Lawyer
Job Title: Lawyer
Salary: The starting salary is £63,311, which includes allowances totalling £2,928.
The salary is broken down as £60,383 basic salary, which will increase annually until you reach the top of the scale £80,540. Plus, a location allowance of £1,928 and a non-pensionable allowance of £1,000.
Location: Holborn
We are hiring!
The Met’s Directorate of Legal Services is the largest and busiest Police in-house lawyer team in the country, and we are now looking for lawyers, qualified in England and Wales, to join our team.
The breadth of work the Directorate of Legal Services covers will challenge and develop you, whilst giving you the opportunity to positively influence and shape our future and restore public trust in policing. For any lawyer, this work is fascinating and demanding and promises to provide a unique opportunity to contribute directly to the protection of the public.
We can provide you with a varied workload, career progression and a starting salary of between £60,383 to £80,540 plus a location allowance of £1,928 and a non-pensionable allowance of £1,000. Your starting salary is dependent on experience, and you can progress to the maximum £80,540 via annual incremental progression.
You’ll also enjoy the kind of great benefits that you’d expect from one of London's largest employers. These include generous annual leave, civil service pension arrangements, interest free season ticket loans, membership of Met sports and social clubs, and many more.
We are committed to hybrid working, this means that (subject to business need) being in the office for at least 3 days a week, choosing where to work on other days.
“The sheer quality and variety of work here is something you will struggle to find anywhere else. You will be supported to develop your skills at the pace that is right for you.”
Brett Welch – Chief Legal Officer
With a population of approximately 9m, over 300 languages spoken and around 40% of the population who are Black; Asian or Multiple Ethnic Heritage, London is one of the most diverse cities in the world; it is also one of the safest. Nevertheless, crime in London is more prevalent and serious than in other cities and communities. Crime is often connected to organised criminality and national and international networks of offending.
Our Work
Our lawyers work in two groups in teams providing advice and representation in the following areas:
Operational Policing Law
- Safeguarding and Public Protection
- Operational Advice
- Inquest & Inquiries
- Counter-Terrorism & Specialist Crime
- National Security
Litigation and Corporate Law
- Misconduct and Regulatory Law
- Employment
- Civil Litigation
- Information and Commercial
Who are we looking for?
We are particularly interested in applications from lawyers experienced in the following:
- Litigation: advising and representing the Met in civil claims for wrongful arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution and personal injury.
- Commercial: The Met procures a wide range of goods and services ranging from protective equipment to state-of-the-art IT systems, vehicles, and firearms. Our lawyers provide a range of contractual and commercial advice to best support the Met and provide value for money for Londoners.
- Misconduct and Regulatory Law – advising the Professionalism Business Group on matters relating to public complaints, the Police Reform Act 2002, and Police Misconduct Regulations. Arranging representation for the appropriate authority in police officer gross misconduct hearings and appeals to the Police Officer Appeals Tribunal.
- Operational Advice - providing legal advice on the use of police powers in criminal investigations, human rights, and disclosure of information. Also providing real time advice to major operations and the policing of protest, ensuring that protests are peaceful, safe, and balancing the competing rights of all.
- Counter Terrorism and Specialist Crime – advising on live counter terrorism investigations, offender management programmes, information sharing with third parties as well as on the management of covert human intelligence sources (to name but a few). The role also includes advising on inquests and inquiries with a counter terrorism dimension and supporting the police in navigating the complex legal and regulatory framework that governs covert policing more broadly.
- National Security – advising to counter individuals who threaten the UK’s national security, whether through espionage, attempts to steal sensitive information, plots to carry out physical violence and assassinations, or actions that endanger public safety. Also working with partners to disrupt the activities of those who undermine our prosperity by attacking our values and freedoms.
Our lawyers often rotate amongst teams so there are opportunities for development.
How to apply
To begin your career at the Met, please click the "apply now" button below. The application process requires a comprehensive CV (no more than 2 sides), a Personal Statement, and an online application form. Your CV should include details of your SRA number and date you were admitted; or bar membership number and Year of Call; or membership number and date granted Fellowship of CILEX (as appropriate). Your personal statement (in no more than 750 words) which should set out your experience of:
- Gaining support and trust from clients
- Analysing and giving advice (written or oral) on a complex legal issue
- Collaborating with other members of a legal team
Please note that you should not submit two copies of your CV, and ensure that your documents are saved in either PDF or Word format, clearly labelled as CV and/or Personal Statement.
Completed applications must be submitted by 23:55 on 3rd November 2025.
Once received, your application will be reviewed against eligibility criteria, following this, your application will be reviewed by the hiring manager. The application review for this vacancy will commence 1 to 2 weeks after the closing date.
Following application review, successful candidates will be invited to interview. Interview dates will commence after hiring manager review.