Criminal Litigation

Serious fraud and business crime

We are the leading firm for serious fraud and business crime work.  Our outstanding team of criminal and regulatory solicitors has rarely been absent from any major Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Financial Services Authority (FSA), Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) (now BERR), HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Health and Safety Executive investigation (HSE).  

Companies are increasingly finding themselves exposed to investigation by the UK and overseas investigators.  Our solicitors are adept at dealing with the complexities of modern day financial investigations and prosecutions, whether into alleged tax fraud, commodities and currency frauds, bank investment frauds, insider dealing, money laundering, corruption, confiscation, forfeiture or any other alleged fraudulent activity.  We know how large scale investigations work and have the resources to offer a sophisticated and streamlined response for our clients both in the UK and internationally.

We have a depth of experience throughout the team in acting for individuals, corporations and witnesses.  We regularly advise in relation to document production orders, including assessing the legality of the order, efficiently and accurately reviewing large quantities of material to identify relevant documents and advising on legal professional privilege or special procedure material.  Our vast experience and outstanding team gives confidence to our clients and has earned us respect amongst prosecutors, regulators and courts.

Our serious fraud and business crime team is assisted by members of Kingsley Napley's commercial litigation practice, which specialises in asset tracing, freezing and recovery, both for the claimant and defendant.  Companies also need to ensure they have adequate corporate governance practices and procedures.  We can advise on risk management or conduct internal investigations should any breaches be detected.

Primary contact Stephen Parkinson

Notable cases

• Acting in relation to the SFO investigation into BAE
• Acting for an individual in the SFO investigation into Severn Trent
• Acting in the HMRC investigation into Britannia Building Society
• Defending SFO prosecution of an individual in the Independent Insurance plc trial
• Acted for the former Chief Executive of Transtec Plc, who was acquitted in 2006 of accountancy related charges by the SFO
• Acted for a hedge fund manager in a leading FSA investigation and FSMT hearings
• Acted for an individual from AIT in the FSA's first criminal prosecution under section 397 FSMA 2000 for misleading the market
• Represented traders in regulatory and criminal investigations by several jurisdictions concerning allegations of market misconduct
• Acted for the main defendant in one of the first major insider dealing prosecutions brought by the Crown Prosecution Service
• Acted for an individual in the jubilee line extension fraud trial
• Acted for an individual in the Wickes plc trial
• Acted for an individual in relation to the Robinsons, ‘green form fraud' trials
• Various notable historic cases, such as acting for Nick Leeson, Ian Maxwell and in the trials relating to Guiness and Polly Peck