The arrival of investigating officers at 6am armed with a warrant to search your premises will usually be the first indication that you or your business is under criminal investigation.

The aptly named ‘dawn raid’ is becoming increasingly common as regulators and enforcement agencies including the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) use their powers to enter premises to search and seize material deemed relevant to their investigation.

How we can help

Dawn raids are distressing particularly when they take place at your home or at those of your fellow directors who are then arrested and taken away for interview under caution.

Our financial crime investigations lawyers have extensive experience of attending dawn raids. We will quickly arrive at the scene to advise on the search, its legality and the protections available to you and your business.

The seizure of computers and electronic data is often a major issue as they may contain information that is both relevant and irrelevant to the case but is vital to the day-to-day running of your business. We can advise on how to deal with this issue and the treatment of material which is subject to professional legal privilege. We will also accompany and represent you at interviews under caution.

Our serious fraud investigations lawyers have the expertise to deal with regulators to ensure the minimum amount of disruption to your business and protect your best interests. We can also help mitigate the risk of reputational damage with an effective media strategy.