Business and Professional

A criminal investigation can have a major impact on a business. The main investigating authorities have massive resources and astonishing power to enter, bug and search every aspect of a business and to freeze and seize assets early in an investigation. The investigation will also cast a shadow across the lives of senior staff, threatening directors with personal liability.

In some cases the investigators may collect evidence for years before deciding whether to prosecute a company or a senior figure within it. The average length of an SFO investigation is four years. As time goes on, investigators often place information in the public domain and seek to control the press agenda. The ongoing reputational damage to the “suspect” can be considerable.

The business crime team at Hickman and Rose have enormous experience at advising those involved in business on how they can effectively respond to a criminal investigation, from discouraging prosecution to designing a media strategy that limits reputational damage.