Crown prosecutor Job Information | National Careers Service

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Crown prosecutor

Hours

42 per week
Starting salary

£27,722 + per year

Crown prosecutors make sure decisions to prosecute are fair and effective by reviewing criminal cases investigated by the police, and presenting cases in court when appropriate. If you've got good organisational skills and you can make balanced decisions, this job could suit you.

In this job you would need to be able to set out arguments clearly. You would need to be able to explain complex matters in a way that everyone can understand. You would also need to have good presentation skills.

You can apply directly for a crown prosecutor post in the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) if you are a qualified solicitor or barrister. You must have completed your Legal Practice Course (LPC) or Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) and a two-year training contract or a 12-month pupillage.

The work

Crown prosecutors are qualified solicitors and barristers who are employed by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Prosecutors are responsible for reviewing and, where appropriate, prosecuting criminal cases following investigation by the police. They also advise the police on matters relating to criminal cases.

In each case reviewed the prosecutor will consider whether there is sufficient evidence and, if so, whether the public interest requires a prosecution

As a crown prosecutor, you would work in a team with other prosecutors, caseworkers and administrative staff. Your work would include:

advising the police on issues relating to criminal cases
reviewing all facts and documents relating to each case
considering if there is enough evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction
explaining decisions to defence lawyers, witnesses, the police and other agencies
advising which charges are appropriate
deciding if evidence is reliable and can be used in court
making sure that all relevant evidence is put before the court
preparing the case for the prosecution
presenting the case to a panel of magistrates or judges, or to a judge and jury, depending on the court
questioning the defendant and witnesses if the defendant denies the offence
summing up the case for the prosecution at the end
taking part in the development and training of other prosecutors and caseworkers.

You would begin as a crown prosecutor, progressing to senior crown prosecutor as you gain experience and successfully complete training.

Hours

You will work 42 hours a week (including lunch breaks) on a rota system covering weekends and public holidays.

Most of the cases you work on will be handled in magistrates' courts. On more serious cases, you would work in the Crown Court.

Income

Crown prosecutor earn from £27,722 to £31,374 a year (£29,648 to £33,933 in London). Senior crown prosecutors earn up to £42,224 (£44,333) in London.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Entry requirements

Visit the careers section of the CPS website for more information on working for the CPS.

Crown Prosecution Service – careers page

In Northern Ireland public prosecutors are employed by the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland (PPS). See the PPS website for details.

Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland

Training and development

As a crown prosecutor you will start by working on the more straightforward cases, progressing to more complex casework as you gain experience. You will be supervised by an experienced colleague.

Once you have successfully completed key learning stages and the Advocacy Development Programme, you will progress to senior crown prosecutor. This can take between six months and two years, depending on how much experience you have on entry.

Throughout your career, you will need to keep your professional knowledge and skills up to date. The Law Society and the Bar Council run continuing professional development (CPD) schemes to help members achieve this. See the Law Society website for more information about CPD for solicitors and the Bar Council website for CPD information for barristers.

Skills and knowledge

To be a crown prosecutor you should have:

good organisational skills and the ability to prioritise
the ability to set out arguments clearly and logically
the ability to make unbiased and balanced decisions
presentation skills and a clear voice for presenting evidence in court
the ability to communicate clearly, concisely and confidently with a range of people such as defendants, witnesses, the police, magistrates and defence lawyers
the ability to make complex issues easy to understand.

More information

Skills for Justice (Opens new window)
Centre Court
Atlas Way
Sheffield
S4 7QQ

The Bar Council (Opens new window)
289-293 High Holborn
London
WC1V 7HZ
Tel: 020 7242 0082
http://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
www.barcouncil.org.uk

Law Society (Opens new window)
113 Chancery Lane
London
WC2A 1PL
Tel: 0870 606 2555
www.lawsociety.org.uk

Crown Prosecution Service (Opens new window)
www.cps.gov.uk

Law Careers (Opens new window)
www.lawcareers.net

Opportunities

The Crown Prosecution Service has headquarters in London, York and Birmingham and operates under a structure of 13 areas in England and Wales. There are also two specialist casework groups - Central Fraud Group and Serious Crime Group.

There is a clear career structure, with the possibility of progression to senior crown prosecutor, then to crown advocate, senior crown advocate and principal crown advocate.

The Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland employs public prosecutors in Northern Ireland.

You may find the following useful for job vacancies and general reading (links open in new window):

CPS – vacancies page
Civil Service – vacancies page
The Lawyer

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Related industry information

Industry summary

The prosecution service is part of the justice sector, which is represented by Skills for Justice Sector Skills Council. It includes: forensic science; police and law enforcement; courts and tribunals; custodial care; community justice; plus fire and rescue services. The sector works to create and maintain a safe, just and stable society. Its purpose is to reduce crime and re‐offending, promote confidence in the criminal justice system, protect people and contribute to the reduction and fear of crime, and support the administration of justice. The sector employs around 600,000 employees in the UK across a range of organisations operating with different remits.

The prosecution service operates in:

Crown Prosecution Service (England and Wales)
Crown Office of the Procurator Fiscal (Scotland)
Public Prosecution Service (Northern Ireland)
Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office (remit extends across the UK)

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the Government Department responsible for prosecuting criminal cases investigated by the police in England and Wales. As the principal prosecuting authority in England and Wales, it is responsible for: advising the police on cases for possible prosecution; reviewing cases submitted by the police; where the decision is to prosecute, determining the charge (in all but minor cases); preparing cases for court; and the presenting cases at court.

Key facts:

In total there are 11,258 people working in prosecution services across the UK, of which:
- over 8,730 are employed by the Crown Prosecution Service, including around 2,800 lawyers
- 323 are employed in Revenue and Customs Prosecution Service
Just over 1.3 million cases are heard in Magistrates’ courts and another 115,000 in Crown Court.
The Crown Prosecution Service consists of 39 offices in England headed by a Chief Crown Prosecutor.
67% of the Crown Prosecution Service is female and 12% are from a minority ethnic background.
Women across the justice sector as a whole tend to be concentrated in support roles.

Jobs in the industry range from: Legal trainees, Prosecutors, Caseworkers, Administrators, Crown Advocates, Witness Care Officer, Associate Prosecutor.

National and regional data

The East Midlands has 5 CPS Area Offices, which employ 590 full‐time equivalent staff. The five area offices are: Derbyshire; Leicestershire; Lincolnshire; Northamptonshire; and Nottinghamshire.

The East of England has 6 area offices that employ 610 full‐time equivalent staff. The offices are: Bedfordshire; Cambridgeshire; Essex; Hertfordshire; Norfolk; and Suffolk.

London has 2 Area Offices, which together employ approximately 2,160 full‐time equivalent staff, making it the largest CPS region. Additionally, the Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office employs 323 staff, which is split between London and Manchester.

The North East has 3 Area Offices, which employ 460 full‐time equivalent staff. The three offices are: Cleveland; Durham; and Northumbria.

The North West has 5 Area Offices that employ 1,240 full‐time equivalent staff. The five offices are: Cheshire; Cumbria; Greater Manchester; Lancashire; and Merseyside. Additionally, the Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office employs 323 staff, which is split between London and Manchester. The North West is the second largest region behind London.

The South East has 5 Area Offices that employ 890 full‐time equivalent staff. The five offices are: Hampshire; Kent; Surrey; Sussex; and Thames Valley.

The South West has 5 Area Offices that employ 530 full‐time equivalent staff. The five forces are: Avon and Somerset; Devon and Cornwall; Dorset; Gloucestershire; and Wiltshire.

The West Midlands has 4 Area Offices that employ 870 full‐time equivalent staff. The four offices are: Staffordshire; Warwickshire; West Midlands; and West Mercia.

Yorkshire and Humberside has 4 Area Offices that employ 910 full‐time equivalent staff, the third largest region in England. The four Area Offices are: Humberside; North Yorkshire; South Yorkshire; and West Yorkshire.

The Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service (PPSNI) was formally launched in 2005. The service is regionally based and employs 562 staff, of which 165 are lawyers. There is an expected replacement demand of 25% due to retirements by 2014. The following skill shortages have been identified: provision of experience for prosecutors; management skills for lawyers; potential impact of devolution; and management skills development.

In Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) provide independent public prosecution and deaths investigation service. It is a department of the Scottish Government and is headed by the Lord Advocate. The Procurator Fiscal Service is divided into 11 areas, with an Area Procurator Fiscal for each. There is a network of 48 Procurator Fiscal offices, one for each Sheriff Court district. It employs 1,520 staff of which 30% are legal staff. The following skill shortages have been identified: increased partnership working; leadership and management; and keeping up with legislative change.

In Wales, the Crown Prosecution Service employs over 470 full‐time equivalent staff over four Areas Offices, including: Dyfed Powys; North Wales; Gwent; and South Wales.