The in-house legal department sits at the heart of the NCA; providing specialist advisory and litigation support across the entire organisation. NCA Legal collaborates with operational officers as well as other Government departments, agencies and police forces on a daily basis to assist with live investigations around the world and defend against legal challenges aimed to disrupt those investigations. The advice provided by the department contributes directly to the disruption of serious and organised crime.
The teams include solicitors and barristers from a variety of backgrounds and with a wide range of experience alongside paralegals and a business management team.
Find out more about life as an NCA officer in the legal team: Day in the life: NCA Legal team
Diversity and Inclusion Group
The Legal team have an active Diversity and Inclusion Group, which is in addition to the many diversity groups that are run throughout the Agency. The purpose of the group is to encourage departmental focus on diversity issues and wider events and to promote an inclusive environment for all.
Health and Wellbeing Committee
The Legal team also have a Health and Wellbeing Committee which feeds into and works with the Agency’s Health, Safety & Wellbeing Committee. The group leads on and encourages health and wellbeing initiatives and events to promote a healthy and balanced working environment across the Legal Command.
Business Areas
Employment and Commercial
The Commercial and Employment Team advises the NCA on a broad range of contentious and non-contentious work. This ranges from advising on public procurement and transformation projects to advising on the full range of employment related legal issues, policies and litigation.
The team’s employment law function plays a crucial role in effective workplace management at the NCA, while the team’s commercial function plays a crucial role in enabling the Agency to lawfully procure high quality and value for money goods, works and services, in a way which minimises the risk of legal challenge.
Data & Operational Advisory Team
The Data & Operational Advisory Team advises operational teams to ensure that NCA operations are conducted lawfully through the use of covert and overt investigatory powers. It handles all of the data and operational advisory work for the Agency, including warrantry, pre-charge criminal procedure and powers and data matters, including exploitation, retention and deletion of data. The cases are often high value and high profile.
Civil Litigation
The Civil Litigation team leads the response to civil litigation brought against the NCA, on behalf of the DG of the NCA. We defend the NCA against civil actions and represent the NCA at Inquests and in Public Inquiries, family court proceedings and in the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.
Financial Disruptions – Litigation
The Financial Disruptions Litigation Team provides legal advice, assistance and (through the instruction of Counsel) representation to the NCA in connection with asset denial tools under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) in order to disrupt serious and organised crime through preventing criminals and their enablers profiting from crime.
Disruptive Actions Litigation
The Disruptive Actions Legal team advises and supports the NCA’s drive to maximise its use of a wide range of disruptions to reduce the threat posed by serious and organised crime. Disruptive Action lawyers have experience in immigration matters, sanctions, civil orders and litigation. We regularly work with HMG partners, including for legislative change proposals.
Business Management Team
The Legal Business Management Team provides support to key corporate functions on behalf of Legal as well as supporting the in-house lawyers. This includes: Human Resources, Learning & Development, Finance, Health & Safety, Estates, Business Continuity Planning, Information and Records Management and managing the Legal Director's Private Office.
