Paralegal assistant - Regional areas - Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)

Deadline: Apply before 1:00 pm on Monday 6th October 2025

Locations available

(Note several locations are for reserve list applicants only)

Birmingham, Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Cambridge, Canterbury, Cardiff, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Derby, Eastleigh, Exeter, Guildford, Hull, Leeds, Lincoln, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Mold, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Sheffield, St Albans, Stoke-on-Trent, Swansea, Swindon, Truro

Job summary

The Crown Prosecution Service is responsible for delivering justice through the independent and effective prosecution of crime. As the principal prosecuting authority across England and Wales, our work is often emotionally challenging and complex. As such we employ over 7,000 individuals who think objectively, act professionally, show the upmost respect for others and continually strive for excellence.

We are looking for individuals who are committed to public service, making a difference in people’s lives and delivering justice. We are committed to delivering the highest standards in this complex and challenging field.

Are you interested in developing a career with real purpose? Start your career in an integral frontline role as a paralegal assistant with the Crown Prosecution Service.

As a paralegal assistant, you’re often the first point of contact dealing with enquiries and correspondence – delivering excellent customer service to internal and external stakeholders. You’re responsible for providing casework support within your team, gaining insight into the important work of the Crown Prosecution Service along the way.

You build on your skills – including communication, quality checking and time management – to complete your work to a high standard and help achieve your team’s goals and objectives.

You must have excellent written, verbal and digital communication skills including knowledge of Microsoft 365 applications.

You are asked to select your preferred location when completing your application. We will try to assign you to a court close to where you live, but you could be placed at any of the courts listed for your chosen location.

You will be required to travel to court each day for this role.

The court locations within each Crown Prosecution Service area are highlighted in the information pack attached to the advert.

If your preferred location is Derby, you will be contracted to Nottingham but will be based within Derby Crown Court.

Please note, we are currently advertising two paralegal assistant campaigns. You are only able to apply for one of them - either the paralegal assistant - casework divisions or the paralegal assistant - regional areas. If you submit two applications we will accept your first application and the second will be automatically rejected

Job description

Paralegal assistants provide vital administrative and casework support on the frontline of our service. You work with the paralegal team to prepare cases for the magistrates’ and Crown Court – producing court documents and court listings, managing case files, drafting letters and briefing prosecutors. You liaise with criminal justice partners to ensure the smooth progression of cases, and provide practical support to victims and witnesses of crime.

Your roles and responsibilities

• You attend court, to provide support for paralegal officers and prosecutors.
• You prepare casework and documentation for court, supporting our legal teams to operate effectively and efficiently.
• You ensure information received is recorded accurately so that it can be easily retrieved and accessed by the team working on the case.
• You provide excellent customer service when dealing with enquiries received by your team over the phone or in writing, so that the public and stakeholders can have confidence in the work of the Crown Prosecution Service.
• You ensure all work is produced to a high standard reflecting the values of the Crown Prosecution Service.

If you’re currently doing an apprenticeship within the Crown Prosecution Service and you’re successful in getting this role, you must complete your apprenticeship course if the role is relevant.

Person specification

To be eligible to apply for this opportunity, you must:

• be at least 18 years of age
• have excellent written, verbal and digital communication skills - including knowledge of Microsoft 365 applications
• have an interest in criminal law and public service

You don’t need qualifications or legal experience for this role, a structured induction training plan is provided. Customer service skills are desirable but not required.

Our regional teams

The Crown Prosecution Service works across England and Wales, with 14 regional teams prosecuting cases locally in magistrates' and Crown Courts.

Each of these 14 regional teams are known as Crown Prosecution Service Areas – they are led by a chief crown prosecutor whose paralegal, casework and prosecution staff work closely with local police forces and other criminal justice partners to prepare and prosecute local cases.

Behaviours

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

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

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £24,950, Crown Prosecution Service contributes £7,228 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

Join the Crown Prosecution Service and find your purpose.

Alongside your salary of £24,950, Crown Prosecution Service contributes £7,228 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

We offer a Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

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.

While the Crown Prosecution Service operates a hybrid working policy, some roles - including the paralegal assistant role - must attend court for the full working week to carry out their role and responsibilities. You must consider if the commute from your home to court is a feasible distance to travel before making an application. If you’re successful, we will discuss this before you take up the post.