Procurator Fiscal Careers

Work Environment:

As a procurator fiscal (qualified lawyer) you'd be liable to prosecute crime within Scotland. You would also investigate suspicious and sudden deaths, and carry out enquiries of fatal accident.

This job includes:

• corresponding with the police and criminal-justice agencies
• arranging cases for court
• attending crimes scenes
• looking into complaints filed against the police
• carrying out prosecutions within court
• getting crime reports by the police and other agencies
• analyzing evidence and deciding whether to prosecute or not
• investigating fatal accidents, or suspicious/sudden deaths
• obtaining statements of witness

Except the High Court of Judiciary, district procurators fiscal prosecute cases in all courts.

Qualification, Education and Experience:

In the Scottish legal system, all procurators fiscal are entitled solicitors. To be a solicitor within Scotland, you should accomplish 2 training phases; first you should fulfill particular academic standards and then get through with occupational training.

You could meet up the academic standards by achieving one qualification from the following qualifications:

• a pre-diploma training contract of 3 years with a solicitor, subsequently passing examinations by the Law-Society of Scotland
• an LLB-degree into Scots law

When you've fulfilled academic standards, you should accomplish the vocational training phase, which includes:

• a post-diploma training contract of 2 years with a working solicitor
• 26 weeks DLP (Diploma into Legal Practice)

Training Details:

You'll follow a structured training program, if you join the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service as a trainee solicitor. In first year you'll work within the Crown-Office in Edinburgh. And in second year, you'll work as a procurator fiscal in district offices under supervision of senior associates.

COPFS provides about 16 Legal-Traineeships every year and competition is tough.

You can also enroll with COPFS as a procurator fiscal if you're an entitled solicitor.

Skills and knowledge:

• readiness to take decisions which would influence others
• concentration to details
• the capability to work under-pressure and manage numerous cases simultaneously
• excellent time management and organizational abilities
• the capability to clarify the law and make people feel comfortable
• analytical and logical thinking
• public-speaking skills
• outstanding written and verbal communication abilities

Salary and Other Benefits:

• Remunerations for procurators fiscal can be about £28,000 to £35,000 for a year.
• And senior employees such as district procurators fiscal can receive around £58,000 annually.

Working Conditions:

You'd work weekly for around 38 hours, on weekdays. You might be required to work on an on-call Rota for weekends and evenings.

You'd be working within an office, and also voyage in your region to attend scenes of accidents and crime, and the court. You will be required to put on a gown while you're in court.

Different Opportunities:

You can discover work chances with the Crown-Office and Procurator Fiscal Service; working within the Crown Office or district office in Scotland.

There's a distinct career-structure with various positions of procurator fiscal. Competition could be tough to get promoted to higher positions. You might be required to shift to different regions of Scotland to get more experience.

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