Survey Results - Trainee feedback on Crown Prosecution Service
Survey Results - Trainee feedback on
The lowdown - Trainees (in their own words) on Crown Prosecution Service
Why did you choose this organisation over any others? ‘I wanted to work within the public sector in an area dealing with justice’, ‘I was already working for the CPS’, ‘a desire to work in the criminal justice system’, ‘there are lots of internal opportunities for movement and growth’, ‘for the type of work’, ‘the work is interesting and varied’, ‘I have been with the CPS for over seven years; I’ve enjoyed the work and the work/life balance and didn’t want to give that up’, ‘it offers solicitors rights of audience, which is rare and valuable’
Best thing about the organisation? ‘The work – the variety of cases, the interesting and unique things we get to see’, ‘the vast array of teams within the organisation – there is always something new to learn about’, ‘it’s very supportive and offers great benefits and pay’, ‘you can obtain a breadth of legal experience outside of criminal law in our training contract’, ‘the variety of work available when qualified’, ‘the flexibility of being able to work from home’, ‘the work is rewarding’, ‘working on live cases and making a difference’
Worst thing about the firm? ‘The quality of supervisors varies enormously’, ‘the workload and the overcomplicated case management systems’, ‘having to rigidly follow standard operating procedures when they are not always necessary’, ‘the pay could be better, but as a government-funded body, it is to be expected’, ‘staff are overstretched and so are not always available and it is clear that this level of work will be passed to us when we qualify’, ‘there isn’t a ‘one-size-fits-all training programme for legal trainees; it appears to be different for each office location’
Best moment? ‘Passing my associate prosecutor course and getting my rights of audience so that I can begin prosecuting in court’, ‘shadowing a three-week attempted murder trial’, ‘helping to draft an international letter of request for a historic rape case’, ‘whilst on secondment, briefing the Attorney General and Solicitor General was pretty cool!’, ‘shadowing and assisting with trials at the Crown Court’, ‘making charging decisions’, ‘seeing the positive impact of our work on the victims of crime’
Worst moment? ‘My secondment at the foreign office was badly managed’, ‘having to rigidly follow standard operating procedures when they are not always necessary’, ‘trying to find a secondment opportunity and being rejected’, ‘working with an abrasive solicitor who talks down to everyone’, ‘having very little work to do despite asking and chasing’, ‘worrying about advocacy when I qualify’, ‘feeling disillusioned about the criminal justice system whilst working on a manslaughter case’
The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on Crown Prosecution Service
‘Working for the Crown Prosecution Service, where I am actively involved in bringing justice to victims, is such an incredible opportunity. I couldn’t pass it up’ said one respondent. The CPS also has an ‘extensive programme of external secondments, both in government departments and in the private sector’. The well-known benefits of working for the civil service appealed to trainees, such as ‘a good pension’ and ‘the guarantee of a job at the end of the training contract’ – something which can’t be said of all law firms! Training is ‘very flexible, so you get to have a big say in what you would like your training period to look like’. The downside is that in some instances ‘it is incumbent on the trainee to reach out, which can be intimidating’, especially when ‘supervisors can often be too busy to give you work’. That there aren’t many social activities is also lamented. ‘The vast amount of online learning required’, and ‘trying to find a secondment opportunity and being rejected’ are less fulfilling aspects of the CPS training contract. Thankfully, the rest of the time trainees are ‘trusted to take on complex work and are treated not only as valued members of the team, but also as trusted lawyers (in training)’. The people are a key part of what makes the CPS training contract so enjoyable: ‘I’ve never had a group of colleagues who are as friendly, willing to help and as fun as the people I work with now’. Best moments include ‘assisting on a wildlife case for fox hunting and attending the trial’ and ‘leading a meeting with the police on pre-charge advice on a serious rape case’. If you have an ‘interest in criminal law and justice’ but still want ‘exposure to as many different areas of law as possible’, take a closer look at the CPS.
Interview with…
Andy Madden, trainee solicitor at the Crown Prosecution Service
Departments to date: Crown Court Unit, secondment at Liverpool City Council, Magistrates’ Court Advocacy Unit
University: Northumbria University
Degree: Masters in Law – 1st Class Honours
What was your background before the CPS and why did you decide to apply to work at the CPS?
I always had a strong passion and interest in criminal law that stemmed from my parents’ jobs. I preferred my criminal law-based modules at university and never found myself immersed in commercial or corporate law. I obtained work experience at local criminal defence firms which solidified my interest in the sector before researching the CPS while at university. I applied because I wanted to make a difference to the local community and criminal justice system, specifically improving the experience for victims of crime. I am genuinely proud of the work we do, and it is clear that everyone in the organisation feels the same.
Tell us about your role. What do you do in a typical day?
As I am now two months away from qualifying and becoming a Crown Prosecutor, I am currently posted to the Magistrates Court Advocacy Unit and work from a range of local courts five days per week. A typical week while I am a legal trainee includes prosecuting my own courts independently two and a half days while shadowing a range of other courts the remainder of the time. Prosecuting my own courts is mainly guilty anticipated plea courts where 20-30 cases will be listed per day. I prefer preparing my cases the evening before, to ensure any last-minute issues can be corrected if necessary. The Magistrates Advocacy Unit carries a strong social presence due to the requirement to attend court every day. Conducting my own courts at this stage of a training contract is an opportunity that I would have not got anywhere else.
What do you enjoy most about the CPS? What are the best parts of working for the CPS and in your role?
No two days or cases are the same. From a very early stage, you will work on serious cases involving real people in real life situations. You are given a lot of responsibility and trusted to make important decisions, with the benefit of being supervised initially. Cultivating relationships with a range of organisations also enables the social side of the job to thrive. In my current unit, the work is high in volume, fast paced and unpredictable. However, prosecuting a significant number of cases each day provides rapid development from an early stage. Although the work is high volume and can be stressful, the organisation is flexible with working hours and taking ‘flexi days’. The period of training is a unique and precious time – you can really own it and have the scope to decide what you want to do. I have observed a murder and a manslaughter trial and other Crown Court advocacy, spent three months on an external secondment with the City Council and assisted the Crown Court Unit with charging advice on serious matters. I have spent the previous four months in the Magistrates Court Advocacy Unit which has developed my advocacy skills significantly.
What advice would you give to someone considering joining the CPS as a legal trainee?
If you’re looking to join the CPS, demonstrate a passion for criminal law and obtain work experience in the criminal sector – whether this is at the CPS or a local defence firm. Observe a Magistrates Court and get a feel for how the law operates in practice. Research the organisation, the values and the Code for Crown Prosecutors. This explains why we prosecute the cases that we do and will help you to understand the aims and ethos of the organisation further.
About the firm
About the Crown Prosecution Service: The Crown Prosecution Service prosecutes criminal cases that have been investigated by the police and other investigative organisations in England and Wales. The Crown Prosecution Service is independent. As such, it makes its decisions independently of the police and Government.
Their duty is to make sure that the right person is prosecuted for the right offence, and to bring offenders to justice wherever possible.
The Crown Prosecution Service:
- decides which cases should be prosecuted;
- determines the appropriate charges in more serious or complex cases, and advises the police during the early stages of investigations;
- prepares cases and presents them at court; and
- provides information, assistance and support to victims and prosecution witnesses.
Prosecutors must be fair, objective and independent. When deciding whether to prosecute a criminal case, our lawyers must follow the Code for Crown Prosecutors. This means that to charge someone with a criminal offence, prosecutors must be satisfied that there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction, and that prosecuting is in the public interest.
The cases: We regularly publish press releases on our website about cases we’ve been involved in.
Leader: Stephen Parkinson, Director of Public Prosecutions
Office locations: Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Canterbury, Cardiff, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Derby, Eastleigh, Exeter, Guildford, Hull, Ipswich, Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, Liverpool, London, Loughborough, Luton, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Mold, Newcastle, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Sheffield, Stoke-on-Trent, Swindon, Truro, Wakefield, Warrington, York.
What we do: The Crown Prosecution Service is the principal prosecuting authority responsible for prosecuting criminal cases investigated by the police in England and Wales.
What we’re looking for: We are looking for motivated individuals with a passion for criminal law. We are seeking applicants with good oral advocacy skills who can present an argument in an ordered and structured manner. Good analytical and writing skills are also essential to the role.
What you’ll do: As a trainee solicitor, your day-to-day work varies, and you are involved in different parts of our legal work, including legal research and reviewing cases. In your first year, you spend time shadowing our prosecutors at magistrates’ and Crown Court to allow you to observe a range of cases. During your traineeship you get the opportunity to be based in a specialist unit – such as the rape and serious sexual assault unit or complex casework unit.
If you’re a pupil barrister, one of the first things you do is shadow our advocates at magistrates’ and Crown Court – observing cases and seeing advocacy work in action. You also have the opportunity to take part in a short secondment to a chambers. You learn lots over the year, developing your skills and building up your advocacy work in court.
Perks: Flexible working and a family-friendly approach to work; Civil Service contributory pension up to 27%; 25 days’ leave, increasing to 30 days after five years; an extra privilege day for the King’s birthday; three days’ paid volunteering; £350 a year for individual learning and development; wellbeing and counselling; access to employee savings; Cycle2Work scheme; competitive maternity, paternity and parental leave; childcare vouchers (unless already registered with the Government Tax Free Childcare Scheme).
Sponsorship
At the Crown Prosecution Service, we offer sponsorship opportunities to internal members of staff through our Prosecutor Pathway Schemes. These are development routes open for internal applications once a year to become fully qualified lawyers. Depending on your academic and professional qualifications, you can consider applying for and completing our solicitor apprenticeship or graduate pathway scheme once you have joined us.
Our solicitor apprenticeship involves studying for six years, fully funded, to become a qualified solicitor and get a guaranteed prosecutor role afterwards. Hear from Lewis, who joined the Crown Prosecution Service as a casework assistant and qualified as a solicitor through our apprenticeship scheme last year.
From casework assistant to becoming a prosecutor | The Crown Prosecution Service (cps.gov.uk)
Our other scheme, known as the Graduate Pathway, is for your postgraduate qualifications, where you can have your Bar Practice Course, Legal Practice Course, Solicitors Qualifying Exams, or Graduate Diploma in Law fully funded.
Tips from the recruiter
- Become familiar with the Civil Service success profiles. We use this framework to assess your behaviours, strengths and potential suitability for the role.
- Gaining experience in criminal law isn’t essential but it can help to display your motivations and passion for why you are considering joining the Crown Prosecution Service.
- Do your research about the organisation – we’re the main criminal prosecution service in England and Wales, work independently from Government, we’re a Civil Service department and represent the Crown in many hearings that happen in court.