Senior Crown Prosecutor (CPS Direct - Home Based - Out Of Hours) Aug 2026

Job summary

Crown Prosecution Service Direct (CPS Direct) is our out-of-hours service. We work through the night, at weekends and bank holidays to provide urgent charging advice to the police on cases where the suspect can't be released on bail.

As a Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS Direct, you’re home-based within England or Wales. You occasionally travel for in-person meetings, with costs met in line with our travel and subsistence policy. You work a range of out-of-hours shifts, averaging 37 hours a week (full time). Our rota operates 5pm-11am on weekdays covering 24 hours on weekends and bank holidays. Shift details are always shared at least one calendar month in advance.

In this role, you provide the police with pre-charge decisions and case management advice. You advise on all levels of casework that need pre-charge advice following the Director’s Guidance on Charging. After a thorough induction and buddying programme, you work independently using your own initiative. You need to be self-motivated, and able to quickly form effective working relationships with the police who you provide with independent and accurate advice. You are also responsible for keeping up to date with developments in criminal law and practice.

We hold regular reviews to ensure you’re appropriately supported with your out-of-hours work. And you receive premium payments for working out-of-hours.

Shift times

Premium rate

Weekday: 7pm-11pm

20%

Weekday: 11pm-7am

30%

Saturday: 7am-11pm

50%

Saturday: 12am-7am and 11pm-12am

70%

Sunday: 7am-11pm

50%

Sunday: 12am-7am and 11pm-12am

70%

Bank holiday: 7am-11pm

50%

Bank holiday: 12am-7am and 11pm-12am

70%

There is some extra information regarding shift patterns and an illustration of salaries on CPS Direct additional information document which is linked in the attachments sections at the bottom of this advert.

Job description

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, as to whether prosecutions should proceed.
• To advise police and other investigators on witness support, compliance with the Victims’ Code and other ancillary orders.
• To explain our decisions clearly to police and other investigators, recording information we receive and advice we give, to provide a clear audit trail for our decisions.
• To provide a clear and concise written review of evidence.
• To work effectively as part of a multiskilled team.

This post is home based and can only be based in England or Wales. If you are outside England and Wales, you are expected to relocate at your own expense. If you're successful, we ask for your home address and postcode to determine if your salary is national or London based.

If you’re applying internally as a senior crown prosecutor on level transfer, you are released to the post subject to business need.

We hold a series of information sessions through Microsoft Teams. These are live online chats where you can ask us any queries about your application, the process or the role. Please email [email removed] for an invitation to one of these sessions.

• Thursday 27 August, 5.30-6.30pm
• Wednesday 2 September, 5.30-6.30pm
• Tuesday 8 September, 5.30-6.30pm

Person specification

Essential

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

• You must have post qualification criminal law experience.

Desirable

• Knowledge of Microsoft 365 applications including Exchange, Excel, Word & PowerPoint
• Digital and change-ready mindset

After completing training, you need to:

• demonstrate you’re able to provide immediate phone or digital charging advice to police officers, in accordance with the Director’s Guidance and CPS policy.
• identify cases at an early stage that fall outside the Director’s Guidance – and advise accordingly.
• be proactive in identifying and rectifying evidential deficiencies to strengthen cases.
• bring cases to an early conclusion that can’t be strengthened by further investigation.
• make charging decisions in accordance with the Full Code Test, other than where the Threshold Test applies.
• provide guidance to the police about file content, timescales, evidence, witness care, compensation, confiscation, policy and other matters that help build a case.
• give advice to the police on witness support, in particular special measures, complying with the Victims’ Code and other ancillary orders.
• record information provided by the police, detailing decisions and advice given to provide a clear audit trail evidencing the reasoning for decisions.
• provide police and Crown Prosecution Service colleagues with high-quality typed MG3 forms that are clear, concise and fit to serve as the formal Crown Prosecution Service review of the evidence for the life of the case, in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors

Qualifications

Our job adverts reflect the currently accepted qualifications for Crown Prosecution Service roles. Our job adverts are updated if these requirements change.

You must be a qualified Solicitor or Barrister in England and Wales
You must hold, or be able to obtain, a current practising certificate for England and Wales prior to appointment prior to your appointment issued by the Solicitors Regulation Authority or the Bar Standards Board
You must be entitled to practise and meet all relevant professional regulatory requirements

Pre-employment checks
You need to provide evidence of your professional qualification and current practising status as part of pre-employment checks
This includes verification of your practising certificate, relevant qualification route, and confirmation of your good standing with your regulator

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 requirements for a Crown Prosecutor specified by section 1 Prosecution of Offences Act 1985.

If you’re unsure about your eligibility, contact [email removed]

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

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

• You must demonstrate suitable legal intellect
• You must demonstrate motivation

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £55,975, Crown Prosecution Service contributes £16,215 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

The Crown Prosecution Service is passionate about ensuring that we're a top performing organisation and a great place to work. We're a