Outer Temple Chambers

Business Crime and Financial Regulation, Professional Discipline and Regulation, Health and Safety, Sanctions and Export Controls

Barrister specialising in Business Crime and Financial Regulation, Professional Discipline and Regulation, Health and Safety, Sanctions & Export Controls.

Sophie O'Sullivan was called to the bar in 2011.

Sophie O’Sullivan is a specialist in business crime and professional regulation. Her core practice areas are: sanctions; business crime; commercial fraud; asset forfeiture; financial regulation and compliance; professional discipline; and health and safety.

Sophie is ranked as a Leading Junior in four practice areas by the Legal 500: (1) Business and Regulatory Crime (Including Global Investigations); (2) Fraud; (3) POCA and Asset Forfeiture; (4) Professional Discipline and Regulatory Law.

She is appointed to the Attorney General’s Panel of Junior Counsel to the Crown and the SFO’s International POCA panel. Sophie is a contributor to the 3rd edition of Lissack and Horlick on Bribery (LexisNexis), the leading work on bribery and corruption offences.

Recent or extant work includes:

Acting in the first s.38 SAMLA challenge to a UK sanctions designation in the Administrative Court (Synesis v Secretary of State for FCDA [2023] EWHC 541 (Admin). Acting for the Defendant in High Court contempt proceedings arising from alleged breaches of >£6m freezing injunctions, preservation orders and financial undertakings Jones v Hamilton[2023] EWHC 1216 (Ch). Acting for the trustee of a corporate pension fund in one of the first criminal proceedings brought by The Pensions Regulator for offences under s40(5) of The Pensions Act 1995 relating to employer related loans and investments. Advising a European trust with high-value global assets on sanctions matters following the UK designation of its corporate trustee. Advising a global investment fund in relation to potential litigation relating to AML risks arising from a corporate client charged and extradited to the US with $20m wire fraud and linked corporate financial offences. Advising a European investment firm in respect of regulatory and criminal risks arising from a criminal investigation into its financial services provider. Advising an international mining company on the sanction risks pertaining to prospective commercial contracts with Russia-linked entities. Instructed by OFSI and HMT in relation to correspondent and intermediary banking transactions in the context of the UK’s sanctions framework. Acting for the SFO in enforcement proceedings arising out of a >£30m confiscation order related to international fraud and money laundering convictions. Acting for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in a large scale regulatory, financial and human slavery offences investigation.

Sophie is an experienced litigator and court advocate, having appeared in significant jury trials concerning, inter alia, corporate bribery and corruption, money laundering and banking, insurance and mortgage frauds. She is often engaged to advise on matters pre-charge in addition to her court practice, acting on behalf of prosecuting authorities (SFO, FCA, NCA, TPR, MCA) and defendants in the crown and appellate courts.

Internationally, Sophie has acted in proceedings brought against civil servants by international organisations including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) and the African Union Commission (AUC).

In domestic regulatory proceedings, Sophie appears regularly before the GMC, GDC, SRA, NMC, GPhC and HCPC, often defending individuals against the most serious allegations of professional misconduct and negligent care as well as acting for both prosecuting authorities and defendants in health and safety proceeding.

Attorney General’s Panel of Junior Counsel to the Crown Crown Prosecution Service Grade 2 Prosecutor Fraud Lawyers’ Association Proceeds of Crime Lawyers’ Association Health and Safety Lawyers’ Association South Eastern Circuit   SFO’s International POCA panel