As a legal manager at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), you’re central to the success of our prosecution teams. You offer expert guidance on a range of casework, particularly for escalated and complex criminal cases.
You lead a team of lawyers, paralegals and administrators, quality checking their work, and providing advice and direction on cases and policy matters. Your leadership is crucial to our ability to secure justice for victims and witnesses of crime – so you must prioritise your workload and remain objective in emotionally charged situations.
Your role is influential and rewarding, offering you the opportunity to shape the way we work and build positive relationships across the criminal justice system and with victims. You contribute to strategic planning and policy making, lead best practice training, and work with stakeholders from other parts of the criminal justice system including police and HM Courts and Tribunals Service to improve conviction rates and public confidence in our work.
The CPS is committed to your professional growth and supports you with a range of learning and development opportunities to ensure you can thrive in your role. This includes support from an internal mentor, and you enrol into our management programme to help develop your skills, confidence and capability. You also benefit from an individual learning account to spend on personal development and the chance to shadow colleagues across the organisation.
Job description
Person specification
- To advise and direct on a wide range of criminal casework, ensuring the effective delivery of pre-charge advice and early intervention in large and complex cases.
- To be accountable for the conduct of the team’s cases, including agents and counsel, and for related casework decisions.
- To take a leading role in the local criminal justice system, influencing and securing the confidence of police and other partners – this helps to build engagement with community groups, promoting confidence in the CPS and wider criminal justice system.
- To lead a team of lawyers in the prosecution of criminal cases, providing legal advice and guidance – developing, supervising and sharing your own learning and expertise.
- To draft and approve responses to complaints and Parliamentary queries.
- To lead your team through periods of change and involving staff fully in delivery and implementation.
- To appear as an advocate occasionally to maintain your advocacy skills.
Qualifications
Legally qualified: You must be a qualified practising solicitor or barrister and hold a valid Practising Certificate for England and Wales.
Academic: Law degree, Common Professional Examination, Graduate Diploma in Law.
Professional: Legal Practice Course or Bar Professional Training Course and completed 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 in addition be a CILEx Advocate/Litigator holding all three advocacy certificates providing them with a ‘general qualification’ within the meaning of s71 (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 Court or magistrates' courts to meet the
The qualifications as stated are required for this role. Equivalent qualifications won’t be accepted. If you apply and are found not to possess any of these qualifications, any offer of employment will be withdrawn or your contract terminated.
If you’re unsure about your eligibility, contact NationalLawyerRecruitment@cps.gov.uk
To read the full job description and to apply click HERE
