Contents Location About the job Benefits Things you need to know Apply and further information Location Birmingham, Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Cambridge, Canterbury, Cardiff, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Chippenham, 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 About the job Job summary Go Prosecute is a new Crown Prosecution Service scheme, giving recently qualified barristers at the self-employed Bar the opportunity to join us for up to two years as a Crown Advocate. You gain practical experience of prosecution work conducting advocacy in the magistrates court, youth court and Crown Court. You receive comprehensive training and support, plus access to employee benefits including a competitive Civil Service pension, regular salary and a generous annual leave allowance. This is a unique opportunity to gain well-rounded experience of the criminal justice system at the start of your career. You work on a variety of cases - making a real difference to society by helping us to deliver justice, before returning to your Chambers with valuable insight into our work. Job description Your roles and responsibilities: To conduct advocacy in respect of all magistrates court prosecutions, straightforward Youth Court cases, simple Crown Court mention hearings, bail applications and appeals, Plea and Trial Preparation Hearings, committals for sentence, and appeals to the Crown Court. To decide, based on the evidence, whether prosecutions should proceed or be discontinued in summary and either-way matters heard in the magistrates court. To decide which witnesses should be used, and what evidence adduced, in summary cases and either-way cases heard in the magistrates court. To decide which statements to serve under section 9 Criminal Justice Act 1967. You decide what charges are appropriate, and what representations to make in respect of venue in cases triable either-way. You also provide agreement to acceptable pleas on appropriate cases with Associate Prosecutors. To explain decisions to judges, magistrates, defence advocates and solicitors, witnesses, the police and other appropriate agencies in a manner that is appropriate for the recipient. To work effectively as part of a multi-skilled team and provide support to associate prosecutors, legal trainees and other crown prosecutors in case preparation and generally. You will need to consider the needs of others, particularly victims and witnesses in drawing up casework plans. To make judgements on the most effective manner in which to prosecute cases, to be able to judge appropriately how to deal with vulnerable witnesses in accordance with CPS policies and acknowledged best practice, and how to respond effectively and assertively to defence representations. To make decisions relating to applications for bail and whether to oppose them, whether to accept a plea to a lesser or different charge, when to change a previously prepared course of action including the withdrawal of a charge or the offering of no evidence when circumstances have changed or the original decision was plainly wrong, when to discontinue proceedings and whether to apply for compensation. In the Crown Court, you would be required to draft applications to enable efficient case progression. For non-straightforward cases, this will be in consultation with the duty / reviewing lawyer. Each CPS area has a Crown Court and magistrates court team. As a Crown Advocate coming into the CPS through Go Prosecute, youre expected to be able to work with the Crown and magistrates courts 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 are supported with a detailed training and induction plan to cover your first four months with CPS. Please see the attached job description for full role and responsibilities. Person specification You must be a qualified barrister. You must demonstrate your commitment to criminal law, public service, making a difference to the communities we serve and our CPS values. You are focused on personal development and career progression. Qualifications Legally qualified: You must be a qualified practising solicitor or barrister (or dual qualified barrister now practising from Chambers in England and Wales) holding 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 dont hold this CILEx qualification, youre not eligible to apply for this vacancy. If youre 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 wont be accepted. If youre unsure about your eligibility please contact Strategic.Resourcingcps.gov.uk The eligibility criteria must be met by Monday 9 December 2024. If youre able to obtain a valid Practising Certificate and will be fully qualified by this date, youre eligible to apply. Should there be any restrictions or special arrangements regarding your Practising certificate, we would ask you to inform us at the earliest opportunity, via email. Technical skills We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process: You must have a law degree, Common Professional Examination and/or Graduate Diploma in law. You must have completed a Legal Practice Course, Solicitors Qualifying Exam or Bar Vocational Course/Bar Professional Training Course and the relevant pupillage or training contract. You must demonstrate your commitment to criminal law. You must be a qualified barrister. You must demonstrate motivation. You must demonstrate sufficient legal intellect. Benefits Alongside your salary of £40,500, Crown Prosecution Service contributes £11,732 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. 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. We have a hybrid working policy. From September 2024, there is an expectation that you spend at least 40% of your contracted hours over a four-week period at court, in an office or another official workplace depending on business need and the kind of work you're doing. For this role however, its likely that you will spend closer to 100% of your time in court. Delivering justice is a complex pursuit with work that is sometimes emotionally challenging, which is why we offer a range of benefits including: An excellent opportunity for you to develop your skills and ability, your relationship with Crown Prosecution Service and career as a prosecuting advocate. Unparalleled prosecution and advocacy experience. We handle almost all of the serious, complex and high-profile prosecution cases in England and Wales. Develop an in-depth understanding of Crown Prosecution Service practice and procedures and the role of the Crown Advocate. Moreover, insight into the wider Civil Service and how the various departments and agencies involved in justice work together. Access to Crown Prosecution Services extensive training and support. Advocacy progression opportunities - after 12 months you are expected to be ready for more senior work (for us that means Crown Advocate Level 2). Proportion of any existing tenancy fee to be covered by the Crown Prosecution Service. a Civil Service contributory pension of up to 28.9%, 25 days leave, increasing to 30 days after 5 years and 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. Access to all our online research and textbook resources, including all of the principal criminal law tomes. In addition, we purchase your brand new copy of Archbold or Blackstones. You will be, as our all our employees, issued with a CPS Surface Laptop to support your work. A yearly Independent Learning Allowance of £350. Access to all our support and wellbeing network, programmes and assistance for employees. Things you need to know Selection process details This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Experience and Technical skills. We are using an application and interview to evidence the required levels of: qualifications motivation experience Application CV Please upload an up to date CV which should include the following: skills and criminal law experience work currently undertaken achievements qualifications You will need to attach your CV as one anonymised document of no more than 2 A4 pages to provide the panel with an insight into your work history and experience. We ask that you do not provide personal details which could identify you i.e. name/ age/ home address. Please note: It is your responsibility to provide the specified application information in the requested format to ensure that they are considered for the post. If you are unable to cover three years through employment/ academic, a character reference will be required for clearance purposes. Personal data In line with GDPR, dont send us any information that can identify children, or any of your own sensitive personal data such as racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, data concerning health or sex life and sexual orientation, genetic and/or biometric data in your CV and application documentation. Interview Final interview (dates from w/c 9 December 20 December 2024) If you pass the sift, youre invited to a Microsoft Teams virtual meeting or a face to face meeting where you will interviewed by a CPS panel to assess your suitability for the role, based on your experience. These dates may be subject to change and its not always possible to offer alternative dates. Diversity at the Crown Prosecution Service is about inclusion, embracing differences and ensuring our workforce truly reflects the communities we serve. We want you to feel that you belong and can thrive, whatever your background, identity or culture. As a Disability Confident employer, we're happy to support requests for reasonable adjustments and improve your recruitment experience. If you'd like any reasonable adjustments made to our recruitment process, let us know within your application or contact Lauren.Connorcps.go.uk Making offers You can choose three office location preferences from the list provided. If youre successful, we aim to offer one of your choices in the first instance. Whilst every effort is made to accommodate your location preferences, the CPS is a national organisation with differences in operational recovery, vacancy levels and caseloads around the country which means you may be offered a role in another CPS area outside your stated preference. If youre invited to interview, you are assessed and interviewed by an appropriate panel and offers are made in merit order. Other This is a full-time post. However, requests for flexible, part-time working and job share are considered bearing in mind the operational needs of the department. In this role you will be required to spend the majority of your working week in court. You must consider if the commute from your home to Courtis a feasible distance to travel before making an application. If you are successful, we will discuss this before you take up the post. The Crown Prosecution Service is based in England and Wales. If youre applying for this role and live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you must let us know when accepting this offer as you need permission to work from your home address if hybrid working is part of your role. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that this approval will be granted. The job you are applying for is covered by Article 3(a) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975, consequently Section 4(2) of that Act does not apply. For the reasons outlined above you are required to disclose all previous convictions and cautions, including spent convictions. Failure to make a full declaration will result in the withdrawal of an offer of employment if our checks reveal convictions that have not been disclosed. Reserve list If all the posts are filled for your preferred location(s), youre put on a reserve list. You may be approached about an opportunity at a location outside your initial preference. Offers are always made in merit order. The reserve list expires 12 months after the interviews take place and positions for your first preference cant be guaranteed. Timeline Please refer to the candidate pack for the scheduled timeline. Dates advertised are subject to change and it may not be possible to accommodate alternative requests for interviews and assessment. If you meet the eligibility requirements, youre invited to an assessment with at least five working days notice. If you cant make this date, please let us know as soon as possible and we try to rearrange although we cant guarantee it. Information sessions Were holding an online question and answer session whilst the vacancy is live. This is your chance to ask any questions about the role or the recruitment process. You can register for this now. Tuesday 12 November, 6pm 7pm Email Lauren.Connorcps.gov.uk for the link to the session Fair Processing Notice The CPS provides a Fair Processing Notice to all new applicants after theyve 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 CPS, on behalf of the vacancy holder, informs applicants when they are refused employment because theyre included in the IFD. Civil Service Commissioners If youre dissatisfied with the recruitment process and wish to make a complaint, please contact strategic.resourcingcps.gov.uk with your concerns. If you remain dissatisfied and wish to make a further complaint, you can do that through the Civil Service Commission complaints page. Here are our Civil Service Commissioners recruitment principles. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. 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 Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window). Apply and further information This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative. Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records. Contact point for applicants Job contact : Name : Lauren Connor Email : Lauren.Connorcps.gov.uk Recruitment team Email : strategic.resourcingcps.gov.uk Attachments Go Prosecute - candidate pack Opens in new window (docx, 560kB) New CPS Terms and Conditions Opens in new window (pdf, 1856kB) Crown Advocate Level 1 - Job Description Opens in new window (docx, 34kB) Share this page Print Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn GMail