The Legal 500

United Kingdom > London Bar > Fraud: crime (including money laundering and asset forfeiture)

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Index of tables

  1. Fraud: crime – Leading Sets
  2. Fraud: crime – Leading Silks
  3. Fraud: crime – New Silks
  4. Fraud: crime – Leading Juniors

Fraud: crime – Leading Silks

Fraud: crime – Leading Juniors

2 Bedford Row’s barristers appear in many of the largest ongoing fraud cases and are recognised for their international experience. Jim Sturman QC has an ‘exceptional ability that instils confidence in clients’, Mark Milliken-Smith QCreally knows his stuff’, Howard Godfrey QC’s ‘trial preparation and presentation is superb’, and Richard Kovalevsky QC is ‘a fantastic strategist and excellent on his feet’. William Clegg QC and Peter Lodder QC are also recommended. Of the juniors, Alison Pople is ‘a real standout junior’, and Timothy Kendal exhibits ‘highly impressive tactical acumen’. Stephen Ferguson and Nigel Ingram are also well regarded.

Specialising in fraud and crime, Cloth Fair Chambers is serviced by ‘good clerks who are easily accessible in times of urgency’. Although small, the set includes some extremely high-profile figures, such as John Kelsey-Fry QC (‘in the highest bracket of fraud silks’) and Nicholas Purnell QC (‘at the very top of his game’). Timothy Langdale QC and the ‘very practical’ Ian Winter QC are also recommended, while at junior level, Jonathan Barnard and Clare Sibson are names to note.

QEB Hollis Whiteman’s criminal fraud practice is complemented by strengths in general crime and corporate matters. William Boyce QC and Anthony Glass QC are noteworthy silks, as is Sean Larkin QC, who is ‘a good, hardworking barrister and team player’. Mark Ellison QC is ‘an iron fist in a velvet glove, with the weight of industry and insight behind it’; and new silk Adrian Darbishire QC is ‘a great resource at every stage of a case’. Selva Ramasamy has ‘a very calm and collected approach which puts clients at ease’; and Jocelyn Ledwardthinks outside the box and is able to apply her outstanding intellect to difficult areas of law’. Paul Raudnitz is also recommended.

Three Raymond Buildings is skilled in fraud, insider dealing, anti-competitive conduct and corruption cases, and has seen an increase in money-laundering and asset-forfeiture work. Stephen Batten QC is ‘a consummate advocate’, and Alexander Cameron QC combines ‘good legal knowledge with a very effective jury manner’. Colin Nicholls QC is ‘a leading authority on corruption’, and Simon Farrell QC has a ‘commanding and controlled courtroom presence’. The ‘extremely intelligentPatrick Gibbs QC is also recommended. Neil Saunders is ‘a first-choice leading junior’. ‘Gifted tacticianJames Hines and Jonathan Ashley-Norman are also well respected.

At 25 Bedford Row, George Carter-Stephenson QC is singled out for his ‘excellent’ command of paperwork and ‘unrivalled’ dedication. Charles Salmon QCworks tirelessly’, and Tom Price QC is ‘a very good example of a keen, able and accessible younger silk’. Peter Doyle QC, Rudi Fortson QC and Nigel Sangster QC are also well regarded. Of the juniors, Simon Pentol, Richard Furlong and Dermot Keating come recommended, and Nathaniel Rudolf has ‘encyclopaedic knowledge of criminal procedure’.

Despite Gareth Rees QC’s departure to the Accountancy and Actuarial Discipline Board and Christopher Kinch QC to become a circuit judge, 23 Essex Street maintains a strong position in the market. Charles Miskin QC has been involved in some of the largest tax fraud cases, and is recommended alongside ‘smooth performerDafydd Enoch QC and ‘charming advocateSimon Russell Flint QC. Recommended juniors include the ‘meticulous, organised and preciseJohn Causer and ‘very clever and astuteGary Summers.

2 Hare Court houses dedicated fraud specialists who also have experience in confiscation and asset recovery/forfeiture. Recommended silks include Andrew Radcliffe QC, James Pickup QC and Jonathan Rees QC. Among the juniors, Christopher Coltart is ‘a real team player and a pleasure for any solicitor to deal with’. Craig Ferguson and Robin Barclay are also noteworthy practitioners.

Matrix ChambersClare Montgomery QC maintains an excellent reputation at the criminal Bar for her ‘massive intellect, courageous advocacy and commitment’ and is ‘head and shoulders above others’. Other recommended silks include Lord Ken Macdonald QC (‘a pleasure to work with’), Tim Owen QC, and Alex Bailin QC, who is appreciated for his ‘distinguished background’ as a derivatives trader in the City. Andrew Bodnar is a ‘very gifted’ junior who ‘analyses complex questions and answers them at exceptional speed’.

Noteworthy silks at 18 Red Lion Court include Antony Shaw QC; Anthony Arlidge QC; and David Etherington QC, ‘a formidable opponent who inspires total confidence in lay and professional clients’. Recommended juniors include Allison Clare and the ‘conscientious and hardworkingTom Payne. Mark Lucraft has been called to the bench.

7 Bedford Row’s Tim Barnes QC and Richard Latham QC are recommended alongside David Farrer QC (‘a fine courtroom performer, with a fierce intellect’) and Collingwood Thompson QC, whose ‘air of gravitas instantly puts clients at ease’. David Matthew, Andrew Wheeler and Jason Mansell are highly regarded juniors.

Noteworthy silks at 9-12 Bell Yard include Mukul Chawla QC (‘a highly effective advocate with a confident presence’), Alexandra Healy QC (‘phenomenally bright, extremely hardworking and very dedicated to clients’) and the recently appointed Jonathan Kinnear QC. At junior level, Mark Bryant-Heron and Adrian Chaplin are key figures.

33 Chancery Lane’s Andrew Mitchell QC and David Evans QC are recommended. On the junior side, Kennedy Talbot, Keith Mitchell and Graham Brodie, who instils ‘great confidence in clients and always has the answer at his fingertips’, are singled out.

Andrew Baillie QC is 9 Gough Square’s most experienced criminal fraud silk, while at junior level, the ‘committed and dependableTom Little, Martin Pinfold, Rajeev Shetty and Tara Vindis are also highly regarded.

At Outer Temple Chambers, Michael Bowes QC is ‘one of the most experienced members of the Bar when it comes to prosecuting FSA matters’. Richard Lissack QC is ‘both insightful and client friendly’, and Nicholas Medcroft has ‘a calm and methodical approach’. Philip Mott QC and Robert Rhodes QC are also widely respected.

For some, the ‘exceptionally bright and hardworkingJonathan Caplan QC at 5 Paper Buildings is ‘the best criminal fraud silk in the UK’. Also recommended are Michael Brompton QC, whose ‘style and delivery in court are smooth, yet extremely powerful’; Tom Allen (‘one of the brightest juniors in town’); and Ben Douglas-Jones, who can ‘martial cases of the utmost complexity’.

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