Practice Areas / Litigation & Arbitration / white-collar-investigations
White Collar Defense
Strategic defense for individuals and businesses facing allegations of financial and corporate misconduct. We provide discreet, rigorous representation designed to protect legal, commercial, and reputational interests.
Defending Complex Allegations with Precision.
White-collar matters call for a different approach than ordinary litigation. Getting the line of investigation right and correctly assessing the collateral damage early on matters as much as the legal defence itself. We bring that discipline to these matters, alongside the broader litigation skill set the case needs.
What We Handle
Investigation strategy and fact assessment: Advise on the scope, sequencing and conduct of internal and external investigations, including identification of key factual issues, relevant individuals and documents, preservation of evidence, review of documentary and electronic records, and development of an appropriate response strategy.
Exposure and collateral risk assessment: Assess potential exposure arising from fraud, misappropriation, financial irregularities, misconduct, breach of fiduciary or contractual obligations and regulatory violations, including potential civil, criminal and regulatory consequences. Advise on collateral implications for management, employees, counterparties, ongoing transactions and the client's business and reputation.
Regulatory and enforcement response: Advise and represent clients in connection with regulatory inquiries, investigative proceedings, notices, summons and enforcement actions, including strategy for engagement with investigating and regulatory authorities and management of parallel proceedings.
White-collar litigation and proceedings: Represent individuals and corporates in white-collar and economic offence proceedings, including matters involving fraud, cheating, breach of trust, misappropriation, financial misconduct and other alleged corporate wrongdoing, from the initial investigation through proceedings before the appropriate judicial and enforcement forums.
Crisis and parallel-proceedings management: Advise on matters where an investigation may result in simultaneous civil, criminal, regulatory and contractual proceedings, including coordination of strategy across forums, protection of evidence and legal rights, and management of business and reputational consequences.
Representative Experience
EOW investigation involving alleged employee–supplier collusion. Advised a corporate client in connection with an Economic Offences Wing (EOW) investigation arising from allegations of collusion between an employee and a supplier. The matter required assessment of the evidentiary and legal exposure arising from the alleged conduct, including the extent to which the conduct of the employee could be attributed to the company and the potential exposure of other personnel. The matter was particularly sensitive given the involvement of a foreign brand and the company’s venture-capital investor base, requiring careful management of the investigation alongside potential regulatory, contractual, investor and reputational consequences. Advised on investigation strategy, engagement with the investigating authorities, preservation and assessment of relevant records, and management of the broader commercial and reputational implications of the proceedings.
CBI proceedings involving alleged third-party transaction. Advised and represented a director who became subject to CBI proceedings in connection with a transaction involving a third party, despite the absence of any direct personal transaction or commercial relationship between the director and such third party. The alleged connection arose solely from the director’s position in a company whose shareholders, in their personal capacities, had independently transacted with the third party for the purchase of a fleet of vehicles. Advised on the factual and legal distinction between the director’s corporate role and the shareholders’ personal dealings, including assessment of the basis for attributing the third-party transaction to the director and the resulting personal exposure in the investigative proceedings. Developed the response strategy with a focus on establishing the absence of a direct nexus and protecting the director from unwarranted criminal or investigative exposure.