A former senior partner of London firm Kingsley Napley has been appointed by the attorney general to become the next director of public prosecutions.

Solicitor Stephen Parkinson will begin his five-year term on 1 November, succeeding barrister Max Hill KC. He is the first solicitor to lead the Crown Prosecution Service since its creation. 

Attorney general Victoria Prentis said: 'Stephen Parkinson 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, 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 itself.

Stephen Parkinson

Parkinson: stellar career as prosecutor and defender

'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.'

Parkinson joined Kingsley Napley in 2003 and led the firm’s criminal litigation practice for 12 years, before becoming senior partner in 2018.

Previous roles include crown prosecutor, head of the CPS’s international cooperation unit, assistant solicitor at the Department of Trade and Industry and group head of the litigation division at the Treasury Solicitor’s Department.

Parkinson said: '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.'

The Law Society welcomed the announcement. 'We are delighted with the appointment of Stephen Parkinson as the first solicitor to hold the post of director of public prosecutions since the 1960s and look forward to working with him,' said president Lubna Shuja.

'It’s great to see one of our members take up this prestigious role. His experience as a solicitor over many years, and previously as a barrister, means he will have a good understanding of the many issues affecting our criminal justice system. We look forward to working closely with him to resolve these.'

 

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