Polly Sprenger > Addleshaw Goddard > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Addleshaw Goddard fields a dedicated private prosecutions practice under the leadership of Polly Sprenger and leverages its global network for support on cross-border matters. It acts for corporate and individual clients on the bringing and defending of private prosecutions, drawing on expertise from its from civil fraud, commercial disputes, and restructuring practitioners to provide advice on urgent injunctive relief, restraint orders, disclosure orders, and asset tracing and recovery. Former Head of Strategic Intelligence at the SFO, Sprenger has 20 years’ experience in the field with a focus on advising the victims of financial crime, and she is supported by Mark Chesher, who is well versed in commercial and cross-border fraud litigation and counts FTSE100 companies, banks and ultra-high-net-worth individuals among his clientele. Katharine Toney joined as a forensic accounting associate director from an in-house role at Kroll in the firm’s Manchester office in October 2022.

With a global client-base and growing team, Addleshaw Goddard is highly recommended for its white-collar crime work, particularly regarding bribery and fraud risks. The practice displays ‘strength in depth’ when dealing with financial crime compliance, advisory and criminal defence proceedings, and consistently supports corporations from across the pharmaceutical, finance, and infrastructure sectors. The team has experience negotiating out-of-court resolutions with the SFO and US DOJ, with team head, Nichola Peters, bringing extensive knowledge on deferred prosecution agreements and negotiated settlements to the group. The ‘outstanding’ Michelle De Kluyver is an expert on sanctions issues and economic crime cases, whilst Polly Sprenger handles civil fraud and asset recovery. Legal director Neeta Chityal and Matthew Worby are also recommended.