Richard Sallybanks

Richard Sallybanks, a partner in BCL for over 20 years and now the firm’s Managing Partner, specialises in complex business crime and regulatory defence work. Clients describe him as “very wise, with a cool head, an enormous ability to master the detail of a case and a great tactical brain, an invaluable asset to any defence”.

He has been involved in numerous UK and international business crime investigations and prosecutions. His core practice is defending senior executives who are suspects in investigations, and his current and recent SFO experience includes the Petrofac, Airbus, G4S, Barclays Qatar, Alstom and Kaupthing Bank investigations as well as leading the team which secured the acquittal at trial of Tesco’s former Commercial Director on charges involving an alleged £250m accounting fraud. In the financial sector he has acted for investors, bankers, brokers, traders and senior executives in criminal and regulatory investigations, by the FCA and overseas authorities, including in relation to allegations of money laundering, insider dealing and market abuse. He also advises companies and individuals in their capacity as witnesses to matters under investigation, including responding to request for documentation production and attendance at interviews.

Many of his cases are cross-border and Richard is experienced in managing and co-ordinating teams of lawyers in multi-jurisdictional investigations, including the US, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Russia and India. Many of his clients are High Net Worth Individuals / International Private Clients who Richard advises in connection with the implications of overseas criminal investigations, including the mutual legal assistance regime, asset freezing, extradition and Interpol.

Richard is ranked by Chambers UK in: Financial Crime: Individuals – London (Band 1); Financial Crime: High Net Worth Individuals – UK (Band 1); and POCA work and Asset Forfeiture (Band 1):

"Richard is a superb solicitor," say his clients. "He's very calm and you get a real sense that everything is under control and they can stop panicking. He has a very serious understanding of the law and the client."

"He has an unusual background in both commercial law and serious crime, so if you need a solicitor to act in an SFO corporate crime raid, he is your man; he knows everything about companies and everything about criminal cases…"

“He’s thoughtful, exceptionally intelligent and he has a forensic eye for detail without losing the bigger picture……He’s strategically extremely astute, he has great judgment under pressure and he’s also very commercially savvy.”

Qualified at McKenna & Co (now CMS), joined BCL Solicitors in 1995 and became a partner in 1999.

The Law Society; International Bar Association; American Bar Association; Association of Regulatory & Disciplinary Lawyers; British Russian Law Association; Fraud Lawyers Association.