Cohen & Gresser (UK) LLP

White Collar Defense & Regulation

Partner

Richard Kovalevsky KC is a partner in Cohen & Gresser’s London office and is the head of Criminal Defense and Investigations for the London office. He has over 30 years of experience representing high net worth individuals, directors, and corporations in a wide variety of white collar criminal disputes, regulatory and internal investigations, and civil litigation, with a particular focus on financial crime. Richard has successfully defended against, and has extensive experience advising on, claims of fraud, money laundering, corruption, market manipulation, market abuse, competition and cartel allegations, and insider trading. He has advised and engaged at all levels of the UK court system, as well as being actively involved internationally. Richard regularly handles matters pending before the UK Serious Fraud Office, the U.S. Department of Justice, the UK Financial Conduct Authority, and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Highly regarded by both clients and peers, Richard is currently recognized in Band 1 by Chambers & Partners for Financial Crime: High Net Worth Individuals – UK, as a Leading Individual by The Legal 500 UK for Regulatory Investigations and Corporate Crime (Advice to Corporates) and is recommended in the guide for Commercial Litigation: Mid-Market and Fraud: White-collar Crime (Advice to Individuals). He is also recognized as a leading practitioner in Who’s Who Legal in the Investigations category, in Spear’s 500, and in Best Lawyers in the United Kingdom for fraud-related work. Chambers High Net Worth commentary highlights that “he has a great rapport with clients and they really appreciate his direct and robust approach to matters. He is very focused and really knows what clients want to achieve. Clients will find that he adds a lot of value and brings many additional benefits by instructing him.” The guide has further noted that Richard is “the guru for financial crime issues” with a source maintaining that he is “the most impressive legal mind I have ever encountered.” Chambers High Net Worth has also pointed to Richard’s breadth of knowledge and dedication to his clients. The guide’s commentary maintains that he is “hard-working and knows his subject matter inside out.” The Legal 500 recently observed that Richard is “very commercially aware and pragmatic in the way he represents clients,” with emphasis placed on his ability “to look at a matter and work out the best mechanism of defence.” Further comments note that he is “particularly suited to difficult fraud cases that require lateral thinking and a commercial approach,” “he achieves an uncommon number of positive outcomes,” and “has huge experience and when he talks it is really worth listening.”

Prior to joining Cohen & Gresser, Richard was a partner and head of the financial crime practice at a prominent UK litigation firm. Before that, he practiced as a leading silk (barrister) at 2 Bedford Row.

Publications

Co-author, thebriberyact.com: a leading resource on the UK Bribery Act

England & Wales Barrister & King’s Counsel

British Virgin Islands

Manchester University LLB Hons