12 Jun

A Unified Stance to Tackling Fraud

St Philips Chambers recently hosted a conference entitled “Tackling Major Commercial Fraud – A Unified Approach”, in partnership with the Proceeds of Crime Lawyers Association (POCLA).

The conference included speakers from St Philips, Smith and Williamson’s Forensic Services Team and West Midlands Police Economic Crime Unit. The conference covered a whole range of fraud related topics including “Asset Recovery in the Civil Courts”, “the Criminal Liability of Company Directors” and “Compensation, Confiscation and Money Laundering".

Organising this event in conjunction with POCLA and a member of the speaker panel, Tim Green, barrister at St Philips, said ‘As a POCLA member I am delighted that the organisation invited St Philips Chambers to join with them on their first venture to the Midlands. St Philips are in a unique position of having a dedicated Major Commercial Fraud Group which encompasses members from across our commercial, regulatory and criminal groups. This group provides advocacy and advice covering the full spectrum of white collar crime and asset recovery work.'

‘POCLA’s expansion into the Midlands provides the region’s lawyers and investigators with an unprecedented opportunity to develop best practice in dealing with proceeds of crime litigation.'

Secretary of POCLA, Warren Foot added that ‘This is the association’s first official event held outside of the Capital. We have been extremely pleased with the interest from the Birmingham and nationwide law communities and have welcomed over 50 new members. We hope soon to be holding similar events in other cities around the country.’

‘Since our formation a year ago we have worked as an organisation to advance, foster and encourage the exchange of information, education and training in the law relating to proceeds of crime. We welcome new members from all professionals concerned with asset recovery and financial crime.’

Further information on POCLA can be found at www.pocla.com