7BR

Financial Crime; Offshore & International Disputes; Regulatory & Professional Discipline

Collingwood Thompson KC has specialised in both civil and criminal fraud, since taking silk in 1998. Collingwood has acted in some of the most high profile fraud cases, both on behalf of the Crown and the defence.

Both prosecution agencies and defence solicitors regularly instruct him. Concerning the prosecution, he works closely with SFO, CPS and NCA. Regarding defence matters he represents individuals and corporate clients in large fraud investigations.

While being in silk and through his fraud practice he has developed an expertise in legal professional privilege, particularly in connection with search warrants and production orders.

Also, his practice over the past 20 years has become increasingly international, where he has appeared in the courts and advised in a number of jurisdictions including; Caribbean, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Thailand and Jersey.

Some of the matters he has worked on recently are as follows:

Advising the Attorney General of Jersey on fraud-related investigations; Representing CITIC Group concerning an LPP issue; Representing a large well established institution on the Isle of Man, which has been accused of Money Laundering and regulatory issues.

His work also includes advising offshore clients, in particular trust structures in relation to breach of sanctions regulations.

Collingwood is ranked in both Chambers & Partners 2025 and Legal 500 2025 as one of the leaders at the London Bar for Financial Crime/Fraud: Crime.

In addition to representing parties in Court, since taking Silk, Collingwood has regularly delivered in-house training for Members, as well as being engaged by external solicitors for training, particularly in relation to new legal developments in the fraud and regulatory sphere.

Financial Crime

Collingwood is a leader at the Bar for Financial Crime and specialises in high value claims involving both private and public bodies.

His practice areas include:

asset recovery; bribery and corruption; criminal fraud litigation; extradition & mutual legal assistance money laundering; and sanctions. Offshore & International Disputes

Collingwood is regularly instructed in both advisory work and litigation in offshore jurisdictions, especially in Hong Kong and the Caribbean. His range of work covers:

bribery and corruption, commercial fraud, regulatory work; and international criminal law.

He has twice appeared in the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong acting for the successful appellants in criminal cases. He has also appeared in one of the leading cases on legal professional privilege in Hong Kong: Citic Pacific v Secretary of State for Justice & another, in the Court of Appeal. The case concerned the doctrine of limited waiver of privilege in Hong Kong law.

Regulatory & Professional Discipline

A significant part of Collingwood’s practice involves financial regulatory work in both the UK and offshore jurisdictions.

He has acted for both regulators and financial institutions, especially in the context of systems and controls operated by financial institutions. He has been instructed by the Jersey Financial Services Commission to report on the money laundering controls of offshore banks, the failure of split capital investment trusts based in Jersey and the operation of European Property Investment Funds by regulated entities in Jersey.

He has also represented trust companies and financial institutions under investigation and successfully acted for the promoters of investment funds that the Jersey Financial Services Commission was seeking to wind up.

In the UK he has represented clients at the RDC facing disciplinary action from the FSA (now the FCA) and has acted for a listed company facing allegations of breaching the UK Listing Rules in related party transactions, instructed by a leading City law firm.

Qualified 1973, Gray’s Inn; Queens Counsel 1998; Recorder 1997.

Fraud Lawyers Association (Committee member) International Bar Association

Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh; University College London (1974 2(1) LLB Hons).