Paralegal Officer

Job summary

As a Paralegal Officer, you’re on the frontline of our service, supporting prosecution teams in the magistrates’ and Crown Court. You manage casework throughout the criminal justice process – preparing evidence, completing legal applications and providing practical support to victims and witnesses. You also represent the Crown Prosecution Service in meetings with partner agencies including the police, probation service and judiciary.

You don’t need qualifications or legal experience to apply. Our structured training plan gives you the skills and knowledge you need to help us deliver justice. We’re committed to your professional development and support you with access to a progression and training opportunities throughout your career with us.

If you’re committed to public service, and want to make a difference in people’s lives, this opportunity is for you. Find out more about the role - Apply to become a paralegal officer , The Crown Prosecution Service (cps.gov.uk)

The Crown Prosecution Service is based in England and Wales. If you’re 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. There is no guarantee that this approval will be granted.

We do consider part-time working patterns. However this needs to be agreed by the hiring area and must be in line with business needs.

Job description

Your responsibilities are:

• to support Paralegal Assistants and legal teams to operate effectively and efficiently, so that tasks and case information is ready.
• to manage cases and ensure they are progressed, recording notes and drafting correspondences accurately.
• to research and assess the quality of case files, providing advice and making recommendations to prosecutors ahead of trial.
• to attend court as required by the Paralegal Business Manager, and provide support with cases in court. This includes assisting prosecutors, advocates and working with other criminal justice partners.
• to provide excellent customer service when dealing with enquiries received by your team, so that the public and stakeholders can have confidence in the work we do.

Click below to view a day in the life video of one of our Paralegal Officers.

Danielle, Paralegal Officer

Please note that the job description which accompanies this advert is not tailored to the specific role on the CPS Extradition Unit. Some of the tasks are unique to this unit.

Extradition

In the Extradition Unit, you assist to Specialist Prosecutors by preparing and maintaining export extradition casework in the magistrates’ court and on appeal at the High Court. You provide similar assistance for import extradition work, by preparing papers in support of an extradition request for fugitives abroad.

You primarily attend Westminster Magistrates’ Court and the High Court. You may also be required to attend courts both within London and at locations across England and Wales.

Person specification

To be eligible to apply, you need to:
• be 18 years old or over
• have working knowledge and experience of Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the work of the Crown Prosecution Service and our role in the wider criminal justice system.

The start date is expected to be 8-12 weeks after the application deadline. For roles that require Security Check clearance, the start date may be 3-4 months.

These posts are availablewithin the following Crown Prosecution Service directorates and locations:

East of England - Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich or Norwich (3)

Extradition - London (10) - Security Check clearance required

Merseyside and Cheshire - Liverpool (Reserve list)

North East - Newcastle, Middlesborough (2)

North West - Carlisle, Preston or Manchester (6)

South East - Brighton, Canterbury or Guildford (Reserve list)

South West - Bristol, Exeter or Truro (Reserve list)

Thames and Chiltern - St Albans (Reserve list) or Reading (5)

Wessex - Portsmouth or Swindon (5) - Postholder may be required to travel to other court locations, including Salisbury, Southampton, Winchester and Bournemouth.

West Midlands - Birmingham or Stoke (10)

Yorkshire and Humberside - Leeds, Hull or Sheffield (10)

We ask you to confirm your preferred location and Crown Prosecution Service area. Offers are made in merit order in line with your location preference. It’s not guaranteed that we will be able to accommodate your location preference.

Behaviours

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

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

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,700, Crown Prosecution Service contributes £8,893 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).

Join the Crown Prosecution Service and find your purpose.

Why we work for the Crown Prosecution Service

The Crown Prosecution Service is passionate about ensuring that we're a top performing organisation and a great place to work. We're a committed equal opportunities employer, creating a culture where you can bring your whole self to work, and individuality is truly appreciated.

This culture of inclusion is underpinned by our staff networks covering disability, faith and belief, LGBTQI+, race, social mobility alongside our mental health first aiders programme and wellbeing sessions.

The Crown Prosecution Service commits to offer its employees the following experience.
• You can do impactful, purposeful work that’s making a difference to your local communities.
• You are 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 contributory pension of up to 28.9%
• 25 days’ leave, increasing to 30 days after 5 years
• £350 each year to spend on personal development
• lawyer training programme for all new prosecutors
• an extra privilege day to mark the King's birthday
• competitive maternity, paternity and parental leave
• flexible working including flexitime, and a family friendly approach to work
• Cycle2Work scheme, employee savings.

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