Louise Hodges

Louise represents companies and individuals embroiled in criminal proceedings in the UK.  She is part of the team representing Tesco in the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) criminal investigation and Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA).

Louise is particularly well known for representing individuals subject to financial regulatory and/or criminal investigations for market abuse or market misconduct including insider dealing and misleading the market, mainly dealt with by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) or the SFO. She heads the KN Financial Services Group. 

Her cases frequently have an international dimension, including involving the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and US Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as well as many European prosecutors and regulators, including Consob, BaFin, and FINMA.  She represents individuals embroiled in HM Revenue and Customs criminal tax investigations and COP 9 civil settlements. She was part of the team representing Rebekah and Charlie Brooks in the phone hacking trial, in particular with regard to the allegations of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. She is currently involved in representing individuals in the Libor, Euribor and FX investigations. 

"Louise Hodges is a lead partner in the firm's internal investigations team and "one of the best around" in the eyes of our sources.... "If you can get her, get her" said one interviewee."

The International Who's Who Legal: Investigations, 2015

Louise is experienced in advising companies and individuals with regard to internal investigations and is part of the Kingsley Napley Corporate Investigations Group. She frequently represents witnesses being interviewed either by employers or by investigating authorities, including those being compelled to attend interviews.

Louise also has public law experience, including the Leveson Inquiry. She was the lead partner heading a team of lawyers representing a number of military witnesses in the Baha Mousa Public Inquiry.

She often advises early in an investigation, aiming where possible to avoid criminal charges and either secure no further action or an alternative regulatory disposal.  She has a track record of securing acquittals at trial.

Louise was the first Chair of the Fraud Lawyers Association (FLA) and is currently the Immediate Past Chair. She is the Vice Chair of the European Criminal Bar Association (ECBA) which is a network of European criminal lawyers.  She was recently part of a Law Society working group looking at issues of Legal Professional Privilege.  She has given evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Union and is regularly invited to attend various expert meetings in Europe covering subjects such the right to access to a lawyer, the European Public Prosecutions Office (EPPO), the European Investigation Order (EIO) and the European Arrest Warrant (EAW).

Louise is listed by Who's Who Legal: Business Crime Defence as Most Highly Regarded for Corporate Defence and Individual Defence and as a Thought Leader' 2017.

Recent cases

• Part of the team representing Tesco in the SFO investigation.
• Acting on behalf of a number of individuals in connection with the wide-ranging EURIBOR and LIBOR investigations and prosecutions being conducted by UK and overseas authorities and related regulatory and civil litigation.
• Acquittal of Rebekah and Charlie Brooks for offences arising from the investigation in to phone hacking at the News of the World. 
• Assisting a global bank in relation to an internal investigation following leaks of confidential information.
• Advising a regulated company with regard to money laundering disclosure requirements.
• Representing various individuals accused by HM Revenue & Customs of fraudulent evasion of tax in their personal tax affairs.
• Advising individuals in the Davis Inquiry.
• Advising witnesses being interviewed either by employers or by investigating authorities using their compulsory powers, in particular the Serious Fraud Office and Financial Conduct Authority.

Professional societies and memberships

• Chair, Fraud Lawyers Association (FLA)
• Vice Chair, European Criminal Bar Association (ECBA)
• Co-Chair of the Steering Committee of the Global Forum on Corporate Criminal Liability (GFCCL)
• Member of the Editorial Board of the New Journal of European Criminal Law (NJECL)
• Financial Services Lawyers Association (FSLA)

 

Publications and press highlights

Publications
 

• The Practitioner's Guide to Global Investigations, chapter on 'Witness Interviews: The UK perspective. With Caroline Day. Published 03 January 2017.

• Gentle & Hodges: 'Kingsley Napley: Serious Fraud Investigations & Trial' 4^th Ed Lexis Nexus Butterworths April 2009

• Contributor to policy papers and consultations on behalf of the Fraud Lawyers Association (FLA), the Law Society, the European Criminal Bar Association (ECBA), the London Criminal Courts Solicitors Associtiation (LCCSA) and Kingsley Napley. Topics include SFO informal consultation on role of solicitors in s2 (compelled) interviews, HMRC consultation on tax offences, SFO/CPS consultation on the code of practice for deferred prosecution agreements,  EU proposals on evidence gathering and admissibility, e-Justice, European Arrest Warrant, Fraud and Regulatory Offences.
• Joint author with Stephen Gentle of "Regulatory Offences" chapter in "Fraud: Law, Practice and Procedure" published by Lexis Nexis Butterworths, 2004
• Contributing Editor to the New Journal of European Criminal Law (NJECL)

Press highlights

•  Enforcement procedures remodelled by Jonathan Blunden and Louise Hodges - Compliance Monitor, April 2017
• Quoted by Mark Taylor,  Law 360 UK,UK Financial Crime Crackdown Hints At US-Style Prosecution,  January 2017
• Quoted by New Law Journal, January 2017 . Government calls for corporate crime crackdown.
• https://www.solicitorsjournal.com/news/201701/lawyers-split-over-consultation-reform-corporate-crime
• http://globalinvestigationsreview.com/article/1080046/uk-examines-case-for-expanding-corporate-criminal-liability-to-economic-crime?utm_source=Law%20Business%20Research&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=7915286_GIR%20Headlines%2013%2F01%2F2017&dm_i=1KSF,4PNH2,9GS3T2,HN855,1
• Budget impact on tax avoidance, Louise Hodges writes for Economia, 17 March 2016 
• Jail bankers for failure? The new criminal offence is an unworkable paper tiger, Louise Hodges writes in City A.M. 7 March 2016
• Westminster and Brussels raise the heat on corporate tax avoidance , blog for Economia, 9 February 2016 by Louise Hodges

 

Further information

• Listed by Who's Who Legal: Business Crime Defence, Most highly Regarded, Corporate Defence and Individual Defence
• Listed by Who's Who Legal as a 'Thought Leader' 2017
• Listed in Global Investigations Review (GIR) Top 100 Women in Investigations Lawyers 2015
• Listed in directories including Chambers, International Who's Who, Legal 500
• Listed in The Lawyer's 2012 Hot 100 Lawyers
• Regularly invited to expert meetings by the European Commission, European Parliament and NGOs in relation to Criminal Justice in Europe
• Has given evidence to the House of Lords European Union Select Committee