Private Prosecution

2 Hare Court’s pre-eminence in prosecution work and the range and depth of our specialist experience in that area (we are home to many former and current Treasury Counsel, amongst other senior prosecutors) means that we have become recognised as a market-leader both in conducting and defending prosecutions brought on behalf of private corporations or individuals.

A private prosecution offers a client who is the victim of crime the opportunity to achieve justice and effective redress when the state is unwilling or unable to take action (as is increasingly the case).

We understand the particular challenges of this work and are able to bring the necessary independence of judgement, rigour, and analytical skill to the process whilst working alongside the best solicitors firms to achieve excellent results for clients.

We are able to offer bespoke advice on strategy, prospects of success, investigative and evidential direction, statutory and ethical obligations including disclosure, referral to the CPS for intervention and costs alongside the more familiar oral and written advocacy services we provide from the commencement to the conclusion of the case.

We are active members of the Private Prosecutors Association and feature in Chambers and Partners for ‘Financial Crime-Private Prosecutions’.

Many of the cases we deal with remain confidential, but examples of our private prosecution work includes: acting for the fashion brand Supreme in its successful prosecution to protect its intellectual property following massive cross-border counterfeiting, for the Swiss energy company Allseas which was the victim of a €100m fraud, for the industrialist and HNW individual Oleg Deripaska in his prosecution of a former business associate for matters arising from commercial litigation, for the Bank of Beirut in its successful defence of fraud allegations which were stayed with costs against the private prosecutor and for a hedge fund in its successful prosecution of an employee who had stolen £3m from the firm.