Rahman Ravelli

rahmanravelli.co.uk

Angelika Hellweger

Angelika Hellweger is a legal director at Rahman Ravelli. A dual-qualified Austrian counsel and English solicitor, she is a specialist in international, high-level economic crime investigations and large-scale commercial disputes. As a multilingual lawyer, she has widely-recognised expertise in representing corporates and conglomerates in major projects and legal matters across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and United States. Her caseload has seen her advise clients ranging from international banks through to aerospace, steel, security and defence companies on matters involving bribery and corruption, fraud and other high-stakes, cross-border issues. She also advises corporates on regulatory and compliance matters. Her ability to work in many parts of the world and her network of international counterparts mean she is regularly sought by clients from around the globe to manage offensive asset tracing and recovery litigation. She also works in Rahman Ravelli’s highly-regarded cryptocurrency team and on sanctions cases. Her work on cases involving environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues has seen her become one of the lawyers at the forefront of this developing area.

Aziz Rahman

As founder and senior partner at Rahman Ravelli, Aziz Rahman orchestrates the firm’s ever-increasing national and international caseload and has a client list that includes some of the most high-profile corporations, professionals and high net worth individuals. His flair for co-ordinating defences in national, international and multi-agency investigations has led to success in some of the century’s most significant white-collar crime cases. He is known for his expertise in serious and corporate fraud, complex crime, sanctions, bribery and corruption and compliance and regulatory matters. His current workload includes the most notable global corruption investigations, high-value cross-border frauds, major sanctions proceedings and DPA negotiations. Aziz also advises corporates and senior business and world figures on sanctions matters, heavyweight cross-border commercial disputes, high-value asset recovery proceedings and top-level international arbitration cases involving corporate wrongdoing allegations. He is also known for being a solicitor with an ability to identify and become involved in the emerging international issues as they arise. These have included Ponzi fraud, Libor, Forex, Cum-Ex and cryptocurrency. He has a growing list of national and international clients who want him to carry out internal corporate investigations to identify wrongdoing and self-report it in order to achieve a civil, rather than criminal, resolution.

Francesca Cassidy-Taylor

Francesca Cassidy-Taylor, a senior associate at Rahman Ravelli, has a track record that includes many of the largest and most notable multinational cases. Her workload has included a number of the most significant Serious Fraud Office investigations, including some of the biggest bribery, cross-border and carbon credit tax fraud cases. Her ability to identify and navigate the best route in a criminal investigation has led to her being the first choice of many high net worth individuals, senior business figures and professionals in cases where reputations are at stake. She is also sought for compliance advice. Francesca was involved in the UK’s biggest phone hacking investigations - Operations Weeting, Elveden and Tuleta – and has represented clients in high-profile extradition proceedings. She has particular expertise in proceeds of crime matters, including law enforcement applications that seek to freeze or seize assets.

Matthew Cowie

Matthew Cowie is a partner at Rahman Ravelli with a track record in high-profile, groundbreaking cases and in representing major corporates and senior executives in government-facing investigations and litigation. Matthew acts for clients in corporate investigations, settlements and contested proceedings, providing legal advice and managing fact investigations, plea discussions and trials. He has extensive experience of deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) and investigations involving worldwide regulators. His expertise in bribery and corruption, fraud, insider dealing, money laundering, sanctions and accounting irregularities means that he is called on by corporates to advise and represent them at all stages of an investigation. He regularly advises corporates on compliance best practice. Between 2016 and 2021, acting for Airbus, Matthew was a lead partner in the market-leading global corruption settlement that saw the company reaching coordinated settlements with the UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the French Parquet National Financier, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and US Department of State. His other high-stakes defence cases include Afren plc, Alstom, Amec Foster Wheeler, GPT and GSK. As a lead prosecutor at the SFO, he led cases that have helped shape how the UK investigates and prosecutes international corruption.

Niall Hearty

Niall Hearty is a partner at Rahman Ravelli. His in-depth corporate crime expertise and experience of leading complex multi-jurisdictional white-collar crime investigations around the globe mean he is in regular demand from corporates and individuals. Senior business figures, high net worth individuals and CEOs also seek him for cases that involve reputational issues regarding allegations. Niall's caseload at any time will involve a range of high-profile, high-stakes cases. He has extensive experience of the full range of major fraud cases and bribery and corruption, money laundering and proceeds of crime investigations. He defends executives of companies under investigation by the SFO, FCA, HMRC, NCA and other agencies here and abroad.

Nicola Sharp

Nicola Sharp is a partner at Rahman Ravelli. She is known for her successes in cases involving private prosecutions, civil asset recovery, financial disputes and business crime. Her expertise in DPA negotiations, devising preventative measures and conducting internal investigations means that national and international corporations regularly seek her services. Nicola manages multinational investigations into cross-border investment frauds and leads the defence of corporate clients in enforcement actions brought by the SFO, FCA and European bodies; including European Commission anti-fraud regulator, OLAF. She also leads multi-agency, international corporate crime cases; including many involving bribery and corruption and money laundering.

Syed Rahman

Syed Rahman is a partner at Rahman Ravelli and is recognised as a leading figure in multinational matters such as asset recovery, civil litigation (including litigation involving cryptocurrencies), criminal defence and corporate fraud. He is sought by ultra-high net worth individuals and companies who depend on him to solve complex, multijurisdictional problems. He has secured a number of notable legal firsts in developing cross-border areas such as cryptocurrency fraud and Cum-Ex. His expanding global caseload includes major fraud prosecutions – including the largest investment and pension liberation frauds – and conducting internal fraud investigations for corporates. Syed is heavily involved in numerous significant, complex sanctions cases and related litigation, and is adept at challenging sanctions designations. His notable successes in high-level financial disputes have led to him earning an impressive reputation in the field of commercial litigation. Syed has also been in increasing demand for cases involving regulation and litigation regarding SPACs (special purpose acquisition companies). He was lead solicitor on a £500 million-plus SFO global bribery and corruption investigation linked to ENRC; in which he managed deferred prosecution agreement negotiations.

Zulfi Meerza

Zulfi Meerza, a senior associate solicitor at Rahman Ravelli, has in-depth expertise in all aspects of business crime investigations. He represents corporates, board members, senior business figures and high net worth individuals. A former senior investigative lawyer at the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO), he worked on some of the agency’s most notable and highly-publicised investigations and prosecutions; many of which involved the world’s best-known corporates and financial institutions. As a member of Rahman Ravelli’s corporate crime practice group, he defends clients in multi-jurisdictional, high-profile investigations conducted by a range of enforcement agencies. He has a strong understanding of complex economic crime investigations, serious regulatory matters, the deferred prosecution agreement procedure and many industrial and professional sectors. He is also a member of Rahman Ravelli’s highly-regarded sanctions team.

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