International legal practice Norton Rose LLP has appointed Neil O’May to provide criminal law and regulatory expertise as a partner in its London litigation and dispute resolution practice. Neil is a partner and head of the criminal law practice at Bindmans LLP.
Neil is one of the leading corporate and white collar crime lawyers in the UK, having advised some of the world’s most prominent organisations on a series of high profile investigations, including on international fraud, bribery and corruption, corporate manslaughter, and market abuse.
Neil joins the business ethics and anti-corruption group at Norton Rose LLP. Established in 2008, the group was one of the first set up by an international legal practice to focus on issues around business ethics and anti-corruption. It has since built a strong reputation, led by London based partners Sam Eastwood and Ruth Cowley.
Neil will bring essential criminal law expertise to the practice in every aspect of criminal and regulatory law. Companies and individuals within the corporate structure are now criminally liable in a wide range of situations. Neil will build the criminal and regulatory expertise of the practice across all sectors in which Norton Rose LLP has particular strength: financial institutions; energy; infrastructure, mining and commodities; transport; technology and innovation; and pharmaceuticals and life sciences.
Sam Eastwood, partner and head of business ethics and anti-corruption at Norton Rose LLP, commented:
“Neil is an undoubted leader in his field. He has led work with national and international organisations on all types of corporate and white collar crime work, from the intricately complex to the headline grabbing. It is an area of law which increasingly impacts on all aspects of business, and Neil will build this expertise within the Group.
“Neil will become a hugely complementary part of our team, linking up with much of the current high profile work we do in this area and will reinforce our market leading corporate and white collar crime capability.”
Neil O’May comments:
“It’s no secret that the economic downturn and other current business pressures have put litigation and corporate crime in particular into the spotlight. The development of new offences in corporate manslaughter, bribery and the financial services has seen the regulators using criminal sanctions against corporates and individuals as a powerful weapon of control. It’s a busy area of the law, and one that continues to develop quickly. Joining Norton Rose means being part of a wide-reaching team with experts in all areas of litigation, not to mention the benefits of the Group’s international footprint. I look forward to playing my part in the continued growth of the practice, and building the Group’s criminal and regulatory expertise in a wide range of sectors.”
Since January 2010, the Norton Rose Group litigation and dispute resolution team has quadrupled in size. The last year has seen the practice secure a number of high profile partner level hires, most recently international arbitration specialist Patricia Nacimiento in Frankfurt, and marine insurance specialists Patrick Foss and Chris Zavos in London.
Neil O’May is named by leading legal directory Chambers & Partners UK as a key individual for crime and fraud in London, and described as “a star practitioner…[and] an obvious choice of adviser. Sources enthuse that ‘he is very experienced, calm, and understands tactics – all that you would expect from a head of department who has been around a long time.’”
