Proceeds Of Crime (POCA) And Asset Forfeiture

Leading Silks

Martin Evans KC –33 Chancery Lane ‘Extremely well prepared and skillful across the whole ambit of case preparation and presentation. Financial analysis and commercial understanding is first class. Particularly incisive in cross examination with a deftness across masses of financial and contractual matters.'

Jonathan Fisher KC –Red Lion Chambers ‘Jonathan possesses an absolute mastery of his subject. He exudes quiet and unflappable confidence which calms even the most skittish of clients.'

Andrew Mitchell KC –33 Chancery Lane 'Andrew is an industry leader and brings real gravitas to his cases.'

David Perry KC –6KBW College Hill ‘David's extraordinary brain means that he is a master in all cases he turns his hand to. He is fabulous with clients and has brilliant judgement. His knowledge and experience of POCA matters makes him a stand out choice for work in this area.'

Andrew Sutcliffe KC –3 Verulam Buildings ‘Andrew is a standout practitioner in the field of POCA work, and a particular favourite of government agencies. He brings all of the experience from his heavyweight commercial practice into the POCA sphere, which is particularly valuable in high value and financially complex cases which are increasingly a feature of this area of work.’

Kennedy Talbot KC –33 Chancery Lane ‘Kennedy is great to work with. He encourages a collegiate approach with his solicitors and lay client alike. His knowledge of POCA is encyclopaedic, and as a result both his written work and advocacy are both top drawer.'

Andrew Bird KC - 5 St Andrews Hill

Graham Brodie KC –33 Chancery Lane ‘Excellent attention to detail, direct and clear advice. Ensures that client understands the risks and implications of the proceedings. No-nonsense advice, when the clients need it the most. Clearly an expert in this field.'

Richard Fisher KC –Doughty Street Chambers ‘Richard has a level head and is a first class advocate in court.'

Jonathan Hall KC –6KBW College Hill

Hugo Keith KC –Three Raymond Buildings

Tim Owen KC –Matrix Chambers ‘Tim is outstanding with a deep knowledge of the issues and a pragmatic approach to solutions.'

Mark Rainsford KC –33 Chancery Lane ‘Mark's advice was sound.'

Jonathan Ashley-Norman KC –Three Raymond Buildings

Robin Barclay KC – Fountain Court Chambers

Charles Bott KC –Mountford Chambers

Gillian Jones KC – Red Lion Chambers ‘Fantastic work-rate, impeccable judgment and an excellent advocate.'

Nicholas Medcroft KC –Fountain Court Chambers 'A strong advocate who demonstrates good judgement.'

2023 Silks

Alexander Cook KC –4 Stone Buildings 'Very strong knowledge of the Civil Procedure Rules, particularly for a POCA barrister.'

Jonathan Lennon KC –Doughty Street Chambers ‘John is a distinguished silk and a leading figure in the intricate and heavyweight realm of serious financial and regulatory crime. Possessing a comprehensive knowledge of the law, he consistently leaves a lasting impression.'

Leading Juniors

Christopher Convey –33 Chancery Lane 'Christopher is an excellent and tenacious advocate in court.'

James Fletcher –5 St Andrews Hill ‘James is responsive, knowledgeable, efficient and pragmatic: pretty much everything you would want in a barrister.'

Fiona Jackson –33 Chancery Lane 'She is supremely diligent, meticulous, and in command of her case.'

Faisal Osman –33 Chancery Lane ‘Faisal is incredibly user friendly and responsive. His written work is excellent, and his advocacy is persuasive.'

Gary Pons – 5 St Andrews Hill

Ian Smith –33 Chancery Lane ‘His strength is that he playing in both the civil world and the criminal world.'

Barry Stancombe –33 Chancery Lane ‘Barry is an encyclopaedia on POCA law and practice. He is a very well respected advocate by the courts in all POCA work.'

Sarah Wood –5 St Andrews Hill ‘Sarah is a total star. She quietly gets on with it. Works her fingers to the bone. Always gives sound advice on complex legal issues. She is utterly reliable and has the soundest judgement.'

Nicholas Yeo –Three Raymond Buildings ‘Nicholas is widely recognised as a leading expert on POCA.’

Anita Clifford – Red Lion Chambers ‘Anita provides excellent legal advice and is responsive to the needs of her instructing solicitors. Particularly experienced in white collar crime and heavy fraud.'

Catherine Collins –33 Chancery Lane ‘Superb mastery.'

Edward Craven –Matrix Chambers

Barnaby Hone –5 St Andrews Hill ‘Barnaby has a deep knowledge and experience of proceeds of crime litigation matters.'

Anne Jeavons - 3 Verulam Buildings

John McNamara –5 St Andrews Hill ‘He is very down to earth: clients like him and repeatedly request for him to be instructed.’

Michael Newbold –Foundry Chambers ‘One of the go-to juniors in POCA for the crown. Making a name for himself.’

Oliver Powell –Outer Temple Chambers ‘Oliver is a first-rate barrister. He is very responsive, utterly charming and will go the extra mile for a client. He is tireless in his pursuit of excellence.’

Tom Rainsbury –3 Verulam Buildings

Penelope Small –33 Chancery Lane ‘Her drafting is clear, robust and unambiguous as is her advice to clients.'

John Carl Townsend - XXIV Old Buildings 'John is unmatched with regards his knowledge of POCA.’

Eleanor Davison –Fountain Court Chambers 'She is incredibly user friendly. A highly intelligent and bold advocate.'

Philippa Eastwood - Doughty Street Chambers

Rachel Ferrari – 33 Chancery Lane ‘Rachel is meticulous in her preparation. She has a fantastic eye for detail and her ability to reduce a voluminous case into a more manageable working document is a real skill.’

Lisa Freeman –Furnival Chambers

William Hays –6KBW College Hill ‘William is rightly recognised as one of the leading POCA barristers currently practising. His advocacy is persuasive and well judged, and his manner with clients is warm, generous and reassuring.’

Thomas Hoskins – Foundry Chambers

Richard Hoyle – Essex Court Chambers 'He is incredibly bright and wears it well. He is very personable, engaging, enthusiastic and easy to work with.'

Anna Keighley – 187 Chambers ‘Anna has an encyclopaedic knowledge of confiscation and proceeds of crime matters. She is thoughtful, fair and assertive.’

Sophie O’Sullivan – Outer Temple Chambers ‘A very good instinctive lawyer who gets to the issues.’

Gemma Rose – 5 St Andrews Hill

Theodor van Sante –3 Verulam Buildings

Benjamin Waidhofer – Foundry Chambers ‘It is hard to imagine how any barrister could ever be more persuasive than Ben. Watching Ben make legal submissions is to witness a wizard at work.'

Rising Stars

Tim James-Matthews – Matrix Chambers 'One of Tim's key strengths is his commerciality and practical common sense. He understands the bigger picture and helps to find solutions that work in practice.'

Rebecca Thomas – 5 St Andrews Hill ‘Rebecca is tenacious and not afraid to get stuck into a POCA argument. Her skeleton arguments and notes to assist the court are some of the best.’

Proceeds of crime (POCA) and asset forfeiture in London Bar

Tier 1 sets

33 Chancery Lane

33 Chancery Lane remains a pre-eminent set for the full spectrum of POCA work, with the members’ busy workload extending to unexplained wealth and account freezing orders, civil recovery and confiscation under POCA, as well as advice on the intersection of POCA issues and sanctions law. Mark Rainsford KC acts in proceedings related to the biggest single recovery of cryptocurrency obtained under POCA by the NCA, whereas Kennedy Talbot KC was involved in securing an order restraining £75m assets in relation to the investigation into PPE Medpro, a company owned by the husband of Conservative peer Baroness Mone that was awarded large government personal protective equipment contracts during the Covid pandemic. Penelope Small is instructed in an enforcement case involving a child suffering from multiple learning difficulties living in a property purchased by the father from the proceeds of his criminal conduct. Christopher Convey is instructed by the SFO in ongoing confiscation proceedings against mortgage fraudster Achilleas Kallakis, including litigation related to the recovery of donations to the Francis Holland School, which named a theatre after him.

Les références

‘A friendly and integrated service.The clerks systems and client handling are excellent – with a can-do attitude, enabling easier planning on my side. Chris Chiles is excellent.’

‘Very able set of clerks. Martin Adams in particular is always responsive to queries and requests for assistance.’

‘Martin Adams is excellent. Always tries to help, and is very responsive.’

Principaux dossiers

Tier 2 sets

5 St Andrews Hill

5 St Andrews Hill demonstrates proficiency in all aspects of asset recovery, forfeiture, and confiscation work. Frequently acting for both applicants and respondents, the set’s barristers are recommended for focus areas such as unexplained wealth orders, account freezing orders, and challenges to investigation orders and warrants under POCA and other legislation. Andrew Bird KC is acting for the NCA in a listed assets forfeiture application regarding £3.2m worth of jewellery, while also appearing in confiscation proceedings in respect a £22m confiscation order made against a company after an international bribery scheme. James Fletcher acted for a defendant accused of having failed to disclose Manx and Pakistani bank accounts in breach of the provisions of two freezing orders.

Les références

‘The clerks, and in particular Dean Cook, always go the extra mile, they are friendly and always on hand when needed.’

‘Excellent service and assistance by the clerks, specifically Dean Cook. He is always on hand to assist with matters arising before hearings such as listing issues and counsels’ availability.’

‘The clerks are probably the best around, Dean Cook in particular.’

Principaux dossiers

6KBW College Hill

With a track record of Supreme Court appearances, 6KBW College Hill‘s members excel in overseas applications, advice on the intersection of criminal and civil issues and POCA-related money laundering obligations for corporates. Duncan Penny KC is frequently sought out by overseas clients regarding restraint issues, and currently represents the Government Legal Department in World Uyghur Congress v HMRC and others, in which the World Uyghur Congress claims that the importation/sale and import duties on cotton produced in Xinjiang by imprisoned Uyghurs involves an offence under section 328 and 329 of the Proceeds of Crime Act. Jonathan Hall KC remains instructed in high-profile proceedings regarding Zamira Hajiyeva, husband of the former chairman of the International Bank of Azerbaijan who was convicted of fraud in that country, who successfully overturned an unexplained wealth order. William Hays advises a Pakistani national on £120m account freezing orders.

Les références

‘Mark Essex and Andrew Barnes form an exceptional clerking duo at the set. They demonstrate a strong commercial acumen, and responsiveness, and are a delight to work with.’

‘Strength in good prosecuting counsel.’

‘This set has strength across its seniority making it one of a small number of safe criminal sets which can be relied upon to provide an excellent service no matter who is instructed.’

Principaux dossiers

Three Raymond Buildings

Three Raymond Buildings is equipped to comfortably handle a variety of work related to restraint, confiscation and civil recovery proceedings, including advice on search and seizure orders, and receivership applications. Hugo Keith KC continues to represent a Russian oligarch challenging sanctions-related account freezing orders, while also acting in high-profile proceedings relating to offshore companies beneficially owned by the granddaughter of former Uzbekistan president Islam Karimov. Jonathan Ashley-Norman KC is instructed in R v Mazzarello, a case where the defendant is in custody in Italy, and fights £50m confiscation proceedings, which extend to Swiss trusts and hidden Lichtenstein bank accounts. With a specialism in cross-border work, and particularly in mutual legal assistance issues, Nicholas Yeo recently represented the defendant in appeal proceedings against a confiscation order after a fraud conviction regarding conduct that caused millions of pounds in damage.

Les références

‘3 Raymond Buildings is one of the best sets in the country for asset forfeiture work.’

Principaux dossiers

Tier 3 sets

3 Verulam Buildings

Work in the banking and finance sector is at the heart of 3VB‘s POCA practice, with members frequently acting for enforcement agencies, financial institutions, and private clients in proceedings related to an array of topics, including freezing orders, civil recovery claims, investigative orders, and money laundering compliance. Andrew Sutcliffe KC is acting for the SFO in a substantial civil recovery claim worth £30m against the daughter of the former president of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov. Tom Rainsbury was instructed by the CPS in DPP v Zhang & Wen, acting in the Director of Public Prosecution’s successful application in the Administrative Court for a property freezing order over assets with an estimated value of around £3bn.

Les références

‘3VB is an increasing force in POCA work and asset forfeiture, with a number of its barristers gaining experience in the area.’

Classements par PratiqueLondon Bar