The Legal 500

Bark & Co’s clients benefit from the support of one of the country’s leading fraud and business crime firms. It’s highly-skilled lawyers are committed to providing top class advice at every stage of proceedings. If it can prevent expensive litigation then it will; if not then it will fight tenaciously to protect its clients’ interests.

The firm: Established in 1996 by Giles Bark-Jones, Bark & Co has developed into one of the UK’s most progressive and successful fraud firms. A member of the Specialist Fraud Panel, it handles commercial and criminal fraud, business and tax regulation, tax investigations, white-collar crime and serious crime for individuals, national and international companies and other bodies. The firm has also established itself as a leader in the field of cash and asset recovery in both criminal and civil courts.

Bark & Co prides itself on the individual qualities of its people, the collective strength of its teams, and their skill in tailoring advice to meet each client’s individual needs. This flexible approach and rigorous commitment to quality has allowed the firm to win significant amounts of work through client referrals.

Types of work undertaken: Bark & Co handles a wide range of white-collar crime and fraud cases, including prosecutions and investigations brought by SOCA, HM Revenue & Customs, the SFO, the Special Compliance Office of the Inland Revenue, the CPS and other prosecuting bodies.

Corporate and commercial fraud: Bark & Co became a member of the Serious Fraud Panel at its inception and its senior staff are accredited as supervisors of the most serious and complex cases. Acknowledged as one of the leaders in the field, the firm has gained experience in many of the major prosecutions brought by the SFO and other agencies.

Expertise includes tax regulation, VAT and duties tribunal work, defence of duty evasion, money-laundering and carousel fraud, as well as mortgage fraud, investment fraud, corruption, pension fund fraud, telecoms fraud, theft, fraudulent trading by company directors and internet fraud. Dedicated teams also deal with confiscation and post- and pre-charge restraint proceedings.

Recent notable work includes; the most high-profile Serious Fraud Office prosecution concerning PollyPeck International; R v D of Torex Retail Plc involving charges of false accounting; R v F in which prosecution counsel described the proceedings as the ‘biggest case ever’, and which involved an allegation of carbon trading fraud. Finally, the firm’s FSA work incudes large-scale insider dealing cases and one of the first s397 FSMA prosecutions.

Criminal: The firm continues to act in large, high-profile criminal trials, including murder, money laundering, drugs importations, armed robbery and people smuggling cases. It focuses on high-end work, much of it international.

In R v Vian & ors; concerning police corruption in the historical axe-in-the-head murder case from 20 years ago, a not guilty verdict was decided in respect of the client following a complex and fiercely fought challenge to the Crown’s overall evidence during protracted many protected pre-trial legal arguments.

The firm also advises individuals and companies facing investigation or criminal proceedings as a result of health and safety breaches, taking cases from precharge interviews through to trial.

For more information, please see the firm’s website.

Breakdown of work %
General crime 15
White-collar crime/fraud 85

Number of UK partners 1
Number of other UK fee-earners 50