Claire is a highly experienced business crime specialist with over 30 years’ experience in advising on all aspects of White Collar Crime. This includes responding to and defending SFO cases and other Government and Regulatory investigations, the review of and/or implementation of Compliance Programmes relating to all areas of business crime risk, corporate internal investigations, and providing advice on directors’ liability under the criminal law.
Uniquely placed as a lawyer who has worked in defence practice, as an SFO prosecutor and as specialist in-house counsel at a corporate target of multiple investigations, Claire has therefore seen large-scale investigations from all sides and has a seasoned and comprehensive understanding of strategy and crisis management. She has been the client on a “burning platform” so well understands the multiple stresses of that situation. She has also been a Compliance Officer at UK and International level.
Claire has an in-depth knowledge of complex international cases, instigated against corporates and individuals by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), US Department of Justice (DOJ) and other UK and European Government agencies, and has advised both corporate and individual clients extensively, from dawn raids and police station attendance through to negotiated settlement or trial and appeal. She has handled cases involving various multilateral development banks, including the World Bank, and is familiar with the sanctions proceedings conducted by those bodies. As a result of this wide-ranging experience, Claire has extensive expertise in corporate strategy, particularly in cross-border situations and managing teams of investigators and large quantities of forensic evidence, as well as negotiating case resolution.
Claire provides Boards with advice relating to the implementation and /or review of complex Compliance Programmes, on business continuity during large investigations and on wider corporate governance issues. She is often instructed to run urgent and extensive internal investigations on behalf of corporate clients.
Expertise
- Fraud and corruption investigations
- Conduct of internal investigations for corporate clients
- Anti-Financial Crime advice to Boards
- Compliance health checks and reviews
- Due diligence investigations and advice
- Investigation management
- Crisis management
- Change management
- ABC and ethics training
- Representation of individual executive corporates from police station/dawn raid advice to trial
Experience
- Advised a UK manufacturing business with international footprint in responding to an internal investigation commenced by the buyer during the sale of the business. Also advised its CEO
- Represented an individual named as a co-conspirator in the Airbus Deferred Prosecution Agreement
- Represented a tech business accused by a UK government agency of criminality in its applications for funding
- Advised a cable and telecoms business in East Africa on relevant Compliance issues
- Advised a Canadian retail client on ABC and Tax Evasion Compliance issues
- Advised a French owned logistics business on its UK facing Compliance Programme
- Advised a UK based international tech and robotics company on Financial Crime aspects of its Compliance Programme
- Represented key suspect in the investigation of Johnson & Johnson/De Puy culminating in a decision of no further action by the SFO and the DOJ against the client.
- Represented a well-known publishing house from initial crisis management during police searches to negotiated resolution of the corporate case with both the SFO and the World Bank.
- Coordinated the response to the SFO raids at multiple premises of a well-known French-owned infrastructure multinational, taking the lead role in advising the client on legal issues and directing all crisis management processes.
- Led the internal investigation for an energy client relating to a House of Lords cash-for-influence scandal reported extensively in the press.
- Directed the Government’s case of RBG Resources, namely the UK investigation of a major international securitised finance fraud valued at $1.4 billion, which led to the trial and conviction of defendants. The case involved mutual legal assistance from Hong Kong, India and the US, as well as being the first use in a UK business crime trial of US co-operating witnesses.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Recognition
Recognised in The Legal 50 2020 for Fraud: Civil
Recognised in The Legal 500 2018/19 for Fraud: Civil
“Huge experience in white collar crime investigations and prosecutions” Legal 500 2018/19
Career
Claire qualified as a solicitor in 1991. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2017, she worked at the following firms:
- GE Global Investigations
- Alstom UK
- Pinsent Masons
- Lewis Silkin