Business Crime / Financial Crime Solicitor

The successful candidate will handle a mix of mainstream criminal defence, financial crime and proceeds of crime matters, with a particular focus on technically detailed POCA work. This role will suit someone who is comfortable with police station and court work, but who also wants to build deeper expertise in business crime and asset recovery proceedings.

The role

The work is expected to include:

* POCA and confiscation proceedings

* Account freezing orders and forfeiture matters

* Cash seizure and civil recovery work

* Fraud, money laundering and wider financial crime matters

* Private paying criminal defence work

* Some legal aid casework

* Police station attendance

* Magistrates’ Court and Crown Court work

* Client care, case preparation and strategic input on active matters

* Working closely with senior lawyers on complex financial crime and POCA matters

There may also be the opportunity to undertake additional police station work where desired.

The candidate

Candidates must have a strong grounding in criminal defence and a demonstrable understanding of financial crime work. This is not a role for someone with only a broad or superficial interest in POCA; the successful candidate will need to understand the practical and technical issues involved in freezing orders, confiscation and proceeds of crime proceedings.

We are particularly interested in speaking with candidates who have:

* Qualification as a solicitor in England & Wales

* c.NQ–5 PQE, although directly relevant experience will be more important than PQE alone

* Duty solicitor status

* Strong police station experience

* A detailed working knowledge of POCA, confiscation and account freezing orders

* Experience in criminal defence, including privately funded and/or legally aided matters

* Experience advising clients at the investigation stage

* Strong client care skills, particularly with individuals facing sensitive or high-stakes allegations

* Good drafting, analytical and case preparation skills

* The confidence to work closely with senior lawyers while also taking ownership of matters

* A calm, practical and commercially aware approach

Highly desirable experience

The following would be advantageous:

* Police station accreditation

* Experience with cash seizure, forfeiture or civil recovery matters

* Exposure to SFO, FCA, NCA, HMRC or CPS investigations

* Experience acting for professionals, company directors, HNW individuals or corporates

* Advocacy experience in the Magistrates’ Court

* Experience in regulatory or white-collar criminal investigations

Why apply?

This is an excellent opportunity to join a respected specialist criminal defence firm and work on high-quality financial crime and POCA matters from an early stage.

The role offers:

* Exposure to complex account freezing, confiscation, forfeiture and financial crime work

* Close working with experienced senior lawyers in a specialist team

* A mix of private client and legally aided criminal defence matters

* Strong technical development in a specialist practice area

* Hybrid working

* A supportive team environment with realistic expectations around workload and work-life balance

* The opportunity to build a long-term career in business crime and financial crime defence

Location

London - with some hybrid working.

Accutrainee and Accuflex, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We believe in equal opportunities for all and actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, ages, genders, races, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations and abilities. Our recruitment process is designed to be fair, transparent and free from discrimination.