James Waddington KC

Practice Areas

Commercial & Tax

Asset Recovery, Restraint & Confiscation

Career

For the last 25 years, James has mainly practised in the fields of Commercial and Tax Fraud. He is also experienced in the related proceedings of Restraint of Assets and Proceeds of Crime. His cases involve serious, complex and high-profile tax and white-collar corporate fraud, often with a substantial international element.

James has been described as a “masterful” and “fearless” advocate who is “terrific to work with”.

James was instructed by the SFO in R-v-Palombo, a case relating to the Euribor and Libor benchmark interest rate trials and appeals, and in 2023, in R-v-Osmond, which secured the first conviction in a case brought by the SFO for Tipping Off in the Regulated Sector. In 2024 James also prosecuted a corporate bribery case (R-v-Churchill Contractors Ltd. and others) where the company and one of its directors were convicted. James was also instructed in a confiscation case where the identified assets amounted to £73 million and the fraud concerned a loss of £200 million. He represented four non-executive directors in connection with an SFO investigation and related civil proceedings.

He is a keen cricketer, playing for - among other teams - the Bar of England and Wales Cricket Club.

Professional Memberships

South Eastern Circuit

Criminal Bar Association

Fraud Lawyers Association