Fraud & Financial Crime Solicitors Glasgow, Scotland & London

In recent years, Livingstone Brown has acted in several high-profile financial crime cases.

Fraud cases tend to be evidentially complex, but at their heart is a simple question: did the accused make a deliberately false statement to cause a particular outcome?  That simple question can often become lost, especially where the context is a relatively specialised one (for example, where the fraud is said to have occurred as part of a commercial transaction) and where there are large volumes of paperwork.  And if fraud is established, it is often far from clear who was involved in it.

Fraud cases also tend to take a very long time to go from the original report to a decision on prosecution, and longer still to reach court.  It is not uncommon for accused persons to do nothing during the intervening period; they would rather wait and see whether anything came of the allegation before instructing lawyers.  But the delay can provide an opportunity: to understand the allegation and, where appropriate, to make representations to the Crown as to why the case should go no further.  A successful challenge at the pre-prosecution stage can take away years of anxiety and business interruption, to say nothing of the savings in legal costs.

Notable cases

In the Rangers fraud prosecution, Stuart Munro represented one of the club's former administrators.  Early scrutiny of the prosecution case and targeted investigations enabled the exceptionally swift resolution of the case, with all charges against the client being withdrawn or dismissed.

Stuart Munro and Gerard Brown represented Andy Coulson in his perjury trial.  Successful legal challenges based on Parliamentary privilege and materiality contributed towards the court upholding a plea of no case to answer and the client's consequent acquittal.

Other cases handled by the team include:

• Assisting a former FTSE100 director in connection with an allegation of fraud, which was ultimately not prosecuted;
• Representing various professionals charged with fraud; work has included representation at police interview, engaging with professional bodies and dealing with adverse publicity. In several cases early representations to the Crown have led to proceedings being discontinued;
• Acting for senior professionals facing foreign bribery investigations;
• Assisting professional clients facing extradition to and from Scotland.

How we can help 

Our criminal defence lawyers are well placed to offer clients a rounded service, through representation in connected civil litigation, as well as internal referral to other teams, such as Employment Law or Family Law.   Examples include assisting clients in defending civil proceedings brought by those claiming to be the victims of fraud, defending Proceeds of Crime applications, and bringing cases of wrongful arrest or malicious prosecution.

Contact our fraud solicitors for Glasgow, Scotland & London

To find out more about the service Livingstone Brown offers in fraud and financial crime cases, contact 0141 429 8166 or complete our online enquiry form.