On 9 May, the UK government announced it was targeting Russia and Belarus with a 35% increase in import tariffs to be imposed on precious
Continue Reading UPDATE: UK Announces Expansion of Trade Sanctions Against Russia and Belarus

Legal Advisers for a Changing World
Jo Rickards is the Chair of the London office’s White Collar Crime & Investigations Group where she represents a wide range of companies and individuals. Jo is recognised as a leading individual in her practice area advising clients in investigations involving allegations of corruption, cartels, tax and investment fraud and contentious financial services. She has advised directors and companies in the UK and internationally for over 20 years. She represents companies and individuals investigated by the SFO, FCA, CMA and HMRC and those who are subject to mutual legal assistance requests from criminal authorities abroad.
Jo's corporate representations range from advising a U.S. parent whose subsidiary agreed to a civil recovery order with the SFO, conducting an independent review for a UK casino chain, advising an online gambling platform in respect of a money laundering investigation and advising a sovereign wealth fund involved in a high profile sanctions matter. She has advised numerous companies on corruption, money laundering and fraud issues. She has acted for individuals in relation to investigations into Unaoil, Patisserie Valerie, Quindell, Rolls Royce, and a multinational tobacco company. She also has deep experience with insider dealing prosecutions and market abuse investigations. She was involved in the Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the British press and the Manchester Arena Inquest/Inquiry.
She has a particular interest in bribery & corruption, environmental crime and greenwashing and regularly writes and speaks on these subjects.
On 9 May, the UK government announced it was targeting Russia and Belarus with a 35% increase in import tariffs to be imposed on precious…
Continue Reading UPDATE: UK Announces Expansion of Trade Sanctions Against Russia and Belarus
On 4 May 2022, the UK government announced[1] a ban on UK persons or entities exporting certain professional services to Russia, prohibiting Russian businesses…
Continue Reading Update: UK Bans Exports of UK Professional Services to Russia and Includes Evraz plc on the UK Sanctions List
The UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) has updated its guidance on ownership and control. If a person or entity is on the UK…
Continue Reading UK Russian Sanctions – Updated Guidance on Ownership and Control
As anticipated, the Economic Crime Bill was passed and became the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 on 14 March 2022. Overseas entities, their…
Continue Reading UK Russian Sanctions and Economic Crime Update – A More Forceful Approach
Despite the rhetoric, it is clear that the United Kingdom has not, in fact, been leading the way on sanctions against Russia in response to…
Continue Reading UK Russian Sanctions: Is the UK Doing Enough?
The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) work at the intersection of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) concerns and UK financial services forms part of a wider…
Continue Reading ESG in UK Financial Services: The Current State of Play
As anticipated in our previous GT Alert, the UK government is bringing forward its economic crime legislation in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Continue Reading UK Introduces Economic Crime Legislation in Wake of Russian Invasion of Ukraine
The invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces was much heralded by U.S. and UK intelligence services but the scale of the attack seemed to take…
Continue Reading What Steps Other than Sanctions Might the UK Government Take Against Russian Assets in the UK?
On Feb. 24, 2022, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a comprehensive package of sanctions targeting Russian entities and individuals following President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of…
Continue Reading UK Issues Sanctions Against Russia Following President Putin’s Attack on Ukraine
On Dec. 15 Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the appointment of Baroness Heather Hallett as chair of the forthcoming public inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic.
Continue Reading UK COVID-19 Inquiry Chair Announced