The Legal 500

Bankside Law is a well-established and highly regarded practice specialising in professional disciplinary and regulatory work, fraud (crime), fraud (commercial and regulatory investigations), and serious and private crime.

The firm: Bankside Law is committed to providing its clients with the highest quality representation across a range of litigation services, and has handled a number of long-running and extremely high-profile cases this year.

Types of work undertaken: Professional discipline and regulatory: the firm successfully combines acting for regulators in prosecuting disciplinary proceedings (ie architects and solicitors) with acting in defence of other professionals (predominantly health professionals, ie doctors, chiropractors and dentists). Its range of experience assists in providing specialist, all-round advice to its clients. Bankside Law was appointed to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) disciplinary proceedings panel in 2009 following a successful tender process, and continues to act for the ARB (Architects Registration Board) in misconduct and competence matters relating to architects. On the defence side, the firm is receiving increasing numbers of instructions from the MDU (Medical Defence Union) in defence of doctors in coroner’s hearings, GMC proceedings and internal disciplinary proceedings, as well as criminal investigations. It also continues to act for the UCA (United Chiropractic Association) in relation to regulatory matters and for individual chiropractors in disciplinary proceedings before the GCC. A continued focus on these established clients over the last 12 months has helped to reinforce the firm’s growing reputation and profile within the professional disciplinary and regulatory sector.

Fraud (crime): the firm has a significant presence in London and the UK within the area of serious fraud and is increasingly moving into new areas such as civil fraud and VAT tribunal work. The firm regularly represents clients in a wide variety of high-value and complex fraud cases, including Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Financial Services Authority (FSA), Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and Fraud Prosecution Service investigations, as well as money laundering cases, restraint orders, confiscation proceedings and cross-border fraud. Significant recent cases include several international corruption cases brought by the SFO involving sums of up to £50m; a high-profile case prosecuted by the Fraud Prosecution Service involving sums in excess of £112m, which involved Far Eastern companies banking through UK clearing banks in London; and a £19m ‘missing trader’ fraud. The firm also represented two clients in the recent SFO corruption probe involving BAE, one of the largest and most prominent investigations of its type in recent years. Other work includes a number of NHS fraud prosecutions against dentists; allegations of fraud against the former chief executive of a charity; and the first insider dealing case brought by BERR for four years. Currently, its lawyers are involved in a case of insider dealing investigated by the FSA involving workers at two major international banks; a case of infringement of intellectual copyright; and allegations of fraud (approx $88m) involving the manufacturer of bomb detector devices exported to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Fraud (commercial and regulatory investigations): this is an expanding and increasingly important area of the business. Most of the firm’s instructions involve substantial sums in excess of £4m, with two cases exceeding £20m in withheld funds. John Williams has also been involved in an investigation carried out by the Bank of England and in advising other professionals (accountants and solicitors) on their legal and ethical obligations in relation to their clients who are subject to investigation. Jonathan Goldring has acted for clients in civil cash forfeiture proceedings, defending both in the Magistrates’ Court and on appeal to the Crown Court. He recently successfully argued that the UKBA were required to prove a type of criminal activity in order to satisfy the test under the Proceeds of Crime Act. His argument found favour with the courts both at first instance and on appeal and was later approved in the case of Angus v UKBA [2011] EWHC 461 (Admin)

Serious and private crime: the firm’s experience covers a whole range of criminal cases, from motoring cases through to allegations of serious drug and sexual offences, crimes of violence (including murder), computer crime and terrorism. The firm also represents clients in defence of corporate manslaughter and HSE cases. Bankside Law is an active member of the LSC’s VHCC panel. Much of the work the firm does in this area is confidential and highly sensitive, but significant work over the past year includes a case of attempted murder; computer crime; numerous cases of drugs and sexual offences; an allegation of tax evasion involving the client of a nationwide firm of accountants; and a case of infringement of intellectual copyright within the music industry.

Breakdown of work %
Fraud/corporate crime 40
Regulatory 60

Number of UK partners 3