Richard Sallybanks

Managing Partner

A partner in BCL for 25 years, Richard Sallybanks is a specialist in defending HNW individuals, c-suite executives and companies in domestic and international financial crime investigations, including in connection with proceeds of crime issues, asset freezes, the mutual legal assistance regime and Interpol.

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He has substantial experience in investigations conducted by the principal UK investigating authorities (SFO, FCA, PRA, NCA, CMA and HMRC) as well as in international and multi-jurisdictional investigations (including the US, France, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Denmark, India and the Russian Federation).

Financial Crime and Regulatory Investigations

Richard represents senior executives, HNW (High Net Worth) individuals and companies in financial crime and regulatory investigations. He is ranked in Band 1 for Financial Crime (Individuals) by Chambers and Partners and is in Legal 500’s ‘Hall of Fame’ for Fraud: White-Collar Crime (Advice to Individuals). His experience includes:

  • SFO (Serious Fraud Office) investigations and prosecutions: Richard has represented suspects / targets in many of the most high-profile fraud and bribery investigations conducted by the SFO in recent years (Tchenguiz / Kaupthing Bank, Alstom, Barclays / Qatar, Tesco and Airbus).  In all these cases his client was either not charged or, in the Tesco case, successfully defended at trial.
  • FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) and PRA (Prudential Regulation Authority) investigations: money laundering, insider dealing, market abuse, breach of principles  and ‘fit and proper’ inquiries;
  • CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) investigations: the cartel offence (including price fixing, market sharing and bid rigging);
  • HMRC investigations;
  • Investigations by the International Corruption Unit of the NCA (National Crime Agency);
  • Compelled interviews and interviews under caution conducted by the SFO, FCA, PRA, CMA, HMRC and NC; responding (on behalf of individuals and companies) to compelled requests for documents; negotiating production orders;
  • Attending on dawn raids and challenging search warrants (including the successful Judicial Review of the SFO’s search warrants in the Tchenguiz investigation); and
  • Conducting internal investigations on behalf of companies.

International Criminal Investigations

Richard represents senior executives and HNW individuals subject to investigation overseas (whether or not also subject to investigation in the UK). His cross-border experience includes criminal investigations conducted by the authorities in the US, France, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Denmark, India and the Russian Federation and involves:

  • Project managing and coordinating teams of international lawyers, experts, forensic accountants, and reputation advisors;
  • Successfully challenging and obtaining the removal of red notices published by Interpol;
  • Responding to requests from overseas authorities for documents, interviews or asset freezes in the UK under the international MLA (mutual legal assistance) regime; and
  • Challenging overseas asset freezes.

Proceeds of Crime

Richard advises on issues arising under POCA (the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002) and is ranked in Band 1 by Chambers and Partners in POCA Work and Asset Forfeiture. His experience includes advising on:

  • Money laundering offences under POCA including when to seek consent from the NCA by filing a SAR (Suspicious Activity Report);
  • Cash seizure, detention and forfeiture;
  • The UWO (Unexplained Wealth Orders) regime;
  • Pre-charge restraint orders; and
  • The confiscation regime under POCA

Speaking

Richard is regularly invited to speak on issues within his expertise:

  • ABA (American Bar Association) 10th annual White Collar Crime conference, London 2022: “Are we witnessing an erosion of the Rule of Law?
  • GIR Live: Global, Lisbon 2022: “Cross-border investigations: Strategies to stay ahead in an ever-evolving environment
  • GIR Live: London 2021: “KBR and Brexit: Where now for UK enforcers?
  • 33 Chancery Lane Business Crime Conference 2021: “Multi-jurisdictional investigations”

Publications and commentary

 

Professional Memberships

  • Fraud Lawyers Association
  • American Bar Association
  • International Bar Association
  • Commercial Litigators’ Forum

Career

Richard joined BCL in 1995. He was made a partner in 1999 and is now the firm’s Managing Partner. Prior to joining BCL, Richard trained and qualified at (now) CMS, including time spent in CMS’ Hong Kong office, with an associated firm in Germany and on secondment at a financial regulator.

Richard Sallybanks is a lovely person to work with. He has such a strategic eye - he's a brilliant strategist, very good at giving clients advice and very easy to work with on that basis.

Chambers HNW, 2024

Richard Sallybanks – a calm analyst, an incisive mind, a great academic lawyer, and a hugely likeable presence put him in the Champions League placings.

Legal 500, 2023

He's a brilliant strategist and very good at giving clients advice.

Chambers UK, 2025

He is a first-class solicitor: client-friendly and tactically astute.

Chambers UK, 2022

Richard is a phenomenal POCA lawyer.

Chambers UK, 2025

He is a master tactician in how to represent people in these difficult high-value, long-running cases.

Chambers HNW, 2022

…his key strengths are that he’s got a real attention to detail. Always on top of the detail of a case, has excellent judgement and is very hard-working.

Chambers HNW, 2022

He's straightforward, funny, witty and razor sharp.

Chambers UK, 2025

He is very friendly, easy to work with and good at bringing together a team. Richard works effectively with clients, and he couldn’t be an easier person to deal with. He is very easy to get along with, exercises excellent judgement and is really trustworthy.

Chambers Insights, 2022

He is first-class. He is very thoughtful and totally experienced. He is really bright and intelligent.

Chambers UK, 2022

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