White collar crime and investigations

White collar crime and investigations

Specialists in all aspects of financial crime, we understand the law and techniques to get to the heart of the matter, and will help you navigate through the complex web of criminal and regulatory investigations.

Kennedys’ global White Collar Crime and Investigations team based across the UK and EMEA, Asia Pacific, North America and Latin America, is made up of specialist lawyers who regularly advise clients on all aspects of financial crime. Our lawyers not only understand the law and techniques to get to the heart of the matter, but will assist you when navigating through the complex web of criminal and regulatory issues.

Our team of highly skilled lawyers on the ground around the world also handle all aspects of D&O exposure for directors and officers and their insurers. We are familiar with D&O coverage/policies and mindful to the potential for conflicts between various parties, time demands on management and the reputational impact for the individual and their business.

We tackle the most complex white collar crime issues for corporates and individuals in what is, nationally and internationally, becoming an increasingly vigorous enforcement landscape.

Our services include:

  • Financial crime - Our experienced team advise across all areas of financial crime ( e.g. bribery, money laundering, fraud, proceeds of crime, tax and account irregularities, and breaches of ) and their associated implications for businesses and individuals.
  • Internal investigations - We conduct internal investigations on a national and international scale. We act quickly to identify the issues and put in place an effective strategy to minimise disruption as well as reputational and commercial damage.
  • Enforcement/regulatory authorities - We advise clients on their interactions with, and reporting to, a range of law enforcement/regulatory authorities across the globe.
  • External investigations - We undertake external investigations, prosecutions and other enforcement action.
  • Compliance and risk - We provide corporate compliance and risk mitigation advice and guidance, including developing bespoke effective controls.

Get in touch with a member of our white collar crime and investigations team

Our work highlights from around the world

UK and EMEA

  • Advising a high profile director in an ongoing multi-faceted SFO prosecution into a series of collapsed companies.
  • Advising a former CEO of a large insurer on his role in the SFO’s longstanding multi-jurisdictional investigation into bribery and corruption in the insurance sector.
  • Representing a high-net worth client that is subject to an unexplained wealth investigation.
  • Acting for a corporate in a private prosecution against a rogue employee.
  • Conducting an internal investigation on behalf of a global oil and gas company on corruption and money laundering concerns.
  • Acting in the first contested prosecution of a corporate for failure to prevent bribery under s.7 of the Bribery Act (R v Skansen Interiors Limited).
  • Undertaking an internal investigation on behalf of an international pharma company into allegations of bribery involving a third party agent.
  • Advising a Singapore-based client with operations in the UK regarding the UK’s anti-bribery and corruption regime.
  • Advising a UK corporate during a large scale HMRC money laundering investigation touching on each of its UK branches.
  • Advising a multinational night vision scope manufacturing company on its sanctions’ policy and the UK’s export licence regime.
  • Advising insurers of Fidelity Policies on coverage for criminal acts in the Middle East.
  • Advising insurers of D&O Policies who extend Defence Costs cover to Directors and Officers who face criminal prosecutions following the collapse of companies in the Middle East.
  • Providing ABC training to employees and the boards of national and multi-national corporations.

Asia Pacific

  • Defending officers of local government in investigations by the Corruption and Crime Commission in Australia.
  • Defending a CEO of a local government in respect of a prosecution concerning alleged acts of corruption. The defendant was found not guilty.
  • Defending a CEO of a piggery in relation to a breach of the Biosecurity Act in Australia.
  • Acting for a former CEO of a piggery in relation to alleged breaches of the Environmental Protection act 1986 (WA).
  • Advising financial institutions and individuals in Hong Kong in complex commercial litigation involving allegations of fraud and conspiracy to defraud, as well as related Commercial Crime Bureau and Independent Commission Against Corruption investigations.
  • Advising Hong Kong Main Board listed companies, international financial institutions and high-profile individuals on investigations and prosecutions by Commercial Crime Bureau and Independent Commission Against Corruption in relation to allegations of fraud, bribery and/or money laundering.  
  • Advising international and local financial institutions in Hong Kong on the reporting of suspicious transactions under relevant anti-money laundering legislation.
  • Acting for a Singapore listed company in respect of a fraud perpetuated by an ex-employee on a number of banks and financial institutions.
  • Acting for a South African bank in proceedings in Singapore pertaining to a fraud perpetrated by a former employee and others.
  • Acted for a South African bank in proceedings in Singapore pertaining to criminal proceeds in Singapore flowing from a fraud perpetrated by a former employee and others.

North America and Latin America

  • Advising a reinsurer on a case of disloyal administration against the board of a mayor diary producer company in Latin America.
  • Defending the President of the Board of a Corporation, in an investigation for breaching sectorial regulator in Latin America.
  • Advising and defending of D&O both at the Antitrust Authority and The National Economic Prosecutor.
  • Advice to reinsurers and insurers on coverage of D&O Policies across Latin America.
  • In the United States, we have the ability to represent corporate clients and their executives with regulatory enforcement actions, grand jury investigations, internal investigations, compliance counselling and criminal prosecutions.
  • Our United States attorneys leverage decades of prosecutorial, regulatory defence and litigation experience to guide our clients through all phases of criminal and governmental inquiries.
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