Financial Crime
UK Bar Guide 2025 : London (Bar)
Band 4
Email address
[email protected]Contact number
(020) 7353 5638Chambers Review
5 King's Bench Walk is recognised for the quality of its offering, having "really great barristers and really strong junior juniors" in financial crime. Sources describe the set's members as "specialists, whose diligent preparation is exemplary." Representing both prosecution and defence, the set is routinely instructed by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the Crown Prosecution Service and the Financial Conduct Authority, as well as on behalf of individuals and corporations facing allegations of financial wrongdoing. Members cover the full range of financial offences from fraudulent trading to tax evasion and bribery and corruption, including large-scale and international mandates. A recent example of such work includes members acting on behalf of the SFO as lead counsel investigating and prosecuting GPT in relation to corruption arising from military equipment contracts agreed with the National Guard of Saudi Arabia.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"First junior clerk Matthew Harper is very proactive and engaging. He's very good."
"Senior clerk Lee Hughes-Gage is the most straightforward clerk. He is no-nonsense and a pleasure to work with."
"First junior clerk Matthew Harper is very proactive and engaging. He's very good."
"Senior clerk Lee Hughes-Gage is the most straightforward clerk. He is no-nonsense and a pleasure to work with."
Notable Practitioners
Mark Heywood KC is a former First Senior Treasury Counsel and is regularly called upon to handle complex criminal cases. He has considerable experience handling litigation involving the Serious Fraud Office and the Financial Services Authority.
"Mark has a formidable reputation for being right, so people listen to him."
"Mark is a class act."
"Mark knows everything on the law and is very relaxed and straightforward in his style. His client care is impeccable and he is very clear, concise and direct in his advice."
Natasha Wong KC is a highly diligent silk who exhibits clear communication skills and has great sensitivity to client concerns. High-value money laundering, rate rigging and tax fraud matters feature in her caseload. She is noted for her experience handling matters for financial services clients.
"Natasha Wong is very empathetic with clients and understands the different pressures. She gives a clear, strategic view on how the case should progress."
Kathryn Arnot Drummond is regularly instructed in complex and high-value fraud and money laundering cases. She is noted her expert representation of both individual and corporate clients in investigations brought by the Serious Fraud Office, the Financial Conduct Authority and HMRC, and is well versed in cases involving parallel foreign proceedings.
"She is very good and knows her stuff. She is really user-friendly and nice to deal with."
"Kathryn is a great junior, with a strong background in non-financial crime, which is incredibly useful when advising on financial crime-related matters."
"Kathryn is excellent and a very assured practitioner."
Rupert Kent is a talented advocate for both the defence and prosecution of financial crime, with experience acting in a range of fraud, money laundering, insider trading and asset restraint work. He is also a Grade 4 Crown Prosecution Service Fraud Specialist Advocate Panel member as well as a Serious Fraud Office B Panel member.
"Rupert Kent has a real trust with the jury. He quickly builds up and establishes command of the case so that they can trust his submissions."
"Rupert is a very confident prosecutor."