Department profile
Matrix Chambers

Financial Crime: Corporates

UK Bar Guide 2026 : London (Bar)

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Matrix Chambers

Rankings

Chambers Review

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Financial Crime: Corporates - London (Bar)

Band 1

What the Team is Known For

Matrix Chambers is well regarded for its handling of complex financial crime cases and is routinely instructed to act on behalf both of major corporations and individual clients, including several bankers, directors, politicians and high net worth individuals. Members are noted for their expertise in international cases and are active across multiple jurisdictions such as Hong Kong and ones in the Middle East and the Caribbean. Areas of significant strength for the team include Serious Fraud Office, Financial Conduct Authority and Department of Justice investigations, as well as advisory work concerning politically motivated charges and bribery compliance regimes. Clients recognise the set for providing "great legal analysis coupled with pragmatic commercial advice." Recent work from the set has included involvement in the SFO prosecution of Petrofac regarding a multi-million pound bribery.

Paul Venables is senior practice manager.

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Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • Matrix has a great clerking team.

    Financial Crime: Corporates respondentUK Bar

  • The clerks are very approachable, reasonable and practical. They are also proactive in reaching out to us.

    Financial Crime: Corporates respondentUK Bar

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

  • Clare Montgomery
    Clare Montgomery

    Clare Montgomery

    Clare Montgomery KC is a widely acclaimed, top-drawer silk whose talents are in considerable demand both at home and abroad. She acts for individuals and corporations, and is an elite practitioner whose advocacy skills are employed to great effect in appellate cases. Her practice has an international range and she has particular expertise in handling Hong Kong's most high-profile financial crime matters. She is routinely called upon for her ability to handle the most complex fraud cases.

    • Clare is brilliant in all respects.

      Financial Crime: Corporates respondentUK Bar

    • Clare is absolutely stellar and continues to be right at the top of the practice.

      Financial Crime: Corporates respondentUK Bar

    • Clare is a phenomenal practitioner.

      Financial Crime: Corporates respondentUK Bar
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  • Adrian Waterman
    Adrian Waterman

    Adrian Waterman

    Adrian Waterman KC is a criminal silk with an established focus on financial crime cases. He is acknowledged for his expertise in all manner of business-related crimes, including bribery and fraud cases.

    • Adrian is a phenomenal jury advocate. He is passionate and picks all the best points he could make and his humanity comes through.

      Financial Crime: Corporates respondentUK Bar
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  • Alex Bailin
    Alex Bailin

    Alex Bailin

    Alex Bailin KC is a popular choice of adviser for financial market-related matters, who is no stranger to finance, having had a career in derivatives trading before coming to the Bar. He is applauded for being quick to grasp the facts at hand as well as for his winning interpersonal skills with solicitors and lay clients. He has considerable experience of representing blue-chip clients in rate manipulation and corruption matters.

    • Alex is great. He is the most responsive professional, he is so reliable.

      Financial Crime: Corporates respondentUK Bar

    • Alex is brilliant on complex regulatory matters regarding financial crime. He has a brilliant ability to grasp complex matters.

      Financial Crime: Corporates respondentUK Bar

    • Alex is a very savvy operator and good with clients.

      Financial Crime: Corporates respondentUK Bar
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  • Nichola Higgins
    Nichola Higgins

    Nichola Higgins

    Nichola Higgins has an impressive corporate client base and a strong record of acting in high-stakes corruption matters. She is also experienced in significant bribery matters. Higgins is capable of handling government and internal investigations alike, including those with a multi-jurisdictional reach.

    • Nicola is very good at managing high net worth clients. She is an excellent lawyer, creative and strategic.

      Financial Crime: Corporates respondentUK Bar

    • Nichola is extremely hard-working and has an excellent legal mind.

      Financial Crime: Corporates respondentUK Bar

    • She is a formidable opponent and fights very strongly for her clients.

      Financial Crime: Corporates respondentUK Bar
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  • Tim Owen
    Tim Owen

    Tim Owen

    Tim Owen KC has an impressively broad practice ‒ of which financial crime is just one strand. He is particularly good at advising listed companies on potential bribery charges and is also valued for his AML expertise. His practice has a notable global reach, as evidenced by his experience in fraud and extradition matters in jurisdictions including Hong Kong and the Turks & Caicos Islands.

    • He is very good and lovely to work with.

      Financial Crime: Corporates respondentUK Bar

    • His advocacy is very strong. He is simply the best.

      Financial Crime: Corporates respondentUK Bar
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  • Richard Whittam
    Richard Whittam

    Richard Whittam

    Richard Whittam KC is a distinguished former First Senior Treasury Counsel with extensive experience in criminal cases. He is noted for his expertise in defending and prosecuting fraud, bribery and corruption cases. He is also a popular choice for private prosecutions.

    • Richard is a very impressive silk who has great client care and great insight into the case.

      Financial Crime: Corporates respondentUK Bar

    • Richard is a real gentleman. He is incredibly bright and a persuasive advocate. He is always available to bounce ideas around which is refreshing in a silk.

      Financial Crime: Corporates respondentUK Bar

    • Richard is great. Juries and judges love him. He is very practical and makes very complicated matters seem very straightforward.

      Financial Crime: Corporates respondentUK Bar
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  • Vedrana Pehar
    Vedrana Pehar

    Vedrana Pehar

    Vedrana Pehar is recognised for her expertise in significant financial crime cases and has a strong track record in fraud, money laundering and corruption cases. She offers particular experience in cases with sanction issues and multi-jurisdictional matters.

    • Vedrana is super bright, so engaged with clients, very hard-working and committed.

      Financial Crime: Corporates respondentUK Bar

    • Vedrana is very good with clients, her judgement is really spot on and she works really hard.

      Financial Crime: Corporates respondentUK Bar
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  • Jamas Hodivala
    Jamas Hodivala

    Jamas Hodivala

    Jamas Hodivala KC is recognised in the market for his wealth of experience acting in large financial crime investigations and prosecutions. He is well placed to handle matters involving allegations of fraud, bribery, corruption and money laundering.

    • Jamas is fantastic at the intersection between public law and criminal law.

      Financial Crime: Corporates respondentUK Bar

    • Jamas is very impressive.

      Financial Crime: Corporates respondentUK Bar
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Ranked Barristers at Matrix Chambers (13)

London (Bar)

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