
Astraea
Arbitrators

Piers Rake
- Phone+44 (0)208 092 8411
- Email[email protected]
- Social
- Profilewww.astraea-group.com
Work Department
Investigations, Dispute Resolution and International Enforcement
Position
- Partner -
Piers is the head of Astraea’s intelligence & forensic investigations team, and leads multidisciplinary engagements on behalf of clients who are navigating complex special situations.
Piers is a Solicitor (20 years PQE), a CEDR Accredited commercial Mediator, a Certified Fraud Examiner, and Forensic Investigator.
With a background in commercial litigation, Piers has 20 years of experience helping clients to manage risk, resolve disputes and investigate and respond to allegations or instances of financial wrongdoing and non-financial misconduct.
In this time, Piers has lived and worked in the Middle East, and has conducted cross border engagements spanning Europe, the Middle East and North & Sub-Saharan Africa. He has particular experience investigating economic crime and advising regulated businesses on their legal and regulatory obligations, having been global head of financial crime Investigations at Barclays Bank Plc.
Piers has led investigations into organised crime networks, high-end money laundering and fraud, in relation to drugs and human trafficking, ‘shadow-banking’ schemes, trade-based money laundering, cash-funnelling, investment and accounting fraud, cross-border corruption, tax evasion and sanction circumvention.
Piers is a former investigator and adjudicator for one of the UK’s main political parties, where he undertook investigations relating to complaints against party members in a voluntary capacity.
Career
2023 – Present: Partner, Astraea
2020 – Present: Investigator & Adjudicator, Liberal Democrats Complaints Procedure
2019 – 2022: Managing Director, FTI Consulting
2018 – 2019: Global Head of Investigations: Financial Crime Compliance, Barclays
2016 – 2018: Vice President: Financial Crime Investigation, Barclays
2011 – 2016: Senior Manager: Forensic Investigation, PWC
2008 – 2011: Senior Manager: Forensic Services, KPMG
Languages
English
Memberships
Law Society of England and Wales, Member
Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Member
Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution, Member
Education
1996 – 1999 University of the Arts London (BA Hons)
2000 – 2002 The University of Law (PgDL) & Post Graduate Diploma in Legal practice, Law
2023 – University of Cambridge (Climate Change for decision-makers: Challenges, Transformations and Strategies)
2023 – The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Negotiation