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The term 'white-collar crime' was coined less than a century ago to describe a wide variety of non-violent crimes, such as fraud, bribery, corruption and embezzlement. This article will explore this lesser-known arena of criminal law, addressing what white-collar crime lawyers do, who their clients might be and providing an overview of their general day-to-day tasks.

What is white-collar crime law?

White-collar crime law has a wide scope. It covers financial crimes such as bribery, fraud, money laundering and corruption. White-collar crime lawyers will advise companies facing criminal investigations by regulatory or enforcement authorities (such as the Financial Conduct Authority and HMRC), or individuals with senior positions at companies who face personal liability for their involvement in white-collar offences. They may also advise clients on anti-corruption and compliance, ensuring regulation of the field.

As a solicitor in this field, your work varies widely depending on where you're situated. The work may range from fraudulent activity in a local business if you're at a high street firm, to embezzlement cases involving multinational companies worth billions of pounds if you're at a big city firm.

What type of clients do white collar crime solicitors assist?

White-collar crime specialists not only aid the accused, but also assist companies and individuals on regulation in their relevant sector. Clients can encompass large, multinational corporations, banks and law firms, as well as prominent, highly positioned individuals in business and politics. As such, working in this practice area requires strong regulatory knowledge, as well as an understanding of how the relevant sector regulations apply to your client – alongside a personal understanding of your clients' business operations and structure.

What does the work of a white-collar crime solicitor look like on a daily basis?

The daily tasks of a white-collar crime lawyer aren’t too different from those of solicitors in other contentious practice areas, these include: reviewing and drafting documents, gathering facts and developing arguments. However, there are some key differences given the nature of the role:

• Reviewing and verifying a large volume of information – in preparing a case, a white-collar crime solicitor must review all relevant documentation and recordings, as well as interview transcripts, in order to build a case.
• Argumentation and crafting a narrative from evidence – forming arguments is an essential part of the role, particularly if your case is contentious.
• Conducting interviews – solicitors often conduct interviews with clients to accumulate facts and help streamline the trial preparation process.
• Cross-collaboration with other teams or firms – depending on the case you're working on, you might require the expertise of another team at your firm, or, if you're at a smaller firm, another niche law or consultancy firm. For instance, if your case involves tax evasion, you’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with tax law specialists. If your case involves property-related fraud, the expertise of property specialists would be required. If you're someone who takes an interest in different areas of law and in the prospect of collaborating with others, this might be a strong advantage.

What key skills does this practice area require?

There are a number of vital skills needed to succeed as a white-collar lawyer:

•  Ability to handle sensitive cases – given the damaging allegations made during an investigation and the centrality of confidential information to cases in this area, an ability to handle client's issues with discretion, respect and empathy is paramount.

• Adaptability – the fact-based and fast-paced nature of this field means that things change quickly. As a solicitor, you must be able to adapt to circumstances as they develop.
• Attention to detail – building an argument from a large volume of information makes up the bulk of case preparation. As such, a keen eye and a creative mind are necessary elements that contribute to the outcomes of cases. 
• Social skills and an understanding of people – the nature of criminal work, in contrast with other practice areas like corporate or property, is that it fundamentally revolves around people. As a lawyer, to enrich your understanding of the cases and clients you handle, you must be able to question and analyse the people involved, their motivations and subsequent decisions. 

Levelling up

If this article interested you and you're considering pursuing this line of law, it's important to start building relevant habits as early as you can. Reading the news is a great way to build commercial awareness. Check out LCN’s Commercial Awareness Hub, as well as reading financial newspapers like the Financial Times or The Economist, to keep track of recent trends in the field and build your understanding of the sector.