Enforcement Case Lawyer

Financial Reporting Council; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days annual leave

Pension 10%

Employee Assistance Programme

Cycle to work scheme

Cycle to work scheme

Job summary

Financial Reporting Council in the UK is seeking a solicitor or barrister with substantial regulatory and litigation experience to join the Enforcement Division. The role involves autonomous case responsibility within multi-disciplinary teams on complex audits and accounting investigations.

You will plan strategy, manage budgets, instruct counsel and interact with external experts while maintaining high standards of public interest enforcement. Hybrid working is available.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor or barrister with substantial litigation or regulatory law experience in the UK.
• Proven ability to lead case teams and manage budgets.
• Strong written and oral communication with excellent analytical skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead case teams comprising forensic accountants, lawyers and assistants.
• Provide high quality legal and policy analysis on cases and enforcement work.
• Plan case strategy, manage projects and drive investigations forward.

Skills

Legal analysis

Oral & written communication

Trial management

Team leadership

Regulatory law

Decision making

Working under pressure

Education

Qualified solicitor or barrister (England & Wales)

Job description

The Financial Reporting Council’s (FRC) purpose is to serve the public interest and support UK economic growth by setting high standards of corporate governance, reporting and audit and holding to account those responsible for delivering them. We set the UK Corporate Governance and Stewardship Codes as well as UK standards for accounting, auditing and actuarial work, and monitor and take action to promote the quality of corporate reporting and operate independent enforcement arrangements for accountants and actuaries. Further information about our role can be found at www.frc.org.uk.

We are the UK Competent Authority for audit and have responsibility for enforcement action in relation to audit firms and individual auditors. The FRC’s Enforcement Division is also the independent disciplinary body for the accountancy and actuarial professions in the UK. Pursuant to these roles, we undertake complex regulatory and professional disciplinary investigations and prosecutions in cases involving auditors, audit firms, accountants and actuaries which raise important issues affecting the public interest in the UK.

Many of the investigations are large, complex, and high-profile and our cases regularly require liaison with other investigators including the Serious Fraud Office, the Financial Conduct Authority, the Insolvency Service, and the Pensions Regulator. Examples of our recent case outcomes can be found here.

More information on the work of the Division can be found in our Annual Enforcement Review.

The Role:

To work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in complex and often high-profile investigations under the FRC’s Audit Enforcement Procedure and the Accountancy and Actuarial Schemes. The role involves taking autonomous responsibility for certain cases and working as part of a team and taking responsibility for discrete areas on other (generally large, complex) matters. The role includes:

• Leading case teams comprising forensic accountants, more junior lawyers, and legal assistants.
• Working collaboratively within case teams, comprising forensic accountants, more senior lawyers, and legal assistants on larger and more complex matters.
• Providing high quality advice and analysis on legal and policy aspects of cases and of Enforcement Division work in general.
• Planning, and assisting more senior lawyers with, case strategy and project managing and driving investigations forward.
• Working with forensic accountants to review complex accounting, actuarial and audit material.
• High quality analysis of information and use of evidence to evaluate cases.
• Instructing, and working closely with, counsel, independent experts, and external solicitors.
• Leading, and assisting more senior lawyers with, preparation for Tribunal hearings.
• Overseeing, and assisting more senior lawyers with, case expenditure and taking responsibility for case budgets.
• Managing, supervising and developing more junior members of the team.

The post holder should be able to work flexibly to support the team’s activities and also provide cover within the FRC as necessary. The FRC operates a hybrid working arrangement. This means full-time employees will spend at least four days per fortnight in the office, pro rata for part time employees, and any arrangement will be agreed between the employee and their line manager.

The Person:

The successful candidate will be a solicitor or barrister qualified to practise in England & Wales (or other Common Law jurisdiction, with demonstrable experience in the UK) with significant litigation/disputes experience and/or experience of contentious regulatory law (typically in excess of five years).

Candidates will be expected to demonstrate a high level of proficiency in the following competencies:

• Excellent legal and analytical skills;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills;
• A strong intellect and good judgement;
• A good organizer with effective trial management skills;
• A good leader with self-motivation to pursue matters and make fair and robust legal decisions;
• Ability to work well under pressure and to deadlines;
• Enthusiasm for conducting important regulatory work in the public interest; and
• A good team player.

Rewards and benefits

• The FRC offers remuneration packages, including 30 days annual leave, ability to buy extra leave.
• Generous employer pension contribution of 10%.
• Staff Employee Assistance Programme including confidential counselling and work life services.
• The FRC offers staff the opportunity to save at least 25% on the purchase of a new bike through the Cycle to work scheme.
• The FRC has a strong work/life balance ethos.

The FRC believes that equality of opportunity and diversity is important in the work that we do and we are strongly committed to being an inclusive employer. Our values of being fair and independent supports this commitment. Equal opportunities monitoring is an important means of demonstrating and implementing our commitment to promoting equality of opportunity and diversity. Completing our diversity form will assist the FRC to identify any barriers that prevent access to employment and career development for certain groups of people, and to develop solutions, such as action plans, new policies and practices. The FRC operates a hybrid working arrangement, with a expectation that 40% per month of a person's working time will be located at one of our offices, with precise arrangements to be agreed between the employee and the line manager