The Legal 500 > United Kingdom - Solicitors > London > Fraud: white-collar crime

BCL Solicitors LLP advises on fraud, white-collar crime and corporate crime. Clients include individuals such as directors, senior employees and high-net-worth individuals as well as corporations. Head of team Ian Burton focuses on advising individuals, businesses and government bodies on a range of issues nationally and internationally. Harry Travers deals with business crime and regulation. Richard Sallybanks deals with investigations involving allegations of fraud, corruption, sanctions offences, price-fixing, and false accounting. John Binns specialises in financial crime and Julian Hayes handles fraud, insider dealing and market abuse, bribery and corruption, and sanctions. Shula de Jersey is recommended for her experience in dealing with allegations of serious fraud, money laundering, bribery and corruption. Richard Reichman was promoted to partner.

Bivonas Law LLP works on both trial and enforcement matters, regularly acting on investigations by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the NHS Fraud Investigations Unit and major business crime units of the Metropolitan and City of London Police. Particular areas of expertise include advising on allegations of bribery and corruption, unexplained wealth orders (UWOs), civil fraud, proceeds of crime, financial services and regulatory litigation. The firm is particularly experienced in handling cases with a Russian/ CIS element having been in an alliance with Russian white collar and commercial litigation firm Pen & Peter in 2016. Bivonas' head of team, Antony Brown, is experienced representing CEOs of major corporates and banks, and individuals alleged to have links with organised crime.  Cindy Dorrington was promoted to managing partner. George Kampanella joined as partner from EBR Attridge LLP while Roland Ellis was promoted to partner.

Boutique Byrne and Partners LLP advises individuals caught up in multijurisdictional investigations by the SFO, HMRC, the FCA and, from the US, the SEC and DoJ. Its small size enables it to avoid conflicts, while its areas of expertise include advising on fraud, money laundering, tax investigations and prosecutions and bribery and corruption matters. The firm also undertakes some publicly funded work. Co-head of team Michael Potts often advises senior management, traders and brokers in serious market manipulation and insider dealing investigations conducted by FCA Enforcement. Sara Teasdale, who also heads the team, is experienced in criminal and regulatory investigations; internal investigations and prosecutions brought by various agencies. Matthew Frankland has extensive experience defending allegations of fraud.

Corker Binning advises on the full gamut of white-collar crime and related matters including tax fraud, cartels, extradition, illegitimate financial gain, fraud, bribery, corruption, money laundering, sanctions and export controls. Clients include individuals from local government, FTSE 100 businesses and major banks. The firm frequently deals with all major UK agencies and foreign bodies including the SFO, FCA, HMRC, National Crime Agency (NCA), the Metropolitan Police, US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Department of Justice (DOJ). Andrew Smith heads the team and focuses on criminal inquiries and investigations. Peter Binning is adept at handling international white-collar matters and David Corker is recommended for his experience in large fraud cases and SFO investigations. Jessica Parker has particular experience in tax fraud and investigations. Claire Cross has in-depth knowledge of FCA investigations.

Dechert LLP advises on civil and criminal enforcement matters, investigations, compliance and defence from its global network of offices. Areas of expertise include multinational investigations, allegations of fraud, bribery, corruption, export controls, sanctions and money laundering. The firm has particular expertise dealing with US regulatory and criminal enforcement issues, such as those before the DOJ, the SEC and Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Neil Gerrard heads the team and is particularly adept at handling high-profile investigations. Miriam Gonzalez left the firm for Cohen & Gresser in the US.

Specialist litigation boutique Hickman & Rose focuses on advising business leaders, such as directors or senior executives, when their companies are under investigation. Areas of expertise include financial regulatory, professional regulatory, bribery and fraud. Co-head of team Ben Rose specialises in financial crime. His clients include CEOs, senior managers and law firms. Ross Dixon, who also co-heads the team, is experienced in acting for individuals caught up in SFO investigations.

Kingsley Napley LLP is adept at handling cross border, multi-jurisdictional cases, including allegations of bribery and corruption, tax fraud, false accounting, commodities and currency fraud, bank fraud, insider dealing, money laundering, cartels, index and benchmark manipulation, financial services litigation and financial sanctions breaches. It deals with investigations and prosecutions by the SFO, FCA, HMRC, CMA, DOJ, FBI and SEC. Co-head of team Louise Hodges specialises in financial crime. Jonathan Grimes, who also heads the team, focuses on financial services crime. Stephen Parkinson is a white-collar specialist who acts for individuals and corporates. Caroline Day and Rebecca Niblock are also recommended. Nicola Finnerty joined as partner from the independent monitoring board at HMP Pentonville, having previously worked at Corker Binning. Alun Milford joined as partner from the SFO, where he was general counsel. Eve Giles left the firm for Allen & Overy LLP. Johanna Walsh left the firm for Mishcon de Reya LLP.

Norton Rose Fulbright handles matters such as  investigations, enforcement, allegations of bribery and corruption, international complex fraud, money laundering, market abuse, insider trading, extradition and corporate manslaughter. The firm deals with domestic and multijurisdictional cases brought by agencies including the SFO, FCA, NCA, HMRC and the CPS. It represents clients from interview to trial and beyond. Co-head of team Neil O’May focuses on corporate, business and white-collar crime. Patrick Bourke also heads the team. Jeff Cottle joined as partner from Steptoe and Johnson UK LLP.

Peters & Peters Solicitors LLP advises on fraud, bribery & corruption, money laundering, tax fraud, sanctions and cartel defence matters. Other areas of expertise include private prosecutions, multi-jurisdictional cases, extradition, INTERPOL matters and Mutual Legal Assistance. The department works closely with the corporate crime and civil fraud teams and handles asset recovery alongside criminal matters. Michael O’Kane heads the team and focuses on corruption, cartels, sanctions and extradition. Jasvinder Nakhwal represents individuals in major investigations conducted by a number of investigative agencies, including the SFO, FCA, CMA and overseas prosecutors. Hannah Laming is experienced in advising on corruption, complex fraud, money laundering, and contentious regulatory. Maria Cronin was promoted to partner and Peter FitzGerald was promoted to of counsel. Monty Raphael QC retired.

Blackfords LLP advises on bribery, corruption, investment fraud, money laundering, insider dealing, HMRC investigations and tax-related matters. It often acts in multi-jurisdictional cases, dealing with investigations and actions brought by the SFO, HMRC, NCA, FCA, the Insolvency Service, Trading Standards, CPS and the police, and other regulators. Co-head of team Daniel Cundy focuses on white-collar crime, fraud, corruption, tax and money laundering cases. Co-head of team Trevor Francis specialises in serious fraud, money laundering and confiscations. Gary Bloxsome also co-heads the team.

Edmonds Marshall McMahon is a specialist private prosecution law firm. It acts for companies, investigators and individuals to provide prosecution services including assembling evidence to secure convictions and the protection of assets and commercial rights. Areas of expertise include multi-jurisdictional private wealth disputes, forgery of trusts and probate, trust busting and enforcement. The firm also acts for clients who have been the victim of fraud in commercial joint ventures or employee fraud including theft of sensitive, confidential data. Stuart Lill joined as senior investigative lawyer from the SFO and Charles Fleury joined as an investigator from the SFO.

Fox Williams LLP is adept at handling regulatory, fraud, bribery, market manipulation, money laundering and sanctions compliance matters. The firm regularly handles cases for senior executives involved in investigations by the FCA, FRC and SFO. The ‘very experienced and unflappable’ James Carlton co-heads the team, and is experienced in financial crime, regulation and disciplinary investigations and proceedings. Peter Wright, who also co-heads the team, is particularly experienced in conducting change in control, market abuse and insider dealing investigations. Sebastian Sayer  joined as senior associate from the FCA.

Howard Kennedy LLP advises on matters including regulatory compliance, anti-money laundering, Bribery Act audits, the preparation of bribery policies and corporate governance, internal investigations, proceeds of crime, whistleblowing and self-reporting. Other areas of expertise include criminal cartel activity and market abuse. The firm represents clients caught up in investigations conducted by the SFO, FCA, CMA, HMRC, CPS, NCA, DOJ and FBI. Head of team Ian Ryan is experienced in financial crime, regulatory work and general crime. Ben Ticehurst joined as senior associate from Rahman Ravelli. Senior associate Kyle Phillips left the firm for Fieldfisher.

Janes Solicitors handles criminal litigation, fraud, regulatory, worldwide freezing orders, confiscation and money laundering proceedings. Clients include multinational companies, entrepreneurs and high-net-worth individuals. David Janes heads the team and specialises in taxation cases, and fraud including banking, trading and derivatives, bribery, corruption, proceeds of crime and defence of SFO and HMRC prosecutions. Fiona Gavriel joined as partner from Bark&co and David Frearson joined as consultant solicitor from Alston Asquith.

Mishcon de Reya LLP represents clients in cross-border investigations, prosecutions, bribery, money laundering and fraud cases. It acts for clients being investigated by various agencies including the FCA, SRA, FRC, HMRC, CMA and SFO. Other areas of expertise include market abuse, insider dealing, tax and extradition cases. Highly regarded head of team, Jo Rickards , has expertise in cases involving corruption, cartels, fraud and contentious financial services. Clients include individuals, directors, boards and companies in the UK and internationally. Johanna Walsh joined as partner from Kingsley Napley LLP. Alison Levitt QC left the firm for 2 Hare Court.

Rahman Ravelli advises on multijurisdictional white-collar crime, corporate crime, money laundering and tax evasion. Other areas of expertise include compliance, Bribery Act advice, internal investigations and self-reporting. Clients include corporates, professionals and high-net-worth individuals. The firm often defends against major agencies such as the SFO, FCA, City of London Police and HMRC. The ‘massively experienced and highly skilled’ Aziz Rahman heads the team and focuses on large-scale bribery and corruption issues. Niall Hearty joined the firm as senior associate from Kaim Todner Solicitors.

Stephenson Harwood advises clients including individuals and corporates on regulatory and criminal investigations. Areas of expertise include civil litigation, fraud, commercial litigation, regulatory compliance and employment litigation. It also advises clients in relation to allegations of bribery, corruption, and breaches of competition law. The firm acts in cases involving various agencies including the FCA, SFO, CMA, DOJ, SEC and CFTC. Clients include directors and senior executives. Head of team Tony Woodcock focuses on criminal and contentious financial services investigations and business regulation. Jake Pidcock joined as partner from the FCA. Sara George left the firm for Sidley Austin LLP.

White & Case LLP acts for individuals at all stages of investigation in cross-border and domestic investigations. Areas of expertise include bribery and corruption, regulatory, compliance, fraud, money laundering, sanctions, export controls, tax and accounting issues. The firm also advises on sanctions busting, insider dealing and financial services offences. Head of team Jonathan Pickworth represents individuals and corporates in relation to criminal and regulatory issues with HMRC, the SFO and the FCA. Jonah Anderson was promoted to partner.

Allen & Overy LLP made a significant push into the white collar market with its hire of the well-regarded Eve Giles from Kingsley Napley LLP to head up its investigations team and bolster its ability to represent individuals in high profile criminal investigations. The team has experience acting for corporates and individuals and its areas of focus include advising on FX investigations, allegations of money laundering, insider dealing and market abuse, as well as anti-bribery and corruption investigations, data protection and cybercrime matters. The firm is involved in a number of standout corporate crime matters involving investigations by organisations such as the Serious Fraud Office and the Financial Conduct Authority. In London, Giles' practice complements those of regulatory and corporate crime partners Arnondo Chakrabarti and Jonathan Hitchin. Outside the UK, Allen & Overy has criminal practitioners in offices including the US, Netherlands, France, Hong Kong and Germany.

Bark&co advises on high-profile criminal fraud investigations and frequently handles large cases, with thousands of pages of electronic evidence. Areas of expertise include corruption, bribery, money-laundering, insider dealing, boiler room frauds, VAT and MTIC frauds, fraudulent trading and mortgage fraud. The firm deals with investigations and prosecutions by the SFO, CPS, HMRC, FCA, the Environment Agency, and the National Health Service. The firm also provides crisis and media management expertise. Giles Bark-Jones heads the team and deals with general crime and criminal fraud.

Bindmans LLP advises individuals involved in investigations and prosecutions by organisations including the SFO, FCA, Office of Fair Trading, HMRC and Police Specialist Fraud case teams. Clients include lawyers, accountants and journalists. The firm acts in privately and publicly funded cases as well as cases funded by third parties, such as employers and insurance companies. Areas of expertise include fraud and international bribery and corruption. Head of team Katie Wheatley is described by clients as 'an absolute star' and has experience defending in private prosecutions, while associate Jessica Skinns is recommended for her experience in financial crime. The former co-head of the team, Martin Rackstraw, left for Russell-Cooke.

Hodge Jones & Allen Solicitors advises clients on matters such as corruption, bribery, financial sanctions and has particular experience of cases that arose from the financial crisis. The firm has teams that specialise in confiscation and the Proceeds of Crime Act and acts in publicly and privately funded cases. It regularly defends clients in investigations by the SFO, HMRC and FCA. Clients include high-net-worth individuals and senior executives. Leo Martin was recently promoted to partner and Mike Schwarz recently joined the team from Bindmans LLP .

Lewis Nedas Law Limited acts in cases of fraud, business crime and regulatory matters. Areas of expertise include cyber-crime, proceeds of crime allegations, money laundering, VAT enquiries, umbrella frauds, false accounting, tax evasion and firm tax avoidance schemes. Clients include company directors, finance professionals, accountants and solicitors. The firm regularly defends against investigations by the SFO, HMRC, NCA and  the FCA. The ‘highly intelligent and results-driven’ Jeffrey Lewis heads the team.

Macfarlanes LLP has significantly strengthened its regulatory and white collar practice with the hire of Neill Blundell from Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP  in 2018 to help set up its corporate crime and investigations team. The firm advises individuals who face international criminal investigations by multiple regulators, including the FCA, SFO and DOJ, and also deals with prosecutions and extradition proceedings. Areas of expertise include Fraud Act offences, bribery, corruption, money laundering, tax offences, insider dealing, market abuse, unexplained wealth orders and cartel offences. Clients include senior executives, members of family offices, entrepreneurs and ultra-high-net-worth individuals.

Morrison & Foerster LLP advises on financial crime, corruption, bribery and money laundering investigations and high-profile white-collar investigations. Other areas of expertise include compliance, tax investigations, commercial disputes, international fraud and asset tracing. It often deals with investigations from the FCA and SFO, and also handles cross-border contentious insolvency matters. Clients include senior executives, financial institutions, funds, trustees, and multinational public companies. Head of team Jonathan Wheeler is experienced in court proceedings, arbitrations, and mediations. Saqib Alam joined as of counsel from Debevoise & Plimpton LLP.

Ropes & Gray LLP advises on white-collar crime, fraud, corruption, and regulatory and criminal investigations nationally and internationally. Client sectors include financial services, private equity, healthcare, life sciences, and energy and natural resources. In 2018, the highly regarded Judith Seddon joined from Clifford Chance and now co-heads the team; she is experienced in representing individuals in investigations. Amanda Raad, who also co-heads the team, is experienced in handling cross-border cases, and cases of financial fraud and money laundering. Rosemarie Paul  joined as a partner from Akin Gump.

Russell-Cooke LLP handles confiscations, forfeiture, restraint and freezing orders, and defence and prosecution of private prosecutions. Areas of expertise include multijurisdictional cases, employment, regulatory, international and tax advice. The firm is particularly adept at handling cases that involve intrusive media attention. Head of team Jae Carwardine is experienced in advising all levels of professionals and has defended cases against the SFO, FCA, HMRC and CPS. Hannah Bains joined as senior associate from Bark&co and Martin Rackstraw joined as a partner from Bindmans LLP.

Stewarts Law LLP handles white-collar-related matters including civil fraud, asset recovery, tax litigation and reputation management. Areas of expertise include bribery, corruption, fraud, asset recovery, tax evasion, money laundering and market abuse. Richard Kovalevsky QC joined the firm in July 2018 and heads the team; he focuses on financial crime. David Savage joined as partner from SG Kleinwort Hambros.

Boutique Stokoe Partnership Solicitors provides privately funded and legally aided advice on various financial and white-collar crime matters. Areas of expertise include commercial fraud, bribery, corruption, cybercrime and hacking. The firm also handles HMRC and VAT issues, confiscation and civil recovery matters and is seeing an increase in instructions in relation to money laundering, confiscation and extradition. Clients include high-net-worth individuals, professionals including solicitors, financial brokers and company directors, and corporate entities. Bambos Tsiattalou heads the team and is adept at handling financial matters including insider dealing, regulatory and FCA investigations.

Taylor Wessing LLP is adept at defending individuals and representing them at interviews conducted by various regulators including the FCA, FRC, SFO and SEC. Financial regulatory investigations are a particular area of focus and the firm also advises on data protection, cybercrime, corruption, asset tracing and parallel criminal, civil and regulatory proceedings. The team is headed by corporate investigation and commercial litigation specialist David De Ferrars and corporate wrongdoing and regulatory investigation specialist Tim Strong.

Arnold & Porter advises clients on regulatory investigations, corporate crime and compliance. Areas of expertise include negotiations with foreign regulatory agencies, advising boards, anti-fraud policies and criminal defence. Co-head of team Kathleen Harris is experienced in representing board-level executives seeking criminal law and regulatory advice. Sean Curran, who also co-heads the team, is adept at handling investigations by the SFO, FCA, HMRC and FRC.

Fieldfisher's white-collar practice includes dedicated criminal law experts - both solicitors and barristers - who are able to advise a client from the beginning of an investigation through to trial and, where necessary, appeal. The team regularly acts for individuals caught up in high profile criminal cases, advising in relation to allegations such as fraud, corruption, money laundering and sanction breaches. It handles matters involving various regulatory/investigatory authorities including the SFO, the FCA, HMRC and the National Crime Agency in the UK and the US DoJ.  It also provides advice around Bribery Act compliance and issue management. The team is headed by Tony Lewis   and Francesca Titus, with the firm adding Kyle Phillips as a senior associate from Howard Kennedy.

Since launching its UK white collar defence and special investigations practice in 2018 with the hire of Barry Vitou from  Pinsent Masons LLP , US firm  Greenberg Traurig, LLP has been on an upward trajectory. In addition to its work for corporates, the team also advises individuals facing domestic and international investigations by various regulatory authorities including the FCA, HMRC, CPS and SFO. Areas of expertise include worldwide criminal money laundering investigations, bribery, recovery orders, enforcement, compliance, pre-investigations, investigations and prosecution. Anne-Marie Ottaway joined as partner from Pinsent Masons LLP in October 2018.

Hogan Lovells International LLP acts for individuals, companies and financial institutions in relation to matters including investigations, compliance, bribery, corruption, money laundering, fraud, tax evasion and false accounting. With clients praising it for offering 'real insight', the team is adept at handling investigations by the SFO, FCA, NCA and the police. The firm often deals with multi-jurisdictional cases and has particular experience in Russia. Crispin Rapinet heads the team and is adept at handling matters involving the UK Bribery Act and international legislation.

Kangs Solicitors is adept at handling financing crime issues, multijurisdictional crime matters, regulatory investigations, tax fraud, bribery, corruption, cartels, insider dealing, investment fraud and money laundering. Clients include solicitors, accountants, financial advisers, City traders, doctors, dentists and surveyors. Hamraj Kang heads the team and often deals with investigations by the SFO, FCA, BIS and HMRC.

RadcliffesLeBrasseur LLP advises corporates and individuals on fraud, white-collar crime, compliance and regulatory matters. Areas of expertise include injunctions, PoCA matters, confiscation, money laundering, prevention of crime and internal investigations. The firm often deals with investigations by the SFO, CPS, FCA and HMRC.