33 Chancery Lane > London, England > Set Profile

33 Chancery Lane
LONDON
WC2A 1EN
England

Email firm Visit website 020 7440 9950 020 7430 2818

London Bar > Proceeds of crime (POCA) and asset forfeiture Tier 1

As ‘the first set that one calls when needing work done on a POCA case‘, 33 Chancery Lane benefits from ‘sheer depth of expertise’, with members acting for a range of clients, including companies, agencies, and regulatory bodies. Kennedy Talbot KC represents the FCA in an investigation concerning the collapse of Worthington Group Ltd, alongside relevant asset freezing orders. In CPS v Aquila Advisory Limited, Martin Evans KC acted in the Supreme Court in proceedings evaluating the impact of a POCA confiscation order on the “no profit/no conflict” rule. Mark Rainsford KC prosecuted on behalf of the CPS in R v Bellway Homes plc, focused on confiscation proceedings resulting in a £600,000 fine. Also representing the CPS, Fiona Jackson acted in confiscation proceedings in connection with fraud by false representation by a defendant extradited from Switzerland.

Leading Silks

Kennedy Talbot KC –33 Chancery Lane ‘Precise, detailed and fanatically knowledgeable in both his verbal and written advice, as well as a phenomenally appealing advocate in court. Whomever is your opponent, they sit up a little straighter and shift a little more nervously when Kennedy is on your end of the bench.‘

Ranked: Tier 1

Martin Evans KC –33 Chancery Lane ‘A go to barrister for Supreme Court POCA work. Outstanding advocacy - highly persuasive with silky elegance and charm.'

Ranked: Tier 1

Graham Brodie KC –33 Chancery Lane ‘Hugely bright, provides clear and pragmatic advice and very user friendly. Really one of the team and rolls his sleeves up when required.'

Ranked: Tier 2

Andrew Mitchell KC –33 Chancery Lane ‘Andrew is an absolute force of nature; always available, a silk at the absolute peak of his powers, a pleasure to work with and a professional that commands the respect of clients.‘

Ranked: Tier 2

Mark Rainsford KC –33 Chancery Lane ‘Robust and confident in court. Very likeable. Gets a real grip of the issues.'

Ranked: Tier 2

Leading Juniors

Christopher Convey –33 Chancery Lane ‘He has a wonderful ability to explain very complex legal terminology in an easy to understand manner to lay clients. His legal drafting is superb, and his presence in court rivals that of any KC.‘

Ranked: Tier 1

Fiona Jackson –33 Chancery Lane ‘Fiona is a polished and thoughtful advocate who prepares her cases meticulously. As an advocate, on her feet she is thorough, but not adverse to moments of light-heartedness. She is definitely a silk of the near future.‘

Ranked: Tier 1

Ian Smith –33 Chancery Lane ‘Tremendous grasp of the complexities of proceeds of crime and civil recovery legislation and practice, and attention to detail, while able to summarise in a readily assimilable way.'

Ranked: Tier 1

Barry Stancombe –33 Chancery Lane ‘Barry is an extremely talented counsel who is unflappable in his approach to cases. With excellent written work and equally exceptional oral advocacy he wins over tribunals.'

Ranked: Tier 1

Catherine Collins –33 Chancery Lane ‘Catherine fights incredibly hard at each and every stage of her client's case. She always ensures that every conceivable positive point is explored and she prepares for every eventuality.'

Ranked: Tier 2

Penelope Small –33 Chancery Lane ‘She is a truly dynamic barrister. She quickly gets to the nub of the issue and always seeks a pragmatic and commercially sound resolution. She has a non-nonsense approach. Her written submissions are exceptional. She is the queen of POCA.‘

Ranked: Tier 2

John Carl Townsend –33 Chancery Lane ‘Great depth of knowledge of all matters POCA related. John is a true expert in asset freezing and forfeiture under the Proceeds of Crime Act.'

Ranked: Tier 2

Faisal Osman –33 Chancery Lane ‘Faisal is developing a strong reputation in financial crime and proceeds of crime cases. He has a sound knowledge of the legislation.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Testimonials

Set

‘33CL is a leading POCA and commercial set with good counsel.‘

‘Without doubt the preeminent set for POCA and asset forfeiture. Advice and service are always excellent and just having counsel from 33 Chancery Lane on board shows the other side you mean business.‘

‘33 Chancery Lane is a specialist set with significant expertise and strength in depth in this field.‘

‘33 CL has a well-deserved reputation in the field of fraud and confiscation.‘

‘The set is a go to for POCA work. They have a real strength in depth and always a good choice of counsel.‘

‘The first set that one calls when needing work done on a POCA case. The sheer depth of expertise is second to none.‘

Clerking

London Bar > Business and regulatory crime (including global investigations) Tier 3

33 Chancery Lane offers broad commercial fraud expertise, encompassing corporate corruption, money laundering, and regulatory crime, with members acting for clients including corporates and individuals under investigation, prosecuting agencies, and affected parties. The chambers has seen an increase in instructions relating to early-stage investigations by regulators and enforcement bodies, particularly the HMRC, and offers complementary civil fraud and regulatory expertise. Amanda Pinto KC has deep expertise across corporate malfeasance, bribery, and director’s liability cases, acting for both defendants and plaintiffs, and is currently representing the SFO in R v Skeene & Bowers, a global Forex investment fraud case with notable compelled material perjury elements and complex jurisdictional and foreign evidence issues. Graham Brodie KC is noted for his record in fraud and white-collar criminal prosecutions as a defence counsel, and has a particular specialism in Proceeds of Crime Act issues, as does Kennedy Talbot KC, who has defended asset seizure and confiscation proceedings at the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court level, as well as acting for agencies, including representing the FCA in the investigation into the collapse of Worthington Group Ltd and consequent asset freezing.

Leading Silks

Mark Rainsford KC –33 Chancery Lane ‘He is very much a strategic thinker and continually reviews his client’s position, to explore every single avenue. Extremely brilliant on his feet in court and also very persuasive on his written advocacy.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Graham Brodie KC –33 Chancery Lane ‘Fearless, eloquent, and concise advocacy; highly analytical and strategic; collegiate and very hardworking. One of the top business crime and regulatory counsel and one of the very few able to combine a criminal and civil fraud practice. ’

Ranked: Tier 2

Amanda Pinto KC –33 Chancery Lane ‘Amanda is a tremendous advocate, her judgement is spot on, she is very well respected by the court due to her experience in both defence and prosecution in major business crime cases, and she has consummate client handling skills.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Leading Juniors

Faisal Osman - 33 Chancery Lane 'Faisal is always on top of the detail of large cases and able to keep hold of case threads throughout. his drafting is always on point and his advocacy is first rate. Clients appreciate the effort that Faisal puts into cases and the care that he takes.'

Ranked: Tier 3

John Carl Townsend – 33 Chancery Lane ‘John is a true expert in the field of criminal restraint, proceeds of crime and civil/criminal cross over. He is extremely intelligent and his judgement is superb. He is able to grasp complex issues with relative ease. he frequently appears in the highest courts in the land and frequently achieves outstanding results. He is a natural advocate, often grappling with complex issues with relative ease.‘

Ranked: Tier 3

Testimonials

Set

‘I am very impressed with Chambers and also instruct Graham Brodie KC and Faisal Osman in those Chambers.‘

‘I strongly rate the depth of experience within this set, which covers all angles within this particular area.‘

Clerking

‘The clerking lead by Martin Adams is excellent.‘

‘Always accommodating and willing to help.‘

London Bar > Fraud: crime Tier 3

A ‘perfectly-formed group of real white collar crime specialists’, the set at 33 Chancery Lane defend and prosecute high-profile investigations involving allegations of bribery, money-laundering, fraud and other financial offences. Amanda Pinto KC was instructed by the SFO in the successful prosecution if individuals running investment schemes targeting UK and Swedish investors in “sustainable and ethical” teak forest schemes in Brazil. Narita Bahra KC (who joined the set from 2 Hare Court in November 2021) exposed key disclosure failings in one case which led the collapse of a high-profile prosecution for alleged diamond investment fraud. Alistair Webster KC successfully defended a former Chief of the Gloucester Fire Service charged with fraud by breach of trust.

Leading Silks

Narita Bahra KC – 33 Chancery Lane 'Narita is a maverick in her approach and leaves no stone unturned. There are no weaknesses.'

Ranked: Tier 1

Mark Rainsford KC – 33 Chancery Lane ‘Mark is very much a safe pair of hands in complex and difficult fraud investigations and proceedings.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Amanda Pinto KC – 33 Chancery Lane ‘Amanda is a tremendous advocate: her judgement is spot on and she is very well-respected by the court.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Graham Brodie KC – 33 Chancery Lane ‘Graham is exceptional. He is tactically-astute and a very good strategist who gets results.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Alistair Webster KC –33 Chancery Lane ‘Alistair is always meticulously prepared, and his legal acumen is of the highest level.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Andrew Mitchell KC – 33 Chancery Lane 'Andrew has extraordinary advocacy skills and experience.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Leading Juniors

Christopher Convey – 33 Chancery Lane ‘Christopher is one of the best juniors around. He is an absolutely charming advocate who gets results.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Testimonials

Set

‘Probably the best boutique financial crime set in the country.’

‘Perfectly-formed group of real white collar crime specialists.’

’33 Chancery Lane have gathered some of the most highly-regarded barristers, who come with a real down-to-earth approach.’

‘A select group of barristers who are all incredibly-talented.’

Clerking

‘The clerking, led by Martin Adams, is excellent.’

‘Martin Adams is particularly impressive.’

London Bar > Crime

Leading Silks

Narita Bahra KC – 33 Chancery Lane ‘Narita is an outstanding barrister – her advocacy skills are second to none.’

Ranked: Tier 2

London Bar > Fraud: civil

Leading Silks

Graham Brodie KC –33 Chancery Lane ‘Graham is at the very pinnacle of the profession in this area at the moment. As well as doing top drawer business crime cases, he is unique in that he specialises in civil work conducted in the shadow of possible criminal proceedings.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Leading Juniors

Ian Smith –33 Chancery Lane ‘He is laser like with his approach and gets right to the heart of the issue. He provides clear, concise and focused advice.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Faisal Osman –33 Chancery Lane ‘Faisal is always on top of the detail of large cases and able to keep hold of case threads throughout. His drafting is always on point and his advocacy is first rate. Clients appreciate the effort that Faisal puts into cases and the care that he takes.'

Ranked: Tier 3

This internationally renowned set specialises in commercial and financial wrongdoing, including asset forfeiture, bribery and corruption, civil recovery, company and insolvency work, fraud, investigative law, money laundering, public access, and regulatory law.

The set: With an unrivalled, proven track record at its foundation, the set is an acknowledged leader in its field in the UK and overseas. Its members pride themselves on providing approachable, responsive and supportive cradle-to-grave litigation strategies, leading to elegant, simple and common-sense solutions.

The set places significant emphasis on client care and procedures. It has acted for governments, corporations and individuals around the world, including the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Abu Dhabi, Dubai (DIFC), India, the US, Australia, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Canada, Argentina, China, Seychelles, Liechtenstein, Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey, The Isle of Man, Denmark, Pakistan, Singapore, Hong Kong, the British Virgin Islands, and Northern Ireland. Members appear in tribunals, arbitrations, mediations, appeals or at first instance, domestically and throughout the common law world.

Twelve members have been appointed to the specialist SFO PoCA and Prosecution Lists. Members include the authors of Corporate Criminal Liability and the leading text on confiscation and asset forfeiture: Mitchell, Taylor and Talbot and Criminal Confiscation and Civil Recovery. Members also contribute to Archbold (the money laundering chapter), The White Book, Blackstone’s and Administrative Court Practice and Procedure. Another Member is the lead author of Smith & Shepherd, Commercial and Cyber Fraud: a Legal Guide to Justice for Businesses as well as the author of A Practitioner’s Guide to Commercial and Cyber Fraud: Claiming Compensation in the Civil and Criminal Courts.

Types of work undertaken: Asset forfeiture is a major specialism. Members are regularly instructed by prosecuting authorities, defendants and interested parties. They frequently make applications applying for, discharging or varying restraint orders. Members regularly appear in applications to discharge or vary Account Freezing Orders (AFO) and Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWO) as well as applications relating to Moratorium Period Extensions. They handle competing claims between ancillary relief applications flowing from divorce and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, as well as high-value confiscation proceedings at the Crown Court involving assets in and outside the jurisdiction, including hidden asset cases.

Bribery and corruption expertise includes UK Bribery Act matters as well as overseas legislation. Members have appeared in many civil recovery proceedings and are retained by the CPS and SFO as well as respondents to advise upon and act in the development of the latest jurisprudence.

Members often appear on behalf of corporate personalities, company directors and liquidators regarding financial wrongdoing matters and are instructed in regular insolvency work and company law actions, such as unfair prejudice claims and derivative actions on behalf of minority shareholders, including actions against directors for breach of their statutory duties.

Fraud, civil and criminal, are notable areas of expertise. Members are routinely instructed in pre-charge or pre-action issues, such as freezing/restraint orders, drafting claims and defences, judicial review of investigative decisions, multi-jurisdictional matters, ADR, and other issues. Members are instructed to defend and prosecute in cases of the highest complexity brought by the SFO, FCA, NCA, CPS and other agencies as well as act for Claimants or Respondents in complex civil actions. Investigative law expertise includes search warrants, production orders and witness summonses.

Members of 33 Chancery Lane have been at the forefront of legal practice in money laundering for decades and continue to act in the most complex cases domestically and overseas, as well as delivering personalised training and education to professionals in the field. Members have been advising numerous investors and financial institutions in matters concerning money laundering obligations arising out of the emerging cannabis market in Canada.

The set is also a leader in proceedings before financial and professional regulatory bodies, including enforcement, mediation and settlement. Members frequently appear before professional disciplinary bodies.

Department	Name	Email	Telephone
Members of Chambers	TALBOT KC, Kennedy (1984)
Members of Chambers	WEBSTER KC, Alistair (1976)
Members of Chambers	MITCHELL KC, Andrew (1976)
Members of Chambers	PINTO KC, Amanda (1983)
Members of Chambers	RAINSFORD KC, Mark (1985)
Members of Chambers	BRODIE KC, Graham (1989)
Members of Chambers	EVANS KC, Martin (1989)
Members of Chambers	BAHRA KC, Narita (1997)
Members of Chambers	STANCOMBE, Barry (1983)
Members of Chambers	SAUNT, Linda (1986)
Members of Chambers	SMALL, Penelope (1992)
Members of Chambers	CONVEY, Christopher (1994)
Members of Chambers	JACKSON, Fiona (1998)
Members of Chambers	OSMAN, Faisal (2002)
Members of Chambers	SMITH, Ian (2003)
Members of Chambers	TOWNSEND, John Carl (2006)
Members of Chambers	COLLINS, Catherine (2010)
Members of Chambers	CLARK, Rachel (2018)

Name	Position	Profile
Ms Narita Bahra	Narita Bahra KC is a leading Criminal and Business Fraud Defence Barrister…	View Profile
Graham Brodie	Graham Brodie KC specialises in civil and criminal litigation arising out of…	View Profile
Catherine Collins	Catherine’s practice encompasses all aspects of financial wrongdoing. Her serious fraud experience includes being…	View Profile
Christopher Convey	Practices in the areas of national and international commercial wrongdoing including fraud,…	View Profile
Martin Evans	Specialises in all aspects of the law relating to criminal and civil…	View Profile
Fiona Jackson	Fiona Jackson practises in the areas of domestic and international fraud and…	View Profile
Andrew Mitchell	Specialises in advising and representing clients international and domestically in civil and…	View Profile
Faisal Osman	The core of Faisal’s work relates to domestic and international civil and…	View Profile
Amanda Pinto	An expert in international financial wrongdoing, nominated as Corporate Crime KC of…	View Profile
Mark Rainsford	An internationally pre-eminent silk and litigation strategy expert, specialising in business crime,…	View Profile
Linda Saunt	As a mediator Linda is accredited by ADR Group for both commercial…	View Profile
Penelope Small	Decades of experience related to cases in which the proceeds of crime…	View Profile
Ian Smith	Ian works across a spectrum of commercial fraud, cyber fraud and misconduct…	View Profile
Barry Stancombe	Specialist in asset forfeiture and proceeds of crime particularly in the areas…	View Profile
Kennedy Talbot	Kennedy Talbot KC’s practice areas are Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 civil…	View Profile
Mr John Carl Townsend	Recognised as a specialist in financial and reputational disputes where there is…	View Profile
Alistair Webster	Having taken silk in 1995, when he was only 41. Since then,…	View Profile