Senior Crown Prosecutor (September 24)

1. As a senior crown prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), you work on some of the most complex and challenging cases – from fraud and firearms offences to public order and corporate manslaughter. 
2. You represent the Crown Prosecution Service on the frontline, collaborating closely with colleagues and other criminal justice agencies, including the police and judiciary.
3. Alongside your salary of £51,260, Crown Prosecution Service contributes £14,850 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

As a senior crown prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), you work on some of the most complex and challenging cases – from fraud and firearms offences to public order and corporate manslaughter. 

Senior crown prosecutors are highly trained, experienced lawyers with excellent people skills and a passion for delivering justice. This role is largely office-based. You’re responsible for reviewing evidence and making decisions on whether a case should be prosecuted – in line with our Code for Crown Prosecutors. You’re based in one of three units – magistrates’ court, Crown Court or rape and serious sexual offences – depending on your experience level.

You represent 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 legal manager and crown advocate roles. 

Job description

Your roles and responsibilities:

• To advise police and other investigators on casework and evidence requirements for a wide range of offences.
• To review case files and charging decisions, providing legal advice and making the final decision, based on evidence, on whether prosecutions should proceed on cases for the magistrates’ and Crown Court.
• To undertake advocacy in relation to serious and sensitive cases in the magistrates’ courts including Youth Courts, not guilty anticipated plea court lists, and multi-day trials.
• To explain our decisions clearly to stakeholders including magistrates, counsel, victims, witnesses and the police.
• To work effectively as part of a multi-skilled team and maintain up-to-date knowledge of criminal offences.

Each CPS area has a Crown Court, magistrates’ court, and a rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO) team. As a senior crown prosecutor, you’re expected to be able to work in any of these teams although we do take into account your experience and, where possible, your personal preference before placing you in a team.    

Whichever team you join, you’re supported with a detailed training and induction plan to cover your first four months with CPS.   

Working in our Crown Court team, you have a personal caseload of serious casework. You give charging advice to the police on cases to be heard in the Crown Court, working with our paralegal officers and with counsel to prepare cases for court.    

In our magistrates’ court team, you are an advocate dealing with the full range of courts including trial courts. You have a personal caseload, giving pre-charge advice to the police on magistrates’ court cases and you prepare cases for court. You may work on a specialist team such as a domestic abuse or youth team.  

In our RASSO team, you have a personal caseload comprising rape and serious sexual offences. You give charging and early indicative advice to the police on RASSO cases, working with our paralegal staff and counsel to prepare cases for court.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £51,260, Crown Prosecution Service contributes £14,850 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.