*/
I arrive in the office. We have a hybrid working policy so I can split my time between home and office. Office days are a good opportunity to see other team members as well as those in the wider legal department (although we also make use of video conferencing).
I have a conference with counsel and investigators on one of the team’s highest value cases. We’ve frozen over £200 million via a prohibition order. The respondents have applied to draw down expenses from the frozen funds but we believe they’ve failed to provide satisfactory evidence that they have no other funds available to use instead and that the sums claimed are unreasonable. We discuss what we will need to include in our response.
On this case I’m one of two lawyers. There are 15 lawyers in the Financial Disruptions Litigation team, supported by paralegals and trainees. Lawyers in the team can, and do, run cases themselves but the size and complexity of certain cases can mean multiple lawyers and paralegals are involved. There are 70 people in the legal department with 45 of those being lawyers. The word ‘lawyer’ is used because we have a mixture of barristers and solicitors working in the legal department.
After the conference, I review a request for banking material to be sent to an overseas jurisdiction. These are regular requests but the precise legal basis on which we approach each country can vary and the financial investigator has asked me to review their draft. Working in-house provides for much closer working relationships with our operational colleagues as well as a real insight into what it takes to tackle international organised crime.
I take a break for lunch to join a walk which has been organised by the department’s health and wellbeing team. A good work-life balance is really important and taking a break for lunch is something I find difficult to do but always beneficial!
After lunch, I prepare some written advice. A specialist operational unit has been investigating a sanctioned arms dealer. They want to freeze and then forfeit funds of his on the basis they have derived from gross human rights abuses. I review the evidence but there’s not enough of a clear link between the arms dealing, the human rights abuses and the funds in question. I advise that we don’t have sufficient evidence to proceed. It’s disappointing but lawyers have to advise honestly on the merits of a case.
While I was providing advice on that specific issue (rather than litigating), we have another team in the legal department who specialise in advising on operational matters. Having different legal teams specialising in different areas means that operational officers can get specialist help and advice.
My next task is to put together a draft settlement offer in an ongoing civil recovery case at the High Court. Settlement negotiations require particular care and so once drafted, I send to counsel to review.
My final task for the day is to review a briefing for the press office on an ongoing case. Our cases often attract media attention and media reporting is a fantastic way of engaging with the public so it’s important to keep the press office updated. The press releases should publicise the amazing work we do in protecting the public, but we need to ensure we’re not disclosing anything sensitive. It gives me a great sense of pride when a case I’ve worked on appears on the news.
When I’ve got through my work for the day, I log off to join some colleagues for after work drinks.
Lawyers needed to fight serious organised crime: The National Crime Agency is looking for lawyers – including barristers – to join its in-house legal team. Click here to find out more. Applications close at 11:55 pm on Monday 16 June 2025. For more information on the process of security clearance, please see 'The law and policy of vetting'.
TM qualified as a solicitor in 2014. She has worked in the Financial Disruptions Litigation team for four years. Prior to joining the National Crime Agency, she worked as a criminal defence solicitor.
I arrive in the office. We have a hybrid working policy so I can split my time between home and office. Office days are a good opportunity to see other team members as well as those in the wider legal department (although we also make use of video conferencing).
I have a conference with counsel and investigators on one of the team’s highest value cases. We’ve frozen over £200 million via a prohibition order. The respondents have applied to draw down expenses from the frozen funds but we believe they’ve failed to provide satisfactory evidence that they have no other funds available to use instead and that the sums claimed are unreasonable. We discuss what we will need to include in our response.
On this case I’m one of two lawyers. There are 15 lawyers in the Financial Disruptions Litigation team, supported by paralegals and trainees. Lawyers in the team can, and do, run cases themselves but the size and complexity of certain cases can mean multiple lawyers and paralegals are involved. There are 70 people in the legal department with 45 of those being lawyers. The word ‘lawyer’ is used because we have a mixture of barristers and solicitors working in the legal department.
After the conference, I review a request for banking material to be sent to an overseas jurisdiction. These are regular requests but the precise legal basis on which we approach each country can vary and the financial investigator has asked me to review their draft. Working in-house provides for much closer working relationships with our operational colleagues as well as a real insight into what it takes to tackle international organised crime.
I take a break for lunch to join a walk which has been organised by the department’s health and wellbeing team. A good work-life balance is really important and taking a break for lunch is something I find difficult to do but always beneficial!
After lunch, I prepare some written advice. A specialist operational unit has been investigating a sanctioned arms dealer. They want to freeze and then forfeit funds of his on the basis they have derived from gross human rights abuses. I review the evidence but there’s not enough of a clear link between the arms dealing, the human rights abuses and the funds in question. I advise that we don’t have sufficient evidence to proceed. It’s disappointing but lawyers have to advise honestly on the merits of a case.
While I was providing advice on that specific issue (rather than litigating), we have another team in the legal department who specialise in advising on operational matters. Having different legal teams specialising in different areas means that operational officers can get specialist help and advice.
My next task is to put together a draft settlement offer in an ongoing civil recovery case at the High Court. Settlement negotiations require particular care and so once drafted, I send to counsel to review.
My final task for the day is to review a briefing for the press office on an ongoing case. Our cases often attract media attention and media reporting is a fantastic way of engaging with the public so it’s important to keep the press office updated. The press releases should publicise the amazing work we do in protecting the public, but we need to ensure we’re not disclosing anything sensitive. It gives me a great sense of pride when a case I’ve worked on appears on the news.
When I’ve got through my work for the day, I log off to join some colleagues for after work drinks.
Lawyers needed to fight serious organised crime: The National Crime Agency is looking for lawyers – including barristers – to join its in-house legal team. Click here to find out more. Applications close at 11:55 pm on Monday 16 June 2025. For more information on the process of security clearance, please see 'The law and policy of vetting'.
Chair of the Bar sets out a busy calendar for the rest of the year
By Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
Examined by Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
Time is precious for barristers. Every moment spent chasing paperwork, organising diaries, or managing admin is time taken away from what matters most: preparation, advocacy and your clients. That’s where Eden Assistants step in
AlphaBiolabs has announced its latest Giving Back donation to RAY Ceredigion, a grassroots West Wales charity that provides play, learning and community opportunities for families across Ceredigion County
Rachel Davenport, Co-founder and Director at AlphaBiolabs, outlines why barristers, solicitors, judges, social workers and local authorities across the UK trust AlphaBiolabs for court-admissible testing
Through small but meaningful efforts, we can restore the sense of collegiality that has been so sorely eroded, says Baldip Singh
Come in with your eyes open, but don’t let fear cloud the prospect. A view from practice by John Dove
Looking to develop a specialist practice? Mariya Peykova discusses the benefits of secondments and her placement at the Information Commissioner’s Office
Anon Academic explains why he’s leaving the world of English literature for the Bar – after all, the two are not as far apart as they may first seem...
Review by Stephen Cragg KC
