Jonathan is “sophisticated, thoughtful and very client-friendly.” “[Jonathan] listens properly and he knows his stuff. He is very good on the technical side and has a good level of pragmatism.”
Chambers UK 2016, Financial Crime: Corporates / Chambers UK 2015, Financial Crime: Corporates
Jonathan heads the London White Collar Crime team and has almost 30 years of experience representing corporates and individuals in investigations by UK and international agencies. He also advises firms on internal investigations, due diligence, compliance and risk in relation to criminal and regulatory matters. Clients benefit from his experience in dealing with law enforcement and regulators, his strategic thinking and his pragmatism.
Jonathan's practice focuses on allegations relating to corruption, market misconduct, fraud, tax evasion, insider trading and money laundering. He frequently interacts with the Serious Fraud Office, HM Revenue & Customs, the Financial Conduct Authority, the police and other agencies.
Jonathan has represented corporate and individual clients under investigation in some of the most significant cases of the last three decades. These have involved investigations into bribery and corruption, tax, accounting fraud, money laundering, bench mark manipulation (e.g. foreign exchange and LIBOR), criminal cartels and insider dealing.
Jonathan is recognised by the top legal directories and is a regular speaker and commentator in the media on financial crime matters. He is a contributing editor of Global Legal Insights - Bribery & Corruption, a book covering bribery and corruption law in 27 jurisdictions. Jonathan is a founding member of the City of London Law Society's Corporate Crime Committee.
Experience
Advising a financial institution regarding a multi-jurisdictional internal investigation in relation to failures in systems and controls regarding money laundering.
Representing a senior bank trader in connection with a worldwide investigation into the manipulation of foreign exchange benchmarks by the Department of Justice and other agencies.
Representing a major global engineering, construction and services company in a worldwide corruption investigation into the bribery of government officials in Nigeria.
Advising a global logistics company in an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into allegations of bribery of foreign government officials.
Acting for a senior executive in the oil industry in relation to a Serious Fraud Office investigation.
Advising an individual in relation to a high profile criminal investigation by HM Revenue & Customs.
Representing a senior bank employee in the LIBOR investigation by the Financial Conduct Authority and other agencies worldwide.
Acting for a defence contractor in relation to an investigation of alleged bribery of foreign government officials.
Representing a large multi-national logistics company in the investigation and defence of HM Revenue & Customs' largest ever tax fraud.
Representing a major global medical devices company on corruption and sanctions-busting allegations arising out of the UN Iraq Oil for Food Programme.
Sources describe him as "sophisticated, thoughtful and very client-friendly." Financial Crime: Corporates — London, Chambers UK 2017
Chambers UK 2015 notes that he is regularly called upon by global companies to advise on corruption and SFO investigations with clients reporting that "he listens properly and he knows his stuff. He is very good on the technical side and has a good level of pragmatism".
Chambers UK ranked Jonathan as a key individual with "a noted presence in the world of corporate crime" (2013) and praised him for his "extremely strong grasp of detail" (2014).
Chambers UK 2012 noted that he is "vastly experienced in SFO and HMRC investigations, and he regularly handles multi jurisdictional matters" and highlighted clients' appreciation for his advice on the Bribery Act 2010 and the Fraud Act 2006.
He was recommended in The Legal 500 UK 2011 for his expertise in the areas of Fraud: Corporate Crime, Fraud: White Collar Crime and Commercial Litigation, and in Chambers UK 2011 he was "widely praised for his tremendous regulatory practice. Sources praise his quick, sharp mind and his tact and charm."
He was described as "outstanding" in The Legal 500 UK 2010. Jonathan was also ranked in the 2012 and 2013 editions of The International Who's Who of Business Crime Defence Lawyers.
