Crown Prosecutor (CPS) - qualified entry level role

Michael Page Legal; Greater London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Civil Service pension

Training programme

Flexible working

Cycle2Work scheme

Leave entitlement (25 days +)

Job summary

The Crown Prosecution Service in England and Wales is inviting applications for Crown Prosecutors. This entry-level lawyer role is ideal for newly qualified lawyers or those without criminal law experience.

Based primarily in the magistrates' court, you will gain exposure to a full range of prosecution work and receive a structured training plan. You will work with police and investigators, progress to more complex cases, and, after training, advise on casework, undertake advocacy, and prepare

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor or barrister with a valid Practising Certificate for England & Wales by 16 March 2026.
• No prior criminal law experience required for this entry role.
• CILEx route eligible candidates welcome with required advocacy qualifications.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and present prosecution cases in the magistrates' court.
• Advise police and investigators on casework for a wide range of offences.
• Decide whether prosecutions should proceed or be discontinued based on evidence.
• Explain decisions clearly to stakeholders including magistrates, counsel, victims and police.
• Work effectively as part of a multi-skilled team.

Skills

Advocacy

Public service commitment

Communication

Education

Law degree / CPE or GDL

LPC or BPTC / SQE training

CILEx qualification with advocacy certificates

Job description

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.

Client Details

The Crown Prosecution Service, the independent body in England and Wales that prosecutes criminal cases investigated by the police, deciding charges, preparing cases, and presenting them in court while supporting victims.

Description

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.

As a crown prosecutor, your role involves advocacy in the Magistrates Court, where you will spend most of your time prosecuting the full range of courts. Your role will involve working with stakeholders, including the police, court staff and defence solicitors. You will support victims and witnesses attending court to give evidence in contested matters.

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/careers/prosecutor.

Your roles and 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

Profile

The successful candidate will be a a qualified lawyer who is able to demonstrate commitment to public service, making a difference to communities and Crown Prosecution Service values. You will be focused on personal development and career progression.

No prior experience in criminal law is required for this role.

Qualifications

Legally qualified: You must be a qualified solicitor or barrister. You must be able to obtain a valid Practising Certificate for England and Wales by 16 March 2026.

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 (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

Crown Prosecutors Court Attendance

Crown prosecutors are court-based positions only. Successful candidates are required to attend court daily, to carry out their role. The Crown Prosecution Service is a disability confident employer so is committed to make reasonable adjustments which enables daily attendance at court.

We encourage you to consider if the commute from home to the office/court is a feasible distance to travel before making an application. If you are successful, hybrid working will be discussed prior to taking up the post.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Fraud check

The Crown Prosecution Service provides a Fair Processing Notice to all new applicants after they've been successful at interview. These candidates are informed that, as one aspect of pre-employment screening, their personal details - name, National Insurance number and date of birth - are checked against the Internal Fraud Database. Anyone included on the database is refused employment unless they can demonstrate exceptional circumstances.

The Crown Prosecution Service, on behalf of the vacancy holder, informs applicants when they are refused employment because they're included in the Internal Fraud Database.

Job Offer

The starting salary and benefits for this opportunity is:

• Salary: £44,520 - £47,720 (National) and £46,800 - £50,000 + £3,150 Recruitment and Retention Allowance (RRA) in London.
• a Civil Service contributory pension of up to 28%
• 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

Please note that this role is available nationally, but this advert is specifically for candidates who would wish to be located in Brighton and Hove, Cambridge, Canterbury, Chelmsford, Eastleigh, Guildford, Ipswich, London, Northampton, St Albans.