David Hall > Burges Salmon LLP > Bristol, England > Lawyer Profile

Burges Salmon LLP fields a team with broad expertise in the fraud space, having been bolstered by the arrival of Guy Bastable from BCL Solicitors in May 2021. Bastable works across the firm’s London, Bristol and Edinburgh offices and serves as head of corporate crime; he jointly leads the fraud practice alongside head of disputes David Hall. Together, Hall and Bastable provide proactive advice to clients on complying with anti-financial crime regulations, including the Bribery Act 2010, Criminal Finances Act 2017 and the Money Laundering Regulations 2017. On the contentious side, the practice handles interactions with regulators including the FCA, SFO and NCA as well as internal investigations, and also acts on shareholder disputes involving allegations of fraud. The practice continues to stand out in the market for its experience handling cross-border matters.

Burges Salmon LLP fields ‘a great team made up of hardworking individuals and strength and depth at all levels’ with ‘a City ethos and skill levels’ which allow for ‘a mature and commercial approach to disputes’. The practice handles the full spectrum of commercial litigation at a national and international level, acting for a client roster of high-profile companies including Virgin, the BBC and the Ministry of Justice. David Hall and Ann Metherall jointly lead the practice, which also fields ‘one of the smartest solicitors around’ Andrew Burnette, food specialist Sian Edmunds, Chris Jackson, who advises on transport and procurement litigation, and Michael Ward, who regularly handles shareholder disputes. Other key names include solicitor advocate Ian Tucker, financial services expert Matthew Walker and Richard Binns, who focuses on procurement disputes. At associate level, Brian Wong is ‘just the sort of litigator you want by your side’ and Caroline Brown is ‘totally on the ball’.

Burges Salmon LLP ‘s banking litigation team is led by David Hall  and stands out for its work representing clients in disputes facing financial institutions, including matters concerning facilities, derivatives and hedging, securitisations, acquisition finance, among others. The team provides advice to a client list of both domestic and international retail and investment banks and lending institutions.

Burges Salmon LLP advises corporates on regulatory investigations and compliance issues relating to operations in the UK and abroad, with experience in acting against the NCA, SFO, and police, both throughout investigations and in litigation. The firm’s multi-jurisdictional expertise is reflected in its work for clients in Saudi Arabia, France, the BVI, and Israel, among others, with other notable capabilities including financial services work, both private and public. David Hall leads the primarily Bristol-based team, which is also active in London, specialising in complex money laundering and corruption cases, alongside Guy Bastable, who heads up the corporate crime department and offers broad expertise across AML, corruption, insider trading, and business regulatory issues.

Burges Salmon LLP‘s ‘excellent‘ Bristol-based disputes group comprises experts in transport, financial services, insurance, energy and natural resources, agricultural and rural affairs, and business crime and regulatory matters. The group is jointly led by David Hall and Ann Metherall, while Andrew Burnette acts in contractual, banking, company and shareholder disputes. Also highly regarded are ‘trusted‘ food litigation expert Sian Edmunds; Chris Jackson, a transport and procurement specialist; Michael Ward, who is ‘tireless and creative‘; and rail regulatory expert Ian Tucker.