Serious Fraud Defence Solicitors

If you have been charged with or are being investigated for a serious fraud offence, get in touch with our team of expert criminal defence solicitors for instant advice and support.

Renshaw Derrick is a leading criminal law firm based in Bournemouth, Dorset. Our team includes lawyers with decades of experience defending clients facing serious fraud charges. We can handle all types of offences, from money laundering to banking fraud, whether the prosecution is brought by the Crown Prosecution Service, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), or any other prosecuting authority.

We understand that just being investigated for an offence can cause great distress and disruption to your life. Not only is your liberty at stake, you could also face repercussions at your job or business and in your personal life. Our goal is to minimise the issues caused by the allegations help you restore your life to normal.

Get in touch with our serious fraud lawyers in Bournemouth by giving us a call, emailing mail@renshawderrick.co.uk, or by filling in our online enquiry form.

We can provide urgent police station advice, so if you have been arrested or invited for a voluntary interview under caution, get in touch as soon as possible. You have a legal right to decline answering any questions until you have received legal advice.

Our serious fraud expertise

We are routinely instructed by clients to defend in complex serious fraud cases. We are one of the top criminal defence firms in Dorset and we attract clients from across Bournemouth, Poole, and the wider Dorset area for our rigorous approach and strong success rate.

Our expertise includes a wide range of laws and regulations, including the Fraud Act 2006, the Bribery Act 2020, the Money Laundering Regulations and the Proceeds of Crime Act (PoCA) 2002. We can advise you on a vast range of offences, including:

Business fraud
Corporate fraud
Banking fraud and financial crimes
Insurance fraud
Mortgage fraud
Money laundering
Insider dealing
Diverting contracts to competitors
Conflicts of interest
Bribery and corruption
False accounting
Tax evasion and fraud
VAT fraud
Directors’ misconduct
Ponzi schemes
Property fraud
Conspiracy to defraud
Benefit fraud in human trafficking cases
Restraint and confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act

Our serious fraud lawyers have extensive experience dealing with a wide range of prosecuting authorities, including the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the National Crime Agency (NCA), and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Self-reporting serious fraud

If you are concerned that serious fraud offences have been committed within your business, it is usually beneficial to self-report to the Serious Fraud Office or the relevant agency.

If a serious fraud offence has occurred, by working closely with investigators, it is often possible to avoid a criminal prosecution. For example, the investigation authority may offer you a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) where you agree to pay a fine and implement improvements to your business to avoid any future fraud offences.

We recommend that you contact us for advice before taking any steps to self-report. We can advise on whether self-reporting is in your best interests. We can also support you throughout any investigation and advise on the benefits of entering into an DPA.

Serious fraud investigations

If you are under investigation for a serious fraud offence by the Serious Fraud Office or another prosecuting authority, we can guide and support you throughout the process. Our priority will be to protect your integrity and the reputation of your business while giving you the best possible chance of achieving a positive outcome.

Cooperating with the investigators is key, so we will liaise carefully on your behalf to ensure you comply with their requirements, giving you a better chance of avoiding a criminal prosecution.

Serious fraud prosecutions

If you have been charged with a serious fraud offence, we will fight vigorously to protect your legal rights and liberty. We have decades of combined experience helping clients prepare for criminal proceedings and our team includes specialist defence barristers who are able to represent you during higher court proceedings (including the Crown Court).

We have a strong track record of helping clients achieve acquittals or lower penalties than they were originally facing where a conviction is inevitable.

Proceeds of Crime Act (PoCA) proceedings

If you have been convicted of a serious fraud offence, you may also face PoCA proceedings to seize your assets. The Purpose of confiscation proceedings under PoCA is to prevent people convicted of criminal offences from benefitting from their criminal activity. However, the law is strict and requires you to prove that your assets were not acquired through criminal activity. Without a legal specialist by your side, you could be at risk of losing everything.

For further information, please visit our Proceeds of Crime Act PoCA page.

Why choose Renshaw Derrick’s serious fraud solicitors?

Our team have years of practical experience handling serious fraud and money laundering cases. As a firm, we are members of the Law Society Criminal Litigation Accreditation Scheme for our high level of skills and ability to help our clients achieve positive outcomes.

Every member of our team is a skilled legal professional, each dedicated to their specialist areas of criminal law. For information about each member of our team, please feel free to visit Our People page.