The Legal 500

1 PLOUGH PLACE, LONDON, EC4A 1DE, ENGLAND
Tel:
Work 020 7842 1616
Fax:
Fax 020 7842 1617
Web:
www.byrneandpartners.com
Email:

Based in Central London but with a nationwide practice, Byrne and Partners LLP represents individual, corporate and institutional clients in a broad range of commercial and criminal investigations and litigation. It also provides a service to clients in all aspects of HM Revenue and Customs work.

The firm: Byrne and Partners was founded in February 2003 when its partners and staff broke away from the nationally recognised investigations department of a major international law firm. Having set up their own specialist practice, the firm is able to use the extensive City-based experience of its people to provide all of its clients with a cutting-edge and efficient service.

Byrne and Partners has a high ratio of senior people. The firm’s ethos is to provide individual partner attention throughout the legal process. This is supplemented by the contribution from its experienced assistants. The firm brings together a dedicated team of highly-qualified advisers with extensive experience and expertise in all areas of investigation.

Its partners are drawn from commercial backgrounds, which the firm believes gives it a significant business edge and experience. Four of its partners have gained direct work experience within the FSA, IMRO and ARA.

Types of work undertaken: The practice deals with a very broad range of commercial, criminal, customs, revenue and regulatory work. The following is an outline of its main areas of expertise.

Civil fraud: fraud proceedings in the High Court, obtaining and defending freezing orders and search and seizure orders, international asset tracings, contractual disputes, warranty claims, and professional negligence.

Commercial litigation: commodity litigation, contractual disputes, warranty claims, professional negligence, securities litigation and insurance disputes.

Criminal: investigations and prosecutions by all the major UK prosecuting authorities, applications under the Human Rights Act 2000, criminal prosecutions arising under the Enterprise Act and advising in connection with overseas investigations, in particular by the US Department of Justice.

Regulatory: money-laundering, compliance, director disqualification proceedings, market abuse investigations, stock exchange enquiries and Financial Services Authority proceedings.

Inland Revenue: full advice on all stages of Inland Revenue enquiries, negotiating and drafting settlements and other agreements.

Since the firm’s formation it has been involved in a large number of high-profile and complex civil fraud and commercial litigation cases. Much of its work is of an international nature involving multi-jurisdictional disputes (sometimes with no UK link at all). Its particular experience in fraud claimant work has also expanded significantly and the firm has developed the international aspect of its claimant practice to achieve significant international recovery instructions. Consequently, it enjoys good contacts with foreign law firms, forensic accountants, tax advisers and other specialists to assist in domestic and overseas litigation. The firm’s criminal and civil departments work closely together whenever there is an overlap in their work. Furthermore, the criminal team works closely with other major international law firms to provide expertise on specialist criminal aspects of regulatory work.

Number of UK partners 8
Number of other UK fee-earners 13

Above material supplied by Byrne and Partners LLP.

Legal Developments in the UK

Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to
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    In Nzinga Maswaku v Westminster City Council [2012] EWCA Civ 669 the Court of Appeal clarified that in offering a homeless person with alternative temporary accommodation the local authority is obliged to point that if the offer is refused it has discharged its Part VII duties under the Housing Act 1996.
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  • Public Sector Equality Duty

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  • Immigration update May 2012

    In this issue: