Criminal Lawyer, Proceeds of Crime Team

Job summary

About us

We help the UK move forward, faster.

For nearly 150 years, we've protected the UK economy with deep expertise and rigour, building the confidence that helps businesses access lending, investment and opportunity.

We help people deal with personal insolvency. We make statutory redundancy payments when insolvent employers can't. We investigate director conduct and take action where it's needed.

And right now, we're changing how we do all of this, becoming faster, more digitally driven, and more focused on stopping problems before they escalate.

More than 2,000 of us work in offices across England, Scotland and Wales. It might be time for you to join us.

The role

We're looking for a Criminal Lawyer who wants more than a job that ticks boxes. You'll prosecute confiscation, restraint and enforcement proceedings under Part 2 of the Proceeds of Crime Act, making sure criminals don't keep the proceeds of their offending. This directly supports our aim to combat financial misconduct.

This is a role for someone who wants to think bigger, challenge the way things have always been done, and take ownership of the outcomes that matter.

We offer full-time, part-time, job share and flexible working. We invest in your development and give our people the space to grow, take ownership and make decisions.

Job description

Reporting to the Senior Lawyer, you'll join the Legal Services Proceeds of Crime Team, part of our Criminal Lawyer Team, which leads the Insolvency Service's confiscation, restraint and enforcement litigation. You'll work closely with investigation officers and the Asset Recovery Teams in the Enforcement Group to build strong cases, and with Counsel or agent solicitors where cases go to court. You'll take ownership of your own caseload, deciding when to make an application, how to run it, and when to change course.

What you'll do (Responsibilities)

You'll use your expertise and judgement to:

• review cases and decide whether to apply for restraint, confiscation, receivership or reconsideration of confiscation orders, and on what terms
• advocate in the Magistrates' Court, and prepare cases for the Crown Court, presenting them clearly and persuasively
• decide how to respond to defence proposals, when to withdraw or compromise an application, and whether to seek compensation or costs
• work with investigation officers and the Asset Recovery Teams to make sure applications are built on strong evidence, recognising that the best outcomes come from close joint working
• give clear, accurate and timely advice on Proceeds of Crime proceedings across the Service
• take ownership of your casework from review through to enforcement, staying accountable for the decisions you make and the outcomes you deliver
• contribute to knowledge-sharing and best practice, and support the development of colleagues, with the potential to supervise paralegals undertaking CILEx study or to manage a Legal Officer

You'll occasionally travel to other regional centres or conferences as the role requires.

In their own words

"I am proud to have worked on a number of interesting and complex Confiscation cases in my role as POCA lawyer in the Insolvency Service. This work directly contributes to the Agency Strategy's Combat objective, by ensuring criminal enforcement has the greatest impact on those who have benefitted from crime."

- Alex, Grade 7 POCA Lawyer

Person specification

We're looking for someone who can:

• use sound judgement to assess evidence and risk, explain their reasoning, and recognise when to refer a decision
• take ownership of their own caseload, maintain progress and remain accountable for delivery
• deal effectively and persuasively with a wide range of people, working well both independently and as part of a team
• build relationships with investigation officers, Asset Recovery Teams and Counsel to deliver successful applications
• identify improvements to casework or process and explain how they would help
• communicate clearly, in writing and in person, including through advocacy in court

Essential criteria

• you must be qualified to practise as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales, having completed a training contract, pupillage or qualifying employment (or been exempted from this by the Law Society, the Bar Council or CILEx), this role is particularly suitable for lawyers with 3 years PQE, although applications are welcomed from all candidates who meet the essential criteria
• if you qualified as a Barrister or Solicitor outside England and Wales, you must have completed the Bar Transfer Test or the Qualified Lawyer Transfer Scheme, in line with the rules of the relevant professional body
• if you're a Chartered Legal Executive, you must hold a Qualifying Law Degree, or have completed the Graduate Diploma in Law or CPE, or have passed all 7 CILEx Level 6 foundation subjects (Contract Law, Criminal Law, Equity and Trusts Law, EU Law, Land Law, Public Law and Law of Tort) with a score of 50% or above in each
• you have a minimum 2:1 degree (or equivalent overseas qualification) in any subject, or equivalent high-level academic or professional achievement, evidenced for example through GDL/CPE, LPC or BPTC results; Chartered Legal Executives without a 2:1 degree can demonstrate equivalence through an overall average of 65% or above across the 7 CILEx Level 6 foundation subjects
• you have experience of conducting proceedings under Part 2 of the Proceeds of Crime Act

Desirable criteria

• experience of fraud or insolvency work
• experience of advocacy in the Magistrates' Court

Further information

Please note: This vacancy is advertised across 7 locations; however, Newcastle is only available to current Insolvency Service Staff.

If you're not successful at interview but are assessed as suitable for appointment at a lower grade, you may be considered for future vacancies at that level.

Qualifications

Applicants must be qualified to practise as a barrister, solicitor or chartered legal executive in England and Wales (CILEX)

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Making Effective Decisions

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• As part of the selection process, you will complete an in-person written exercise designed to assess your legal skills on the day of the interview.
• Your legal skills will also be assessed through technical questions during the interview.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £58,686, Insolvency Service contributes £17,001 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

We want you to have a good work-life balance and want to support you in all that you do, so we offer a great benefits package including:

• flexible working arrangements and flexi-time
• full time new entrants to the Civil Service and those Civil Servants on modernised terms and conditions will be entitled to 25 days leave increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service
• in addition to this you are entitled to 8 public/bank holidays plus an additional day of privilege leave
• competitive maternity, paternity and parental leave
• 5 days paid leave for learning and development
• 5 days paid for volunteering
• a Cycle to work scheme
• staff have access to an employee assistance programme, Workplace Wellness, for confidential, independent support and advice during difficult times in either their professional or personal life

Your pension is a valuable part of your total reward package where the employer makes a significant contribution to the cost of your pension. Your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken. This means, if you pay tax, your take-home pay will not be reduced by the full amount of your contribution; and your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire. For more information, visit www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Application and Sift

As part of the sift process, you will be asked to complete:

• CV
• Personal Statement
• Behaviours
  • Behaviour 1 - Making Effective Decisions

High volume applications and benchmark scoring

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the CV and Personal Statement, assessing candidates against the essential criteria. Only those who meet the essential criteria at this stage will proceed to a full assessment of their application. If a candidate does not meet the minimum requirements during the initial sift, the remainder of their application will not be reviewed. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

Where high volumes of strong applications are expected or received, we may raise the ‘benchmark’ minimum score required at the sift stage. If a high volume of candidates meet the benchmark score, we may further raise the score required for interview selection. Scores will be applied fairly and consistently. Applicants eligible under a recruitment scheme may, where appropriate, continue to be considered against the agreed ‘benchmark’ score, to support the purpose of the scheme.

CV Guidance

Your CV should provide a clear overview of your employment history, key responsibilities, relevant qualifications, and the skills and experience you’ve gained throughout your career including any notable achievements.

Note: Your CV will be scored as part of the assessment process and will be assessed against the criteria outlined in the job advert.

Personal Statement Guidance

Your personal statement should be no more than 500 words and must demonstrate how your personal skills, qualities, and experience align with the requirements of the role. Please ensure your statement references the essential criteria outlined in the person specification, as well as any desirable criteria. This will help provide a clearer basis for scoring and will be particularly useful in the event of tied scores.

Note: Your personal statement will be scored as part of the assessment process and will be assessed against the criteria outlined in the job advert.

Interview Stage

If successful at the sift stage, at interview, you will be assessed on the following:

• Experience
• Behaviours - assessed through:
  • Behaviour 1 - Making Effective Decisions
  • Behaviour 2 - Delivering at Pace
  • Behaviour 3 - Communicating and Influencing
• Technical Skills - As part of the selection process, you will complete an in-person written exercise designed to assess your legal skills on the day of the interview. Your legal skills will also be assessed through technical questions during the interview

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Sift – w/c To be confirmed

Interview – w/c 7 & 14 December 2026

Location - 1 Westfield Avenue, Stratford, London, E20 1HZ.

Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of this if you are selected for interview. Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment process.

Visa Applicants

To sponsor a candidate under the Skilled Worker visa, a sponsorship licence is required. The Insolvency Service does not currently hold this licence and therefore, cannot legally sponsor Skilled Worker visa applicants.

Hybrid Working

The Insolvency Service’s hybrid working policy offers flexibility over when and where you work and collaborate, subject to business needs.

You are expected to work from an office listed in this advert to connect with colleagues, as your role and team require. You can split your working week, but must spend at least 60% in the workplace, including offices, site visits, court and other work locations

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Reasonable Adjustment

We must make reasonable adjustments if our recruitment process puts a disabled applicant at a substantial disadvantage. These are changes or support that help remove or reduce that disadvantage.

If you need an adjustment to apply, contact Government Recruitment Service at insolvencyrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date.

For adjustments later in the recruitment process, complete ‘Assistance required’ on the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form. Examples include wheelchair access at interview or communication support if you are deaf or hard of hearing.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Queries and Support

When contacting us or the Government Recruitment Service (GRS) using the contact details at the bottom of this advert, please include the 6-digit Vacancy ID, job title, your full name and, where applicable, your 8-digit Applicant ID in the email subject line. This will help us process your enquiry more efficiently.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Neeta Patel
• Email : Neeta.Patel@insolvency.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : InsolvencyRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

You can complain to the Insolvency Service if you believe you have experienced discrimination under the Equality Act 2010, procedural errors at any recruitment stage, or a breach of the Recruitment Principles (appointment on merit through fair and open competition).
First, email Government Recruitment Service at insolvencyrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. Your complaint must reach the contact point for applicants within 24 hours of being told you were unsuccessful at sift, assessment or interview.
An independent third party outside the recruitment campaign will consider your complaint. You will receive a written decision within 5 working days of receipt. Recruitment will usually be paused until your complaint is resolved.
If you are dissatisfied with the response, you can contact the Civil Service Commission about a suspected breach of the Recruitment Principles. You can complain to the Commission at any time, but must first raise your complaint with Government Recruitment Service.