Crown Prosecutor

Locations Birmingham, Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Cambridge, Canterbury, Cardiff, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Eastleigh, Exeter, Guildford, Hull, Ipswich, Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Mold, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Sheffield, St Albans, Stoke-on-Trent, Swansea, Swindon, Truro. *Please note for Wessex – Offices are based in Eastleigh, Portsmouth or Swindon and deployment will be to all courts in Dorset, Wiltshire and Hampshire/Isle of Wight* Job summary As a crown prosecutor you’re based in the magistrates’ court, working with prosecution teams to review and present evidence in cases ranging from common assault to drugs offences. The crown prosecutor position is our entry level lawyer role, it is ideal if you’re a newly qualified lawyer or have no criminal law experience. You gain a wealth of exposure in the criminal court, further developing your legal knowledge and career progression. Initially you work on more straightforward cases but should progress quickly to dealing with more serious casework. On completion of your crown prosecutor training, you’re able to advise police and other investigators (except statutory pre-charge advice), undertake advocacy, review and undertake case preparation in summary and either-way matters heard in the magistrates’ court. You attend court in person for most of your working week, representing the Crown Prosecution Service on the frontline, collaborating closely with colleagues and other criminal justice agencies, including the police and judiciary. You play a vital role in maintaining public confidence in our work. You benefit from a structured induction, four-month training plan and opportunities to shadow colleagues across the organisation. Once you gain further experience, you have options to progress into senior crown prosecutor, crown advocate and legal manager roles. Find out what our crown prosecutors say about working at the Crown Prosecution Service by visiting cps.gov.uk/careers/prosecutor.

Responsibilities To prepare and present cases for prosecution in the magistrates’ court. To advise police and other investigators on casework in a wide range of summary-only and some either-way offences. To decide, based on evidence, whether prosecutions should proceed or be discontinued in matters heard in the magistrates’ court. To explain our decisions clearly to stakeholders including magistrates, counsel, victims, witnesses and the police. To work effectively as part of a multiskilled team.

Qualifications Legally qualified: You must be a qualified solicitor or barrister able to obtain a valid Practising Certificate for England and Wales. Academic: You must have a law degree, Common Professional Examination and/or Graduate Diploma in Law. Professional: You must have completed a Legal Practice Course, Solicitors Qualifying Exam or Bar Professional Training Course and the relevant pupillage and training contract – or have received full exemption from the relevant professional regulatory body, either the Solicitors Regulation Authority or the Bar Standards Board. or CILEx: You must be a Fellow of CILEx and a CILEx Advocate/Litigator holding all three advocacy certificates providing you with a ‘general qualification’ within the meaning of s.71 (3) (c) Courts and Legal Services Act 1990. You must have a right of audience in relation to any class of proceedings in any part of the Senior Courts, or all proceedings in county courts or magistrates' courts in order to meet the requirements for a Crown Prosecutor specified by section 1 Prosecution of Offences Act 1985. If you don’t hold this CILEx qualification, you’re not eligible to apply for this vacancy. If you’re unsure whether you have qualified through CILEx, contact us to establish your eligibility for this role. If you apply and are found not to possess any of the above, any offer of employment will be withdrawn, or contract terminated. Equivalent qualifications won’t be accepted. If you’re unsure about your eligibility please contact NationalLawyerRecruitment@cps.gov.uk You must be a fully qualified solicitor or barrister by 30 June 2025. If successful, we must receive your practising certificate as soon as possible. We will not be able to progress pre-employment checks until the practising certificate has been received, and a deadline for this may be set in line with business need. If you’re able to meet these requirements by this date, you’re eligible to apply.

Required You must have a Law Degree or Common Professional Examination/Graduate Diploma in Law You must have completed a Legal Practice Course, Solicitors Qualifying Exam or Bar Vocational Course/Bar Professional Training Course You must have completed the relevant pupillage / training contract You must be a qualified Barrister or Solicitor You must demonstrate motivation You must demonstrate the appropriate level of legal Intellect.

Benefits Alongside your salary of £42,320, Crown Prosecution Service contributes £12,260 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. Join the Crown Prosecution Service and find your purpose We want to ensure our employees can thrive at work and home and offer a range of support to achieve a balance. This includes flexibility of working hours, flexibility to support caring responsibilities and a flexible approach to deployment. While the Crown Prosecution Service operates a hybrid working policy, some roles - including the crown prosecutor role - must attend court for the full working week to carry out their role and responsibilities. Delivering justice is a complex pursuit with work that is sometimes emotionally challenging, which is why we offer a range of benefits including: a Civil Service contributory pension of up to 28.9% 25 days’ leave, increasing to 30 days after 5 years lawyer training programme an extra privilege day to mark the King's birthday competitive maternity, paternity and parental leave flexible working and a family-friendly approach to work a Cycle2Work scheme, employee savings a range of learning and development activities, an individual learning account, and central and local development opportunities Pay at the Crown Prosecution Service varies depending on your location. Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Carlisle, Chippenham, Exeter, Hull, Ipswich, Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, Liverpool, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Mold, Newcastle, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Preston, Sheffield, Stoke on Trent, Swansea, Swindon, Truro: £42,320 (starting pay), £46,780 (maximum pay) Brighton, Canterbury, Chelmsford, Eastleigh, Guildford, Portsmouth, Reading: £44,570 (starting pay), £49,030 (maximum pay) St Albans: £44,570 + £1,050 (starting pay), £49,030 (maximum pay) London: £44,570 + £3,150 (starting pay), £49,030 (maximum pay) You should expect to join on the starting pay unless you are joining on a level transfer from another government department.