Our fraud and financial regulatory contentious team advises on the prevention and resolution of disputes and issues relating to commercial fraud, asset misappropriation and international business crime, and on investigations, both internal and regulatory. Much of the team's work involves managing and co-ordinating related proceedings and/or investigations in several jurisdictions.

Areas of expertise:

• Disputes arising from a wide range of types of internal and external frauds utilising domestic and cross-border insolvency processes where appropriate
  
  
• Breach of trust and cross-border asset tracing
   
• Obtaining and challenging freezing injunctions, search orders and third party disclosure orders
  
  
• Money laundering investigations and proceedings
  
  
• "Trust busting" litigation
  
  
• FSA and other domestic and overseas “financial regulatory”:

- investigations (including “dawn raids”)

- enforcement proceedings

- evidence gathering powers

• Insider dealing and market abuse

Our recent work includes:

• Advising a major Middle East broadcasting corporation on its claim in an alleged £20 million advertising fraud perpetrated by UK agents - see Global Multimedia International Ltd v ARA Media Services  2006] EWHC 3612
  
  
• Advising a major UK insurer/reinsurer on the misappropriation of assets from an Australian subsidiary by way of wire and identity fraud, including tracing and freezing assets in Lithuania and Estonia
  
  
• Advising the court-appointed liquidators of a large distributor of pharmaceutical products on the alleged misappropriation of several million pounds by two former directors including tracing and freezing assets in England, Tenerife, Spain, Switzerland, Andorra, Gibraltar, BVI and the Bahamas
  
  
• Advising a major pharmaceutical company in relation to evidence gathering notices issued by the SFO pursuant to its powers under the Criminal Justice Act
  
  
• Advising a UK subsidiary of a US parent in relation to the implications under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act 1977 of entering into a significant contract tender in Nigeria
  
  
• Advising an FSA authorised firm on an FSA investigation into potential market abuse and insider dealing offences by an employee
  
  
• Advising the CEO of an authorised firm in relation to allegations of market abuse
  
  
•  Advising a trust in respect of an application for mutual legal assistance