BCL Solicitors LLP > London, England > Firm Profile

‘Clearly at the top of their game, combining precise and high-quality advice and representation in a tenacious manner while remaining highly personable and flexible.’

‘David Hardstaff was a brilliant point of contact and supportive advocate throughout a challenging and disruptive period.’

‘As a firm their preparation is outstanding and they have a remarkable strength in depth both in terms of their solicitors and back room staff. Their client care is first class.’

‘Mark Haslam is in large measure responsible for the top drawer reputation of BCL’s criminal department. His sense of humour, experience and hard work amount to a masterful combination.’

‘Simply the best criminal solicitors in the country. Their collective experience in representing defendants at the police station and in preparing cases pays dividends for instructed counsel who are provided with detailed instructions littered with bombs of useful material to deploy during a trial.’

‘Ellen Peart is top of the list of solicitors to recommend for high profile and high net worth defendants. She is discreet and sensitive, but always provides pragmatic and correct advice. Clients trust her to find solutions, and they are never disappointed.’

‘The practice is rightly recognised as one of the top firms in the country for private clients. The service is second to none and the client is fully briefed throughout on tactics and preparation.’

‘Excellent team, highly responsive and leaders in their field. I have referred a number of clients to them, and glowing references are what comes back.’

‘The English firm to go to in white collar crime matters.’

‘Shaul Brazil: Extremely hard working and responsive. Always on top of a matter. Anoushka Warlow: A rising star. While obsessed with the details, she never looses sight of the bigger picture.’

‘BCL is a market leader in this field. Ian Burton is the number one choice for the rich and famous. His partner team is large and multi-talented. This attractive and hugely successful outfit would rank in everyone’s Top Five white collar firms in London.’

‘Ian Burton – the most experienced high net worth defender in the UK, his reputation for influence and strategic nous is unparalleled. If you are rich and famous you should have his number on speed dial.’

‘Richard Sallybanks – a calm analyst, an incisive mind, a great academic lawyer, and a hugely likeable presence put him in the Champions League placings.’

‘David Hardstaff – the senior associate to watch – a classic ‘rising star’ – I have spent much of the last two years working with David and can vouch for his quite exceptional good judgement – his ability to engage with, respond to, and give a perfect opinion about.‘

‘Harry Travers – extraordinarily dogged in his painstaking approach to protecting and promoting the interests of his clients. He is like a dog with a bone and simply will not allow clients’ positions to be disadvantaged, even after things seem to be settled. Outstanding!’

‘Greg Mailer – a thorough and strong pair of hands for any client. He ensures that every issue or piece of evidence has been considered from every angle – an excellent person to have representing you.’

‘BCL have a strong reputation in this field. They are well known for their broad range of regulatory services with a focus on advising corporates including Directors. I would personally recommend clients to instruct BCL in cases where I am conflicted from acting which is always a good litmus test for me as a fellow practitioner.’

‘Richard Reichman is extremely capable. He is calm under pressure has a strategic and commercial way of supporting clients through the challenges of a regulatory investigation.’

‘Tom McNeill brings a restless, forensic eye to the matters he works on.’

‘Tom McNeill Understands his client superbly, extremely affable, absorbs vast amounts of detail quickly, clear concise.’

‘BCL’s HSE department rightly has an excellent reputation representing heavyweight corporate clients in HSE investigations, including corporate manslaughter investigations.’

‘Richard Reichman is phenomenal. He has able to grasp the detail of a case very quickly and can identify tactical and strategic issues likely to arise. His knowledge of the law is excellent. More generally, he has a thoroughbred background in corporate crime meaning that he is adept at advising Boards and working with other regulators..’

‘Tom McNeill is a seasoned practitioner who clearly works hard to look after his clients best interests but at the same time is affable and sensible to reach accommodation with other stakeholders. Unable to comment on the wider team/firm.’

‘Unparalleled expertise in the financial crime space. Consistently delivering outcomes above and beyond those that could be reasonably anticipated.’

‘Harry Travers combines a very powerful analytical mind, with deep technical skills and industry leading experience. Harry works tirelessly to ensure clients benefit from the best possible outcomes in the hazardous environment of serious tax investigations.’

‘Greg Mailer has strong technical skills and is a very skilled negotiator and problem solver. Greg is a very safe pair of hands in the daunting environment of serious tax investigations.’

‘This is a highly capable team with an ability to get up to speed on technical tax points and to handle difficult investigations. It has excellent relations with HMRC and is highly strategic.’

‘Harry Travers is extremely competent, quick and thorough. Umar Azmeh – very thorough, diligent and user friendly.’

‘BCL have an amazing client base which is a testament to the quality of the work they do. They appear to be the firm of choice for high profile clients where there is a lot at stake (criminal and/or civil), which reflects a long standing history of achieving the best results.’

‘Ian Burton is exceptional. He has the ability to build and maintain excellent relationships with both the client and HMRC, inspiring confidence on both sides.’

‘Harry Travers is a comforting and intelligent presence.’

‘Julian Hayes is a creative lawyer with a good instinct for the law, which is absolutely key in this field.’

‘BCL is the only firm that is truly able to combine criminal law and data law expertise. Many other firms specialise in one or the other and are not competent to advise on both but BCL is uniquely placed to do so.’

‘Julian Hayes is a very driven and hardworking partner who manages to combine his fierce intellect with charm and a friendly persona. He is excellent with clients and knows how to get to the root of a problem.’

‘Michael Drury is the doyenne of national security law and this provides him with real expertise when it comes to cyber security issues.’

‘Julian Hayes and Michael Drury are both experts in their field and have the advantage over many competitors that they have a proven track record of acting in contentious investigations and litigation over many years.’

‘Julian Hayes has a deep understanding of data protection, privacy and cybersecurity. He also has a global awareness and perspective of how current issues are dealt with in other countries. He is the first person I phone when I need to discuss issues or bounce ideas around. He has an intuitive feel for the subject, backed up by sound knowledge and judgement.’

‘Michael Drury is a phenomenal lawyer with decades of experience with data protection and national security issues. He consistently provides strong legal and strategic advice.’

‘Julian is our go-to lawyer on UK law matters. He is an expert on data protection matters. He is always approachable, efficient, and practical.’

‘This is an excellent team which has a deep understanding of the law. It offers practical and sensible advice.’

‘Shaul Brazil is an excellent lawyer, who is tactically astute and focused on the client. He deliver great outcomes.

‘Anoushka Warlow will be a star of the future.’

‘A very strong team with a fantastic reputation. Very personable and responsive’

‘BCL’s Corporate Crime and Investigations department rightly has an excellent reputation representing heavyweight corporate clients in Corporate Crime investigations, including investigations by the MPS, FSA, HSE and EA.’

‘Richard Reichman is phenomenal. He has able to grasp the detail of a case very quickly and can identify tactical and strategic issues likely to arise. His knowledge of the law is excellent. He has a thoroughbred background in corporate crime meaning that he is adept at advising Boards and working with a range of regulators and investigators.’

‘Tom McNeill is also very bright and a huge benefit to any team. He rolls his sleeves up and gets stuck into the most complex problems.’

‘Suzanne Gallagher is diligent and personable – a huge asset to any team.’