Corporate Crime & Compliance UK

Dropping Juries Will Upend Defense Lawyers' Strategies

The government's decision to drop jury trials for some criminal cases that involve complex financial crime could reshape the approach of lawyers to plea decisions, appeals and advocacy, as well as prompt a shift toward more open justice, experts say.

Former Top Prosecutors Back Judge-Only Fraud Trials

Radical reforms dispensing with jury trials for complex fraud and many other criminal cases may be the only way to stop the justice system from collapsing under its own weight, former chief prosecutors have told Law360.

4 Things To Watch As UK Releases Budget

The U.K.'s Labour government is set to release an autumn budget Wednesday that faces a test of balancing a pledge not to raise working people's taxes with an expected need to boost revenue to meet fiscal rules. Here are four things to watch for as the budget is issued.

Blocks featuring binary code with locks on dark blue background as illustration of blockchain technology.

SFO's Crypto Probe Marks Shift In Tackling Blockchain Fraud

The launch by the Serious Fraud Office of its first cryptocurrency investigation signals an appetite for using new resources to crack down on fraud, part of a wider move by U.K. law enforcement agencies to treat blockchain as a mainstream threat, lawyers say.

December 10, 2025
British Hacker Gets Two Years In Prison For $9M Crypyto Theft

A British man was sentenced to more than two years in prison on Wednesday in London for his part in an international hacking group that stole millions of pounds worth of cryptocurrency from an American entrepreneur.
December 10, 2025
EY Probed By FRC Over Unauthorized Auditor Reports

Britain's accounting regulator said Wednesday it has opened a probe into Ernst & Young LLP over allegedly issuing unauthorized auditor reports.
December 10, 2025
BREAKING: Final Shipping Companies Settle CAT Cartel Claim For £54M

Lawyers representing millions of motorists who were allegedly charged inflated delivery prices have agreed a £54 million ($71 million) settlement against the final two vehicle shipping companies left in an opt-out class action before a trial judgment could be published.
December 10, 2025
AML Reforms Could Threaten Legal Privilege, Lawyers Fear

Most legal professionals in the U.K. fear that a government proposal to make the Financial Conduct Authority the sole supervisor of the professional services industry could threaten the protection of confidential communications in the sector, a survey published Wednesday suggests.
December 10, 2025
Intel Wins €140M Fine Cut But Can't Shake EU Abuse Finding

A European court ruled in favor of competition enforcers on Wednesday, upholding a ruling of abuse of dominance against Intel Corp. but slashing the fine by €140 million ($163 million).
December 09, 2025
FCA Launches Innovative Data Tool To Fight Financial Crime

The Financial Conduct Authority said Wednesday it has launched an innovative information service to fight financial crime, with the aim of reducing pension, investment and crypto-asset fraud against consumers.
December 09, 2025
Ex-Entain Execs Say Watchdog Breached Privacy At Trial

Two former executives at the predecessor of betting giant Entain said at the start of a trial Tuesday that Britain's gambling regulator had published information about them which "should have remained private and confidential" in statements about a regulatory review.
December 09, 2025
COVID Fraud Cost Taxpayers £11B With No Recovery In Sight

Fraud, waste and error cost U.K. taxpayers £10.9 billion ($14.5 billion) during the COVID-19 pandemic as bogus claims for public funds were approved with few safety measures to prevent abuse, Britain's anti-fraud czar said Tuesday.
December 09, 2025
Brazilian 'Orange King' Cartel Case Dismissed As Time-Barred

A London court has dismissed the claims of more than 1,400 Brazilian orange farmers who alleged the estate and son of the country's "Orange King" took part in a price-fixing cartel, ruling that the allegations are time-barred under Brazilian law.
December 09, 2025
Google Faces EU Antitrust Probe Over AI Content Practices

Europe's competition watchdog opened a formal investigation into Google on Tuesday into whether the technology giant's practices in training its artificial intelligence models breached antitrust rules.
December 08, 2025
US Fund Loses $5.4M Bonus Battle With Fired London Trader

A London court ordered a U.S. investment fund to pay $5.4 million to a sacked portfolio manager on Monday, ruling that the company had no right to withhold his discretionary bonus amid criminal probes into his trading.
December 08, 2025
Lessors Bid To Flip $69M Plane Payment Sanctions Ruling

Aircraft lessors urged the U.K.'s highest court Monday to overturn a ruling that they cannot receive $69.3 million for Russian planes because of sanctions, arguing that a lower court had wrongly found that UniCredit's U.K. branch had rightly withheld payments under letters of credit.
December 08, 2025
Lawyers In Crosshairs In New Anti-Corruption Crackdown

Corrupt lawyers, accountants and bankers "will be hunted down" under a new anti-corruption strategy unveiled by the government on Monday, which will crack down on enablers facilitating bribery and illicit finance in the U.K.
December 08, 2025
Hamlins Partner Cleared Of Journalist Blackmail Allegations

A disciplinary tribunal dismissed allegations on Monday that a Hamlins LLP partner blackmailed a journalist by improperly threatening to bring contempt proceedings in a case over alleged corruption.
December 08, 2025
Ex-Police Chief Faces 2027 Trial For Alleged Fraud

A former police chief constable accused of lying about his military career and education when applying to work for the police and perjuring himself in court will stand trial at the end of 2027, a judge said Monday.
December 08, 2025
Hip-Hop DJ Tim Westwood Denies Rape, Sexual Assault

Hip-hop DJ and broadcaster Tim Westwood appeared in court on Monday to deny 15 charges of rape and other sexual offenses involving seven different women spanning over three decades.
December 05, 2025
Morecambe FC Deal Figure Hit With Counterterror Sanctions

HM Treasury has accused a key figure behind the Morecambe FC takeover of supporting a terrorist organization in India and has frozen his assets, which the ministry said marks the first use of the U.K.'s domestic counterterrorist sanctions regime to disrupt funding for the pro-Khalistan militant group Babbar Khalsa.
December 05, 2025
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

This past week in London has seen Mozambique sue the late tycoon Iskandar Safa's family and Privinvest amid the wider $1.9 billion "tuna bond" fraud case, Entain face a claim from a major U.S. pensions agency, and a Mexican lawyer accused of embezzlement bring legal action against Travelers Insurance Co.
December 05, 2025
UK Trade Sanctions Body Probes Breaches Amid 146 Reports

The Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation has said it is pursuing numerous investigations that could lead to fines and has referred a significant number of cases to HM Revenue and Customs for potential enforcement.
December 05, 2025
Ex-CPS Paralegal Sentenced For Misusing Boyfriend's Files

A former Crown Prosecution Service paralegal has received a suspended prison sentence at an English court for gaining access to her then-boyfriend's criminal file without authorization, the prosecution service said Friday.
December 05, 2025
Elon Musk's X Fined €120M By EU For Misleading Users

The European Commission revealed Friday that it has fined social media platform X €120 million ($140 million) for breaching European Union digital transparency rules, including by "deceiving" users through the blue checkmarks for so-called verified accounts.
December 05, 2025
StanChart Settles Investors' £1.5B Iran Sanctions Claim

Standard Chartered announced Friday it has agreed to a settlement in a £1.5 billion ($2 billion) claim brought by investors who said they suffered losses after the bank made allegedly untrue or misleading statements about its noncompliance with Iranian sanctions.
December 04, 2025
ICO Challenges Tribunal's Ruling On Dixons Data Breach

The U.K. Information Commissioner's Office asked an appeals court Thursday to overturn a tribunal finding that pseudonymous information stolen from electronics retailer Dixons Carphone in a privacy breach was not covered by data protection rules.
December 04, 2025
Ex-Oil Biz Director's Claim Trimmed In €143M Case

A London judge has blocked two men's claims against a Singaporean oil company's directors in a €143.8 million ($166.8 million) forgery and payment diversion case, but allowed part of their case against a man they allege controlled the company to continue.
December 04, 2025
UK Extradition Should Be Barred For Contempt Risk, AG Says

An adviser to the European Union's top court said Thursday that three fraud suspects arrested in Ireland should not be extradited to the U.K. if they risk being jailed for earlier contempt of court charges.

Editor's Picks

6 Bombshell Moments From Staley's Bid To Clear His Name

Jes Staley has suffered a bruising week as he testified about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, culminating in an admission by the former banker that he had sex with a member of the disgraced financier's staff.
5 Questions For Spencer West Partner Karl Foster

The Financial Conduct Authority's approach to enforcement and consumer protection has come up against government economic growth priorities and resistance from the sector to its proposals to "name and shame" companies early on during regulatory probes.
UK Russia Sanctions Face Landmark Test At Supreme Court

The U.K.'s sanctions regime faces a major test on Wednesday as billionaire Eugene Shvidler seeks to have his financial restrictions cast off — the first case to challenge Russian sanctions that has reached the country's highest court.

Expert Analysis

2025 UK Merger Reforms Simplify Path For Deals

Dealmakers should laud the 2025 reforms in the U.K. merger control and investment screening landscape, as the Competition and Markets Authority’s renewed focus on economic growth — and on implementing more flexible, streamlined and hands-off procedures — makes planning transactions a more predictable process, say lawyers at Akin Gump.
Train Ticket Class Action Shows Limits Of Competition Law

The Competition Appeal Tribunal's recent judgment in Gutmann v. London & Southeastern Railway, Govia Thameslink Railway and First MTR South Western Trains Ltd. restates the important principle that a high bar is required to demonstrate an abuse of dominance, providing welcome clarification for consumer-facing businesses that competition law is not intended to serve as a general vehicle for consumer protection, say lawyers at Freshfields.
Navigating Legal Privilege Issues When Using AI

The recent explosion in artificial intelligence has led to prompts and AI outputs that may be susceptible to disclosure in proceedings, and it is important to apply familiar principles to assess whether legal privilege may apply to these interactions, say lawyers at HSF.
A Look At Factors Affecting Ombudsman Complaint Trends

Lawyers at Womble Bond provide an analysis of the Financial Ombudsman Service's complaint trends in 2025, highlighting the impact of changes within the FOS and external factors on the financial sector's redress system.
What To Know About FCA's Short Selling Regime Proposals

Although the Financial Conduct Authority’s recent proposals for changes to the U.K. short selling regime do not materially alter the rules, targeted reforms designed to reduce the administrative burden placed on position holders will be welcomed by market participants, say lawyers at McDermott.
CMA's Leniency Guide May Change Self-Report Calculus

The Competition and Markets Authority's updated leniency guide introduces significant changes to bolster cartel enforcement, with incentives to early self-report that will be welcomed by businesses, but the weighty specter of potential class actions could greatly outweigh the discount on administrative fines, say lawyers at Cooley.
Why EU's FDI Screening Proposals Require Careful Balance

The European Commission’s proposals to harmonize EU foreign direct investment screening regimes at the member state level require a trilogue between the commission, Parliament and council, which means political tensions need to be resolved in order to reach agreement on the five key reforms, say lawyers at Arnold & Porter.
Fashion Giants' €157M Fine Shows Price-Fixing Not In Vogue

The European Commission’s recent substantial fining of fashion houses Gucci, Chloé and Loewe for resale price maintenance in a distribution agreement demonstrates that a wide range of activities is considered illegal, and that enforcement under EU competition law remains a priority, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.
OFSI Proposals Signal Greater Focus On Enforcement Activity

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation’s proposed financial sanctions reforms, with risks of higher penalties and more stringent disclosure requirements for U.K. banks and companies, reflect the agency’s evolution into a more sophisticated and robust enforcement regulator, says Irene Polieri at Gibson Dunn.
How 2nd Circ. Decision Extends CFTC's Extraterritorial Reach

The Second Circuit recently concluded in U.S. v. Phillips that the Commodity Exchange Act extends to entirely foreign conduct if a victim of the conduct is based in the U.S., suggesting there is a heightened risk that foreign swap transactions will be susceptible to U.S. regulation when U.S. counterparties are involved, say attorneys at Skadden.
UK Getty Ruling Tests Balance Of IP Rights And AI Industry

The recent Getty Images v. Stability AI High Court decision, rejecting copyright claims while upholding limited trademark infringement, will influence the creative community and U.K. artificial intelligence industry alike, and the training of AI models in the U.K. is still a risk, say lawyers at Powell Gilbert.
Takeaways From Landmark UK Ruling On Brazil Dam Collapse

The High Court found BHP liable for a Brazilian dam collapse that resulted in a major environmental disaster, showing that England remains open for complex transnational environmental claims and providing a road map for other mass claims that are sure to follow this case, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn Square.
Navigating Compliance As EU Cybersecurity Rules Evolve

One year after the European Union’s Network and Information Systems Directive 2 took effect, in-scope organizations are encountering mounting pressure to meet new cybersecurity standards, and national variations are creating additional challenges for companies that operate across multiple EU jurisdictions, say lawyers at Goodwin.
EBA Proposals Signal Overhaul Of EU 3rd-Party Risk Rules

The European Banking Authority’s plans to extend third-party risk controls to non-ICT services, which may be finalized by the end of the year, will place a significant compliance and operational burden on in-scope entities, which should not be underestimated, say lawyers at Travers Smith.
UK Tribunal's Clearview Decision Expands GDPR Application

The Upper Tribunal’s recent decision in Information Commissioner v. Clearview AI is an important ruling on the extraterritorial reach of the European Union and U.K. General Data Protection Regulations, broadening behavioral monitoring to include not only activity by the company, but also its client, says Edward Machin at Ropes & Gray.