Thomas Cattee

Practice Areas

Tom leads the White Collar Crime team at Gherson, advising individuals and corporates in high-profile, multi-agency domestic and multi-jurisdictional proceedings, including regulatory investigations and enforcement actions. He regularly acts in matters involving allegations of complex financial crime, bribery and corruption and money laundering.

Tom joined Gherson in 2021 from the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), where he worked on some of the UK’s most significant financial crime investigations. He initially acted as disclosure counsel on the LIBOR investigations and the Barclays Qatar case, before moving into a prosecution role leading key aspects of international fraud investigations. His work included advising on interviews, searches, extradition matters and Mutual Legal Assistance.

Tom has a particular focus on extradition, Mutual Legal Assistance and INTERPOL matters, advising clients on cross-border proceedings and representing individuals in relation to INTERPOL Red Notices and related data protection issues. His experience includes advising on property freezing orders, account freezing orders and other asset restraint measures, as well as acting in cases involving Unexplained Wealth Orders.

He also advises on cryptocurrency-related disputes and on financial regulation and compliance issues arising from blockchain technology, digital currencies and crypto-assets.

Professional Memberships

Fraud Lawyers Association

Defence Extradition Lawyers Forum

Publications

"Legal Developments in the seizure and recovery of cryptoassets", Thomson Reuters Practical Law

Tom assisted in drafting the SFO’s Operational Handbook DPA section.

Experience

While working with the SFO, leading significant aspects of the multi-jurisdictional investigations and negotiations resulting in the Airbus SE Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA), the world’s largest global settlement for bribery and corruption. This work was undertaken in collaboration with overseas prosecuting agencies, including the US Department of Justice and French Parquet Nationale Financier.

Advising individuals regarding INTERPOL Red Notices and data protection issues and making representations to INTERPOL in a variety of circumstances.

Advising a company responding to a request under data protection law and a Crown Court production order.

Advising in relation to a SFO UK property freezing order against the backdrop of a complex multi-jurisdictional case concerning allegations of bribery and corruption.

Being a core member of the team advising on the UK’s first Unexplained Wealth Order.

Advising in relation to litigation in a multi-jurisdictional cryptocurrency-related dispute.

Advising on anti-money laundering compliance procedures, including in relation to crypto-assets and non-fungible tokens.

Advising numerous individuals on frozen bank accounts and account freezing orders.

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Admitted as a Solicitor in England and Wales: 2011