Squire Patton Boggs announced four senior hires to its Government Investigations & White Collar Practice as part of a concerted expansion of its global capabilities in this increasingly busy area.
- Hannah Laming joins the firm’s London office as partner from Peters & Peters and will serve as the firm’s European head of Government Investigations & White Collar.
- Wayne Barnes joins the firm’s London office as partner from Fulcrum Chambers. He also brings a high profile in the sports world, where he is a professional rugby referee.
- Ben Ticehurst joins the firm’s London office as director from Howard Kennedy.
- Marion Seranne joins the firm’s Paris office as of counsel from ebl Lexington avocats.
“Expanding our firm’s investigations practice is a strategic priority. Our work in this area continues to grow in significance and volume and we expect it will continue to do so in the years ahead,” said Kevin McCart, leader of the firm’s global Government Investigations & White Collar Practice. “Hannah, Wayne, Marion and Ben are each exceptional practitioners and represent our commitment to providing clients with seamless, cross-jurisdictional counsel on highly sensitive matters.”
Commenting on Ms. Laming’s appointment, McCart said, “Hannah is one of the leading investigative lawyers in Europe and the right person to lead our European practice into its next phase of growth. I look forward to working closely with her as we continue to expand.”
European managing partner Jonathan Jones said, “Under the steadfast leadership of Rob Elvin, our UK team has carried out a number of significant investigations and white collar matters. These appointments will take our practice to new heights at a time when clients are facing increased scrutiny in a shifting regulatory landscape.”
About the Team
Hannah Laming is ranked as a leading individual in The Legal 500 for regulatory investigations and corporate crime, white collar crime and contentious financial services matters, and as Band 1 by Chambers and Partners for financial crime private prosecutions. She has a successful track record managing complex, high-profile cases, often involving the coordination of legal strategy across multiple jurisdictions.
During her 20-year career, Ms. Laming has worked at the Financial Services Authority, where she conducted regulatory and criminal enforcement proceedings within the wholesale enforcement division. She also managed complex fraud and corruption cases at the Serious Fraud Office. Ms. Laming is co-chair of the Business Crime Committee of the International Bar Association and founder and former chair of the Private Prosecutors’ Association.
Wayne Barnes is an experienced criminal barrister and trial advocate with more than two decades of experience conducting complex internal and corporate investigations across multiple jurisdictions. He has supported national governing bodies and sporting institutions at national and Olympic level with internal investigations, as well as advising on governance best practices. Mr. Barnes has also advised clients from other industries, including companies in the publishing, logistics, energy and infrastructure, and natural resources sectors.
Mr. Barnes brings particular expertise in the sports sector and has been a professional rugby union referee for over 16 years, having refereed over 90 international matches and being named rugby referee of the year in 2019.
Ben Ticehurst is ranked as an associate to watch in Chambers and Partners, and as a rising star in The Legal 500. He represents corporates and senior business executives who are at the centre of high-stakes cross-border fraud, bribery and corruption, and other white collar investigations. His experience as an investigations and white collar specialist sees him successfully represent clients in cases brought by the UK and global law enforcement agencies. He is an experienced practitioner in the niche area of private prosecutions, advising companies and high-net-worth individuals who have been victims of fraud or other white collar crime.
Marion Seranne handles a variety of compliance issues and regularly advises French and foreign international companies on the implementation of their compliance programmes (e.g. GDPR and Sapin II) and other related issues (e.g. transnational defence, such as the application of blocking status and industrial risk assessment). She rejoins the firm after having spent the last six years in the white collar and compliance practices at ebl Lexington and Eversheds Sutherland, where she represented companies, CEOs and other senior executives on their criminal litigation (including issues related to negotiated justice), compliance and corporate investigations.
The firm’s Government Investigations & White Collar Practice consists of over 35 team members spanning 19 countries, with team members fluent in more than 20 languages.