Senior Crown Prosecutor (CPS) - Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire

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

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 senior crown prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service, 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 and/or court 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.

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

The prosecution teams:

Each Crown Prosecution Service 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 the Crown Prosecution Service.

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.

Profile

Person specification

• You must be a qualified lawyer with criminal law experience
• You must demonstrate your commitment to public service, making a difference to the communities we serve and our Crown Prosecution Service values
• You're focused on personal development and career progression

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. If you're unsure about your eligibility please contact

You must be a fully qualified solicitor or barrister by 16 March 2026. If successful, we must receive your practising certificate as soon as possible. We will not be able to progress pre-employment checks until the practising certificate has been received, and a deadline for this may be set in line with business need. If you're able to meet these requirements by this date, you're eligible to apply.

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.

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

Job Offer

Pay at the Crown Prosecution Service varies depending on your location.

Cambridge, Northampton, Norwich: £55,975 (starting pay), £63,500 (maximum pay)

Brighton, Canterbury, Chelmsford, Eastleigh, Guildford: £61,750 (starting pay), £71,400 (maximum pay)

St Albans: £61,750 + £1,050 RRA (starting pay), £71,400 + £1050 RRA (maximum pay)

London: £61,750 + £3,150 RRA (starting pay), £71,400 + £3,150 RRA (maximum pay)

Other benefits include:

• a Civil Service contributory pension of up to 28%
• 25 days' leave, increasing to 30 days after 5 years
• 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.