Should trainee lawyers consider kicking off their careers at the CPS?

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has expanded its legal trainee intake from 80 to 120 places, a move that contrasts with AI-driven reductions in graduate roles at law firms. Legal Cheek's Alex Aldridge and Julia Szaniszlo discuss the pros and cons of starting a legal career at the CPS versus a traditional law firm training contract, including salary differences and career implications.

Solid City alternative? The Crown Prosecution Service CPS has recently expanded its legal trainee numbers from 80 places to 120. In a media landscape which is rife with talks of AI reducing graduate intakes, cut backs to entry level roles, why has the CPS made this move now? Salaries won’t match what’s on offer at global firms check out Legal Cheek’s Firms Most List https://www.legalcheek.com/the-firms-most-list/?metakey= cmb newly qualified salary for more on those , and the surroundings are unlikely to rival the polished glass towers of the City. Still, the prospect could appeal to plenty of aspiring lawyers, especially with AI increasingly putting graduate roles at risk. Legal Cheek’s Alex Aldridge and Julia Szaniszlo break down the advantages and drawbacks of launching your legal career at the CPS versus taking the traditional law firm training contract route. They also explore how a CPS background might read on a junior lawyer’s CV, and whether it could serve as a stepping stone into a City firm role. You can listen to the podcast in full via the embed above, or on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3nkgBeLwvA , Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/4jejkBWouH3emVRcBjGz2N?si=cSFiFUmmQbSvV cgopL7tQ&utm source=copy-link or Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/is-the-cps-a-good-place-to-start-your-career-as/id1501183340?i=1000779127283 . The Legal Cheek Podcast is proudly independent. Thanks to our sponsor Simpson Thacher, home of the private equity training contract, for making that possible