Sean Jeffrey > Stephenson Harwood > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Utilising an extensive international presence to handle administrative and public law matters, often with a cross-border element, Stephenson Harwood regularly acts for and against public bodies and has a notable strength regarding financial services regulatory issues. Practice head Sean Jeffrey has substantial expertise representing clients against in relation to UK Government-imposed sanctions, while of counsel Stephen Ashley is a specialist in sanctions related to Iran.

The practitioners at Stephenson Harwood ‘make an extremely effective team‘, and are able to balance acting for both corporates and individuals in the most complex and high-profile cases, whether solely domestic or international. Practice head Sean Jeffrey brings a ‘razor-sharp, insightful and trustworthy‘ approach to significant FCA enforcement matters, including those regarding client money and retail products. Justin McClelland‘s broad practice covers the spectrum of contentious work, from criminal and regulatory investigations to the civil disputes which flow from them. The team has recently expanded its partner bench through the internal promotion of Alan Ward in May 2022, and the lateral hire of David Capps from Ashurst in March 2023.

With a ‘supremely talented team’, Stephenson Harwood specialises in the whole spectrum of financial crime activity, routinely handling money laundering, corruption, and fraud cases across many jurisdictions. The practice has expertise in dealing with a range of issues emerging from a criminal investigation, particularly managing the confiscation of assets, maintaining relationships with domestic and international regulators, and advising on civil and regulatory processes. Practice head Sean Jeffrey specialises in financial sanction matters and criminal litigation, while the ‘excellent’ Justin McClelland covers all aspects of criminal and regulatory investigations. David Capps focuses on finance-related disputes. Since being promoted to partner in May 2022, the ‘truly exceptional’ Alan Ward has continued to concentrate on corporate and financial crime issues.

With a considerable ‘spread of corporate crime experience’, Stephenson Harwood’s practice has specialists in civil fraud and corporate law, as well as expertise representing corporates facing multi-jurisdictional criminal investigations. The team has extensive knowledge of dealing with complex financial disputes, ranging from market manipulation to anti-money laundering matters. Practice head Sean Jeffrey routinely acts on behalf of corporates in white-collar crime proceedings and sanctions issues, Justin McClelland is an expert on civil disputes and cartel activity, while Philip Clarke handles actions brought by the FCA against banks and insurers. The ‘intelligent, strategic’ Alan Ward regularly advises corporates on regulatory and criminal-law compliance.   Ellen Gallagher is also noted.