The ‘highly responsive, strategic and collaborative’ investigations, enforcement, and white-collar defence team at HFW stands out for its notable sector strength across the shipping, commodities, aerospace, and insurance industries. Notably, sanctions advice for clients in the commodities and shipping sectors constitute core pillars of work for the team. ‘Enormously experienced’ practice head Barry Vitou has a strong track record advising corporations on the pre-charge stages of criminal investigations, while Anne-Marie Ottaway is the name to note for instructions relating to financial and trade sanctions.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Highly responsive, strategic and collaborative. They really care about getting the best outcome.’
‘Barry Vitou uniquely combines years of experience as a cross-border corporate lawyer with a real depth of knowledge and track record in disputes and regulatory matters. His advice is very practical, perceptive and strategic. Barry is very emotionally intelligent and really goes the extra mile for his clients.’
‘Barry Vitou heads up the team and has outstanding experience in advising and representing UK and US companies in multi-jurisdictional investigations.’
‘Barry Vitou is enormously experienced and easy to work with. He is immersed in knowledge of cutting-edge issues relating to corporate crime and investigations, including ESG issues.'
- 'Anne-Marie Ottaway's experience working at the SFO sets her apart from others in the field. She is easy to get on with, bright and works incredibly hard for her clients.’
‘The team's breadth of experience is what sets them apart. From SFO dawn raids to private practice to the Supreme Court - I cannot think of another team that can boast the same. From banking to commodities, this is a team that understands its client's markets. It really shines in relation to internal and regulatory investigations.’
‘Anne-Marie Ottaway has become a real star in her field. With genuine expertise to draw upon, her understanding of how government investigations work is a real asset to clients. Her research is second to none, in a legal fight she is one to have on your side.’
‘Anne-Marie Ottaway has got great experience having spent half her career in law enforcement and half in private practice. She adds a lot of value to the practice.’
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Practice head
Barry Vitou
Other key lawyers
Anne-Marie Ottaway