JOB SUMMARY

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.
This is an exciting opportunity to join our Legal Services Directorate as it expands. Our Legal Services Department consists of approximately 82 staff who make up our Civil, Criminal Enforcement Teams and a Paralegal Team. We provide legal services to the Service that includes advisory work and conducting litigation.
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.
These roles are full-time, however applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply and submit a flexible working request if successful, which will be considered in accordance with our flexible working policy. Applicants should note our staff currently adopt a hybrid working pattern and successful applicants will be expected to work in their designated office at least three times a week.
The Insolvency Service is a great place to work, learn and grow your career!

JOB DESCRIPTION

The role involves being at the forefront of Government’s enforcement response to Covid-19 abuse by tackling bounce back loan misconduct alongside other areas of misconduct and winding up companies in the public interest. The work involved is high profile in nature and often attracts considerable media interest. This is an exciting area of work for the Service and provides successful applicants with an opportunity to be involved in dynamic, cross cutting litigation. Despite being a specialist role successful applicants can expect to enjoy a varied caseload ranging from straightforward cases to more complex and involved litigation. In addition, the successful applicants will have an opportunity to support the overall asset recovery strategy by having conduct of compensation proceedings. The Civil Team undertakes litigation in director disqualification claims and winding up live companies in the public interest, in addition to providing advice on statutory investigations and those conducted under the Company Director Disqualification Act 1986.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

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

QUALIFICATIONS

Applicants must be qualified to practise as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Written legal test to be provided prior to the interview

Benefits
Alongside your salary of £51,518, Insolvency Service contributes £14,924 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
Things you need to know

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)

RESPONSIBILITIES

Upon joining the team, you will become part of the Government Legal Profession alongside the following list of non-exhaustive responsibilities:

• To manage a caseload and have full conduct of civil litigation matters including compensation orders
• Attend local and regional courts to either represent the Secretary of State personally or support counsel
• Drafting legal documents
• Build effective working relationships with colleagues involved in the Services investigation and enforcement work
• Instructing counsel
• To give clear, accurate and timely advice where required on the conduct of civil investigations and the prospects of litigation
• Contribute to knowledge management and sharing best practice
• Travel to senior leader conferences and other regional centres as and when required

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 lif