Business Crime

7 Bedford Row is one of the United Kingdom's leading sets specialising in business crime. Recommended by both the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners, we are praised as "providing a fine service across the board for fraud." Both QCs and juniors are ranked by the directories; Chambers & Partners describe us as "possessing a fine contingent of advocates."

We undertake a broad range of work advising from the investigatory stage and appearing for the prosecution and defence in a variety of courts and tribunals. Members of the team are involved in investigations initiated by government agencies such as the Department of Trade and Industry, the Financial Services Authority, the Office of Fair Trading and the Health and Safety Executive. We also advise and appear in cases bought by prosecutors including the Serious Fraud Office, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and CPS Central Casework Directorate. As well as working with these agencies we are instructed by leading solicitors' firms in this field.

An immediate benefit to our clients is our capability to draw on expertise within Chambers in commercial law, disciplinary proceedings and civil fraud, allowing us to provide a multi-disciplinary team to deal with all aspects of a case. Organised to take Public Access instructions, we can advise corporate and professional clients directly.

Many of our cases have an international dimension and we have worked in a number of foreign jurisdictions. We have also been used as examiners for the taking of evidence in foreign proceedings. Our clients include the United States Department of Justice and the Attorneys General of a number of the United Kingdom's low tax jurisdictions. Our international presence has been enhanced by our alliance with Jersey-based BakerPlatt, so providing a comprehensive team of experts experienced in financial services and offshore matters, including regulatory and compliance issues, corruption, asset recovery and general trust fund litigation.

We often lecture and publish articles on business crime and fraud related topics, and are major contributors to the LexisNexis text book "Fraud: Law, Practice and Procedure."

Notable recent cases include:

R v Rastogi & Ors: The Serious Fraud Office's prosecution of a $600 million fraud on UK and US banks

R v Brook & Ors: An alleged £250 million fraud involving the Imperial Consolidated Group

Re: Abacha: Advising the Attorney-General of Jersey on the recovery of laundered assets relating to the late General Abacha of Nigeria

Stockwell I: Advising the IPCC in their investigation into the death of Jean Charles de Menezes

The Serious Fraud Office's pharmaceutical investigation.