Rob

'I was looking for a new challenge and took the leap from private practice to the CPS. The support I've received has been excellent. I can see my career path and, better still, I know I'm supported in achieving my potential.'

My background

Before joining the CPS in 2021, I was a Crown Court advocate working within private practice at the Public Defender Service. I conducted serious trials all over the country but was proud to have my home courts in the North West - I was principally based in Manchester.

I still consider myself an advocate at heart, and it was a role I enjoyed and valued enormously. It was a huge personal decision to leave advocacy and join the CPS as a legal manager.   

My inspiration

I'm passionate about improving standards. I recognise that significant improvements can be made to the experience of everyone who appears before the courts. Within the CPS I can make a wider contribution. I'm determined to help improve the experience of victims and witnesses, focusing on high-quality preparation, engagement and advocacy.  I can genuinely say that I find inspiration from the dedication, talent and enthusiasm of my colleagues - they all share this common purpose and achieve great things on a daily basis.

My typical day

I have responsibility for the Crown Court advocacy team.  My principal focus is on the advocates' approach to early case engagement and ensuring development opportunities through effective trials. I also manage and support a team of senior crown prosecutors, providing clear guidance on a full range of serious casework, as well as addressing any HR issues that arise.  

I have other specific areas of responsibility, and regularly meet with senior police officers and the judiciary.

Taken together this means that most days are very different but extremely rewarding. I am in daily contact with a hugely supportive management team, and through hybrid working I enjoy the flexibility of working from home and the office.

My biggest learning

The CPS induction and specialist training courses are excellent. Even if I don’t have an answer at my fingertips, which is often the case, help is just around the corner.

My biggest learning has been to embrace new opportunities to increase my knowledge and help my development. I was looking for a new challenge and took the leap from private practice to the CPS. The support I've received has been excellent. I can see my career path and, better still, I know I'm supported in achieving my potential.

Becky

'I really enjoy sharing in the successes of the team of lawyers that I line manage.  It’s rewarding to see lawyers getting job satisfaction in seeing justice being delivered.'

My background

I graduated from Sheffield Hallam University with a 2:1 LLB Law degree and moved to London after graduation, but didn’t go into law straightaway.  After two years in IT recruitment, I was inspired to complete my Law Practice Course at the College of Law.  I then joined a criminal defence practice as a paralegal and completed my Police Station Accreditation.  I then qualified as a solicitor and my main practice area was criminal defence.

I joined the CPS in June 2019 as a crown prosecutor and have since progressed to senior crown prosecutor - and now a legal manager leading a magistrates' court team in Yorkshire and Humberside.

My inspiration

I really enjoy sharing in the successes of the team of lawyers that I line manage, from their own personal development or when a just outcome is achieved.  It’s rewarding seeing lawyers getting job satisfaction in justice being delivered.

I enjoy getting to the crux of issues and identifying ways to improve our service. I enjoy utilising my legal experience as an advocate and review lawyer to investigate Victims Right to Review cases.  We are accountable for our decisions and when mistakes are made it is vital, we learn from them.

My typical day

At the risk of sounding cliché, every day is different.  As a manager within the case review team, my day usually starts with ensuring cases are fairly distributed amongst the team and that any urgent tasks are dealt with appropriately. I check-in with members of the team, having regular contact with, ensuring everyone has the support they need in place to carry out their roles efficiently and effectively.

I take calls from team members to discuss complex or unusual cases they are working on and attend case management panel meetings with the senior leadership team to discuss complex cases. Throughout the week I will attend meetings with the other legal managers in the department to discuss issues affecting the magistrates' court team, and hold catch ups where we keep people updated on legal developments and performance, as well as join external meetings with the police and court service. In addition, I regularly collaborate with other legal managers from across the other departments to discuss area wide issues.

I speak regularly to local police forces about specific cases or to discuss issues. I also sometimes attend in person training sessions with a view to improving the service provided to victims, witnesses and wider communities. 

Improving our service for victims and witnesses is a key priority and one of my responsibilities in this aspect is reviewing Victims Right to Review requests or complaints - responding directly to the victim in writing.

My biggest learning

When I joined the CPS I had no idea how much actually goes on behind the scenes.  My interaction was mainly with prosecutors in court.  Having now been at the CPS for nearly five years, I have grown into my role and have a great appreciation for what goes on to get cases to court from a legal and operational delivery perspective. 

Matt

'What brought me to the CPS was the sheer variety of work that I can get involved in and the opportunities to develop my career.'

My background

I recently became a legal manager but I’ve been with the CPS for over 15 years. I was previously a senior crown prosecutor managing a varied caseload.

I started my legal career at a defence firm in South London. Living in the South East, it’s important for me to be able to work on cases and have a positive impact in my local area.

My inspiration

What brought me to the CPS was the sheer variety of work that I can get involved in and the opportunities to develop my career. As a legal manager I help my team make sure justice is delivered for victims of crime - which has to be the end goal.

My typical day

No day is the same. I usually start with urgent emails and make sure that everything can be covered by the team. I often need to provide assurance reports, demonstrating that the cases we’re pursuing are under proper review and that important application requests, such as custody time limit extensions, are being progressed efficiently. I liaise with my team throughout the day to pick up any issues that arise and support them to carry out their roles. This can be anything from help with HR issues to questions about law and procedure.

I manage a team of eight lawyers with different levels of experience - from very new to those who have been with the organisation for over 25 years. It’s important that I’m able to give them all the support they need and that they feel part of the team.

My biggest learning

I’ve not been in a leadership role before but the support I’ve received from other legal managers has been really positive. Our learning and development team run a very helpful course for new managers and it's been great to speak to colleagues nationally who are at the same stage of their careers. It’s a busy role with a real variety of issues to get involved with - and I quickly realised that my team members are our greatest asset.