, you could be involved with anything from prosecuting soldiers charged with offences at courts martial to advising senior commanders on rules of engagement during operations abroad. This is a chance to practise law without timesheets or billable hours targets and the chance to work over a range of legal specialisms.

Plus, you’ll get to travel the word and gain post-graduate qualifications too.

You’ll train at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and learn basic military skills, study tactics and take on a range of tasks designed to develop your ability to lead and command. Then you’ll join the Directorate of Army Legal Services for your specialist legal training, and you’ll learn all about the areas of law that you will need as a Legal Officer, including military law, the law of armed conflict, international humanitarian law and intelligence law.

Finally, you’ll spend three months with a combat or combat support unit, learning about the Army and getting experience of life as a junior officer, all from a non-legal perspective. This is key part as you’ll learn all about the organisation to which you will be giving advice.

To qualify, you must be between 23 and 32 years old. You’ll need to be a qualified solicitor, barrister or Scottish advocate, qualified in England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland and have completed your training contract or pupillage and pass a basic fitness test.

As a Professionally Qualified Officer, you’ll start your career in a position of management, commanding responsibility for your team of soldiers. You don’t need any experience to apply – through world-class training at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, you’ll develop the transferrable leadership skills and qualifications you need to motivate and support your team.

Outside the Royal Military Academy, you’ll continue to learn and grow through Adventurous Training and international travel. Being an Officer is a global adventure, whether you’re leading expeditions, running operations abroad, or delivering humanitarian aid to communities in need.

You’ll also receive 38 days’ annual leave every year (plus bank holidays and extra leave after operations), free medical and dental care, cheaper living costs, and free gym and sports facilities. And unless you're away on operations or training exercises, you'll normally work 8.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.