Investigator (Contentious Insolvency)

Reporting to: Director (Insolvency & Litigation)

Location: Remote working (with travel for the role as required) or Hybrid working (with travel for the role as required)

Tenure: Permanent/ Full time (Monday to Friday)

Purpose of role

Griffins (“the Partnership”) are seeking an Investigator within the Economic Crime Unit (“ECU”) who will take responsibility for a portfolio of investigation and litigation cases.

Candidates will require recent litigation and insolvency investigations experience, a good working knowledge of the Insolvency Act (and other relevant legislation including relevant provisions and claims processes under the legislation) and must have prior experience of managing a portfolio of insolvency cases.

We are open to discussing hybrid/ remote working options as part of the interviewing process.

Job Description

The successful candidate will report directly to the Director (Insolvency & Litigation), but will also have the opportunity to work directly with the office holder on cases within their portfolio. The case portfolio will generally be of a more complex nature including a mixture of asset realisation, investigation of company affairs and the conduct of directors and former office holders (including handling cases inherited from former office holders). You will be expected to progress cases in a compliant, timely and cost efficient manner, with limited supervision.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Identifying statutory / compliance issues from previous office holders’ files and electronic records.
• Undertaking investigations to identify any fraud, dishonest conduct and/or negligence on the part of the former office holder.
• Liaising with the Director (Insolvency & Litigation) and the office holder to provide all relevant evidence to submit bond or PI claims.
• Investigating misconduct by former directors, shadow directors, debtors and connected third parties.
• Identifying potential heads of claim under the Insolvency Act 1986 and other relevant legislation.
• Reporting to the Director (Insolvency & Litigation) and case partner on a regular basis to update them on case progression.
• Where appropriate, conducting investigations in accordance with the requirements of SIP 2 and preparing Director Conduct Reports.
• Actively progressing your case portfolio and agreeing the on-going strategy with the Director (Insolvency & Litigation) and office holder.
• Preparing detailed case reviews to summarise and reporting on the case at defined progression stages, ensuring case records and decisions are fully documented in accordance with the processes and systems used by the team.
• Adhering to office and departmental procedures.
• Interpreting and analysing accounts and other financial statements and information to assist with ongoing investigation and litigation matters.
• Managing asset realisations, including liaising with solicitors and agents where required.
• Maintaining the IPS case diary.
• Preparing statement of affairs, deficiency accounts and estimated outcome statements.
• Ensuring bills are raised and collected in accordance with billing plan on all cases.
• Ensuring timesheets are submitted on time and are compliant with the Partnership’s standard for the recording of own chargeable time.
• Taking part in presentations and marketing events, both internally and externally in order to promote the ECU team and the Partnership generally.
• Being willing to travel where necessary.
• Maintaining up to date technical knowledge and be willing to attend training events.

Knowledge and experience

• Demonstrable recent litigation and insolvency investigations experience;
• A good working knowledge of the Insolvency Act and other relevant legislation including relevant provisions and claims processes under the legislation.
• Demonstrable experience of managing a portfolio of insolvency cases.
• A good working knowledge of MS Word and Excel.
• Previous investigations training, and/ or professional insolvency or accountancy qualifications (ACCA, ACA, CPI, JIEB) would be desirable as would previous experience with using IPS and/ or an electronic filing system.

Skills

Organisational skills - be able to prioritise tasks to ensure efficient case progression and the meeting of deadlines.

Time management - be able to work to set deadlines when preparing reports, legal bundles and documents.

Case management / progression - be able to actively manage and progress portfolio cases.

Analytical - be able to analyse the facts of a particular case including financial statements and other source documents, and understand the key issues in relation to a case. Be able to collect and present information (written and verbal) to clients and managers/ partners in a logical manner.

Interpersonal skills - be able to deal with lawyers, third parties and colleagues in a way that encourages them to respond positively.

Commercial awareness - be able to assess the most cost effective way of making a recovery or avoiding unnecessary costs.

Communication - be able to produce clear correspondence, reports and analyses. Be able to draft comprehensive file notes of meetings and telephone calls, maintaining clear audit trails.

Benefits of pursuing a career with Griffins:

• Competitive salary and benefits.
• Flexible working options (with travel for the role as required)
• Interesting and challenging tasks and projects.
• Opportunity to work with colleagues at all levels of the organisation and be recognised for your contribution.

Griffins is committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

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