Bark&co

Senior Partner:Giles Bark-Jones

Number of Partners:1

Number of Assistant Solicitors & other Fee-earners:30

THE FIRM 

Bark&co is among the UK’s most progressive and successful fraud and business crime firms. A member of the Specialist Fraud Panel, it handles civil and criminal fraud, business and tax regulation, tax investigations, white-collar crime, bribery and corruption, and serious crime cases for high-net-worth individuals, as well as national and international companies. The firm tailors its advice to meet each client’s needs, and its commitment to quality and discretion is widely recognised and generates significant referrals. The firm also appreciates the importance of working with specialists to create robust PR and media management plans.

AREAS OF PRACTICE: 

White-collar Crime/Fraud:45%

Corporate Crime & Investigations:5%

Tax:10%

Fraud Civil:10%

POCA Work & Asset Forfeiture:5%

General Crime:20%

Property Litigation:5%

CONTACTS 

White-collar Crime/Fraud:Giles Bark-Jones

Corporate Crime & Investigations:Giles Bark-Jones

Tax:Giles Bark-Jones

Fraud Civil:Riz Majid

POCA Work & Asset Forfeiture:Giles Bark-Jones

General Crime:Giles Bark-Jones

Property Litigation:Riz Majid

Main Areas of Practice

Corporate & Commercial Fraud: 

Bark&co handles wide-ranging white-collar crime and fraud cases, including prosecutions and investigations brought by the SFO, the FCA, HMRC, the special compliance office of the Inland Revenue, the CPS, the NCA, SOCA and other prosecuting bodies. Specialists in heavyweight criminal fraud work of all kinds, Bark&co’s advice is increasingly also sought in major civil fraud cases. Acknowledged as a leader in the field, the firm has helped clients in connection with many of the highest-profile prosecutions brought by the SFO and other agencies. Its recent record includes representing some 55 clients at Southwark Crown Court (over the past year, or awaiting trial) as well as acting in a succession of large-scale FCA investigations and prosecutions.

The firm has acted for individuals in many of the largest and most important frauds of recent years, such as the Cheney Pension fraud; the high-profile Asil Nadir case (an SFO prosecution involving allegations of theft from Polly Peck International – including acting for Ersin Tatar in connection thereto); the US$1bn BAE Systems corruption claims; and the Adoboli case. The firm also acted for an individual in relation to the SFO’s bribery and corruption investigation into Amec Foster Wheeler; acted for a defendant in the SFO prosecution following the Libor scandal; represented key individuals in the high-profile SFO investigations into alleged corruption at Rolls-Royce; and acted inR v F & Others, the major carbon trading fraud case. More recently it acted for Boris Becker in relation to criminal charges brought by the Insolvency Service following his bankruptcy.The firm also won, in 2022,a landmark victory in the Supreme Court for a high-net-worth client, concerning the extent to which suspects of crime are entitled to privacy.

The firm’s civil fraud, VAT and indirect tax practice has grown rapidly in recent years. Much of its work in this area is highly confidential, but recent highlights include representing Dominic Chappell in relation to his prosecution for various counts of tax fraud arising from his takeover of BHS from Sir Philip Green; assisting a client in relation to National Crime Agency and SKAT investigations into a multi-jurisdictional £1.5bn tax fraud; acting in a substantial MTIC fraud case allegedly involving an Organised Crime Group; andacting for an individual charged in relation to an alleged alcohol diversion fraud operated on a massive scale in 2009/10.The firm’s track record also includes acting in relation to an £800m international tax fraud, and assisting a client in a £108m case arising out of Operation Amazon, reportedly ‘one of the biggest direct tax frauds in UK history’.

Criminal: 

Bark&co continues to act in large, high-profile criminal cases, following arrests for murder, money laundering, drugs importation, sexual offences, people smuggling, and firearms and terrorism offences. It focuses on high-end work, much of it with an international dimension. The firm is also active in the fast-growing area of cyber crime, and advises individuals and companies facing investigations or criminal proceedings as a result of health and safety and environmental breaches.

High-profile recent examples includetheNews of the World‘phone hacking’ prosecution and subsequent computer hacking investigations; the Melanie Hall historical murder case; the Clerkenwell ‘crime syndicate’ case; the Operation Yewtree investigation; the landmark Agnes Taylor case (the largest criminal case of its time); and the UK’s largest ever burglary case. It was recently successful in securing seven murder acquittals, and alsosuccessfully acted in a high-value theft case concerning an alleged conspiracy involving the acquisition of stolen car parts for international exportation on an industrial scale;secured an acquittal in a multi-defendant ‘county lines’ drugs and modern slavery case; andacted for a high-profile individual under investigation for alleged historic sexual offences. While the firm is well known for its discretion, Bark&co’s services are also sought after in cutting-edge matters in the public eye.

International: 

Bark&co’s work frequently extends overseas with specialist teams deployed for cases with a multi-jurisdictional element. Its international credentials are demonstrated by its involvement inMarrache & Co(the Gibraltar / international law firm fraud case).