Rahman Ravelli

With a market-leading presence in the City of London, bases across the UK and Europe and a worldwide network of legal experts, Rahman Ravelli is a leader in multinational and multijurisdictional serious and corporate fraud, white-collar crime, bribery and corruption, regulatory matters, complex crime, civil recovery and commercial litigation.

Rahman Ravelli has grown rapidly and provides strategic advice to corporations, governments and other organisations, senior business figures, professionals and high net worth individuals. All matters are handled directly by a partner of the firm. As a conflict-free, boutique practice offering top-tier legal services, Rahman Ravelli is regularly engaged by other law firms to provide independent advice to senior executives and to handle discrete legal matters in jurisdictions around the world.

The firm: Since it was established in 2001, the practice has built an enviable reputation in the sectors it operates in. It has earned a strong national and international presence by defending the most significant, high-profile, multi-jurisdictional and multi-agency cases robustly and effectively and by managing high-stakes commercial litigation to obtain the best possible outcome. Its caseload here and abroad grows annually.

Its recent work includes some of the largest and most high-profile global corruption investigations, deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) negotiations and cross-border investment fraud cases. It has become increasingly popular with corporates and senior executives looking to investigate and self-report wrongdoing in order to achieve a civil, rather than a criminal, solution to a problem. The firm is also utilised by corporates and high net worth individuals for its investigative and legal expertise in international and multi-jurisdictional asset tracing and recovery work.

Its heightened worldwide presence has led to a rising cross-border investigation workload. The firm is at the forefront of cases linked to investigations into the share selling practice known as Cum-Ex.

Rahman Ravelli is being increasingly called upon to advise global companies and financial institutions regarding sanctions compliance, and to act in significant, complex sanctions cases and related litigation. It is also in great demand to conduct private prosecutions for UK and international clients.

The firm is now at the cutting edge of cryptocurrency, having represented clients in a number of cases that have shaped the law in this area. Rahman Ravelli lawyers are also being sought to advise and represent major institutions in relation to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.

Rahman Ravelli’s track record of success, ability to recruit top-ranking lawyers, expertise and attention to detail have led to it being recommended to others by past and present clients, other law firms and professionals. Its strong, innovative and robust, proactive approach coupled with its network of worldwide experts has attracted clients from all over the world who need to resolve bribery and corruption allegations, corporate matters, tax investigations and regulatory issues. The firm is available around the clock and anywhere in the world to discuss its core specialisms of serious fraud, serious and white-collar crime, bribery and corruption and civil recovery, as well as defence against actions brought by regulatory bodies.

Types of work undertaken: The firm is known for its tenacious defence of clients’ interests in the face of attacks by governments and agencies. It regularly challenges allegations made by bodies such as the SFO, NCA, FCA and City of London Police and international organisations such as Interpol, FBI, OLAF and the SEC.

Fraud: Rahman Ravelli’s serious fraud expertise includes commercial fraud and business crime defence services, and all aspects of major tax fraud, international corruption and money laundering. SFO prosecutions are a speciality, with acquittals achieved in the UK’s largest-ever investment fraud trial and many other large-scale, high-profile cases. The firm regularly manages the most complex multinational and multijurisdictional fraud cases, including investigations involving multilateral development banks (MDBs), and the biggest investment fraud investigations conducted by the Financial Conduct Authority and HM Revenue and Customs. Rahman Ravelli is also heavily involved in investigations into the share-selling practice Cum-Ex.

Sanctions: Rahman Ravelli has represented major financial institutions, corporates and senior business figures from a wide range of business sectors in the highest-level sanctions cases and related litigation. It handles all aspects of sanctions, including challenging a sanctions regime’s targeting of an individual or organisation and making licence applications to the relevant authorities to release frozen funds or assets for designated persons or entities. Recently, the firm has been particularly busy advising companies and individuals on how sanctions imposed on Russia may affect their activities.

Regulatory: The firm’s regulatory department handles national and international cases; representing professionals and advising companies, including PLC’s, on corporate risk. Its serious crime expertise includes experience of complex, large-scale conspiracy allegations. The firm has developed specialist knowledge in tackling covert policing evidence relating to the right to privacy; including directed and intrusive surveillance, covert human intelligence sources and entrapment issues – techniques increasingly adopted by investigative bodies. The practice has experience in the fields of abuse of process and public interest immunity. Its case of R v H and C established the law in this area in the House of Lords in 2004. The case is the leading authority on disclosure and brought about a sweeping change regarding prosecution obligations on disclosure – an area where the firm excels.

Bribery/corruption: Rahman Ravelli works on bribery and corruption cases here and overseas that routinely involve billions of dollars, governments and companies of all sizes and from all industry sectors. It advises international companies regarding compliance and internal investigations. The firm’s client list includes corporates and professionals from all sectors, senior officials, high-net-worth individuals and members of the public being investigated by one or more agencies. Its caseload also sees it representing the likes of lawyers, IFA’s, accountants, surveyors and bankers, as well as those working in the health and education sectors, charities, the royal household, forex, pensions, mining and environmental schemes, motor transport and real estate. Its most recent work in this field has included extensive involvement in a number of huge, long-running investigations into major companies in the oil, gas and other natural resources sectors.

Civil recovery: Rahman Ravelli’s expertise includes national and international cases involving the NCA, SFO, HMRC, CPS and other agencies. It was the first firm to take a civil recovery case to the Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights to protect clients’ assets – a case that defined important civil recovery issues – and manages cases involving unexplained wealth orders.

Commercial litigation including civil fraud:  Rahman Ravelli regularly and aggressively challenges worldwide freezing orders, defends multijurisdictional actions and pursues corporate wrongdoing. The firm is adept at bringing civil fraud proceedings and conducting asset tracing and recovery actions for clients globally. Its acknowledged global asset tracing and recovery skills are repeatedly used by corporates and high net worth individuals. It is also at the forefront of cryptocurrency, having represented clients in a number of cases that have shaped the law in this area.