Ella is Senior Counsel in our Disputes and Investigations Group. Global investigations are a particular focus of Ella’s practice. She advises corporations, financial institutions and high-profile individuals in relation to a broad range of investigations and regulatory matters, including some of the most complex and commercially sensitive multi-jurisdictional investigations faced by the firm's clients.
She is experienced in conducting bribery and corruption, regulatory, competition, sanctions, insolvency, tax, fraud and internal investigations, including investigations and enforcement actions by the Financial Conduct Authority, Serious Fraud Office, Competition and Markets Authority, Information Commissioner’s Office and Gas and Electricity Authority.
In addition, she assists clients with crisis management, including responding to media enquiries and publications with the potential to cause significant reputational and other issues. As part of her practice she also regularly advises clients in relation to compliance issues, including anti-bribery and corruption, anti-money laundering, competition and supply chain due diligence.
Highlights include advising:
- British American Tobacco plc in connection with the SFO’s investigation of suspicions of corruption in the conduct of business by BAT plc, its subsidiaries and associated persons in a number of jurisdictions including in Africa.
- Ultra Electronics Holdings, in relation to the SFO’s criminal investigation of suspected corruption in the conduct of business in Algeria.
- Bombardier Inc. in relation to the SFO’s criminal investigation of suspected bribery and corruption in relation to contracts and / or orders from Garuda Indonesia.
- Warner Music Group in relation to the CMA’s music and streaming market study.
- The former directors of Thomas Cook in relation to their appearance before the BEIS Parliamentary Select Committee following the collapse of Thomas Cook.
- Standard Chartered Bank in long running investigations by UK and US authorities (FCA, DoJ, New York District Attorney, New York Department of Financial Services, US Federal Reserve and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)) into issues relating to inter alia, anti-money laundering issues and compliance with US sanctions regimes.
- The Serious Fraud Office when defending civil claims brought by the Tchenguiz brothers.
- A former senior official of the Bank of England in relation to the Serious Fraud Office investigation into Bank of England liquidity auctions during the financial crisis.
- Deutsche Bank in relation to extensive regulatory investigations into the setting of various interbank benchmark rates – including LIBOR – over a number of years across multiple jurisdictions, including the US, UK and Germany, and on the subsequent coordinated settlements and subsequent civil litigation.
- A senior manager at a global financial institution in relation to an FCA investigation into problems with the implementation of the FCA’s Senior Managers and Certification Regime.
- JPMorgan Chase Bank on cross-border investigations conducted by the FCA, DoJ, and other regulators worldwide in relation to alleged misconduct in the G10 spot FX market.
Ella is recognised as a Future Leader for Investigations – Non Partners 2023 in Who’s Who Legal and was profiled in Global Investigations Review’s ‘Women in Investigations 2018’ special.
Ella is listed as a rising star in Legal 500 2023 for Regulatory Investigations and Corporate Crime.
She is a member of the London Chapter of the Women's White Collar Defense Association and is a contributing author to GIR’s The Practitioner’s Guide to Global Investigations, (Sixth Edition).