Professional Officers Grade III & Grade IV

Professional Officer Grade IV and Professional Officer Grade III (Directing Division)

Professional Officers Grade III and Grade IV are professional legal positions in the Directing Division of the Office. In order to be eligible for Professional Officer Grade IV applicants must have been called to the Bar or have been admitted and be enrolled as a Solicitor in the State and have practised as a Barrister or as a Solicitor in the State for at least four years. Period(s) spent in a wholetime position in the Civil Service, for appointment to which qualification as a barrister or as a solicitor was an essential requirement, is reckonable for this purpose.

Applicants for Professional Officer Grade III positions must have been called to the Bar or have been admitted and be enrolled as a Solicitor in the State and have practised as a Barrister or as a Solicitor in the State for at least six years. Period(s) spent in a wholetime position in the Civil Service, for appointment to which qualification as a barrister or as a solicitor was an essential requirement, is reckonable for this purpose.

Professional Officers have opportunities for career progression through a number of senior legal positions within the Office, subject to service and other relevant requirements as appropriate.

Duties of professional officers include:

• consideration of Garda criminal investigation files
• deciding whether or not a prosecution should be initiated and advising of any further investigations necessary for the commencement or continuation of a prosecution
• determination of the charges to be preferred and the consideration of any charges already preferred
• determination of the proofs and other materials required, including issues of disclosure to the defence of unused material
• giving instructions generally regarding the conduct of the prosecution of criminal trials including the issuing of decisions regarding the many questions of law which can arise in the course of criminal proceedings
• conferring as necessary with counsel, prosecution/local state solicitors, members of the Garda Síochána and persons giving scientific or technical evidence
• deciding whether appeals should be brought or contested and the prosecution or defence of proceedings for judicial review and habeas corpus arising out of criminal proceedings
• referral of sentences considered to be unduly lenient to the Court of Criminal Appeal
• drafting or settling of documents necessary for the processing of requests for extradition into the State
• serving on committees and attending meetings relating to prosecutions and criminal law and procedure ; identifying operational problems arising in the administration of criminal law and assisting on request on matters relevant to proposed criminal legislation; lecturing at the Garda Síochána Training College
• and other tasks relating to the functions of the Director