Stokoe Partnership Solicitors

Number of partners: 5 (London); 1 (Manchester)
Number of lawyers: 19 (14 fee earners, 4 consultants; and 1 trainee)
Languages: English, Greek, Portuguese, Punjabi, Urdu and German

FIRM OVERVIEW:
Stokoe Partnership Solicitors is a leading litigation criminal defence & civil litigation practice. Since its inception in 1994, Stokoe Partnership Solicitors has evolved into a highly regarded boutique law firm with offices in London and Manchester, specialising in representing individuals in high profile, serious and complex criminal, civil and regulatory cases.

The firm has a hard earned reputation for being fearless in its pursuit of the best possible outcomes for its clients and always stands ready to challenge abuses of power when they arise.

The firm prides itself on its uncompromising commitment to its clients - who can be assured of a partner led approach to the serious issues they face. Its clients are often presented with fighting fires on multiple fronts including criminal, civil and regulatory sometimes alongside media and reputational concerns. The firm is always ready to assist clients in rigorously pursuing all potential avenues of challenges and appeals that arise in their cases.

Stokoe Partnership Solicitors have the expertise, experience and resources to handle these challenges to the highest standards for its clients. The firm can draw upon resources from trusted partners in areas such as cyber intelligence and media relations to provide clients with a fully integrated response to suit their particular needs.

Stokoe Partnership Solicitors handles a broad range of serious and complex criminal defence cases, including white collar and financial crime, large scale serious and organised crime, proceeds of crime related work and extradition. At any one time the firm is instructed in some of the most high-profile and important current cases.

In addition to its criminal practice, Stokoe Partnership Solicitors has an experienced civil litigation team focusing on High Court litigation in the Business and Property Courts, the Commercial Court, the King's Bench Division and international arbitrations. The areas of law are heavy commercial litigation, insolvency, contested probate, trust and property litigation, civil fraud, POCA work and asset forfeiture, company and partnership, landlord and tenant.

The firm has close working relationships with several leading sets of chambers and is able to apply for, and respond to, applications for injunctive relief at short notice.

The firm also acts in licensing and regulatory matters for both individuals and companies as well as professional discipline matters including fitness to practice hearings and ancillary investigations.

MAIN AREAS OF PRACTICE: 

Serious and Organised Crime:
The firm is regularly instructed in some of the most serious criminal cases in the country. This work includes drugs importation and distribution, murder and serious sexual offences.

Recent and current highlights include:

• Numerous large scale cases involving possession of criminal property and conspiracy to supply drugs. Cases often involve covert surveillance and police hacking of the popular military grade encrypted Encro phone which have been attribute to the Defendant/s.
• Represented a defendant charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs, the largest ever seizure by GMP at the time
• A Defendant who, along with multiple co-accused, is accused of a lengthy and large-scale conspiracy to supply class A drugs. Alleges the supply of up to approximately one thousand kilos of cocaine. The case raises numerous disclosure issues and questions relating to the behaviour and investigation by the police.

White-collar and Financial Crime:
The firm has an increasingly strong reputation in this sector, being regularly instructed in cases of serious fraud and corruption and bribery.

The firm is well used to dealing with HNW individuals, senior executives, entrepreneurs and professional advisers under investigation by the SFO, HMRC, FCA or the NCA.

These cases often involve an international dimension and we have close ties with lawyers overseas to provide a global approach to a client's defence.

Recent and current highlights include:

• Instructed in more than one case of alleged bribery in the UK construction and demolition industries.
• Representing an individual being Investigated by the SFO and DOJ in respect of corruption and bribery allegations in South America.
• A multi-handed fraud against a large nationally renowned PLC, which is currently listed for trial
• The firm acts for a key defendant in an alleged £236 million ‘Ponzi’ scheme raising monies through issuing mini-bonds to members of the public. The case involves investigations by the SFO and FCA, together with multi headed civil proceedings
• The firm represents an individual who is one of a number of persons subject to a joint investigation by the SFO and FCA in relation to an alleged fraud involving losses totalling £278 million
• Advising an individual in respect of Operation Tabernula. The Operation has been described as the UK’s largest insider dealing investigation to date and is reflective of the FCA’s focus on taking aggressive action against insider dealing
• The firm represented two clients convicted of a £245 million bribery and corruption scheme at HBOS. The investigation and trial have taken approximately 7 years and the case is now subject to a further enquiry by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Extradition:
The firm has extensive expertise and experience in high-profile extradition cases and works closely with the leading Counsel in this field.

Current and recent highlights include:

• Representing a UK national whose extradition is sought to the US on high-profile allegations of Insider Dealing.
• Representing a UK national whose extradition is sought to the US who faces charges relating to alleged hacking and theft of crypto currency which was recently valued at $50m.
• Representing a successful businessman and political dissident facing extradition to Montenegro.

HMRC and Company Investigations:
The firm is often instructed in complex and high value tax and company investigations.

Recent and current highlights include:

• Representing a former local government CEO in an investigation concerning £multimillion financial irregularities and misfeasance in public office
• Represented an individual charged with fraudulent trading over a number of years, together with various trading standards offences
• Represented a defendant accused along with multiple co-accused of the fraudulent evasion of VAT on diesel fuel totalling over half a million pounds. Brought by HM Revenue and Customs. A sophisticated operation involving the production, distribution and onward sale of the illegal fuel
• Represented Defendant who together with six co-defendants are accused on a multi-count indictment of fraudulent trading involving three companies. The total credit fraudulently obtained is in the region of £750,000. The prosecution is being brought by the Insolvency Service

Civil Litigation: 

• Two conjoined actions in which the firm act for the claimants, currently imprisoned in the UAE, who are each seeking over £10,000,000 in damages from an international firm of solicitors and named partners. The action is set down for a 55 day trial with a week being held in Dubai. The claimant’s costs budgets in each case exceed £7,000,000.
• Representing two defendants in a claim for £176,000,000 in the Business and Property Courts with costs budget over £2,000,000.
• The firm is the claimant in a claim against private individuals and an international firm of solicitors for breach of confidence and Norwich Pharmacal orders. The trial is set down for 10 days with costs budget in excess of £1,800,000. The Court of Appeal has already ruled on an interim application to cross examine the defendants prior to trial.
• Defending an unfair influence claim by mother against son, over £2,000,000 in assets, court representation being conducted in house.
• Defending a complex commercial claim involving injunctive relief, derivative action and intervening insolvency with 27 SPVs with a value over £5,000,000.
• Acting for a claimant in a claim over £5,000,000 for breach of trust and breach of obligations under a deed.
• Acting for a claimant in an unfair prejudice petition with company assets of £1,000,000.
• Acting for a claimant against a company, individuals and a solicitor for £4,000,000 including alleging using a forged signature.
• Acting for a claimant in an application to commit the defendant for contempt court for using forged documents.

POCA Work and Asset Forfeiture:
The firm offers specialist advice and representation in respect of all areas of work arising from the Proceeds of Crime Act including:

• Advice to companies and Individuals on AML and compliance Issues
• Property/cash detention and forfeiture proceedings In the Magistrates Court
• Restraint and confiscations proceedings In the Crown Court
• Property Freezing Orders, Civil Recovery Orders and Unexplained Wealth Orders in the High Court

Current and recent highlights include:  

• Represented a Limited company and its officers for Town and Country Planning Act breaches resulting in a £16 million benefit figure, which, following investigations in the UK and abroad, was ultimately settled resulting in a Confiscation Order of £250,000
• The firm successfully represented 4 defendants said to have been part of an Organised Crime Group (“OCG”) involved in large scale money laundering. It is said the OCG are responsible for concealing and transferring hundreds of millions of pounds out of the UK to the EU, Dubai and Ukraine and Russia. All 4 defendants were unanimously acquitted of conspiring to launder the proceeds of crime
• Represented an individual with a £28 million benefit figure and an available amount in excess of £1 million, who, following extensive liaison with a Court appointed Management Receiver, and detailed investigation and preparatory work by the defence, settled with a Confiscation Order of only £36,000
• Represented an individual in a prosecution application pursuant to section 22 of POCA resulting in a favourable outcome for the Defendant
• Representing in an ongoing Confiscation matter. The prosecution seeks benefit figure of £41,204,288.44. The Defendant was convicted in 2010 of 13 counts of money-laundering and other offences linked to his role in the case of James Ibori, who was governor of Delta State in southern Nigeria from 1999 to 2007
• Representing a defendant in a High Court Civil Recovery Matter. The NCA obtained a Disclosure Order pursuant to s.357 of POCA and a Property Freezing Order pursuant to s.245A of POCA over 44 properties and numerous bank accounts of the defendant. The value of the NCA claim is £20 million
• Representing defendants who are named third parties in receivership proceedings in the High Court. Both of their properties were listed on a Confiscation Order of a Defendant who was originally convicted of fraud and subsequently