D2/G7 Criminal Lawyer (Nationwide)

The Insolvency Service; London; Hybrid; GBP 54,000 - 70,000; Part time

Job summary

Join a leading government agency as a D2/G7 Criminal Lawyer, where you'll handle vital prosecutions concerning insolvency-related fraud. This dynamic role emphasizes teamwork, providing legal advice, and managing complex cases across England and Wales. Full-time and part-time options available, with support for continuous professional development and participation in diversity initiatives.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

25 days leave, increasing to 30 after five years

Access to employee assistance program

Paid leave for development and volunteering

Qualifications

• Knowledge of criminal law, including evidence and disclosure.
• Experience in advocacy in the Magistrates’ court preferred.
• Experience in fraud or financial crime litigation is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of prosecutions from decision through trial.
• Provide clear legal advice on criminal investigations.
• Instruct Counsel or agents where appropriate.

Skills

Analytical skills

Interpersonal skills

Judgement

Education

Qualified Solicitor, Barrister, or Chartered Legal Executive

Minimum 2:1 degree

Job description

Join to apply for the D2/G7 Criminal Lawyer (Nationwide) role at The Insolvency Service

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Join to apply for the D2/G7 Criminal Lawyer (Nationwide) role at The Insolvency Service

Cardiff, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Nottingham, London (Stratford) and Croydon

Job Summary

This is an exciting opportunity to join our expanding and dynamic criminal team within the Legal Services Directorate. We specialise in prosecuting a broad range of offences concerned with insolvency related fraud and corporate misconduct. Our work includes prosecutions for COVID-19 loan fraud which are high profile in nature, as well as new criminal offences introduced under The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA). The team also provides operational advice across the Service, with particular focus on criminal and statutory investigations.

Legal Services consists of approximately 82 staff who make up our Criminal, Civil Enforcement Teams and a Paralegal Team. We provide legal services to the Service that includes advisory work and conducting criminal and civil litigation.

The Insolvency Service is a leading Government agency which plays a crucial role in providing essential services to the public and to business. The work we do is important to the proper functioning of markets, the economy in general and support for thousands of people each year who are in financial difficulty.

Inclusive and diverse teams are important to us. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups underrepresented in our workforce. The Insolvency Service strives to ensure that the agency is a safe, inclusive and welcoming place for everybody to bring their true self to work and to help the agency to achieve its diversity objectives. We have 10 active employee network groups available to join or become an ally, these include, Carers Network, Disability & Health, FACES Network Group, Grass Roots, LGBT+, Mind Matters, No Limits, Part Time Workers, The Shed, and Women’s Network Group.

We offer full-time, part-time, job share and flexible ways of working. We value capability, technical skills and experience and we place great emphasis on lifetime development to support our people. We encourage our employees to become more involved in areas they feel strongly about, whether it be for the benefit of the agency, though our Engagement network or in their own local communities via volunteering opportunities.

The Insolvency Service is a great place to work, learn and grow your career!

Job Description

This role involves prosecuting a wide range of offences across England and Wales, concerned with insolvency related fraud and corporate misconduct. The successful applicants can look forward to a varied and stimulating caseload, alongside opportunities to advise on criminal investigations.

Responsibilities:

Upon joining the team, you will become part of the Government Legal Profession, and a non-exhaustive list of responsibilities will be:

• To manage a caseload of varying complexity from the decision whether to prosecute through to trial
• To give clear, accurate and timely advice where required on the conduct of criminal investigations
• To instruct Counsel or agent solicitors where appropriate
• To build effective working relationships with colleagues involved in the Services enforcement work, particularly with our investigators to develop and pursue focused case strategies
• To attend court and undertake advocacy in the Magistrates Court as appropriate
• To work on cross-Whitehall initiatives as part of the Government Legal Profession,
• To contribute to knowledge management and sharing best practice
• To deliver training across the Service and potential to supervise paralegals undertaking CILEx
• To travel to senior leader conferences and other regional centres as and when required
  
  

This role involves prosecuting a wide range of offences across England and Wales, concerned with insolvency related fraud and corporate misconduct. The successful applicants can look forward to a varied and stimulating caseload, alongside opportunities to advise on criminal investigations.

Upon Joining The Team, You Will Become Part Of The Government Legal Profession, And a Non-exhaustive List Of Responsibilities Will Be:

• To manage a caseload of varying complexity from the decision whether to prosecute through to trial
• To give clear, accurate and timely advice where required on the conduct of criminal investigations
• To instruct Counsel or agent solicitors where appropriate
• To build effective working relationships with colleagues involved in the Services enforcement work, particularly with our investigators to develop and pursue focused case strategies
• To attend court and undertake advocacy in the Magistrates Court as appropriate
• To work on cross-Whitehall initiatives as part of the Government Legal Profession,
• To contribute to knowledge management and sharing best practice
• To deliver training across the Service and potential to supervise paralegals undertaking CILEx
• To travel to senior leader conferences and other regional centres as and when required
  
  

Person specification

We are looking for intellectually capable and highly motivated lawyers with strong interpersonal skills and who are able to work well within a team. You will need to have sound judgement and good analytical skills.

Please note, the successful candidate will need to undergo Police Vetting to gain access to our case management system which holds information owned by the police.

Essential Criteria:

Legal Professional Skills

• A sound knowledge and experience of criminal law, including evidence, disclosure and procedure
• Reliable legal judgement and appreciation of legal risk
• Sound legal analysis and research skills
• Good understanding of public law
  
  

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of advocacy in the Magistrates’ court
• Experience of fraud or financial crime litigation
  
  

Qualifications

Professional Qualifications

Applicants must be qualified to practise as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales. You must have completed a training contract/pupillage/qualifying employment or have been exempted from this by the Law Society, the Bar Council or CILEx. Barristers and Solicitors qualified in a jurisdiction outside of England and Wales will be subject to the rules of the professional bodies and must have completed the Bar Transfer Test or Qualified Lawyer Transfer Scheme.

Chartered Legal Executives Are Eligible To Apply Where (i) a Qualifying Law Degree (QLD) Is Held; Or (ii) The Graduate Diploma In Law (GDL)/CPE Has Been Completed; Or (iii) Where Exams Have Been Passed And a Score Of 50% Or Above Achieved, At CILEx Level 6*, In All The Following Foundation Subjects:

• Contract Law
• Criminal Law
• Equity and Trusts Law
• European Union Law
• Land Law
• Public Law
• Law of Tort
• Note: There are specific requirements relating to academic achievement in the CILEx Level 6 exams where these are being used to demonstrate 2.1-degree equivalence as set out below.
  
  

Academic Qualifications

Applicants should have a minimum of a 2:1 degree in their first degree (in any subject). Where an applicant holds an overseas degree qualification this should be equivalent to a 2.1 degree.

However, the Insolvency Service will consider applicants who do not have a 2.1 degree (or above) (e.g. where a lower degree classification is held, or, where applicants have (under the rules of the professional bodies) qualified as a Solicitor/Barrister/ Chartered Legal Executives without a degree) but only where satisfactory evidence of equivalent high level academic and/or professional achievement can be provided (e.g. via relevant experience and results achieved for the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)/CPE, Legal Practice Course (LPC), Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC)).

Chartered Legal Executives should note that the department will be willing to accept an, overall, average score of 65% or above across exams passed in the seven foundation subjects in law (where studied at CILEx Level 6) as demonstrating 2.1 degree equivalence (where a 2.1 degree is not held).

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
  
  

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

• Making Effective Decisions
  
  

Alongside your salary of £54,094, Insolvency Service contributes £15,671 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

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

Selection process details

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

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV outlining your job history and experience. Please also provide a personal statement of no more than 500 words demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria in the person specification above.

The following behaviour will be tested as part of the application stage and assessed at interview

• Making effective decisions
  
  

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift will be conducted using the lead behaviour, Making Effective Decisions.

At Interview Stage, Applicants Will Be Given An Additional Assessment On Their Legal Skills And You Will Be Required To Complete a Written Test And Answer Questions. You Will Also Be Asked Further Questions About Your Experience. The Following Behaviours Will Be Tested At Interview Stage:

• Making effective decisions
• Working together
• Delivering at pace
  
  

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Sift – w/c 07 July 2025

Interview – w/c 21 July 2025

Location - 16th Floor, 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 and selection process.

Use of AI

Candidates must ensure that their applications, including personal statements and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own. Please refer to the following link for further information and guidance: www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/artificial-intelligence-in-recruitment

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.

Further Information

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

Any move to Insolvency Service from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

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 [e-mail] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

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

Transforming Workplaces

The Insolvency Service is currently delivering an exciting five-year transformation project that started in April 2022 which will define our future direction supporting a gradual migration to a Regional Centre model combined with smarter ways of working. As part of this, transforming our estate will align us with the government modernisation programmes making The Insolvency Service a great place to work.

We are letting you know about our future plans because if you are joining the Insolvency Service and are recruited into an office over the next five years that is not one of the Regional Centres, you will be expected to move to one of the Regional Centres in the future. This move would not attract financial assistance.

The 11 Regional Centres are : Birmingham, Cardiff, Croydon, Edinburgh, Exeter, Ipswich, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Stratford.

Hybrid Working

Insolvency Service operates a hybrid working policy subject to business need, giving people the flexibility to choose when and where they work and collaborate with others.

Individuals are expected to work from one of the office locations stated in the advert to connect with their colleagues, as required by their role and business team needs. There is flexibility to split the working week, spending a minimum of 60% in the workplace, which includes the office, site visits, court etc.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via [e-mail] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

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

Feedback

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

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Successful candidates must undergo a 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.

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 the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

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 : Alexa Lovett
• Email : [e-mail]
  
  

Recruitment team

• Email : [e-mail]
  
  

Further information

A candidate can raise a complaint to the Insolvency Service if they think that:

They have been discriminated against under the Equality Act 2010.

There have been procedural irregularities at any stage of the recruitment process.

If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the recruitment principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance: [e-mail]. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive you can then contact the Civil Service Commission.

All complaints must be received by the contact point for applicants within 24 hours from the date the applicant is advised of their non-success at sift, assessment or interview. Complaints will be considered by an independent third-party outside of the recruitment campaign. The decision will be conveyed to the applicant, in writing, within 5 working days of receipt of the complaint. The recruitment process will usually be put on hold until the complaint has been resolved.

Complaints may also be made to the Civil Service Commission at any time if the individual believes their application has not been treated in accordance with the recruitment principles (appointment on merit through fair and open competition). However, complaints must first have been raised with Government Recruitment Service.

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Not Applicable

Employment type

• Employment type

  Part-time

Job function

• Job function

  Legal

• Industries

  Government Administration

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