The UK Legal 500 2017 > London Bar > Business and regulatory crime (including global investigations) recommended Law firms, Lawyers

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) – 2016 silks
Business and regulatory crime (including global investigations) – 2017 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 ‘One of those rare silks, who is equally comfortable prosecuting and defending.’
- Alexander Cameron QC - Three Raymond Buildings ‘A formidable force in court and a charming person outside, he always has the respect of the judge.’
- George Carter-Stephenson QC - 25 Bedford Row ‘Meticulously prepared and supremely calm – nothing appears to divert him from his ultimate objective.’
- William Clegg QC - 2 Bedford Row ‘His analysis of a case is second to none.’
- Adrian Darbishire QC - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘In a league of his own when it comes to advocacy – he is capable of winning the seemingly unwinnable.’
- Mark Ellison QC - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘He has a brilliant ability to master very complex cases and transform them into clear issues before the court.’
- Patrick Gibbs QC - Three Raymond Buildings ‘A silent assassin in court.’
- Neil Hawes QC - Charter Chambers ‘Very solid: legally up there with the best.’
- Hugo Keith QC - Three Raymond Buildings ‘Instructed by the well-known corporates in bribery cases.’
- John Kelsey-Fry QC - Cloth Fair Chambers ‘He is highly charismatic and persuasive in front of juries.’
- Richard Lissack QC - Fountain Court Chambers ‘Clients love him because of his ability to join up all the dots.’
- Hodge Malek QC - 3 Verulam Buildings ‘Practical and clear, he is a very good leader of a team.’
- Clare Montgomery QC - Matrix Chambers ‘She is a bit like an Exocet missile and solicitors are glad when she’s on their side.’
- Tim Owen QC - Matrix Chambers ‘A real fighter and an excellent lawyer.’
- David Perry QC - 6KBW College Hill ‘Always absolutely calm and always utterly charming.’
- Nicholas Purnell QC - Cloth Fair Chambers ‘A real heavyweight for the biggest of cases.’
- Jim Sturman QC - 2 Bedford Row ‘If the client has even the faintest chance, he is your man.’
2
- Alex Bailin QC - Matrix Chambers ‘An excellent tactician.’
- William Boyce QC - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘His skill and commitment to cases gets results.’
- Graham Brodie QC - 33 Chancery Lane ‘The intellectual rigour he applies to the task reaps real rewards.’
- Mukul Chawla QC - Foundry Chambers ‘His prosecution practice includes interest rate manipulation cases.’
- Christopher Coltart QC - 2 Hare Court ‘His legal arguments have achieved significant results for corporates facing criminal investigations.’
- Jonathan Fisher QC - Red Lion Chambers ‘He gives consistently robust, practical and commercial advice.’
- Julian Knowles QC - Matrix Chambers ‘He has both a formidable intellect and the ability to give sound and down-to-earth advice to clients.’
- Richard Kovalevsky QC - 2 Bedford Row ‘One of the most astute barristers going.’
- Andrew Mitchell QC - 33 Chancery Lane ‘Instructed in heavyweight SFO cases.’
- Orlando Pownall QC - 2 Hare Court ‘To see him in full flow is a masterclass in effective advocacy.’
- John Ryder QC - 6KBW College Hill ‘He has a real understanding of how the art of advocacy can be deployed to get the best result.’
- Antony Shaw QC - Red Lion Chambers ‘He willingly rolls up his sleeves and rapidly grasps areas of law outside his normal practice.’
- Sasha Wass QC - 6KBW College Hill ‘She is fantastic with clients and commands the respect of the court.’
3
- Tom Allen QC - Cloth Fair Chambers ‘Instructed in corruption and interest rate-rigging cases.’
- Brian Altman QC - 2 Bedford Row ‘International clients highly respect his expertise and insight into how the prosecution reacts.’
- Charles Bott QC - Carmelite Chambers ‘He appears for the defence in corruption and interest rate manipulation cases.’
- Peter Finnigan QC - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘A really effective advocate, who fights with utter charm and grace.’
- James Hines QC - Three Raymond Buildings ‘Urbane, with a great charm and a commanding presence in court.’
- Paul Hynes QC - 25 Bedford Row ‘Well regarded for Bribery Act matters.’
- Zoe Johnson QC - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘Her prosecution practice includes work for the Financial Conduct Authority.’
- Jonathan Laidlaw QC - 2 Hare Court ‘A superstar and the expert on private prosecutions.’
- Sean Larkin QC - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘Outstanding in his cross-examination, grasp of the issues and presentation to the court.’
- Mark Milliken-Smith QC - 2 Bedford Row ‘His advocacy style commands immediate authority.’
- Duncan Penny QC - 6KBW College Hill ‘At the top of the field when it comes to financial crime.’
- Amanda Pinto QC - 33 Chancery Lane ‘She is immediately liked and respected by clients as a real heavyweight.’
- Alison Pople QC - Cloth Fair Chambers ‘She is down to earth, a true team player, very bright and a pleasure to work with.’
- Christopher Sallon QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Instructed in redundancy offences and international corruption matters.’
- David Spens QC - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘The extent to which he has every detail while seeing the wider picture is quite extraordinary.’
- Kieran Vaughan QC - Garden Court Chambers ‘A great speech-maker, who is exceptional in difficult cases.’
- Ian Winter QC - Cloth Fair Chambers ‘He is the consummate advocate and a real tour de force in trial.’

Business and regulatory crime (including global investigations) – 2016 silks

1
- Jonathan Ashley-Norman QC - Three Raymond Buildings ‘His attention to detail and presentation of arguments are second to none.’
- Philip Evans QC - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘Instructed in international corruption cases.’
- Paul Ozin QC - 23 Essex Street ‘He has a track record of redundancy offence cases.’
- Clare Sibson QC - Cloth Fair Chambers ‘An excellent lawyer, who is instructed in major corporate crime cases.’

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

1
- Sarah Clarke QC - Serjeants’ Inn Chambers ‘An excellent barrister for financial crime matters.’
- Gillian Jones QC - Red Lion Chambers ‘Fabulous and absolutely faultless – solicitors appreciate her quality of advocacy before juries and her adaptability.’
- Gareth Patterson QC - 6KBW College Hill ‘A new silk with experience in Libor cases.’

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

1
- Robin Barclay - Fountain Court Chambers ‘Excellent for insider dealing and market abuse cases.’
- Nathaniel Rudolf - 25 Bedford Row ‘He has the ability to scythe through the rhetoric to concentrate on the issues that matter.’
- Neil Saunders - Three Raymond Buildings ‘He is an excellent advocate with a brain the size of a house.’
- Vivienne Tanchel - 2 Hare Court ‘She is extremely forensic and robust in her approach.’
2
- Oliver Assersohn - XXIV Old Buildings ‘He is instructed on complex financial services-related matters.’
- Jonathan Barnard - Cloth Fair Chambers ‘A leading junior in major cases.’
- Rachel Barnes - Three Raymond Buildings ‘In the American piece of the sanctions puzzle that most London counsel cannot fill, she can.’
- Eleanor Davison - Fountain Court Chambers ‘Instructed in transatlantic financial crime matters.’
- Ben Fitzgerald - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘A go-to junior in financial crime, whose clarity of thought and analysis stand out.’
- Rachna Gokani - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘Intelligent, diligent and a delight to work with.’
- Timothy Kendal - 2 Bedford Row ‘An expert in the field: he is very forensic and analytical in his approach.’
- Jason Mansell - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘Excellent in cases where the financial and the regulatory cross over.’
- Nicholas Medcroft - Fountain Court Chambers ‘He can operate seamlessly across criminal law, professional regulation and commercial law.’
- Ben Summers - Three Raymond Buildings ‘The go-to counsel for defending criminal data protection cases.’
3
- Mark Aldred - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘An excellent strategist with ceaseless energy to pursue cases to the best possible outcome.’
- Trevor Archer - Red Lion Chambers ‘Instructed by the SFO in cross-border corruption and financial markets cases.’
- Simon Baker - 2 Bedford Row ‘A very good senior junior, who has the respect of the judiciary.’
- Ben Brandon - Three Raymond Buildings ‘He makes a strong legal contribution cases, bringing his own professional perspective.’
- Tom Broomfield - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘Instructed in insider dealing cases by the FCA.’
- Allison Clare - Red Lion Chambers ‘Meticulous in her case preparation, with exceptionally good technical knowledge.’
- David Claxton - Red Lion Chambers ‘His strengths lie in his keen intellect, attention to detail and clarity of written and oral expression.’
- Christopher Convey - 33 Chancery Lane ‘A brave and persuasive advocate.’
- Tom Doble - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘A very bright and hardworking junior, who makes invaluable contributions.’
- Tom Forster - Red Lion Chambers ‘Instructed in insider dealing and financial services crime cases.’
- Christopher Foulkes - 2 Hare Court ‘Instructed to both defend and prosecute in SFO cases.’
- Katherine Hardcastle - 6KBW College Hill ‘Regularly led by the top silks in the biggest cases.’
- Nichola Higgins - Doughty Street Chambers ‘She appears for the defence in agenda-setting bribery cases.’
- Miranda Hill - 6KBW College Hill ‘A very clever lawyer with an instinctive touch for the right approach in difficult and challenging circumstances.’
- Rhys Meggy - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘Solicitors rate him for criminal data protection, corruption and insider dealing matters.’
- Keith Mitchell - 33 Chancery Lane ‘An effective and sympathetic jury advocate, who commands total respect from the bench.’
- Peter Ratliff - 6KBW College Hill ‘He has built up a reputable practice advising companies accused of corporate crime.’
- Paul Raudnitz - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘A solid and resourceful counsel, who works very hard for his clients.’
- Simon Ray - 6KBW College Hill ‘He masters his cases and has a measured approach.’
- Samantha Riggs - 25 Bedford Row ‘Thorough and well prepared with excellent client care and communication skills.’
- David Stern - 5 St Andrews Hill ‘A highly experienced and tenacious advocate, particularly with regards to business crime.’
- Aaron Watkins - Matrix Chambers ‘An impressive advocate who can persuade the most difficult tribunal through his eloquent persistence.’
- Janet Weeks - 5 Paper Buildings ‘An extremely effective and efficient advocate.’
- Nicholas Yeo - Three Raymond Buildings ‘He is very good with clients from all manner of backgrounds.’

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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 crime: fraud 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.

Exhibiting ‘genuine strength in depth’, 2 Bedford Row includes a number of members appearing in complex trials and delivering international advice. William Clegg QC represented a rate submitter in a 2016 trial of several former Barclays employees in a Libor-rigging case, while Jim Sturman QC handles complex sanctions-related work.

Cloth Fair Chambers covers a range of matters, with involvement both in complex trials and pre-charge advisory work. Ian Winter QC represented a trader who was acquitted in the Operation Tabernula insider dealing case.

‘At the top of its game’, Matrix Chambers counts among its ranks a number of silks instructed in extremely sensitive cross-border corruption and other corporate crime investigations. Aaron Watkins represented a former European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) executive director, who was convicted in Russia of accepting bribes in return for loans.

Three Raymond Buildings is ‘an extremely impressive set for financial crime’. Among a raft of high-profile cases, James Hines QC prosecuted six former Barclays employees for Libor manipulation; three were convicted and a fourth entered a guilty plea. The set also contains a number of silks and juniors handling defence-side work and pre-charge advice.

6KBW College Hill’s members are instructed by international corporates and the regulators alike on a range of cases concerning bribery and corporate fraud. David Perry QC represented Rolls-Royce in its SFO investigation, which terminated with a £500m deferred prosecution agreement.

‘A top-flight set from the quality of its senior silks to its diligent pupils’, QEB Hollis Whiteman’s members handle work ranging from corruption and interest rate rigging through to sanctions. Mark Ellison QC prosecuted in the Operation Tabernula case – two defendants were convicted and received sentences totalling eight years.

At Red Lion Chambers, ‘the quality of counsel is very high indeed and the strength in depth is impressive’. Members appear on either side of challenging trials, but also handle pre-charge advisory work for both businesses and regulators – one example of this being Antony Shaw QC’s advice to Airbus regarding an ongoing investigation by the SFO, which alleges that the aircraft manufacturer’s third-party consultants paid bribes.

2 Hare Court’s members handle a range of matters, primarily for the defence, regarding interest rate-rigging, corruption and various other offences. Christopher Coltart QC is instructed to defend the former CEO of Sports Direct, who is accused of failing to notify the government of the impending redundancy of 80 workers in Glasgow.

25 Bedford Row’s Nathaniel Rudolf was junior counsel for one of the acquitted defendants in the Operation Tabernula insider dealing trial. Other work handled by members relates to environmental crime and interest rate manipulation.

33 Chancery Lane’s members appear in a range of corporate crime cases, many relating to interest rate rigging. Amanda Pinto QC is scheduled to defend a trader in the upcoming Euribor manipulation trial; the SFO alleges that her client adjusted Euribor submissions at the behest of Barclays.

Commercial and financial heavyweight Fountain Court Chambers handles a range of work at the intersection of criminal law and financial services, primarily acting for banks, but with some members handling work for regulators and prosecutors. Richard Lissack QC advises Barclays on ongoing criminal charges regarding its 2008 capital-raising exercise; investment from Qatar averted a state bail-out of the bank.

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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) – 2016 silks

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

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

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