Bridewell Court,
14 New Bridge Street,
London,
Greater London
United Kingdom
EC4V 6AG
Tel (020) 7353 1990
Fax (020) 7353 1880
DX 447 London Chancery Lane
Email : office@barkco.com
Website : www.barkco.com
Senior Partner: Giles Bark-Jones
Partners: 1
Assistants: 29
Other fee-earners: 19
THE FIRM Bark & Co is one of the UK’s leading fraud and business crime firms. The firm’s highly-skilled lawyers are committed to providing expert advice at every stage of proceedings. The firm’s principal aims are to avoid expensive litigation whenever possible and to fight tenaciously to protect its clients’ interests.
Established in 1996 by Giles Bark-Jones, Bark & Co has developed into one of the Country’s most progressive and successful fraud firms. A founder member of the Specialist Fraud Panel, the firm specializes in commercial and criminal fraud as well as serious crime, business and tax regulation, tax investigations and corporate obligations associated with health and safety enforcement. The firm acts for private individuals as well as national and international companies. It has also established itself as a leader in the field of cash and asset recovery in both criminal and civil courts.
Bark & Co prides itself on the individual expertise of its lawyers, the collective strength of its specialist teams and their skill in tailoring advice to match each client’s individual circumstances. Bark & Co’s rigorous commitment to quality of advice and personalised service has lead to significant work through referrals by both clients and other leading law firms.
PRINCIPAL AREAS OF WORK Bark & Co handles a wide range of high-profile white-collar crime and fraud cases, including prosecutions and investigations brought by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), HM Revenue & Customs, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the Financial Services Authority (FSA), the Special Compliance Office of the Inland Revenue, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Trading Standards and other prosecuting bodies.
Corporate & Commercial Fraud: Bark & Co became a member of the Serious Fraud Panel at its inception and is a member of the Very High Costs Cases panel (VHCC) qualified to deal with the most complex of criminal matters.Acknowledged as one of the leaders in the field of corporate and commercial fraud, the firm has defended against many of the major prosecutions brought by the SFO and other government agencies. It has acknowledged experts in VAT and duties tribunal work, tax regulation, defence of duty evasion, moneylaundering and carousel fraud, as well as mortgage fraud, investment fraud, corruption, pension fund fraud, telecoms fraud, theft, fraudulent trading by company directors and Internet fraud. Dedicated teams also deal with confiscation and post- and pre-charge restraint proceedings.
Recent important cases include instructions in a high profile and politically sensitive FSA prosecution of directors (iSoft) in relation to the new NHS IT system and the defence of the Direct
3. THE FIRM
• Bark & Co is one of the UK’s leading fraud and business crime firms. The
firm’s highly-skilled lawyers are committed to providing expert advice at every
stage of proceedings. The firm’s principal aims are to avoid expensive litigation
whenever possible and to fight tenaciously to protect its clients’ interests.
Established in 1996 by Giles Bark-Jones, Bark & Co has developed into one of
the Country’s most progressive and successful fraud firms. A founder member
of the Specialist Fraud Panel, the firm specialises in commercial and criminal
fraud as well as serious crime, business and tax regulation, tax investigations
and corporate obligations associated with health and safety enforcement. The
firm acts for private individuals as well as national and international
companies. It has also established itself as a leader in the field of cash and asset
recovery in both criminal and civil courts.
Bark & Co prides itself on the individual expertise of its lawyers, the collective
strength of its specialist teams and their skill in tailoring advice to match each
client’s individual circumstances. Bark & Co’s rigorous commitment to quality
of advice and personalised service has lead to significant work through
referrals by both clients and other leading law firms.
4. PRINCIPAL AREAS OF WORK
• Bark & Co handles a wide range of high-profile white-collar crime
and fraud cases, including prosecutions and investigations brought by
the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), HM Revenue &
Customs, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the Financial Services
Authority (FSA), the Special Compliance Office of the Inland
Revenue, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Trading Standards and
other prosecuting bodies
5. Corporate & Commercial Fraud
• Bark & Co became a member of the Serious Fraud Panel at its
inception and is a member of the Very High Costs Cases panel
(VHCC) qualified to deal with the most complex of criminal
matters.Acknowledged as one of the leaders in the field of
corporate and commercial fraud, the firm has defended against
many of the major prosecutions brought by the SFO and other
government agencies. It has acknowledged experts in VAT and
duties tribunal work, tax regulation, defence of duty
evasion, moneylaundering and carousel fraud, as well as
mortgage fraud, investment fraud, corruption, pension fund
fraud, telecoms fraud, theft, fraudulent trading by company
directors and Internet fraud. Dedicated teams also deal with
confiscation and post- and pre-charge restraint proceedings.
6. • Recent important cases include instructions in a high profile and politically
sensitive FSA prosecution of directors (iSoft) in relation to the new NHS IT
system and the defence of the Directors of a Carbon Trading company in an
£85m fraud. Other cases include the defence of two Directors of a specialist
division of Vantis PLC in a highly publicised case of alleged tax relief fraud.
Bark & Co also represents a Managing Director of a prominent international
bank involved in alleged insider trading; this is part of an unprecedented and
high profile crackdown on fraud by the FSA and SOCA; Bark & Co are
defending in another FSA prosecution of an alleged 11-handed insider dealing
fraud involving two prominent investment banks and also defended in R v
Law, Roberts & Harvey, another high profile SFO prosecution concerning
fraudulent trading at a subsidiary of Alfred McAlpine PLC.
7. CRIMINAL
• Bark & Co continues to act in high-profile criminal trials, including cases of
murder, money laundering, drugs importations, armed robbery and people-
smuggling. The firm focuses on high-end work, often involving crime across
international boundaries and jurisdictions.
The firm's wide ranging portfolio of cases includes the ongoing high-profile
case of a private investigator murdered over 22 years ago in a London pub car
park. A total of five separate investigations have been launched, involving tens
of thousands of hours of police work and utilising long-term intrusive
undercover surveillance.
Bark & Co also advise private individuals and national and international
companies facing investigation or criminal proceedings as a result of beaches
of the Health and Safety Act, taking cases from pre-charge interviews through
to trial.
8. For more information, please see
our website.
Areas of Practice White-Collar
Crime/Fraud: 85%
General Crime: 15%