Emma Caldwell Public Inquiry Assistant Solicitor

Do you want to use your legal expertise to help shape one of Scotland's most significant and high-profile Public Inquiries? On 8 March 2024, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs announced her intention to hold a public inquiry into the investigation of Emma Caldwell's murder. Lord Scott KC was announced as Chair of the Inquiry on 24 April 2025. We have opportunities for solicitors to join the legal team of the Inquiry. You will have the opportunity to play an important role in the early stages of this Inquiry, commencing the investigative work and assisting to support counsel in preparing for the evidential hearings. The Assistant Solicitor will play an important role in the inquiry, working as part of the legal team to investigate the evidence and identify witnesses as well as working closely with members of the team to support the Chair in delivering the Inquiry's Terms of Reference. The Inquiry must be, and be seen to be, independent and impartial to maintain the confidence of the public. We will not consider applications from anyone who has worked for the Crown Office or Police Scotland. This is a Fixed Term Appointment for 47 months. Main Duties Identifying and recovering evidence, including engagement with external stakeholders. Reviewing and analysing any recovered evidence, assessing its relevance to the Terms of Reference and producing summaries and thematic reports on the evidence for use by counsel. Using recovered evidence to identify further lines of inquiry and witnesses as well contribute to the Inquiry's list of issues. Responsibility for redaction and disclosure of evidence in line with Inquiry policies and protocols. Instructing, liaising and working collaboratively with Counsel on a regular basis. Providing legal advice to the Chair when required. Liaison with the solicitors representing the core participants and assisting the facilitation of witness statements from their clients. Assisting counsel with the identification of expert witnesses and their instruction where appropriate. Drafting of, and ensuring compliance with, the Inquiry's procedure/protocol documents. GDPR compliance. Provision of practical and legal assistance to the Chair and Counsel during hearing sessions as well as producing summaries of evidence following on from oral hearing sessions. Qualifications You must be a solicitor or advocate entitled to practise in Scotland (Please confirm in your CV or Personal Statement that you hold this qualification). Success Profile Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of skills, experience and behaviours candidates will be assessed on. Technical/Professional Skills Ability to conduct sound legal analysis taking account of multiple sources of information and data. Strong legal skills applicable, or transferable, to public law in Scotland. Experience You must have previous experience working in a Public Inquiry. Behaviours Communicating and influencing – Level 4 Working Together – Level 4 Delivering at pace – Level 4 You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours here - How To Apply Apply online, providing a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 1000 words) which provides evidence of how you meet the skills, experience and behaviours listed in the Success Profile above. If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and presentation. Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application, but all statements and examples provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment. If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and presentation. Assessments are scheduled for w/c 5 January 2026 however this may be subject to change. In the event of a high volume of applications, candidates will have their applications initially assessed against the Experience criteria above. Candidates who pass this initial sift will have their applications fully assessed against all criteria. For further information relating to this role, please contact duncan.peat@emmacaldwellinquiry.scot About Us The Scottish Government is the devolved government for Scotland. We have responsibility for a wide range of key policy areas including: education, health, the economy, justice, housing and transport. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles. Our staff are part of the UK Civil Service, working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland. We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer. As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules. Working pattern The Inquiry will have two bases, one in Edinburgh for the administration, and one in Glasgow for the oral hearings. The postholder will be required to travel regularly between the sites. While virtual & hybrid working may be feasible at some points, there is an expectation that the will be present in Glasgow for the duration of the inquiry hearings. Due to the nature of delivering public hearings annual leave and flexible working hours will be restricted at times during this post. While job sharers and individuals on any working pattern are welcome to apply, the likely restrictions should be noted and may not suit all. Security checks Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions). You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website, or read about the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide. Equality statement We are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.