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Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
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Fixed Term
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About the job
Job summary
As a legal manager at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), youre 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.
To note – your job title in the CPS is also known as district crown prosecutor.
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 teams 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
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 wont 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 youre unsure about your eligibility, contact NationalLawyerRecruitment@cps.gov.uk
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
Technical skills
We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- You must have a valid practising certificate for England and Wales or be eligible to obtain a valid practising certificate, issued from either the Solicitors Regulation Authority or the Bar Standards Board. Please note, the eligibility criteria stated abo
- Its essential that you have post qualification criminal law experience.
- Its desirable that you have experience of leading and managing staff.
Benefits
£16,702 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
The CPS is passionate about ensuring were a top performing organisation and a great place to work. Were a committed equal opportunities employer, creating a culture where everyone can bring their whole self to work, and individuality is truly appreciated.
We want to ensure our prosecution teams can thrive at work and home, and offer a range of support to achieve a balance. This includes flexible working hours, flexibility to support caring responsibilities and a flexible approach to deployment, which means that where you work (a court, office or your home) is based on the kind of work youre undertaking.
This culture of inclusion is underpinned by our staff networks covering disability, faith and belief, LGBTQI+, race, and social mobility, alongside our mental health first aiders programme and wellbeing sessions.
The CPS commits to offer its employees the following experience.
- You can do impactful, purposeful work thats making a difference to your local communities.
- Youre able to learn and grow, with access to the right opportunities and resources.
- We care about your wellbeing.
- We want you to feel valued, trusted and included.
We also offer the following range of benefits:
- Civil Service pension
- access to employee savings
- Cycle2Work scheme
- 25 days leave, rising to 30 days after 5 years service
- 1 extra privilege day to mark the Kings birthday
- competitive maternity, paternity and parental leave
- flexible working and a family friendly approach to work
- childcare vouchers.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Application
Applications are considered anonymously, so we ask that you dont include any personal information that could be used to identify you.
Its your responsibility to provide the specified application information in the requested format to ensure youre considered for the post.
CV using the text boxes provided online
You arent required to upload your CV. In the CV section, you provide information about your employment history.
Personal statement using the text boxes provided online
Youre tested against Motivation and Leadership. Youre required to answer these questions.
- In 500 words or less, tell us what has motivated you to apply for the legal manager role in the CPS?
- In 500 words or less, tell us what leadership skills and experience you can bring to this role? Examples may include, but arent limited to, working as part of a team, mentoring or supervising, leading a team, line management, inclusive working practice.
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.
Assessment and interview
- Legal assessment
If you meet the eligibility criteria, youre invited to an online Microsoft Teams meeting to complete a legal assessment.
- Interview and leadership assessment
If you meet the required standard in your legal assessment, youre then invited to complete a final leadership-focused assessment, followed by an interview.
If youre invited to an assessment, youre provided general research pointers in advance. The assessment and interview are both held on Microsoft Teams. Please refer to the candidate pack for scheduled dates.
You book your own assessment and interview slot through Civil Service Jobs. Once youve selected your preferred time slot, we send you a Microsoft Teams link.
If you require any reasonable adjustments, let the team know as soon as possible. Otherwise, we wont be able to accommodate them on the day.
You must demonstrate CPS values throughout the process.
Merit list and offers
You can choose three office location preferences from the list provided. If youre successful, we exclusively offer using your choices in the first instance.
Were using a locational merit list system of appointment. Offers are made based on the merit order of each CPS Area interviewed. For example, Nottingham, Leicester, Northampton or Lincoln are CPS East Midlands. The highest rated candidate is appointed from the area in which the vacancy has arisen.
Reserve list
If all the posts are filled for your preferred location(s), youre put on the reserve list. You may be approached about an opportunity at a location outside your initial preference. Offers are always made in merit order.
If youre offered a position that youre unable to accept, you can stay on the reserve list and may be offered a position for your preferred location(s) if one becomes available. The list expires 12 months after the interviews take place and positions for your first preference cant be guaranteed.
Timeline
Dates advertised are subject to change and it may not be possible to accommodate alternative requests for interviews and assessment. Please refer to the candidate pack for the scheduled timeline.
If you meet the eligibility requirements, youre invited to an assessment with at least five working days notice. If you cant make it, please let us know as soon as possible and we will try to rearrange – though this cant be guaranteed.
Meet and Engage sessions
We are holding some online Q&As whilst the campaign is live. This is your chance to ask any questions you may have around the role or recruitment. You can register for these here.
- Thursday 26 October 4.00pm – 5.00pm
https://meetandengage.com/alnsm08it
- Thursday 2 November 4.00pm – 5.00pm
https://meetandengage.com/alnsm3bzf
Other
The CPS provides a Fair Processing Notice to all new applicants after theyve been successful at interview. As one aspect of pre-employment screening, your personal details name, National Insurance number and date of birth are checked against the Internal Fraud Database (IFD) and that anyone included on the IFD is refused employment unless they can demonstrate exceptional circumstances.
The CPS Strategic Resourcing team will, on behalf of the vacancy holder, inform applicants when theyre refused employment because of their inclusion in the IFD.
Current Civil Servants
If youre a current civil servant undergoing formal discipline action, formal action about attendance, poor performance or any restriction of duties as a result of disciplinary action, your application wont be progressed any further.
Civil Service Commission
Written feedback and comments are only provided to those at the interview stage and not until the vacancy is complete.
If youre dissatisfied with the recruitment process and wish to make a complaint, contact Strategic.Resourcing@cps.gov.uk with your concerns.
If youre still dissatisfied and want to make a further complaint, please go to the Civil Service Commission complaints page here: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/civilservicerecruitmentcomplaints/
Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles can be found here https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
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).
Apply and further information
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : National Lawyer Recruitment Team
- Email : NationalLawyerRecruitment@cps.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : strategic.resourcing@cps.gov.uk
