Max Hobbs Senior Associate

Senior Associate

DD +44 (0)20 7849 2491 T +44 (0)20 7831 9222 Email Max Download vCard

Max is a member of the firm's corporate crime and investigations team. He is noted as a "key lawyer" in the Legal 500 rankings for Fraud: White-Collar Crime (Individuals) and Regulatory Investigations and Corporate Crime (Corporates). Max is also the Educational Secretary of the Young Fraud Lawyers Association.

Max regularly advises clients on white collar defence and investigations, with a particular focus on the UK's anti-money laundering and bribery regimes.

He has broad experience in this area - including representing individual clients in interviews under caution and assisting corporate clients to respond to potential bribery and money laundering issues, including conducting investigations and advising corporate clients on self-reporting.

Max also advises firms on their anti-money laundering, anti-bribery and anti-tax evasion compliance programmes and provides training in these areas. He recently edited the Money Laundering and Disclosure of Suspicious Transactions chapters of Millington and Sutherland Williams on The Proceeds of Crime, a leading textbook.

Max's practice also includes high-value, complex arbitration and civil fraud cases. He has acted on a number of matters in these areas, including a dispute in the African energy sector (LCIA arbitration) and obtaining a Worldwide Freezing Order against an overseas individual in support of his clients' asset recovery strategy.

Expertise

Recent work

White Collar Defence

Advising a private UK company in the energy sector to respond to an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into potential bribery, fraud and money laundering. This involved responding to multiple "Section 2" notices and preparing submissions on behalf of the company. The company and its employees are no longer suspects in the SFO's investigation.

Investigations and Self-Reporting

Acting for a private, international company to investigate allegations of bribery overseas. This included preparing and submitting a suspicious activity report and a corporate self-report to the Serious Fraud Office, by which the company obtained consent to proceed under POCA and a notice of no further action from the SFO.

AML Compliance

Assisting a corporate client to prepare and implement anti-money laundering policies and procedures, including assisting with the drafting of new policy documents, providing training to a newly-appointed MLRO and communicating and training broader staff on the new policies and procedures.

Investigations

Acting for a listed company to investigate allegations of bribery by an employee, including conducting an internal investigation into the alleged misconduct, advising the company on its reporting obligations under the listing rules and advising the company on responding to potential civil litigation arising out of the alleged misconduct.

AML Advisory

Advising multiple corporate clients in the investment management industry on compliance with the Proceeds of Crime Act and Money Laundering Regulations and the requirement to submit Suspicious Activity Reports in respect of holdings and trading in cannabis-related businesses.

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