Leaders in Law Lecture: Grace Ononiwu OBE

CEPLER is delighted to welcome Grace Ononiwu OBE, Chief Crown Prosecutor for West Midlands Region, to deliver the first in the esteemed Leaders in Law lecture series, in which she will talk about her career path and how she reached this distinguished position.

Grace took up her post as Chief Crown Prosecutor for the CPS West Midlands Region in June 2014, having previously been in that role for the East of England Region. As Chief Crown Prosecutor she is ultimately responsible for all prosecution decisions and conduct of cases by CPS lawyers throughout the Region. She also has personal involvement in many of those cases and there are occasions when she meets victims of crime or their families to explain the reasons for the decisions taken in cases that involve them.

Grace qualified as a solicitor in 1991 and joined a private firm in High Wycombe practising criminal law before joining the CPS. In April 2009 she became the first African Caribbean to be appointed to the position of Chief Crown Prosecutor in the organisation's history. Grace has made a significant contribution to the CPS Equality and Diversity agenda and was previously Chair of the National Black Crown Prosecution Association. She was awarded the OBE in 2008.