Criminal Solicitor

JMC Legal Recruitment; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30% bonus on billings

Job summary

JMC Legal Recruitment seeks a Criminal Associate/Senior Associate for a London-based private practice. The role focuses on sophisticated privately funded criminal matters with meaningful client contact and a clear pathway to senior positions.

Applicants should have strong Criminal Defence credentials and may come from junior to Senior Associate levels. Regulatory exposure and a commercially minded approach are valued assets for success in this private practice.

Qualifications

• Qualified Solicitor with strong Criminal Defence experience.
• Applications welcomed from junior lawyers through to Senior Associates and Partners.
• Experience of privately funded criminal work would be particularly valuable.
• Regulatory experience or exposure would be advantageous.
• Strong technical ability and confidence handling sophisticated matters.
• Commercially minded with excellent client-facing skills.
• Comfortable taking responsibility for matters and working with a high degree of autonomy.
• Ambitious and interested in developing within a successful private Crime and Regulatory practice.

Responsibilities

• Handle high-quality criminal matters for private clients within a Crime & Regulatory practice.
• Develop direct relationships with clients and take meaningful responsibility for cases.
• Contribute to the ongoing development and growth of the private crime practice.
• Collaborate with senior lawyers to manage inbound instructions and drive outcomes.

Skills

Criminal Defence

Client-facing

Autonomy

Job description

Criminal Associate/Senior Associate | High-Quality Private Work | Exceptional Earning Potential

If you’re a Criminal Solicitor looking to move further into high-quality privately funded work, this is an opportunity to join a highly ranked London firm with an established flow of sophisticated instructions and a remuneration structure that genuinely rewards performance.

The firm is deliberately open-minded on seniority and will consider strong lawyers from junior level through to Senior Associate and Partner. The priority is finding technically strong, commercially minded individuals who can thrive within a successful private Crime and Regulatory practice.

The Firm

This is a highly regarded London law firm recognised by The Legal 500 and Chambers, as well as being named among The Times' Best Law Firms.

The firm has developed a particularly strong reputation for criminal defence and related regulatory work, attracting a significant volume of privately funded instructions and inbound enquiries.

One of the major attractions is the established workflow. Lawyers joining the practice are not expected to build a caseload from scratch, with significant work already generated through the firm's reputation, existing relationships and senior lawyers.

The environment is entrepreneurial and performance-focused, with the firm prepared to reward lawyers who take responsibility, deliver for clients and contribute to the continued success of the practice.

The Role

You will join an established Crime and Regulatory practice handling high-quality criminal matters, with a particular emphasis on privately funded work.

The firm is interested in lawyers with strong Criminal Defence backgrounds as well as those whose practices cross into regulatory investigations, financial crime, professional discipline or related contentious regulatory matters.

You will work on sophisticated matters for private clients, taking meaningful responsibility for cases and developing direct relationships with clients.

For lawyers moving from a broader criminal background, there is an opportunity to develop further within the privately funded market. For more experienced candidates, there is scope to join at a senior level and play an important role in the longer-term development of the practice.

For junior and mid-level lawyers, there is significant scope to develop your experience across sophisticated privately funded criminal matters and build greater exposure to regulatory work. For more senior lawyers, the opportunity offers greater responsibility, strong existing workflow and the scope to play an important role in the continued development of the practice.

The Candidate

• Qualified Solicitor with strong Criminal Defence experience
• Applications welcomed from junior lawyers through to Senior Associates and Partners
• Experience of privately funded criminal work would be particularly valuable
• Regulatory experience or exposure would be advantageous
• Strong technical ability and confidence handling sophisticated matters
• Commercially minded with excellent client-facing skills
• Comfortable taking responsibility for matters and working with a high degree of autonomy
• Ambitious and interested in developing within a successful private Crime and Regulatory practice
• Senior candidates do not need to bring a substantial portable following

What’s On Offer

• High-quality privately funded Crime and Regulatory work
• Strong established workflow and inbound instructions
• Above market remuneration available for the right individual
• 30% bonus on billings above a target of 3x salary
• Genuine opportunity to materially increase overall earnings through performance
• Direct client responsibility and high levels of autonomy
• Flexibility around seniority and the shape of the position
• Opportunity for senior lawyers to become an important part of the future development of the practice
• Highly ranked and recognised London platform

This is a particularly strong opportunity for a Criminal Solicitor who wants access to better privately funded work and an established caseload, while joining a firm prepared to reward strong performance properly.