Kevin Dent KC

Kevin practises in business crime, crime, asset recovery, confiscation and related financial crime proceedings and professional discipline & regulatory law.

A highly persuasive advocate with a calm, measured, yet robust courtroom manner. Since taking silk in 2019, Kevin has built upon his heavyweight practice in the fields of financial and serious crime.

Kevin has considerable experience leading in cases of serious and organised crime, terrorist finance, large-scale drugs conspiracies, modern slavery and serious sexual offences including those against children and offences of homicide.

Appointed to the Serious Fraud Office's (SFO) panel of Queen's Counsel, Kevin is often instructed in financial cases involving multiple vulnerable victims and is a sought-after leader in large-scale economic crime including those involving Encrochat encrypted communications evidence, cybercrime, investment fraud, bribery and corruption, revenue evasion and money laundering.

With an established practice within the field of professional regulation and discipline, Kevin deploys in the regulatory field the expertise gained from criminal cases involving medical professionals, particularly where issues of probity/dishonesty are at the fore.

Equally at home in both big trial settings and advising in conference, Kevin enjoys steering individuals and corporates, local authorities and government departments alike through the legal complexities of diverse matters such as drafting anti-money laundering policies, corporate COVID-loan applications, RIPA authorisations, offences of marching in uniform under the Public Order Act 1936 and issues of freedom of expression, education catchment area fraud, responding to Freedom of Information requests, and GDPR issues.

An adherent of early proactive intervention in proceedings, Kevin is particularly adept in helping those under investigation for serious matters draft detailed and persuasive representations on charge to investigative authorities.

Kevin advises on private prosecutions and accepts Direct Access instructions.

In addition to his heavyweight criminal practice, as a lawyer with a passion for justice and the rule of law, Kevin is involved in Human Rights work for both individuals and NGOs such as PEN International, including ground-breaking international ‘Magnitsky’ sanctions applications on behalf of lawyers subject to human rights violations, evaluation of indictments according to fair rights standards, overseas trial monitoring and drafting Article 36 Third Party submissions for the ECtHR. Kevin regularly publishes articles to raise profile for underrepresented and serious subjects and has, for instance, campaigned for the release of a prominent abducted Bangladeshi lawyer.