Senior Crown Advocate

Are you a qualified lawyer with criminal law knowledge, legal expertise, and significant advocacy experience in the Crown Court?

The Senior Crown Advocate position is one of our highest-level Advocate roles. You’re on the frontline conducting advocacy at jury trials for some of the most serious, sensitive and complex cases the Crown Prosecution Service prosecute – from manslaughter and murder to sexual offences and organised crime.

You work in high-pressure situations that are integral to the outcome of criminal proceedings. It’s essential that you’re able to communicate clearly in advising, preparing to prosecute and carrying out trial advocacy on cases – seeing your cases through from start to completion. You play a central role in securing justice for victims and witnesses of crime.

It is also a leadership position, and you are expected to be a role model for junior advocates and clerks, as well as assisting your broader CPS Area or the South Eastern Regional Advocacy Hub in bringing your courtroom expertise and experience back to the office to develop lawyers, trainees and paralegals.

Job description

You conduct jury trials in serious and often high-profile cases. You support investigators by reviewing evidence and providing sound judgement on whether to proceed with prosecution. When a realistic prospect of conviction is found, you work with colleagues from across the criminal justice system to prepare and present cases in the Crown Court and Court of Appeal.

Subject to satisfying the ’general qualification’ provision within the meaning of section 71 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990, you are designated by the Director of Public Prosecutions as a Crown Prosecutor under the terms of section 1 (3) of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985.

• You analyse, review, prepare and prosecute a wide range of cases with up-to-date knowledge of criminal offences ranging from motoring to murder.
• You draft responses to parliamentary questions and to prepare high level oral and written briefings for the Director of Public Prosecutions and law officers.
• You lead, ensuring case deadlines and priorities are met.
• You build and maintain relationships with a wide range of people across the criminal justice system, communicating our decisions clearly and working with them effectively to ensure cases are effectively prosecuted.

Person specification

Here are the qualifications and memberships you need to apply for this role. Please also see attached Crown Advocate Framework for information.

Qualifications

• Legally qualified: You must be a qualified practising solicitor or barrister and hold a valid Practising Certificate for England and Wales.
• Professional: You must have completed a Legal Practice Course or Bar Professional Training Course and have 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).
• You must be qualified to practise in the Crown Court as a qualified barrister under Bar Standards Board Regulations – or solicitor with Higher Rights (Criminal Advocacy) under the Solicitors Regulation Authority Higher Rights of Audience Regulations 2011.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• We will assess motivation, legal intellect and advocacy
• You must have experience of dealing with contested category 3 and/or category 4 criminal advocacy in the Crown Court.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £76,710, Crown Prosecution Service contributes £22,222 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

• a Civil Service contributory pension of up to 28.9%
• 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.