John Binns > BCL Solicitors LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile
BCL Solicitors LLP Offices
51 LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS
LONDON
WC2A 3LZ
England
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John Binns
Work Department
Business Crime
Position
John advises corporate and individual clients on business crime and corporate regulatory matters, including bribery, controlled drugs, extradition, fraud, Interpol red notices, sanctions, tax evasion, and terrorist financing. He has particular expertise on issues under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA), including confiscation, civil recovery, Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) and Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs), and on the operation of the Money Laundering Regulations (MLRs).
His recent work includes advising numerous corporate clients, including a major British multinational group, on cannabis licensing issues, and on the implications under POCA of UK investments in overseas lawful cannabis businesses. He has represented individual and corporate suspects in major criminal investigations by HMRC, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and National Trading Standards.
John has also advised a variety of companies and professional firms on issues including: their obligations to prevent bribery and the facilitation of tax evasion, to comply with the MLRs, and to submit SARs; their exposure to UWOs and to liability under POCA and sanctions laws; and the extent of their duty to cooperate with international and domestic POCA investigations.
Fellow practitioners say John has ‘a very cerebral approach’ and is ‘absolutely first rate’; ‘superbly analytical, right down in the detail, and a very nice guy to work with’; ‘absolutely fantastic… brilliant at advising clients… very calm and measured’; ‘approachable [and] very thorough’; and ‘a very strong POCA solicitor, who has a lot of experience [and] gives excellent, high-end advice for crime matters.’
John has presented at the Cambridge Symposium on Economic Crime, Cannabis Europa, the Proceeds of Crime Lawyers’ Association’s forum, the Red Lion Lectures, and webinars for Lexis Nexis, and gave expert evidence to the House of Lords’ EU Home Affairs Subcommittee.
Career
Qualified in 2000, joined BCL in 2010 and became a partner in 2017.
Publications: Contributor to Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption Review (Law Business Research) and Money Laundering Law and Regulation: a Practical Guide (Oxford University Press).
Author of various articles on economic crime topics for Analytical Cannabis, City AM, Fraud Intelligence, Law 360, Lexis Nexis, Money Laundering Bulletin, Open Access Government, Property Journal and others.
Memberships
Anti-Money Laundering Professionals Forum; Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers; Defence Extradition Lawyers Forum; Fraud Lawyers Association; the Law Society; Proceeds of Crime Lawyers Association (committee member); Tax Investigations Practitioners Group.
Education
LLB Law at King’s College London, MPhil Criminology at Cambridge.
Leisure
Parent of two and long-time Doctor Who fan.
Lawyer Rankings
London > Dispute resolution > Tax litigation and investigations
BCL Solicitors LLP has key strength at the intersection of fraud law and tax law, with a record of acting on complex and high-stakes matters. Lead partner Harry Travers
, ‘one of the smartest lawyers in his field’, has a sophisticated fraud practice in addition to a long record in tax avoidance litigation. Firm founder Ian Burton and ‘expert in financial and tax crime’ John Binns are core team members. Senior associate Greg Mailer is also a name to note.
London > Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: white-collar crime (advice to individuals)
(Leading individuals)Counting CEOs, politicians, and business leaders among its client base, the ‘incredibly imaginative’ BCL Solicitors LLP team regularly advises on SFO and financial crime investigations. The group routinely acts for individuals across industries ranging from energy to banking, demonstrating in-depth expertise in everything from money laundering, to tax investigations, to Russian sanction issues. Richard Sallybanks leads the business crime and regulation division, deploying a ‘global view’ to international fraud and bribery investigations, while Ian Burton has 40 years’ experience handling corruption and extradition matters for domestic and international clients. Harry Travers has an eye for ‘meticulous detail’, regularly assisting individuals involved in contentious tax proceedings and commercial fraud, while Shula de Jersey is an expert on financial crime. Michael Drury is knowledgeable on data and information law issues, and Julian Hayes supports clients in SFO and FCA actions. Shaul Brazil has specialist knowledge in criminal and civil fraud cases, and John Binns specialises in asset forfeiture and complex sanction matters. Anoushka Warlow, Oliver Schneider-Sikorsky and Hannah Raphael are also recommended.
London > Risk advisory > Regulatory investigations and corporate crime (advice to corporates)
Being long-standing and renowned specialists in corporate crime and regulation, the BCL Solicitors LLP team – steered by Richard Sallybanks – is routinely instructed in many significant financial crime investigations conducted by the SFO, HMRC, and the FCA. The firm also has considerable expertise in AML and ESG compliance, with the ‘thoughtful and incisive’ John Binns being a specialist in money laundering matters and corporate criminal offences. Shaul Brazil focuses on sanctions-related compliance issues, while the ‘standout’ Richard Reichman handles regulatory investigations. Julian Hayes concentrates on financial crime affairs, and Anoushka Warlow is noted for her knowledge of serious and commercial fraud.
Lawyer Rankings
- Fraud: white-collar crime (advice to individuals) London > Crime, fraud and licensing
- Leading individuals London > Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: white-collar crime (advice to individuals)
- Regulatory investigations and corporate crime (advice to corporates) London > Risk advisory
- Tax litigation and investigations London > Dispute resolution
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Crime: general
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: white-collar crime (advice to individuals)