Neill Blundell > Macfarlanes LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Macfarlanes LLP represents senior executives and international high-net-worth individuals in criminal investigations and prosecutions brought by the SFO and global enforcement bodies, as well as handling extradition proceedings, interviews under caution and witness interviews, and tax investigations. The firm is able to handle cross-border proceedings, and has acted for clients in a wide range of industries, including financial services, sports, and others, and is particularly noted for its ability to represent high-profile clients facing sensitive allegations of financial crime. Vastly experienced white-collar criminal defence practitioner Neill Blundell heads up the ‘cohesive and well-informed‘ team, which also includes Lorna Emson, who continues to bolster her reputation in the financial crime space, acting for executives, HNW individuals, and politicians, and senior solicitor Helen Harvey, who has notable expertise in criminal HMRC investigations. Associate Max Hobbs, who regularly represents clients facing interviews under caution, is praised as an ‘up and coming force‘.

‘Tough defenders but sensible and approachable’, the team at Macfarlanes LLP advises an international corporate client base on bribery, corruption, and other financial crime issues, encompassing regulatory and criminal investigations brought by international enforcement agencies, as well as internal compliance audits. The firm has a particularly strong record in AML advice, and has also seen an uptick in sanctions work, both with regard to enforcement and compliance. The vastly experienced ‘genuine star‘ Neill Blundell heads up the team, and combines deep regulatory and criminal defence expertise, acting across the full range of financial crime matters for a diverse client base. Barry Donnelly  handles multijurisdictional investigations by the likes of the SFO and US DOJ, while senior solicitor Helen Harvey plays an increasingly key role in criminal tax investigations and sanctions work.

The members of Macfarlanes LLP‘s team are considered to be ‘good collaborators and open-minded.‘ The group handles a wide range of civil fraud matters and is led by James Popperwell, who is active in matters relating to Russia, Ukraine and the CIS region. Senior counsel Chloë Edworthy is well versed in litigation and arbitration proceedings, and Neill Blundell is experienced in matters at the intersection of fraud and white-collar crime. The practice is also recommended for its knowledge of offshore structures and the litigation funding elements of fraud cases.