will be the new Director
of Public Prosecutions and head of the Crown Prosecution Service
the Attorney General has announced today.
Rt Hon KC MP selected Mr
Parkinson following an open and transparent competition. It is
expected that he will take up the appointment from 1 November for
an initial term of five years. He will succeed the outgoing DPP,
Max Hill KC.
The Attorney General Rt Hon KC MP said:
brings a unique
combination of legal expertise and public service at the highest
levels, demonstrated most recently as Senior Partner at law firm
Kingsley Napley LLP, and having spent numerous years in three of
the Law Officers’ Departments: the Attorney General’s Office,
Treasury Solicitor’s Department and as a prosecutor with the
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) itself.
Stephen has had a stellar legal career both in and outside of
government as well as experience of both prosecuting and
defending. Combining this with his extensive track record of
leadership, I have every confidence he will be a collaborative
director and a principled and independent chief prosecutor. The
public will rightly expect nothing less.
He will build on the achievements of Max Hill to whom I am
grateful. The role of DPP requires exceptional qualities of
judgement and character. I am looking forward to working with the
new Director.
The CPS prosecutes criminal cases that have been investigated by
the police and other investigative organisations in England and
Wales. The CPS is independent and makes its decisions
independently of the police and government.
Mr Parkinson said:
I am delighted and honoured to be appointed as the next Director
of Public Prosecutions. Both as a prosecutor and defender I have
always strongly believed in the importance of the CPS in bringing
to justice and prosecuting fairly those accused of crime.
I would like to pay tribute to the work that Max Hill has done
leading the CPS successfully through the challenges of the
Pandemic and setting a clear direction for the future. I look
forward to building on his legacy.
Note to Editors
- As set out in the Criminal Justice Act 1987, the Attorney
General appoints the DPP.
- The current DPP, Max Hill KC, will serve his full five-year
term, which is due to end in October 2023.
BiographyExperience
Senior Partner, Kingsley Napley LLP 2018 - 2023
Head of Criminal Litigation Practice Area, Kingsley Napley 2006 -
2018
Deputy Legal Secretary (SCS, Grade 3) 1999 – 2003
Treasury Solicitors Department, Group Head, Litigation Division
1996-1999
Department of Trade and Industry – Assistant Solicitor 1992-1996
Crown Prosecution Service – Head of International Co-operation
Unit 1991-1992
Education
University College London, LLB 1976 - 1979
Inns of Court School of Law, Barrister 1979 - 1980
Pupillage, 3 Temple Gardens 1980 - 1982
Qualified as Solicitor 2005
Biography
is a practicing lawyer
with a long and distinguished career which began in the CPS as a
junior Prosecutor.
He has most recently been Senior Partner at law firm Kingsley
Napley LLP where he has represented a number of high-profile
clients.
His last 20 years as a defence lawyer have built on the skills
and experience that he gained from his years working as a
prosecutor, and he has developed an extensive practice advising
on, or undertaking, investigations for organisations, companies
and individuals which will be a strength in his role as DPP.
He accumulated a wealth of experience in Government, including
roles in the Treasury Solicitor’s Department, where he was
responsible for most of the Government’s regulatory litigation,
and also the Department of Trade and Industry, where he headed a
team providing legal advice in live company investigations.
In the CPS, he progressed from junior prosecutor to the head of
the International Co-Operation Unit and also spent two periods in
the Attorney General’s Office, with his last post being as deputy
head of the department.
