Alison Pople KC > Cloth Fair Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile
Cloth Fair Chambers Offices
39-40 CLOTH FAIR
LONDON
EC1A 7NT
England
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Alison Pople KC
Position
With over 25 years experience as an advocate, Alison Pople KC commands universal acclaim as a leading silk. Distinguished by her extraordinary expertise in financial crime and regulation, Alison also has specialism in corporate crime, global investigations, crime and professional discipline. Her reputation as an esteemed authority is cemented by her regular involvement as a trusted advisor in prominent, high-stakes, and intricate investigations.
Alison excels in addressing the complex, multifaceted, and sensitive issues faced by high-profile individuals, seasoned professionals, politically exposed figures, and other vulnerable clients. On the corporate front, her clientele has included large multinational corporations, private equity funds and highly niche SMEs.
In addition to her recognition as a skilled and persuasive advocate in both jury and non-jury court proceedings, Alison also provides counsel on self-reporting intricacies and devises strategic approaches from the inception of investigations led by authoritative bodies including the Serious Fraud Office, Financial Conduct Authority, Competition and Markets Authority, the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, and the Financial Reporting Council.
Areas of expertise:
Bribery and Corruption: Alison has acted in a significant number of Bribery Act 2010 and pre-Bribery Act investigations conducted by the SFO, including corporate investigations and contested UK criminal proceedings relating to domestic and international corruption. Alison acted in respect of an approved Deferred Prosecution Agreement reached with the SFO relating to corporate offences of failing to prevent bribery.
Fraud: Alison has advised and represented many clients investigated for or charged with Fraud Act 2006 offences and other associated offences by either the SFO or the CPS. She has also advised on the prosecution of Fraud Act matters.
Tax Evasion: Alison has represented individuals under investigation by HMRC, including high-net worth individuals with issues in multiple jurisdictions. She has been successful in avoiding criminal prosecution. Alison has also advised corporate clients on potential exposure and compliance procedures in relation to corporate offences of failure to prevent the facilitation of tax evasion contrary to the Criminal Finances Act 2017.
Insider Dealing: Alison has advised on a number of insider dealing investigations undertaken by the FCA, and represented clients in three separate criminal cases brought by the FCA.
Cartels: Alison successfully represented an individual charged with the criminal cartel offence by the OFT (now CMA) under the Enterprise Act 2002, as well as successfully avoiding prosecution for the cartel offence in two other separate cases. Alison is also experienced in advising clients subject to civil cartel investigations undertaken by the CMA.
Proceeds of Crime: Alison has wide-ranging experience advising and representing clients facing legal action or investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, including Part 2 (confiscation), Part 5 (civil recovery), Part 7 (money laundering) and Part 8 (investigations) as well as advising corporate clients and firms on all aspects of the Money Laundering Regulations.
Professional Discipline: Alison has acted for a wide range of professionals including solicitors, accountants, medical professionals and police officers under investigation by their professional supervisory bodies, both in tribunal proceedings and in an advisory capacity. She is skilled in preparing successful early representations to avoid proceedings.
Regulatory: Alison is experienced in addressing a broad spectrum of financial regulatory issues either as the main issue or ancillary to criminal investigations. She is adept at addressing niche regulatory issues raised by a particular business sector; examples of her prior advisory work include the regulation of medicines and healthcare products and the regulation of assessment of varying rates of landfill tax.
Health & Safety: Alison has experience of advising on health and safety investigations, including those involving fatalities.
Crime: Alison has experience of advising and representing clients in several high-profile criminal cases, including the 2014 phone-hacking trial.
Special Advocate: Alison also acts as a Special Advocate, instructed by the Attorney General in High Court, Administrative Court or SIAC proceedings.
Renowned for her first-rate practice, it comes as no surprise that Alison has earned the title of “a top notch silk”.
Memberships
Called to the Bar – 1993
QC – 2015 | KC – 2022
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Fraud: crime
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2Alison Pople KC – Cloth Fair Chambers ‘Alison is phenomenally bright and able to absorb huge quantities of complex financial information and translate it in a way which is easily understandable. She has a reassuring manner with clients and her judgment and tactics are impressive.’
Cloth Fair Chambers is a ‘leading set for white-collar defence work’, hosting both silks and juniors ‘at the top of the game’. John Kelsey-Fry KC has recently been involved in several high-profile cases, including for a defendant in the SFO’s case against the Balli Group for alleged fraud offences committed by its steel trading platform. Alison Pople KC, ‘excellent at navigating tricky legal and ethical issues’, has recently represented an entrepreneur in relation to a charge of eight counts of cheating the public revenue by way of VAT fraud. Rhys Meggy brings his considerable experience in complex international fraud cases to chambers from QEB Hollis Whiteman.
London Bar > Business and regulatory crime (including global investigations)
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1Alison Pople KC – Cloth Fair Chambers ‘Alison is a brilliant, much-in-demand, silk for the most high-value and complex criminal matters. She is highly efficient, and her personable nature makes her loved by solicitors and lay clients alike.’
Cloth Fair Chambers maintains a strong position in the market, with the set’s workload including fraud, corporate and financial crime, and members of the set being ‘consistently involved in the high profile and notable cases involving corporations, senior executives and high-profile individuals‘. For example, ‘brilliant, much-in-demand, silk‘ Alison Pople KC is instructed by a high net-worth individual charged with eight counts of cheating the public revenue to the tune of £22m, and in SFO v Balli Group, an SFO prosecution for fraud offences in connection with Balli Group’s steel trading platform, John Kelsey-Fry KC led Rachel Kapila in representing the chairman of the group. Tom Allen KC is instructed to represent the former managing director of an Airbus subsidiary accused of corruption relating to work for carried out for the Saudi national guard. In November 2022, Stuart Biggs joined from Three Raymond Buildings. Rhys Meggy joined from QEB Hollis Whiteman in May 2023. Ben Sundborg joined as head of practice management from 39 Essex Chambers in April 2023.