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Futures: A lucky break

Seema Popat will always consider joining the Government Legal Service as a lucky break.

“I’d worked in private practice for about five years and wanted a change from matrimonial and ‘slipping and tripping’ disputes,” she recalls. “So I decided to temp for a while and joined the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), which is part of the GLS, on a temporary contract. It was meant to be for three months but, seven years later, I’m still here!”

Seema knew little about the work of a Government lawyer when she joined the SFO, but it opened up a new and exciting world to her. The SFO is one of around 30 Government Departments and bodies which, collectively, make up the GLS – an umbrella body networking together some 1950 lawyers across Government. The SFO occupies a unique position within both Government and the GLS.

“Being part of the GLS confers so many benefits,
including flexible working arrangements and training. Although the work is frequently demanding, you’re encouraged to maintain a healthy work/life balance, and the GLS Sports and Social Committee arrange many events to tempt us away from our desks.

“I’d heard about the police investigating possible offences and passing them on to the Crown Prosecution Service to prosecute, but not of one organisation doing both,” explains Seema. “The SFO is unique in that respect – it was set up to both investigate and to prosecute cases of serious or complex fraud. That concept was alien to me at first, but I’ve found the work fascinating from day one.”

Like all GLS lawyers, SFO lawyers work in teams – in their case, multi-disciplinary teams. “Once the SFO has accepted a case, it will be allocated to a team comprising lawyers, financial investigators and support staff,” says Seema. “There will usually be members of a police force on the case team too. Between us, we have all the skills needed to investigate and prosecute. I recently stepped into the role of case controller, which involves managing and advising on cases. There are now even fewer places beyond me where the buck can stop!”

Seema explains that the initial stages of a case can be very exciting. “Quite often we’re required to carry out searches of potential suspects’ business and private residences with the assistance of local police forces. I have to admit I was a little disappointed on my first search. I had visions of the police charging the front door and shouting ‘Go! Go! Go!’ – a bit like my recollections of ‘The Bill’ or ‘The Sweeney’. In reality it’s a much more civilised affair, with the occupiers co-operating and even supplying us with tea, coffee and biscuits!

“There then follows many months of investigation. Anyone able to assist with the investigation, from employees to auditors, will be interviewed. This is where the investigators and police officers on the team really come into their own, as they’re very experienced in investigating and interviewing. I myself had to take an interviewing course and am still a novice in the skilled art of interviewing witnesses – and indeed suspects. We also instruct Counsel at an early stage to advise as necessary. Invariably correspondence known as ‘letters of request’ will be dispatched to other jurisdictions to seek their help in providing documentation or information. This type of international co-operation is known as mutual legal assistance and there is specific legislation in place for it. Quite often, we’ll follow up these letters with visits to the relevant jurisdictions for further investigation. That’s taken me on a number of trips, from Madeira to Manchester!”

All the SFO’s cases, explains Seema, require an analysis of money trails to trace the proceeds of suspected crimes. “I must confess that the sight of a spreadsheet tends to make my eyes water – but fortunately the financial investigators on our teams are excellent at tracing the movement of funds.

“The lead up to charging our suspects and commencing the prosecution is extremely pressurised. Our cases tend to be large – in one case we prosecuted, our evidence was contained in 77 lever arch files! But now that we’re making huge efforts to reduce our ‘carbon footprint’, we try to serve material electronically whenever possible.
“When a case gets to trial the fun (and the stress) really begins! We currently have one at Birmingham Crown Court in which the defendants are, exceptionally, representing themselves. It’s really exciting to see the results of our hard work unfolding in the court room. We have many witnesses giving evidence, a great number from abroad and some via video link-ups. I’m sure I’ll have a few more sleepless nights before we get a verdict, but I am enjoying every single day.

“Being part of the GLS confers so many benefits, including flexible working arrangements and training. Although the work is frequently demanding, you’re encouraged to maintain a healthy work/life balance, and the GLS Sports and Social Committee arrange many events to tempt us away from our desks.”

One of the beauties of being part of the GLS, adds Seema, is the unparalleled opportunity it offers to move around Government – often to completely different areas of law. “The GLS offers a fantastic network of support, and you’re encouraged to move around to progress and develop your career. Although I’m very happy at the SFO, it’s great to know that the potential is there to expand my horizons beyond it.”