Law firm and leading lawyer rankings

Index of tables

Business and regulatory crime (including global investigations) – Leading sets
Business and regulatory crime (including global investigations) – Leading silks
Business and regulatory crime (including global investigations) – 2017 silks
Business and regulatory crime (including global investigations) – 2018 silks
Business and regulatory crime (including global investigations) – Leading juniors

Business and regulatory crime (including global investigations) – Leading sets

Business and regulatory crime (including global investigations) – Leading silks

1
- Michael Bowes QC - Outer Temple Chambers ‘A very good silk in this area.’
- Alexander Cameron QC - Three Raymond Buildings ‘A very experienced silk – charming, urbane and very good with juries.’
- George Carter-Stephenson QC - 25 Bedford Row ‘Nobody works harder: his knowledge of the papers and of the detail of every case is magnificent and plain for all to see.’
- William Clegg QC - 2 Bedford Row ‘Just sheer brilliance – he is always well prepared.’
- Christopher Coltart QC - 2 Hare Court ‘A dedicated and gifted member of the Bar – his main strength is his attention to detail.’
- Adrian Darbishire QC - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘Fully deserving of his place at the top of the white-collar crime Bar.’
- Mark Ellison QC - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘An excellent silk with wide-ranging experience who adds great value to each instruction.’
- Jonathan Fisher QC - Red Lion Chambers ‘He is a mine of information on his subject matter; one of the absolute leaders in this area.’
- Patrick Gibbs QC - Three Raymond Buildings ‘One of the best all-round practitioners at the criminal Bar – he consistently turns in first-class performances.’
- Neil Hawes QC - Charter Chambers ‘Excellent and thorough.’
- Hugo Keith QC - Three Raymond Buildings ‘Very wise and clever, he is a great strategist and a pleasure to work with.’
- John Kelsey-Fry QC - Cloth Fair Chambers ‘His practice includes sensitive pre-charge corruption advice.’
- Richard Lissack QC - Fountain Court Chambers ‘He handles the intersection between civil and criminal as well as anyone.’
- Hodge Malek QC - 3 Verulam Buildings ‘He is instructed in international corruption cases.’
- Clare Montgomery QC - Matrix Chambers ‘Forthright, and always with arguments up her sleeve others won’t have thought of.’
- Tim Owen QC - Matrix Chambers ‘Probably the brightest Silk at the criminal Bar – and a real fighter too.’
- David Perry QC - 6KBW College Hill ‘A true specialist.’
- Nicholas Purnell QC - Cloth Fair Chambers ‘He defends c-suite management in heavyweight corporate fraud cases.’
- Jim Sturman QC - 2 Bedford Row ‘The man you would want in your corner if you were ever up against it.’
2
- Tom Allen QC - Cloth Fair Chambers ‘Incredibly bright and a commanding presence in court.’
- Brian Altman QC - 2 Bedford Row ‘He has absolute clarity of purpose and gets straight to the heart of any matter.’
- Alex Bailin QC - Matrix Chambers ‘A very versatile silk with a lot of commercial nous.’
- William Boyce QC - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘A superb case strategist, with a second-to-none bedside manner.’
- Graham Brodie QC - 33 Chancery Lane ‘The intellectual rigour he applies to the task reaps real rewards.’
- Peter Finnigan QC - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘His bags of experience of both defending and prosecuting for the SFO give him great perspective.’
- Andrew Mitchell QC - 33 Chancery Lane ‘He has a track record of international corruption cases.’
- John Ryder QC - 6KBW College Hill ‘A formidable silk with gallons of charm.’
- Antony Shaw QC - Red Lion Chambers ‘His defence work includes representation of natural resources companies.’
- Kieran Vaughan QC - 2 Bedford Row ‘His cross-examination is first rate, his submissions concise and his speeches excellent.’
- Sasha Wass QC - 6KBW College Hill ‘A tremendously tenacious silk, she is eloquent and effective in her delivery.’
- Ian Winter QC - Cloth Fair Chambers ‘His advocacy is superb; solicitors pick him for complex cases that need to be broken down for the jury.’
3
- Jonathan Ashley-Norman QC - Three Raymond Buildings ‘An eloquent and persuasive advocate who excels as a tactician and a strategist.’
- Charles Bott QC - Carmelite Chambers ‘He has sound tactical judgement and has a very measured approach which juries and judges warm to.’
- Rupert Bowers QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘He has an impressive knowledge of criminal proceedings and search warrants as well.’
- Julian Christopher QC - 5 Paper Buildings ‘He handles pioneering bribery cases.’
- Emma Deacon QC - 5 Paper Buildings ‘A tough prosecutor for bribery cases.’
- Mark Fenhalls QC - 23 Essex Street ‘Hardworking and able to digest vast amounts of material very quickly.’
- James Hines QC - Three Raymond Buildings ‘He has a first-rate ability to get to the real issues quickly and steer a pragmatic course to get to where he needs to be.’
- Paul Hynes QC - 25 Bedford Row ‘It is clear that when he is in front of the judge, his reputation goes before him and his arguments are respected.’
- Brendan Kelly QC - 2 Hare Court ‘He really gets under the skin of a case, and knows when to sit tight and when to go on the attack.’
- Jonathan Kinnear QC - 2 Hare Court ‘His work includes international bribery cases.’
- Jonathan Laidlaw QC - 2 Hare Court ‘He does a fantastic job, even in the face of overwhelming cases.’
- Sean Larkin QC - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘A really hands-on, hardworking silk who instantly puts clients at ease and instils absolute confidence.’
- Lord Ken Macdonald QC - Matrix Chambers ‘He handles heavyweight advisory work.’
- Mark Milliken-Smith QC - 2 Bedford Row ‘He establishes an excellent rapport with clients.’
- Tim Owen QC - Matrix Chambers ‘He provides straight-talking advice.’
- Paul Ozin QC - 23 Essex Street ‘He has a track record of handling redundancy offences.’
- Amanda Pinto QC - 33 Chancery Lane ‘Her work includes sensitive bribery advice to major corporates.’
- Orlando Pownall QC - 2 Hare Court ‘The speed of his understanding on the complex issues in a case is outstanding.’
- Alison Pople QC - Cloth Fair Chambers ‘Her work includes significant SFO cases.’
- Andrew Radcliffe QC - 2 Hare Court ‘An absolutely beautiful presenter of a case.’
- Mark Rainsford QC - 33 Chancery Lane ‘His practice includes challenging cases with complex Middle Eastern elements.’
- Clare Sibson QC - Cloth Fair Chambers ‘Always on solicitors’ shortlists for serious and complex work.’
- Leonard Smith QC - Carmelite Chambers ‘He is active in bribery and corruption cases.’
- David Spens QC - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘A real heavyweight silk with immense experience – his eye for detail is superb.’

Business and regulatory crime (including global investigations) – 2017 silks

1
- Colin Aylott QC - Carmelite Chambers ‘He handles interest rate manipulation and other corruption cases.’
- Sarah Clarke QC - Serjeants' Inn Chambers ‘A polished advocate with a confident and firm manner which instills confidence in juries and judges alike.’
- Gillian Jones QC - Red Lion Chambers ‘She has an incisive legal mind which enables her to cut rapidly to the crux of the issues in the most complex cases.’
- Alison Macdonald QC - Matrix Chambers ‘Charismatic, smart and a delight to work with.’
- Gareth Patterson QC - 6KBW College Hill ‘He had excellent attention to detail and strategic awareness, as well as familiarity with the SFO.’

Business and regulatory crime (including global investigations) – 2018 silks

1
- Tom Forster QC - Red Lion Chambers ‘Clients respect his no-nonsense attitude and keen intellect, and his advice is second-to-none.’

Business and regulatory crime (including global investigations) – Leading juniors

1
- Robin Barclay - Fountain Court Chambers ‘Extremely bright – clearly a silk in waiting.’
- Jonathan Barnard - Cloth Fair Chambers ‘He appears as counsel in high-profile cases as well as providing pre-charge advice.’
- Nathaniel Rudolf - 25 Bedford Row ‘He has a phenomenal grasp of the law and procedure.’
- Ben Summers - Three Raymond Buildings ‘He performs at silk level and has been for some time.’
- Vivienne Tanchel - 2 Hare Court ‘Extraordinarily hardworking, dedicated and thorough.’
2
- Rachel Barnes - Three Raymond Buildings ‘Good with detailed analysis and legal research.’
- Andrew Bodnar - Matrix Chambers ‘A genuine star.’
- Eleanor Davison - Fountain Court Chambers ‘She handles novel cases and complex advice.’
- Rachna Gokani - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘Extremely conscientious, perceptive and bright.’
- Katherine Hardcastle - 6KBW College Hill ‘Destined to be one of the leading corporate crime barristers – she has an incredible intellect and exceptional work ethic.’
- Nichola Higgins - Doughty Street Chambers ‘A first-class advocate with an enormous capacity for huge cases.’
- Miranda Hill - 6KBW College Hill ‘She gives clear, strategic and practical advice.’
- Timothy Kendal - 2 Bedford Row ‘He is exceptionally bright and a silk in waiting.’
- Jason Mansell - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘A very well-regarded junior with unrivalled experience of both sides of the FCA fence.’
- Nicholas Medcroft - Fountain Court Chambers ‘A pleasure to work with: extremely hardworking and very astute for a junior.’
- Keith Mitchell - 33 Chancery Lane ‘Extremely personable and strong on pastoral care with the lay client.’
- Neil Saunders - Three Raymond Buildings ‘Probably one of the best juniors practising at present.’
3
- Mark Aldred - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘A real grafter with good common sense, he fights his clients’ corner aggressively but politely.’
- Trevor Archer - Red Lion Chambers ‘Always on top of the work in complex frauds, which makes him a very reliable junior.’
- Kathryn Arnot Drummond - Cloth Fair Chambers ‘She brings a breadth of knowledge, first-rate work ethic and confidence to each instruction.’
- Simon Baker - 2 Bedford Row ‘He stands out during the course of trials.’
- Ben Brandon - Three Raymond Buildings ‘He has a scrupulous eye for detail and is excellent with clients.’
- Tom Broomfield - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘Hardworking, diligent and sensible – silks trust him completely.’
- Angus Bunyan - 2 Hare Court ‘Devastating in his cross-examination.’
- Allison Clare - Red Lion Chambers ‘Clever, commercial and pragmatic – she understands clients’ commercial needs while staying legally robust.’
- Christopher Convey - 33 Chancery Lane ‘Industrious and has a fine legal brain – he is particularly strong on his drafting.’
- Tom Doble - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘A highly intelligent and confident junior with substantial experience of commercial crime at the highest level.’
- Ben Fitzgerald - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘Clearly destined for great things – he analyses problems carefully and is very diplomatic with clients.’
- Christopher Foulkes - 2 Hare Court ‘His practice includes heavyweight prosecution work.’
- Jenny Goldring - 5 Paper Buildings ‘She has an incisive legal mind, is a tenacious advocate and is relentlessly hard working.’
- Gavin Irwin - 2 Hare Court ‘He stands out for his impressively logical and deft technical approach to cases, coupled with his unrivalled ability to be disarmingly persuasive.’
- Helen Law - Matrix Chambers ‘A dream junior when working with silks, with wide experience and knowledge.’
- Jocelyn Ledward - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘Very clever and hardworking, she has an easy and listenable manner in court.’
- Rhys Meggy - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘A bright, charming and eloquent junior.’
- Alison Morgan - 6KBW College Hill ‘She has an impressive ability to interpret the legal frameworks in multi-jurisdictional cases.’
- Tamara Oppenheimer - Fountain Court Chambers ‘She comes at problems from a commercial, client-savvy perspective.’
- Oliver Powell - Outer Temple Chambers ‘A very effective advocate in the criminal courts.’
- Catherine Rabaiotti - 5 Paper Buildings ‘On track to the top: smart, hardworking and a fighter.’
- Peter Ratliff - 6KBW College Hill ‘The first port of call for many corporate clients when decisive and speedy advice is what they need the most.’
- Paul Raudnitz - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘So hardworking; solicitors don’t understand how he produces the results he does.’
- Simon Ray - 6KBW College Hill ‘Fantastic at the law, but with a nice understated manner with clients.’
- Samantha Riggs - 25 Bedford Row ‘A polished advocate who is as at home in the High Court as in the Crown Court.’
- Esther Schutzer-Weissmann - 6KBW College Hill ‘She possesses a no nonsense approach and is extremely thorough in her approach.’
- David Stern - 5 St Andrews Hill ‘He has a first-class brain and is very innovative in developing legal arguments.’
- Aaron Watkins - Matrix Chambers ‘Very experienced and sound in judgement, preparation and experience.’
- Janet Weeks - 5 Paper Buildings ‘Solid, hardworking and good with clients, with a thorough understanding of financial regulatory cases.’

Find out which law firms are representing which Business and regulatory crime (including global investigations) clients in London Bar using The Legal 500's new comprehensive database of law firm/client relationships. Instantly search over 925,000 relationships, including over 83,000 Fortune 500, 46,000 FTSE350 and 13,000 DAX 30 relationships globally. Access is free for in-house lawyers, and by subscription for law firms. For more information, contact david.burgess@legal500.com.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE WHO REPRESENTS WHO SITE

Most work taken into account in this section will concern business crime matters such as bribery, sanctions, interest-rate rigging, criminal cartel offences, trade union redundancy offences and similar. It does not cover fraud cases such as land-banking scams and VAT fraud: please see the Fraud: crime section for coverage of this specialism. International crime and extradition and POCA and asset forfeiture are also covered separately. That said, many barristers are likely to have practices that do not neatly fit within these boxes and so may be ranked in more than one practice area.

2 Bedford Row includes a number of heavyweight silks handling cases concerning international bribery and corruption, as well as more domestic business crime issues. William Clegg QC continues to advise ENRC on an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office and National Crime Agency concerning alleged corruption in the Nigerian natural resources industry, while Timothy Kendal represented the only defendant found not guilty in the Operation Hornet trial concerning the impaired assets division of HBOS. Richard Kovalevsky QC left the independent Bar to join Stewarts Law LLP.

Cloth Fair Chambers is a group of ‘extremely high-quality barristers for business crime’, with a significant amount of work coming in the form of pre-charge advice. Three silks from the set are instructed to represent defendants in the upcoming Barclays trial concerning its 2008 fundraising – Nicholas Purnell QC is scheduled to defend the bank’s former CEO, John Kelsey-Fry QC is to represent the former head of investment banking, and Ian Winter QC will defend the former head of the wealth division.

Matrix Chambers ‘has a real breadth of talented barristers with a wide coverage of legal areas’, advising business and directors on a range of matters concerning corruption, fraud and insider trading allegations. Clare Montgomery QC advised Tesco on its entry into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Serious Fraud Office concerning its 2014 accounts.

Three Raymond Buildings is ‘a fantastic set for business crime, and very strong in depth – all members are very high quality’. The set includes members with practices ranging from corruption and insider trading through to more exotic areas such as sanctions and data protection offences. Alexander Cameron QC continues to represent Alstom Network UK, a multi-faceted corruption case, while as sole counsel, Ben Summers prosecuted an insurer in a case concerning its compelling of a policyholder to carry out a subject access request to the Criminal Records Office after it alleged that a claim was fraudulent.

2 Hare Court includes a range of members and juniors who primarily defend in financial crime cases. Jonathan Laidlaw QC continues to advise a founder of ENRC in the SFO investigation into the company, while Orlando Pownall QC represented Ke Xu, a former hedge fund employee convicted in 2015 of copying his employer’s fund algorithms, in a subsequent case over a serious crime prevention order concerning his surrender of computers and return of intellectual property.

6KBW College Hill is ‘most definitely a leader when it comes to business crime – whether prosecuting or defending multinationals, it is always involved in the highest-profile cases’. Sasha Wass QC and Esther Schutzer-Weissmann continue to prosecute three former Tesco executives for the SFO; the matter is due for a retrial after one of the defendants, the company’s former finance director, suffered a heart attack shortly before the summing up in the first trial.

QEB Hollis Whiteman’s members have appeared defending or prosecuting in some of 2017’s most high-profile corporate crime cases. Various members have been involved in various trials as part of the SFO’s investigation into Alstom and its employees; Mark Ellison QC represented the former head of compliance in a trial concerning alleged corruption in the procurement of the Budapest Metro and David Spens QC acted for a sales manager in a case concerning a Lithuanian power station refurbishment.

Red Lion Chambers handles a range of work concerning investigations from various bodies into bribery, corruption and other corporate crime matters. A number of members have strong prosecution practices. Jonathan Fisher QC, for example, is representing the SFO in proceedings to obtain documents from ENRC as part of its investigation into the alleged payment of bribes by the multinational to secure mining access in DR Congo.

25 Bedford Row’s members are now frequently appearing in business crime cases, including financial crime and environmental crime matters. George Carter-Stephenson QC represented a former Burges Salmon LLP partner who was acquitted of concealing criminal property as part of the Operation Hornet into HBOS’ impaired assets division.

33 Chancery Lane’s members, alongside the set’s primary reputation for proceeds of crime, handles a range of heavyweight work concerning corruption and interest-rate rigging. Amanda Pinto QC and Christopher Convey represent a former Barclays rate submitter accused by the SFO of manipulating her submissions to the calculation of Euribor.

Fountain Court Chambers includes a small team instructed for the defence in agenda-setting SFO cases. Richard Lissack QC, Robin Barclay and Eleanor Davison represented Barclays against allegations the bank financed a Qatari entity’s acquisition of its shares during the 2008 crash, averting a state bailout; the charges were dismissed.

GC Diversity and Inclusion Report

In partnership with...

'Ultimately there are as many barriers as you put up yourself, you can put up being female and black as an excuse or use it as a weapon of defiance.'

SANDIE OKORO, GENERAL COUNSEL, HSBC GLOBAL ASSET MANAGEMENT

View more interviews from GC Magazine's Diversity and Inclusion Report UK

International comparative guides

Giving the in-house community greater insight to the law and regulations in different jurisdictions.

Select Practice Area

The Legal 500 United Kingdom - Events

Enterprise GC - UK

Enterprise GC provides a unique platform to address the evolving needs of the leading General Counsel from the UK's largest enterprise.

Search News and Articles

Press releases

The latest news direct from law firms. If you would like to submit press releases for your firm, send an email request to

Legal Developments in the UK

Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to

DISMISSAL AT NISSAN AND WORKPLACE CRIME PREVENTION

The sacking of Nissan’s high-profile chairman may have beenproof that nobody is infallible. But Nicola Sharp argues that it should also beseen as an indicator that no company can be considered safe from wrongdoing.

- Rahman Ravelli Solicitors
Applying for A Sole Representative Visa

Regardless of the Brexit outcome, the United Kingdom will remain one of the world most powerful economies. With a market of 65 million people and close ties with Europe, many overseas-based organisations look to establishing a subsidiary or branch office in Britain.

- A Y & J Solicitors
BRIBERY ALLEGATIONS IN MORE THAN ONE JURISDICTION: THE IMPORTANCE OF ENSURING A JOINED-UP DEFENCE AP

Aziz Rahman considers the Ericsson bribery investigation and outlines how best to respond if you are investigated by more than one law enforcement agency

- Rahman Ravelli Solicitors
Have Changes to The Spouse/Civil Partnership Minimum Income Threshold Made A Difference?

The plight of those denied a UK Spouse/CivilPartnership Visa or a Spouse/Civil Partnership Visa extension continues to feature in the headlines. In August 2018, the Guardian reported on one young woman, driven to attempt suicide after her fiancé, an Albanian national, was not permitted to enter the country. The Home Office ruled Paige Smith, a British Citizen, did not meet the £18,600 income threshold. It later transpired the Home Office lost a crucial payslip proving that Ms Smith met the criteria, a document the department had been sent four times by a Solicitor and Ms Smith’s MP. The appeal Judge took ten minutes to rule the Visa should have been approved; however, the couple still had to wait two months for the Home Office to declare it would not appeal the decision.

- A Y & J Solicitors
BRIBERY AND THE RISK IT POSES TO TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES

With Microsoft’s activities in Hungary having come underinvestigation, Nicola Sharp explains why those at the cutting edge oftechnology need to be aware of the age-old dangers of bribery.

- Rahman Ravelli Solicitors
Visa options for international students to stay in the UK

What are the immigration options for Tier 4 visa students to stay in the UK after they graduate?

- DavidsonMorris
Three Reasons Why Your Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa May Be Refused

A Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa provides a gateway to entry and settlement in the UK for non-EEA individuals who wish to launch a start-up or invest in and become a director of a UK company running the business. There are advantages to entering Britain on the entrepreneur visa route; an applicant can bring their dependent family members with them, and there is also an opportunity to fast-track settlement applications if certain criteria are met.

- A Y & J Solicitors
Our growth continues with an office move for the team in Leeds

July 24, 2018

- Stowe Family Law
Four Law Society Excellence Award nominations for Moore Blatch

Moore Blatch has been nominated for four awards in this year’s Law Society Excellence Awards .

- Moore Blatch LLP
OBTAINING A DPA

With the SFO laying down tough conditions to those seeking adeferred prosecution agreement (DPA), Aziz Rahman examines what companies need todo to have a chance of securing one.

- Rahman Ravelli Solicitors

Press Releases in the UK