We specialise in regulatory defence and criminal case work. Our specialist service provides value for money for businesses and individuals.
Our Services for You and Your Business.
We have a real insight into the different issues that arise if a criminal or regulatory investigation is commenced against an individual or business. Each party, whether a business or individual (director, company officer or employee) will have their priorities and interests to protect. We recognise that fact and can take account of the conflicting interests, providing advice tailored to our client’s needs.
A way to illustrate the "conflict" is to give examples of where a company is being investigated for a regulatory breach or criminal offence. A business should not be misused by an individual for their own ends, and equally, a company should not scapegoat its directors or employees, if it is accused of wrongdoing. Each party will need to seek advice to protect themselves and their reputation. What should the company or individual do in such a situation? Should there be an internal investigation or enquiry? Who will head the investigation? Should disciplinary proceedings commence? These are some of the issues that need to be tackled. Great care should be exercised at the outset. A knee jerk reaction taken without proper thought or consideration could have dramatic consequences. We can help with identifying these issues.
We are adept at dealing with organisations and individuals, and resolving matters of potential conflict where our client’s interests need to be protected. We are regularly instructed by persons and businesses where we have encountered these complex issues, and our case studies (below) illustrate where we have assisted the company, its officers or employees.
We can assist in all manner of business crime and regulatory issues. If your business is on the receiving end of an investigation commenced by any regulatory or investigative authority, then we can assist you in that process. We have dealt with a variety of regulators and can advise and assist at the outset with advice and reporting obligations.
We can also assist with the application process to your regulator, or with reporting and to make amendments or extensions to your licence.
If your organisation is accused of fraudulent activity and therefore requires advice on its conduct on whether any legislative provisions are breached, we can assist. We have advised and supported corporations when they have been investigated and prosecuted for fraud or other regulatory violations.
In today's business world, it is possible that your organisation may be unwittingly involved in the laundering of criminal money. We can assist in and lead an investigation, drawing in experts, where required.
We have previously come across situations where the police have seized money belonging to our client. We have experience in reclaiming these funds and can advise and assist you in doing so. In a recent case, we secured the return of £170,000 cash for our client.
We have encountered proceedings where control orders have been served against our client company, where legitimate business assets have been restrained or frozen. We have assisted by making applications directly to the Crown Court to vary or discharge restraint orders and to allow the restrained assets to be returned to the company.
Your company might find itself in a position where confiscation proceedings have commenced against a third party, and assets that belong to your business are the subject of those confiscation proceedings. It is important that you act quickly to ensure that your assets can be preserved.
We have received instructions from overseas companies who have been defrauded by companies based in the UK! We can assist in providing advice, assistance and representation by lodging proceedings before the High Court or pursuing complaints to the police.
We can assist in all manner of corporate investigations, whether an internal issue or criminality being perpetrated upon your organisation. We can draw on and lead experts to help us advising you.
Private Crime and Police Investigations.
If you or your organisation is under investigation by the police or a regulatory body, or is being prosecuted and is to appear before the court, then we can assist. As your company’s legal representatives, we can defend your organisation in any judicial proceedings. We appreciate that any conviction will have an adverse impact on your organisation's reputation and we can advise on strategies to defend or mitigate the company’s position.
If your company has been convicted of a crime and wishes to appeal, then we can assist. We understand how a conviction can impact the company’s reputation and directly impact on its trading profits.
Case study 1 – Police v S Ltd.
We were instructed by the director of S Ltd, a business with a high cash turnover after the police had seized more than £180,000 in cash. The money had been taken out of the firm and was needed to secure business premises that would provide an ideal expansion opportunity for the company. The director was interviewed by the police, and after the investigation for money laundering was completed he was advised that he would not be charged. We were appointed to represent the interests of the company and successfully made an application to the court for the business to join the proceedings so that the organisation could assert its interests in the cash seized, and ask for the money to be returned. We took matters out of the hands of our client business and instructed a forensic accountant to support our application for the money to be returned.
Case study 2 – Director Fraud.
In this instance, we received instructions from an organisation where one of its directors had been accused of fraud. The organisation was extremely anxious about its reputation, and we were appointed to assist in advising and liaising with the police. We had to advise whether there should be any internal disciplinary proceedings or an internal enquiry. We further advised the company on its position and options available to its director. We assisted in liaising with the police, which allowed all matters to be resolved informally to the satisfaction of all parties concerned.
Case study 3 – Road Traffic Summons.
A situation we come across quite frequently.
We were appointed to represent the interests of our client company before the local traffic court about a summons that had been issued for a failure to provide details on the identity of a driver concerning a potential speeding offence. After conducting an investigation, it became apparent that a senior company officer had misused his position and had failed to discharge his duties to the company by not completing the section 172 notice correctly. We advised the company on the options available and assisted it in executing its objectives.
Case study 4 – Regulatory Reporting Obligations.
We were appointed to advise the interests of our client company on a matter that had arisen on whether it had a duty to report a matter to its Regulator. We carefully considered the circumstances and instructed our client to collect relevant evidence. We provided considered advice to our client about its duty.
It is clear that where a criminal or regulatory issue involves an individual as well as a company, there will be competing interests that should be managed. For further advice and action, please contact us on the details provided on this page.
