Ben joined JMW in August 2022 as a senior associate in the Business Crime and Regulation team.
Ben is a highly experienced solicitor and has a wealth of expertise in both financial crime and regulatory matters, as well as in general and serious crime. He is frequently called upon to provide early-stage advice to clients under investigation and is often able to bring the matter to close without further action being taken. Where an investigation does proceed, Ben supports his clients with sound strategic advice throughout the process, from the point of charge through to trial and beyond.
In addition to his defence work, Ben has also in the past prosecuted for both the RSPCA and the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (as it was then called).
Ben is a specialist Solicitor-Advocate, meaning he has ‘higher rights’ of audience, and is able to represent clients in the Crown Courts.
Current and recent matters Ben has acted on include:
Financial and Regulatory Matters
- Advising a client being investigated by the FCA for insider trading relating to his employment at a FTSE 250 company
- Acting for a client being investigated for a “boiler room fraud” being conducted across multiple jurisdictions involving substantial losses to numerous individuals and involving multiple suspects
- Acting for clients charged with numerous offences under the Town and Country Planning Act for breach of enforcement notices relating to green belt land. Successful in judicial review before the High Court
- Acting for an Olympic athlete being investigated by UK Sport for inappropriate behaviour relating to a junior athlete
Serious Crime
- Acting for a client being investigated for conspiracy to supply large amounts of cocaine and cannabis across South East England. Following substantial representations made to the police and the disclosure of large amounts of documents, the police took no further action against the client.
- Acting for a client being investigated for conspiracy to supply drugs into prison.
- Advising a high-net worth client charged with rape. The refusal of bail was successfully appealed and client is awaiting trial.
Historic Cases
Ben has acted in the most serious of cases, including murder, drug supply, sexual offences, armed robbery and offences involving organised crime. He acted on appeal in the first ever case to involve the partial defence to murder of “loss of control” whereby the client’s murder conviction was quashed before the Lord Chief Justice.
Ben has a law degree from Sheffield University and qualified as a solicitor in 2007. Prior to joining JMW, Ben worked in a Legal 500 firm where he became a Head of Department before setting up a criminal defence department within a different firm.
In his spare time, Ben is a published author and keen cricket fan. His dream is to follow the England cricket team in the Caribbean.