Regulated by the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority, Duncan Lewis Solicitors was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in the City of London (Fenchurch Street EC3M), with offices nationwide. We are recognised by the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners UK independent legal directories as a top-tier law firm in all of our key practice areas – “a diligent and professional team that is prepared to go the extra mile for its clients”. A paperless law firm with over 500 personnel that embraces hybrid-working, we service both corporate entities and private individuals in over 25 areas of law across 60 languages. We give people a voice - that is our ethos.
Recognised among The Times 200 Best Law Firms, we have been awarded Law Firm of the Year at the 2024 Lexis Nexis Awards and 2023 Modern Law Awards, reflecting our dedication to legal expertise and client service. We hold Investors in People Gold Standard accreditation for over 15 years, showcasing our commitment to professional development. Duncan Lewis is also Law Society Lexcel, Cyber Essentials Plus, and ISO 27001 certified, ensuring excellence in practice management and data security.
We are committed to recruiting dedicated and talented professionals and welcome applications from exceptional candidates. At Duncan Lewis, we value training and diversity, and we take pride in our inclusive workforce.
Ranked by Chambers & Partners for its high-quality case preparation, our Crime Department excels in defending clients at every stage of the criminal justice process. A number of our solicitors are police station representatives and can offer free 24/7 representation at all police station interviews as well as at pre-charge investigations. In addition, the department has a number of Higher Courts Advocates providing representation for serious matters such as murder and rape. Our solicitors regularly represent clients at the Youth Court, Magistrates’ Court, Crown Court and Court of Appeal.
Our crime department has been involved in many high profile and complex cases and understand the consequential impact of being involved in a criminal process can have working with clients to mitigate the effects. The department’s specialism includes appealing sentences/ convictions via judicial review, representation at the Court of Appeal and assisting with applications for Criminal Cases Review Commission injustice reviews in the Court Martial and Service Civilian Court.
We are seeking a highly experienced and motivated Senior Crime Paralegal with Police Station Accreditation to join our established Crime Department. Reporting directly to the Department Director, you will play a key role in supporting solicitors on complex criminal matters while independently undertaking police station attendances and managing your own caseload of criminal defence matters where appropriate.
This role is ideally suited to a candidate with substantial criminal defence experience who is confident working in a fast-paced environment, handling sensitive matters, and providing exceptional support to clients throughout the criminal justice process.
- Report directly to the Department Director and assist with the management of complex criminal cases.
- Provide accredited representation and advice to clients at police stations, including out-of-hours call-outs where required.
- Manage a varied caseload of criminal matters, including Legal Aid Agency (LAA) funded and privately funded work.
- Attend clients, take detailed instructions, and prepare cases from initial investigation through to trial.
- Liaise with clients, counsel, courts, police, prosecution agencies, experts, and other third parties.
- Prepare legal documentation, witness statements, case summaries, defence statements, and trial bundles.
- Review, analyse, and process evidence including CCTV, body-worn video, forensic reports, and digital material.
- Prepare and submit Legal Aid applications and ensure compliance with Legal Aid Agency requirements.
- Assist solicitors and advocates with trial preparation, conferences, and court hearings.
- Attend Magistrates' Courts, Crown Courts, and other tribunals as required.
- Maintain accurate time recording and file management records.
- Ensure full compliance with SRA standards, regulatory requirements, departmental procedures, and quality standards.
- Implementing any recommendations made by your supervisor following monthly file reviews ensuring that these are dealt with promptly
- Deliver outstanding client care and support clients throughout criminal proceedings with professionalism, sensitivity, and discretion.
- Ensuring compliance with file management.
- Police Station Accreditation (essential).
- Significant experience working within Criminal Defence Law.
- Proven experience as a Crime Paralegal, Criminal Caseworker, Police Station Representative, or Criminal Defence Advisor.
- Strong knowledge of criminal procedure, criminal evidence, and the criminal justice system.
- Experience handling a broad range of criminal matters, including serious and complex cases.
- Ability to confidently attend and represent clients at police stations independently.
- Business acumen and the ability to market the Company
- Excellent communications skills to work effectively with all types of people
- Excellent analytical and organisational skills and ability to use own initiative but know when to seek guidance
- Committed team player, self -motivated and professional
- Excellent IT Skills -familiar with Microsoft Office applications and document management skills
- Competitive salary
- A fantastic supportive team
- Excellent progression opportunities
- Support for appropriate legal awards/recognition
The recruitment process will fully comply with GDPR and other applicable laws. Background checks including CRB / DBS checks will establish your eligibility to work in the UK and suitability to the role.
Duncan Lewis is committed to Equal Opportunities and embraces diversity of its staff. The Company strives to ensure that our staff reflects the diversity of the communities we serve, which is reflective at all levels within our workforce. We guarantee an interview for candidates that disclose a disability and meet the essential requirements for the post. Please provide additional details in your covering letter if this applies.
APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED BY AGENCIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR THE ABOVE VACANCY
Disclaimer
Duncan Lewis Solicitors is an award-winning, nationally recognised law firm, ranked as a top-tier firm in current edition of The Legal 500 UK. With offices across London and the regions, we offer clear, practical and high-quality advice across a broad range of specialist areas. We act for clients on both a legal aid and private-fee basis, supporting individuals, families and businesses with everything from everyday matters to complex and high-profile litigation. Our continued growth, particularly in private client and complex dispute work, is driven by our reputation for professionalism, integrity and exceptional client care.
We are always keen to hear from committed and capable people, in both legal and non-legal roles. Whether you are an experienced practitioner or looking to begin your career, we welcome applications from individuals who want to contribute to the work we do.
Our recruitment and interview process is designed to understand how you think, how you work and what you can bring to the firm, and to assess your skills, knowledge and experience in a fair and consistent way. To support this, candidates must not use AI-based tools (such as ChatGPT, Gemini or similar) to write or edit any part of their interview responses or written communication during the process. We want to hear your own experience, insight and perspective.
Duncan Lewis is committed to Equal Opportunities and values the diversity of its staff. We work to ensure that our workforce reflects the communities we serve at every level of the organisation. We offer a guaranteed interview to applicants who disclose a disability and meet the essential requirements for the role — please highlight this in your covering letter if it applies.
