Principal Investigative Lawyer

The SFO investigates and prosecutes the most serious and complex fraud, bribery and corruption, and pursues the proceeds of crime, and compensates victims where possible.

As a Principal Investigative Lawyer, you will have the opportunity to make a significant contribution by providing strong leadership to drive cases forward delivering high quality outcomes by collaborating with a variety of internal and external stakeholders world wide.

This is an interesting and engaging role, providing legal expertise to bring our cases to a successful outcome. As a Principal Investigative Lawyer, you will be part of a team comprising of investigators, accountants, digital specialists, and financial investigators and will progress cases by leading and managing teams and providing quality legal advice.

We are also recruiting for Principal Investigative Lawyers Proceeds of Crime & International Assistance (POCIA) where you will be providing legal expertise to bring our cases to a successful outcome. You will be part of a team comprising financial investigators, case progression officers, and crypto specialists, tasked with progressing asset recovery and denial cases under both the civil and criminal provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Act.

As a Principal Investigative Lawyer, your role will typically include:

• Providing advice in relation to prosecutions and Deferred Prosecutions Agreements
• Drafting search warrants, attending searches, interviewing witnesses, identifying asset recovery options in tandem with our Proceeds Of Crime team and engaging counsel for trial and disclosure work
• Engagement with overseas law enforcement and prosecuting agencies, with possible travel
• Enhancing your technical skills through working with digital evidence (training to use our software will be provided)
• Drafting case strategy, key decisions, team building and outcomes
• Working on a variety of cases to expand your career experience

As a Principal Investigative Lawyer (POCIA), your role will typically include:

• Providing advice in relation to the use of POCA powers
• Drafting a range of court applications in collaboration with financial investigators, attending searches, briefing counsel, engaging with respondents and their representatives, supporting disclosure, and liaising with criminal case teams
• Engagement with overseas law enforcement and prosecuting agencies, supporting International Assistance casework.
• Attending court, and if rights of audience held, representing POCIA in non-complex matters
• Drafting case strategy, key decisions, supporting team building, and delivering outcomes
• Working on a variety of cases to expand your career experience

You must be a barrister authorised by the Bar Council to practice in England and Wales OR a solicitor, admitted by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority and authorised to practice in England and Wales with a minimum of 2 years PQE.

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 and Experience.

Application Process

We are currently recruiting for 2 positions: Principal Investigative Lawyer and Principal Investigative Lawyer (POCIA). You only need to complete this application form, and where asked, specify you wish to be considered for one or both roles.

Please complete the online application process via the link on this advert. As part of the application process, you will be required to provide:

• A CV (2 pages maximum) setting out your career history, covering any relevant qualifications you hold to demonstrate the essential technical requirement. This is the LEAD criteria for the role and only candidates who meet this will have the remainder of their application considered
• For both roles a personal statement of up to 500 words that explains how your skills and experience meet essential and desirable criteria listed below. Desirable criteria will only be taken into account where it is necessary to further shortlist for interview

Essential Experience Criteria

• Delivering successful case outcomes and demonstrating leadership in a complex, multi-strand legal or investigative environment
• Ability to assess significant amounts of complex information, distil it down to the key points and communicate clearly in writing and orally
• Effective decision making and influencing stakeholders and staff in complex, fast-moving environments

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of managing large quantities of data using software tools and review databases
• Written and/or oral advocacy in courts and/or tribunals
• Advising on and/or delivering disclosure under the Criminal Procedures and Investigations Act 1996

If you would like to apply for the POCIA role or both roles we require a further 250 words that explain how your skills and experience meet the essential criteria as below

Essential Experience Criteria

• Practical experience of legal remedies and tools pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and the Criminal Finance Act 2017
• Significant experience of at least two of the following; restraint proceedings; confiscation investigations and proceedings of complex orders (confiscation or civil recovery); civil recovery and/or civil recovery investigations; request from overseas jurisdictions for asset recovery assistance
• Excellent drafting and communication skills

The candidates shortlisted for the next stage of the selection process will be those who have clearly demonstrated that they meet the essential experience and technical criteria for the role.

Please note that it will not be possible to provide feedback to applicants who are unsuccessful at the application stage.

We may include a telephone screen as part of any POCIA applications.

Interview

If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to an interview which will include an exercise to test your legal knowledge and skills. This will be followed by interview questions to explore the behaviours and experience criteria in more depth.

Full details of the interview process will be made available to shortlisted candidates

Sift to take place from 02 November

In person interviews are expected to take place from 16 November

All dates are indicative and subject to change.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. To be eligible you must meet the following residency requirements dependent of the level of security vetting required:

SC: 5 years residency in the United Kingdom preceding this application.

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