Partner
Claire Wallace provides expert litigation advice to directors, senior executives and high net worth individuals facing the prospect of regulatory or criminal investigations, with a particular focus on investigations brought by professional regulators, such as the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) , Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) or Financial Reporting Council (FRC), as well as medical regulators. She is particularly adept at getting to grips with complex financial transactions, products and corporate structures.
Claire also represents individuals at risk of, or under, investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Trading Standards, in relation to food safety, and health & safety, concerns.
She has experience of advising clients accused of the most serious financial crimes including fraud, bribery and corruption and, in particular, those who may be facing the prospect of parallel regulatory investigations.
She has advised numerous charities and companies on their money laundering obligations under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA).
A dedicated and dynamic lawyer who cares passionately about helping her clients achieve the best possible outcome, Claire’s experience of defending regulatory prosecutions means that she is quick to identify potential regulatory difficulties which may arise in wider investigations and can advise accordingly. She has successfully negotiated the best possible outcomes for clients in a range of regulatory investigations.
She sits on the Executive Committee of the Financial Services Lawyers Association (FSLA) and is a member of the Health and Safety Lawyers’ Association (HSLA), Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers (ARDL) and Women’s White Collar Defense Association (WWCDA).
Claire is one of the UK’s leading regulatory law solicitors, particularly in matters involving allegations of financial and professional misconduct.
She has acted in some of the most significant and complex of investigations brought by the FCA and is adept at advising on all stages of an investigation, including matters in front of the RDC and the Upper Tribunal. She has also achieved outstanding results for her clients in a number of serious FRC investigations.
Claire is especially adept at understanding complex financial transactions and has great experience in matters of alleged market abuse and insider dealing, breach of FSMA s.21 financial promotions, and systems and controls failings under the Senior Managers regime (SMR).
Claire also specialises in representing professional clients who find themselves under investigation by their regulatory bodies. She has particular experience in advising solicitors in SRA proceedings in relation to a range of misconduct and AML concerns.
Prior to joining Hickman & Rose, Claire acted for a large professional medical regulator in conducting fitness to practise investigations, which provided her with unique insight as to the approach regulators take when conducting their investigations. She has acted for clients under investigation by professional regulators, such as the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Claire also has considerable experience defending the most serious Health and Safety Authority (HSE) investigations as well as investigations by the Food Standards Agencies (FSA) and Trading Standards.
A dedicated, detail orientated and dynamic lawyer who cares passionately about helping her clients achieve the best possible outcome, Claire’s experience of defending regulatory prosecutions means that she is quick to identify any regulatory difficulties which may arise from parallel proceedings.
Claire has worked on some of the most significant corporate crime cases, involving allegations of bribery and corruption, money laundering and fraud. She regularly deals with complex and high profile cases brought by the police, SFO, HMRC and FCA in relation to money laundering, cheating the revenue, fraud and bribery allegations. She has also advised clients on their UK exposure when under investigation by foreign investigators, such as the DoJ.
Claire advises individuals, companies and charities on potential concerns regarding the Bribery Act 2010 and Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA).
Claire has been defending serious health & safety and food safety cases for nearly a decade. She has considerable experience in defending cases brought against individuals, companies and directors by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Food Standards Agency (FSA), Local Authorities and Trading Standards.
She has represented clients in the most serious cases involving fatalities and serious injuries. She works closely with the firm’s renowned inquests team, so that a full range of expertise is available for her clients where a fatality has occurred. She has advised on issues relating to falls from height, fire safety, asbestos, accidents in care home settings and accidents at work, as well as concerns relating to pest infestation, salmonella certificates, free-range labelling and food chain information (FCIs).
She has been instructed by ‘household name’ companies to conduct internal investigations into potential/actual health and safety concerns arising from incidents. In relation to internal investigations and advice in the aftermath of an incident, she can provide assistance with crisis management concerns such as conducting internal interviews, collating relevant material and liaising with the HSE or other investigatory bodies in order to protect the best interests of the company and its directors.
1 Oct 2025
Hickman & Rose is delighted to announce that two more of its departments have been elevated to the leading Tier 1 category in the latest edition of the Legal 500 directory.
The Business Crime…
1 Jul 2025
Anyone who has ever filed a tax return knows that tax law can be complicated.
The prospect of a criminal investigation by HMRC may be especially daunting since they can – if not handled correctly…
6 Mar 2025
On International Women’s Day, Hickman & Rose is proud to support the important work done by Women in Criminal Law to improve the working lives of women in the profession.
This year the firm…
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