Singled out by clients as ‘the very best business crime group outside of London, by a considerable margin‘, Burges Salmon LLP‘s stellar track record of successes spans cases concerning proceeds of crime, money laundering, bribery and corruption, as well as complex fraud-related work. ‘Strategic mastermind‘ Guy Bastable heads up the corporate crime department, while David Hall oversees the broader disputes offering. The arrival of Andrew Matheson from Baker McKenzie in February 2022 further strengthened the team at senior associate level. Cross-border disputes make up a regular part of the firm’s workload, with recent highlights covering issues in India and Nigeria.

Michelmores LLP retains a core focus on commercial litigation connected with financial crime, including areas of overlap with investigations conducted by the police and regulators. The team is differentiated by the presence of specialised barrister Andrew Oldland KC, who previously held a number of senior regulatory and prosecution roles, including standing counsel to HMRC. Another key practitioner is Sara Chisholm-Batten, who leads the private wealth disputes practice, and regularly undertakes international enforcement work. Core non-contentious work for the group includes drafting ABC policies and procedures.

At Reeds Solicitors, the national offering is split between the complex crime and private crime teams, which are headed up by Oxford-based practitioners Julian Richards and Stuart Matthews, respectively; the former group focuses on large-scale fraud, drug conspiracies and HMRC work, while the latter spans a broad range of general criminal mandates. In Bristol, ‘keen legal mind‘ Stephen Clifford heads up the Crown Court practice, while Nicola Hutchinson oversees the private client and criminal department. Solicitor-advocate Andy Lee is noted for his ‘wealth of experience in serious and complex matters‘.

Fielding a team consisting entirely of solicitor-advocates, Stone King LLP is well placed to act on a broad criminal caseload - including matters relating to serious fraud, VAT and accounting fraud – across the full range of first instance and appellate courts. ‘First class‘ Matthew Graham leads the national offering, and has particular expertise in working with those experiencing mental health issues. Andrew Banks, whose practice spans not only criminal defence work but also private prosecutions and civil proceedings, including standalone Proceeds of Crime Act applications, is singled out as ‘a confident, charismatic and understanding professional‘.

With a particular focus on clients from the agricultural sector, Clarke Willmott LLP acts at all stages of the criminal process, from the initial investigation and interviews under caution, through to trials and appeals. In November 2022, senior associate Bridget Sanger joined the team from DAC Beachcroft LLP, bringing expertise in police-led prosecutions and investigations by HSE and CQC to the department, thereby broadening the offering. ‘First-rate solicitor‘ Sam Harkness is another key group member, noted for his ability to ‘steer his clients through highly-publicised and politicised cases with composure‘.