Breaking barriers: How CPS lawyers became judges
We’re pleased to invite you to this seminar for CPS Lawyers, which will feature judges who began their careers in the Crown Prosecution Service.
A panel of judges will share their experiences of preparing for judicial appointment—offering practical tips, personal reflections, and guidance tailored for CPS legal professionals considering a judicial future.
The Panel
District Tribunal Judge Mark Angus has been a District Tribunal Judge in Social Security and Child Support chamber since January 2018. He was a criminal solicitor/ solicitor advocate for most of his career and had no previous Judicial experience prior to this appointment. State educated, he left school and college with very average grades and began his legal career at 18 as an administrative assistant at the Crown Prosecution Service. He qualified as a solicitor after studying at night school while working full-time and raising a family. Becoming a judge was never something he expected, and he is passionate about ensuring others have equal opportunities, regardless of their background.
Mark now serves as a Diversity and Community Relations Judge, Focal Point Judge, and Diversity and Inclusion Lead for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Chamber. He is also currently undertaking a Master’s Degree in Equality and Inclusion in Society.
Judge David Chrimes has been a salaried Tribunal Judge in the Social Entitlement Chamber (SEC) since 2021. He started as a Disability Qualified Member of the SEC in 2018 and was appointed as a Fee-Paid Tribunal Judge in 2019. David is a Diversity and Communications Judge (DCRJ). He is the Comms Lead on the Judicial Diversity Committee and edits the Judicial D&I Newsletter.
In his earlier career David practiced mostly in the Crown Court, spending over 20 years with the CPS, where he led the FDA Trade Union, specialising in representing members in equality cases and chaired the CPS Disability Network. He was also a member of two government advisory committees; the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) and the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee. He also sits on JAC interview panels.
David is disabled, having visual, mobility and dexterity impairments.
Judge Kate Gaskell started as a Pupil Barrister in 2012 at the CPS in Manchester. In 2018, she became a Crown Advocate in Merseyside and Cheshire, prosecuting trials across a broad spectrum of offences in Liverpool Crown Court before returning to Manchester in 2020.
Kate was appointed as a fee-paid Tribunal Judge in HESC (Mental Health) in 2020. She is passionate about mentoring others and has recently finished her first experience as a Pupil Supervisor. She has found the crossover between criminal and mental health law incredibly interesting, and both areas help to inform the other.
We will also be joined by a representative from the Judicial Appointments Commission who will speak about the new Judicial Skills and Abilities Framework and the application process.
United Kingdom