England - London • Crime, fraud and licensing

Bark&co

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A ‘leading light in financial crime’, Bark&co’s criminal fraud practice specialises in the whole spectrum of white-collar criminal work, with a specific focus on advising individual clients in high-profile SFO, FCA, and HMRC investigations. The team shows considerable strength in handling bribery and corruption proceedings, tax fraud, and money laundering cases, routinely representing clients from the energy, finance, and technology sectors. The group’s principal Giles Bark-Jones is regarded by clients as a ’real heavyweight’ who brings considerable expertise in major international fraud and corruption cases to the department, while solicitor advocate Charles Long has over 35 years of experience in litigation. Senior consultant David Byrne focuses on regulatory investigations, while Peter Finbow and Maria Stalbow are noted for their knowledge of financial fraud issues and corruption prosecutions.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Giles Bark-Jones is at the top of his game. Thinks outside the box and goes far more than the extra mile for his clients. Pat Wilson: her dedication to her clients is second to none. Every one of her clients whom I have met think the world of her and, justifiably, believe that they are getting the best possible service. Her preparation is outstanding.’

  • ‘Giles Bark-Jones is still one of the real heavyweights of the criminal defence world. He is actively involved in client management and providing high-level strategic and tactical advice. Clients really know that he is on their side.'

  • 'David Byrne has decades of experience of dealing with some of the biggest SFO/FCA prosecutions. Nothing gets past him and he is a real fighter.'
  • ‘Bark & Co as a whole are a leading light in financial crime, constantly at Southwark in long running trials, the forefront of fraudulent cases. KC's and juniors are carefully picked for the client so that the best outcome can be achieved in what are extremely complex matters that would leave most law firms flummoxed.’

  • ‘Giles Bark-Jones - leading authority in financial crime. If you need advice on fraudulent behaviour this is the person to contact. Peter Finbow is regularly against SFO investigations.’

  • ‘Maria Stalbow is absolutely brilliant. Very well prepared and dedicated to her clients. She has a brain the size of a planet and can best be described as simply a winner. Giles Bark-Jones is an amazing solicitor. Hugely experienced and a master tactician.’

Work highlights

  • Acted for Boris Becker in relation to criminal charges brought by the Insolvency Service following his bankruptcy in 2017.
  • Acting in eight separate, large-scale FCA investigations and prosecutions.
  • Won a landmark victory in the Supreme Court for a HNW client, concerning the extent to which suspects of (in this case, financial) crime are entitled to privacy.

Lawyers

Hall of Fame

The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.

David Byrne

Hall of fameBark&co

Up until February 2003, partner and head of litigation and investigations in Dechert’s London office. He set up Byrne and Partners as a specialised litigation and regulatory practice. He handles all aspects of investigations work and represents companies and individuals in national and international fraud cases and regulatory investigations, including those brought by the SFO, DTI, CPS, FCA, Inland Revenue and Customs & Excise. He maintains a specialism and is well recognised in the field of Inland Revenue and Customs & Excise investigations.

Leading individuals

Giles Bark-Jones

Giles Bark-Jones

Bark&co

Giles Bark-Jones has defended clients in many of the largest white-collar crime and fraud cases of recent times. His impressive track record and wide experience includes representing individuals in prosecutions and investigations brought by the SFO, the FCA, HMRC and other bodies. Giles’s track record includes the SFO investigation into Rolls-Royce, acting for a number of key individuals; R v Asil Nadir (an SFO prosecution involving allegations of theft from Polly Peck International); the Adoboli case (involving a US$2.3bn trading loss fraud at UBS); and R v F & ors, described by prosecution counsel as the ‘biggest case ever’ involving carbon trading fraud. Other recent highlights include acting for three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker in relation to criminal charges brought by the Insolvency Service following his bankruptcy, and acting for the Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus in connection with the Polly Peck/Asil Nadir case. On the tax side, Giles has a similarly impressive record including an appeal against a £60m+ conviction for alcohol tax evasion; a complex matter involving payroll companies that allegedly failed to pay tax on behalf of the companies for which they acted; and a £100m multijurisdictional matter described by KPMG and the Daily Telegraph as “one of the biggest direct tax frauds in UK history”. He also assisted a number of clients in National Crime Agency and SKAT investigations into a £1.5bn fraud against the tax authorities in a number of countries, and has defended in large-scale money laundering SFO investigations. Giles is an expert in serious general crime as well as criminal fraud, and his practice includes high-profile murder/manslaughter cases, sexual offences cases, and cases involving offences under anti-terrorism legislation.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Giles Bark-Jones

Other key lawyers

David Byrne, Alex Nelson, Charles Long, Peter Finbow, Maria Stalbow, Sabrik Dhamu, Pat Wilson, Ria Kudrati