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.
Business and regulatory crime (including global investigations) in
London Bar
Cloth Fair Chambers
Les références
‘Chambers Director, Annaleen Stephens, is a force of nature, innovative, smart and a pleasure to deal with.’
‘The clerks are also excellent and go to great lengths to secure the counsel team that a client needs for particular issues.’
‘Annaleen Stephens is tenacious, pragmatic and knows the value of her chambers and the quality of services that are provided.’
Principaux dossiers
Matrix Chambers
Matrix Chambers is an ‘excellent‘ multi-disciplinary set and regularly advises banks, financial institutions and other corporate entities as well as individuals on complex criminal charges. Alex Bailin KC and Edward Craven, representing a former employee of the company, and Clare Montgomery KC, for the company, represent defendants in the SFO's ongoing case regarding Glencore, the company having entered guilty pleas to bribery offences in order to secure access to oil rights in several African countries.
Les références
‘The clerks are excellent; Paul Venables and Rhian Hiscocks are both a pleasure to work with.’
‘Paul Venables and Samantha Blake are both extremely responsive, and in my experience have gone above and beyond in discussions on both timetables and fees.’
‘Paul Venables is one of the best clerks in London.’
Principaux dossiers
QEB Hollis Whiteman
A ‘go-to chambers for all criminal work‘, QEB Hollis Whiteman has a particular focus on complex financial crime, such as bribery, corruption and money laundering, with members of the set frequently acting in cases which involve multiple jurisdictions. In addition to various members both prosecuting and defending in a range of SFO work, Adrian Darbishire KC successfully defended an entrepreneur who was acquitted on charges relating to alleged bribery following the sale of his company to JLL.
Les références
‘Sam Window is very helpful and efficient.’
‘David O’Sullivan as a star of the clerks room. He is unflappable, approachable and gets things done. He is exactly the clerk you need in a crisis, and he is a thoroughly nice guy.’
‘Chris Emmings leads a very good clerking team very well.’
Principaux dossiers
Three Raymond Buildings
Three Raymond Buildings is a ‘very strong set known for quality work‘ regarding the prosecution and defence of high-profile matters in cases involving allegations of insider-dealing and serious corruption. Members of the set regularly act for government bodies and agencies, such as corruption and fraud specialist Patrick Gibbs KC, who frequently prosecutes for the SFO, while other members of the set, such as Hugo Keith KC, are regularly instructed by the respondents in SFO investigations.
Les références
‘Dean Brown needs a special mention, who is outstanding and a senior clerk in the making.’
‘Very nice and friendly. Eddie Holland is notable.’
‘Extremely responsive and knowledgeable. They know their private market and offer competitive quotations.’
Principaux dossiers
2 Bedford Row
2 Bedford Row is an ‘outstanding set‘ for white collar and business crime, whose members represent both corporate and individual clients, as well as both private and public prosecutors, in criminal and regulatory investigations. Brian Altman KC was appointed by the Attorney General and the Serious Fraud Office to lead a high-profile investigation into the collapse of the Serious Fraud Office’s SERCO trial in April 2021 – in addition, he and Simon Baker KC continue to represent the Post Office in criminal appeals in the wake of the Horizon scandal. Thomas Daniel prosecuted a Gambian diplomat for withholding information from The Pensions Regulator, the defendant in this case having raised diplomatic immunity arguments and sought to justify his absence from the trial by claiming he was persona non grata in the United Kingdom. Mark Milliken-Smith KC, as was, was appointed as a Circuit Judge in December 2023.
Les références
‘Paul Rodgers is a superb clerk who regularly checks in (regardless of whether there is a need to or not) to ensure that we are happy with the service being provided and to see if he is able to help smooth any bumps.’
‘John Grimmer has been described as “a legend even amongst those still at Bar School”, and Paul Rodgers and Joe Martin are famed for going the extra mile.’
‘The whole clerks room really look after the instructing solicitors.’
Principaux dossiers
2 Hare Court
2 Hare Court acts for both businesses and individuals on all kinds of criminal and regulatory issues, such as criminal cartel offences, fraud, financial crime, sanctions, confiscations, asset seizures, private prosecutions and internal investigations. Regarding the latter, Jonathan Laidlaw KC acted for the Bank of England in an investigation into a former Barclays CEO Jes Staley’s alleged misrepresentation of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the now-deceased financier, convicted sex offender and associate of Prince Andrew. Corruption specialist Jonathan Kinnear KC successfully acted for the SFO in its case against Glencore, which ultimately pleaded guilty to paying millions in bribes to gain preferential access to oil in Africa and was subsequently subject to fines and confiscations amounting to £281m. In R v Coleman & Fisher, the first contentious prosecution of its kind for market manipulation offences under FSMA 2000, Merry van Woodenberg successfully acted as junior prosecution counsel for the Financial Conduct Authority, resulting in the former CFO of a listed company being found to have made misleading statements to auditors and the market.
Principaux dossiers
6KBW College Hill
6KBW College Hill is regularly instructed to prosecute as well as defend across a variety of high-profile and sensitive corporate crime matters, including complex financial crime, criminal fraud, bribery and corruption, and fields ‘some of the leading barristers in the country with expertise at all levels‘. For example, ‘Top choice junior‘ Katherine Hardcastle, led by David Perry KC, defended the ferry operator P&O from a criminal investigation by the Insolvency Service in relation to the high-profile mass redundancies in March 2022.
Les références
‘Andrew Barnes is the Head Clerk and is a delight to deal with.’
‘Mark Essex and Richard Summerscales are super efficient and will go out of their way to assist.’
‘Lizzie Lebrun works miracles.’
Principaux dossiers
Fountain Court Chambers
Fountain Court Chambers acts for corporate clients as well as regulatory bodies on a variety of business criminal matters, including on all issues relating to corporate financial crimes, such as bribery, sanctions and money laundering, and has a particular specialism in criminal matters which intersect with civil and regulatory issues. Eleanor Davison is a notable junior in the team, whoa cts for a number of regulatory and prosecutorial bodies. Clare Sibson KC, who joined from Cloth Fair Chambers in November 2022, previously advised and represented the Petrofac Group in relation to the SFO’s anti-corruption and money laundering investigation.
Les références
‘Sam Ismail is very responsive and helpful.’
‘Clerks room consistently praised for its approach; diverse; modern; amazing client service.’
‘Very good, accessible and easy to work with.’
Red Lion Chambers
‘Great set‘ Red Lion Chambers is noted in particular for its work for corporates in relation to regulatory and business crime. Gillian Jones KC ‘s practice includes privately prosecuting, as well as defence instructions.
Les références
‘Great set. Excellent choice of prosecution counsel.’
‘The set has very deep anti-money laundering expertise.’
‘Very good!’
Principaux dossiers
25 Bedford Row
With established experience in representing individuals prosecuted by the Serious Fraud Office, the CPS and other prosecutors, 25 Bedford Row is considered ‘a leading set for criminal defence work‘ in areas of practice that include anti-money laundering, bribery and due diligence matters. George Carter-Stephenson KC acted for the principal defendant in a trial after an SFO investigation into the collapse of the Cayman registered Axiom Legal Financing Fund, a fund which allegedly enabled the dishonest misuse of £107m of investors’ money for personal and business benefit, rather than for financing litigation. In another SFO case, Nathaniel Rudolf KC represented the former managing director of the Middle Eastern arm of Balli Steel, who was acquitted on the larger counts, but convicted of others, regarding an alleged fraud carried out by non-existent steel trades.
Les références
‘Emma Makepeace is simply outstanding. She is an absolute superstar.’
‘The senior clerking is very good. Emma Makepeace is an excellent clerk. She is knowledgeable with good people skills. She is an asset to the set.’
‘The clerks room at 25 is staffed by willing and enthusiastic people with a can-do attitude. It is a pleasure to work with them.’
Principaux dossiers
33 Chancery Lane
33 Chancery Lane acts for the prosecution and defendants as well as affected parties on all kinds of business crime and regulatory cases and fields ‘excellent set of barristers who are true experts in financial crime‘. For example, Amanda Pinto KC acts for individuals in heavyweight SFO cases, as does Mark Rainsford KC , who also prosecutes in significant cases. Faisal Osman is a key junior in the set.
Les références
‘Martin Adams runs chambers excellently. He has a very commercial outlook and is a pleasure to deal with, even in difficult circumstances of cases. He is very well-supported by the hard-working Chris Chiles and Oliver Carroll.’
‘Excellent. Martin Adams is a pleasure to work with, he has an extraordinary knowledge of the legal work being done by the barristers that he clerks.’
‘Martin Adams is an excellent clerk who appreciates the technical and complex nature of the work undertaken by his barristers.’
Principaux dossiers
Cloth Fair Chambers
Les références
‘Chambers Director, Annaleen Stephens, is a force of nature, innovative, smart and a pleasure to deal with.’
‘The clerks are also excellent and go to great lengths to secure the counsel team that a client needs for particular issues.’
‘Annaleen Stephens is tenacious, pragmatic and knows the value of her chambers and the quality of services that are provided.’
Principaux dossiers
Matrix Chambers
Matrix Chambers is an ‘excellent‘ multi-disciplinary set and regularly advises banks, financial institutions and other corporate entities as well as individuals on complex criminal charges. Alex Bailin KC and Edward Craven, representing a former employee of the company, and Clare Montgomery KC, for the company, represent defendants in the SFO's ongoing case regarding Glencore, the company having entered guilty pleas to bribery offences in order to secure access to oil rights in several African countries.
Les références
‘The clerks are excellent; Paul Venables and Rhian Hiscocks are both a pleasure to work with.’
‘Paul Venables and Samantha Blake are both extremely responsive, and in my experience have gone above and beyond in discussions on both timetables and fees.’
‘Paul Venables is one of the best clerks in London.’
Principaux dossiers
QEB Hollis Whiteman
A ‘go-to chambers for all criminal work‘, QEB Hollis Whiteman has a particular focus on complex financial crime, such as bribery, corruption and money laundering, with members of the set frequently acting in cases which involve multiple jurisdictions. In addition to various members both prosecuting and defending in a range of SFO work, Adrian Darbishire KC successfully defended an entrepreneur who was acquitted on charges relating to alleged bribery following the sale of his company to JLL.
Les références
‘Sam Window is very helpful and efficient.’
‘David O’Sullivan as a star of the clerks room. He is unflappable, approachable and gets things done. He is exactly the clerk you need in a crisis, and he is a thoroughly nice guy.’
‘Chris Emmings leads a very good clerking team very well.’
Principaux dossiers
Three Raymond Buildings
Three Raymond Buildings is a ‘very strong set known for quality work‘ regarding the prosecution and defence of high-profile matters in cases involving allegations of insider-dealing and serious corruption. Members of the set regularly act for government bodies and agencies, such as corruption and fraud specialist Patrick Gibbs KC, who frequently prosecutes for the SFO, while other members of the set, such as Hugo Keith KC, are regularly instructed by the respondents in SFO investigations.
Les références
‘Dean Brown needs a special mention, who is outstanding and a senior clerk in the making.’
‘Very nice and friendly. Eddie Holland is notable.’
‘Extremely responsive and knowledgeable. They know their private market and offer competitive quotations.’
Principaux dossiers
2 Bedford Row
2 Bedford Row is an ‘outstanding set‘ for white collar and business crime, whose members represent both corporate and individual clients, as well as both private and public prosecutors, in criminal and regulatory investigations. Brian Altman KC was appointed by the Attorney General and the Serious Fraud Office to lead a high-profile investigation into the collapse of the Serious Fraud Office’s SERCO trial in April 2021 – in addition, he and Simon Baker KC continue to represent the Post Office in criminal appeals in the wake of the Horizon scandal. Thomas Daniel prosecuted a Gambian diplomat for withholding information from The Pensions Regulator, the defendant in this case having raised diplomatic immunity arguments and sought to justify his absence from the trial by claiming he was persona non grata in the United Kingdom. Mark Milliken-Smith KC, as was, was appointed as a Circuit Judge in December 2023.
Les références
‘Paul Rodgers is a superb clerk who regularly checks in (regardless of whether there is a need to or not) to ensure that we are happy with the service being provided and to see if he is able to help smooth any bumps.’
‘John Grimmer has been described as “a legend even amongst those still at Bar School”, and Paul Rodgers and Joe Martin are famed for going the extra mile.’
‘The whole clerks room really look after the instructing solicitors.’
Principaux dossiers
2 Hare Court
2 Hare Court acts for both businesses and individuals on all kinds of criminal and regulatory issues, such as criminal cartel offences, fraud, financial crime, sanctions, confiscations, asset seizures, private prosecutions and internal investigations. Regarding the latter, Jonathan Laidlaw KC acted for the Bank of England in an investigation into a former Barclays CEO Jes Staley’s alleged misrepresentation of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the now-deceased financier, convicted sex offender and associate of Prince Andrew. Corruption specialist Jonathan Kinnear KC successfully acted for the SFO in its case against Glencore, which ultimately pleaded guilty to paying millions in bribes to gain preferential access to oil in Africa and was subsequently subject to fines and confiscations amounting to £281m. In R v Coleman & Fisher, the first contentious prosecution of its kind for market manipulation offences under FSMA 2000, Merry van Woodenberg successfully acted as junior prosecution counsel for the Financial Conduct Authority, resulting in the former CFO of a listed company being found to have made misleading statements to auditors and the market.
Principaux dossiers
6KBW College Hill
6KBW College Hill is regularly instructed to prosecute as well as defend across a variety of high-profile and sensitive corporate crime matters, including complex financial crime, criminal fraud, bribery and corruption, and fields ‘some of the leading barristers in the country with expertise at all levels‘. For example, ‘Top choice junior‘ Katherine Hardcastle, led by David Perry KC, defended the ferry operator P&O from a criminal investigation by the Insolvency Service in relation to the high-profile mass redundancies in March 2022.
Les références
‘Andrew Barnes is the Head Clerk and is a delight to deal with.’
‘Mark Essex and Richard Summerscales are super efficient and will go out of their way to assist.’
‘Lizzie Lebrun works miracles.’
Principaux dossiers
Fountain Court Chambers
Fountain Court Chambers acts for corporate clients as well as regulatory bodies on a variety of business criminal matters, including on all issues relating to corporate financial crimes, such as bribery, sanctions and money laundering, and has a particular specialism in criminal matters which intersect with civil and regulatory issues. Eleanor Davison is a notable junior in the team, whoa cts for a number of regulatory and prosecutorial bodies. Clare Sibson KC, who joined from Cloth Fair Chambers in November 2022, previously advised and represented the Petrofac Group in relation to the SFO’s anti-corruption and money laundering investigation.
Les références
‘Sam Ismail is very responsive and helpful.’
‘Clerks room consistently praised for its approach; diverse; modern; amazing client service.’
‘Very good, accessible and easy to work with.’
Red Lion Chambers
‘Great set‘ Red Lion Chambers is noted in particular for its work for corporates in relation to regulatory and business crime. Gillian Jones KC ‘s practice includes privately prosecuting, as well as defence instructions.
Les références
‘Great set. Excellent choice of prosecution counsel.’
‘The set has very deep anti-money laundering expertise.’
‘Very good!’
Principaux dossiers
25 Bedford Row
With established experience in representing individuals prosecuted by the Serious Fraud Office, the CPS and other prosecutors, 25 Bedford Row is considered ‘a leading set for criminal defence work‘ in areas of practice that include anti-money laundering, bribery and due diligence matters. George Carter-Stephenson KC acted for the principal defendant in a trial after an SFO investigation into the collapse of the Cayman registered Axiom Legal Financing Fund, a fund which allegedly enabled the dishonest misuse of £107m of investors’ money for personal and business benefit, rather than for financing litigation. In another SFO case, Nathaniel Rudolf KC represented the former managing director of the Middle Eastern arm of Balli Steel, who was acquitted on the larger counts, but convicted of others, regarding an alleged fraud carried out by non-existent steel trades.
Les références
‘Emma Makepeace is simply outstanding. She is an absolute superstar.’
‘The senior clerking is very good. Emma Makepeace is an excellent clerk. She is knowledgeable with good people skills. She is an asset to the set.’
‘The clerks room at 25 is staffed by willing and enthusiastic people with a can-do attitude. It is a pleasure to work with them.’
Principaux dossiers
33 Chancery Lane
33 Chancery Lane acts for the prosecution and defendants as well as affected parties on all kinds of business crime and regulatory cases and fields ‘excellent set of barristers who are true experts in financial crime‘. For example, Amanda Pinto KC acts for individuals in heavyweight SFO cases, as does Mark Rainsford KC , who also prosecutes in significant cases. Faisal Osman is a key junior in the set.
Les références
‘Martin Adams runs chambers excellently. He has a very commercial outlook and is a pleasure to deal with, even in difficult circumstances of cases. He is very well-supported by the hard-working Chris Chiles and Oliver Carroll.’
‘Excellent. Martin Adams is a pleasure to work with, he has an extraordinary knowledge of the legal work being done by the barristers that he clerks.’
‘Martin Adams is an excellent clerk who appreciates the technical and complex nature of the work undertaken by his barristers.’