Gavin Irwin

Gavin Irwin is a specialist advocate in business crime and professional misconduct and has a wealth of experience across complementary disciplines.

Gavin regularly advises individuals and businesses:

• in matters concerning fraud, money laundering, corruption and sanctions breaches (in corporate investigations and before the criminal courts)
• on risk-management issues, including: money laundering; sanctions and export licensing; data protection; and, consumer protection
• on extradition and Interpol Red Notices
• on conduct and discipline issues, in proceedings before a number of professional regulators and at Coroner’s Inquests

At present, Gavin is:

• advising in sensitive disputes involving financial and trade sanctions for entities with business interests in Russia
• representing a company officer in a private criminal prosecution brought after failed civil proceedings in the High Court
• advising individuals seeking to establish interests in lawful cannabis businesses and the lawful trade in cannabis derivative products
• representing individuals charged with diversion fraud and money laundering before the criminal courts
• representing an individual in the most significant criminal proceedings brought by National Trading Standards under the Consumer Protection Regulations

Sanctions and Export Licensing Experience

In the recent past, Gavin has advised:

• a UK company in criminal proceedings brought by HMRC for breaches of the Chemical Weapons Convention
• an Iranian national with business interests in the UK on sanctions and export licensing issues arising from the withdrawal of the United States from the JCPOA and the United Kingdom from the European Union
• a UK manufacturing company on export licensing issues arising from recent inclusions on the US Bureau of Industry and Security’s ‘Entity List’
• a UK based oil and gas services company on sanctions relating to projects in West Kurdistan / Northern Syria
• a UK based manufacturing company on export licensing issues arising from end-user concerns for dual-use goods in UAE and Pakistan
• a UK based tech company in an Export Control Joint Unit investigation into the export of cryptographic software to Russia
• a UK based company with a global presence in the oil and gas services industry in an HMRC investigation arising from the export of high performance machine parts to Iran

In addition, Gavin represented a defendant in proceedings at the Central Criminal Court (brought under the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979) for exporting cobalt aluminate to Iran via the Czech Republic.  The security and intelligence services are concerned that CoAl may be the critical ingredient in a ‘suitcase dirty bomb’ – a small, portable, nuclear device.

Gavin accepts direct access instructions.

“He prepares well and knows his topic.” (Legal 500, 2020)

“Incredibly good tactical barrister, particularly in fraud cases … extremely knowledgeable both on financial crime and regulatory crime” (Chambers UK, 2019)

“A criminal barrister with the finesse and smoothness to switch very easily to the corporate or commercial context…a skilled negotiator…he understands a case from the technical, commercial and human angles” (Chambers UK 2018)

“An advocate who is clear and polite in court, and a skilled manager of challenging personalities … an intelligent, sensible advocate who is direct with the judge … [h]is tactical awareness is very good, and he has excellent knowledge of the law.” (Chambers UK, 2017)

“… has a tremendously good manner with prosecutors, judges and clients.” (Chambers UK, 2016)

“Very good indeed, he gets stuck in and does the work … very clued-up and switched on.” (Chambers UK, 2015)

“knows the law, and is very user friendly … obvious commitment to clients … very responsive” (Chambers UK, 2014)

“an expert on corporate investigations” (Chambers UK, 2013)