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White Collar Crime and Regulatory Crime Solicitors

Businesses, organisations and individuals are highly regulated and breaching your regulatory obligations can have serious implications.

It is vital to seek specialist legal advice from the moment you become aware of an alleged breach or investigation because criminal prosecution could result in the loss of your liberty and hefty fines as well as causing irreparable damage to your personal and professional reputation.

At Wells Burcombe, we are specialists in the field of regulatory law and white collar crime. As one of the top criminal defence firms in the South East, we understand what is required when dealing with alleged breaches and how to comply with investigations to give you the best possible chance of achieving a positive outcome.

Investigations into alleged breaches can result in the need for interview under caution and can, in some cases, result in a formal charge or summons and the need to go to court. Our regulatory and white collar crime solicitors have a diverse range of skills from initial investigation and pre-charge advice to robust court representation. We also have one of the country’s leading teams of appeals solicitors who can provide post-prosecution advice if necessary.

Based conveniently in West Drayton in London and St Albans in Hertfordshire, our clients come to us from across the UK for our independently recognised expertise and strong track record of success.

Contact us today for a free initial consultation in London (West Drayton) on 01895 449288 or in Hertfordshire (St Albans) on 01727 840900 or email us at info@wellsburcombe.co.uk.

Our White Collar Crime and Regulatory Crime expertise

We can assist with all types of white collar crime and regulatory crime. With decades of combined expertise, we confidently handle complex and high profile cases, some of which attract significant media attention. As well as our extensive legal expertise and calm, authoritative approach, we are also skilled in reputation management and take all possible steps to preserve our clients’ reputations and future opportunities.

Our Regulatory and White Collar Crime Defence experience includes:

Our expertise includes Investigations and Prosecutions involving:

Trading Standards Charges

Trading standards are regulated by the Office of Fair Trading who will work with other bodies and agencies such as local authority standards departments and the Food Standards Agency. Breaches of trading standards can fall into a number of different categories such as:

  • Counterfeit goods
  • Breaches of copyright
  • Trademark descriptions
  • Food safety
  • Food labelling
  • Product safety and product recall
  • Advertising and sales
  • Weights and measures
  • Licensing
  • Supply of age restricted products to minors

Environmental Protection Act Charges

The Environment Agency is responsible for the enforcement of the Environmental Protection Act regulations and legislation that covers a number of areas including:

  • Water pollution
  • Waste management
  • Noise abatement

Penalties range from fines issued by the Environment Agency, through to court prosecutions and in severe cases imprisonment.

We can advise you through the entire process from responding to a complaint, to attending an interview with you to persuade the Environment Agency that no further action is required.

Food Hygiene Charges

Food hygiene investigations and prosecutions are started by environmental health departments at local authorities and include:

  • Hygiene improvement notices
  • Hygiene prohibition notices
  • Remedial action notices
  • Detention notices
  • Emergency prohibition orders

Breaches of food hygiene and food safety legislation carry significant penalties but the potential damage to reputation may cause your company further loss, over and above any financial penalties that have been imposed. Our lawyers can advise on appeals of any notices and orders.

Health and Safety Charges

In general the health and safety law covers the health, safety and welfare of employees in the workplace and is governed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The regulatory requirements of health and safety are constantly changing and cover every aspect of the work place. It is mainly focused on assessing the level of risk employees are under during work hours, including measures in place to prevent employees being hurt or taken ill.

Health and safety issues are often civil matters. However, if someone is shown to have been injured as a direct result of an accident at work, the HSE may start criminal proceedings.

Sentences depend on the severity of the case but can result in large financial penalties or even a prison sentence.

We can also provide advice on investigations and prosecutions brought by a wide range of other agencies and authorities, including:

  • Local authorities
  • HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
  • The Serious Fraud Office (SFO)
  • The National Crime Agency (NCA)
  • The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)

Why choose our White Collar Crime and Regulatory solicitors?

Our team has been independently recognised as one of the top criminal defence teams in the South East by prestigious client guide, the Legal 500.

We also have a wide range of professional accreditations and memberships in recognition of our expertise, including:

Our regulatory and white collar crime solicitors provide bespoke advice to clients across London, Hertfordshire and the wider South East England area. We also attract clients from further afield by virtue of our reputable skills and strong track record of success.

Our team is senior-led with decades of experience producing positive outcomes for clients. Amongst our highly skilled team we have Partner, Alan Burcombe, who specialises in high profile matters involving all types of prosecuting and investigative authorities. Alan’s expertise includes multi-million pound fraud and money laundering cases, including those with international and cross-border issues.

We also have Partner, Ravinder Khumra, who has worked with a number of nationally recognised firms over the years specialising in a wide range of regulatory matters. These matters include offering pre-charge advice to private individuals and or their companies regarding regulatory powers which include the FCA amongst others and whose cases have not resulted in charge. Ravinder also has extensive expertise handling multi-jurisdictional money laundering matters and financial crimes amongst other areas of expertise.

Several of our team, including Alan and Ravinder, have substantial reputation management expertise. We understand that the implications of regulatory offences and white collar crime can significantly impede your reputation in all professional and personal spheres of your life. When our cases attract media attention, we are adept at navigating the challenges this can pose and safeguarding our clients’ interests accordingly.

Our team includes qualified police station representatives and duty solicitors who can represent clients at short notice where necessary. We also have a number of Higher Courts Advocates and qualified barrister, Philip Kazantzis, who has considerable complex fraud expertise. Our lawyers can provide representation at all court levels and at all stages of the criminal justice system, providing you with a consistent service throughout.

Contact our Regulatory and White Collar Crime solicitors in West Drayton and St Albans

Contact us today in London (West Drayton) on 01895 449288 or in Hertfordshire (St Albans) on 01727 840900 or email us at info@wellsburcombe.co.uk.