Criminal Lawyer, Proceeds of Crime Team

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.

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

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

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)

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 14th December 2026

Interview – w/c 4th January 2027

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.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter.

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.