If you, your business, or one of your employees is facing a criminal investigation or prosecution, our business crime solicitors can help.
Criminal investigations can be highly disruptive and damaging for everyone involved, whatever the outcome. Our specialist lawyers can help you minimise the impact on your life, your reputation and your business operations.
If an investigation is already underway, we’ll walk you through the entire process and explain what you need to do at every stage. We’ll examine all your options and present a clear plan to protect your interests. If the investigation becomes a prosecution, we can defend you in court too.
We can also help before an investigation even begins. We’ll help you understand your legal obligations and identify potential issues that could come up in the future. You’ll get a pragmatic plan that will save your business significant time and resources at crucial moments.
We’ll work closely with you to understand your situation and provide practical advice tailored to your needs and goals.
What Business Crime Services Do We Offer?
We can advise and represent you if you are being investigated or prosecuted for:
Interviews with the police and other authorities can be stressful and intimidating, whatever the circumstances. Our solicitors will help you prepare for the entire process and support you every step of the way.
Your business may be criminally liable too if it has failed to prevent bribery, tax evasion, money laundering and other crimes being committed by an employee. We can advise and represent your business through these investigations as well.
We can also help your business develop policies and procedures to help prevent crimes taking place and report them if they do.
You’ll get advice on risk assessments, due diligence, auditing and monitoring. We’ll train your staff on their obligations under the UK Bribery Act, Criminal Finances Act, and Anti Money Laundering legislation.
It’s impossible to totally avoid the risk of investigations, so we also advise businesses on how to prepare for them. With a thorough plan in place, you can minimise any disruption to your business and damage to your reputation.
We can also advise on regulatory inspections – see our Regulatory and Compliance page for more information.
Who Can We Help?
As part of one of the UK’s largest national law firms, we help people and businesses all across the country. We work with:
- Employees, senior managers, directors, and business owners
- Owner-managed businesses
- Small and medium-sized companies
- PLCs
- Institutions and charities
- Blue chip companies.
Your criminal liability and the legislation you must follow depends on which sector you work in. We have solicitors with experience across all major sectors so you’ll always work with someone that understands your specific business needs.
We can help if you are being investigated or prosecuted by:
- Serious Fraud Office (SFO)
- Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
- The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
- Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
- Trading Standards
- Local Authorities
- The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Why Choose Our Business Crime Lawyers?
At times of crisis, you need people on your side who understand the big picture.
Our team includes both solicitors, to give you advice, and advocates, to represent you in court. For decades, we’ve helped people and businesses like you through the entire investigation and prosecution process, not just parts of it.
We’re skilled at reading witnesses, cross-examining, challenging case theories, making speeches to judges and juries. All this impacts the advice that you get and means you’re fully prepared at all times.
Your best possible outcome is always our focus. We’ll investigate and explain all your options to minimise the impact the investigation has on you or your business. You’ll learn about potential issues early on and we’ll tell you how exactly to handle them.
Our lawyers understand how stressful an investigation or prosecution can be. You’ll have our discrete, sensitive and professional support throughout. We’ll always try to limit any disruption for both your personal and professional lives.
Modern businesses have more compliance and liability to worry about than ever. Our sector-specific approach will help you focus on the relevant issues for your business, saving you time, money, and energy to spend on more valuable activity.
Contact Us
Getting legal advice as early as possible is vital if you or your business under criminal investigation. Contact us online or call 0808 271 2602 today to learn more about how we can help.
