It’s true, we were founded by two barristers. But we are so much more than a law firm.
As well as representing clients at trial, Fulcrum is a collective of specialists who work to prevent you being taken to court in the first place. We are more than just a fire brigade to bring in when the fire is blazing – we work with you in proactive areas like ESG, compliance, due diligence and internal investigations to mitigate your risk, using the knowledge gained from our legacy of working with the regulators.
Fulcrum has three core departments:
Uniquely, we are comprised of a range of specialists, including:
This structure means we can assemble a bespoke team to suit your needs, whatever the situation, giving you direct access to a unique, multi-disciplinary network of specialists.
You can rely on us for bespoke, strategic and commercial advice, during what are often challenging, time-sensitive and highly pressurised periods.
Our client list includes governments, listed companies, SMEs and individuals spanning a wide range of sectors. Regardless of the size of your business, scale of your issue or where you’re located, we can help.
We have advised clients in many of the most high-profile international white-collar crime and regulatory investigations of the last decade, which means we have an acute working knowledge of the regulators and how they work.
As we only take on a limited number of instructions, our team is able to focus on your specific matter and deliver a fully-tailored, premium service. This gives you the freedom to focus on your core business operations, with full confidence in the team working to mitigate your risks. It’s why we’ve developed long-standing, trusted relationships with all our clients.
Our vertically-integrated model means we can provide everything from initial due diligence and compliance advice through to acting as trial counsel for companies and executives facing prosecution.
With so many skills under one roof, we can assemble the appropriate team for each client project, meaning you don’t have to go anywhere else. You get a streamlined, efficient and agile service which benefits from multiple perspectives.
We also have people in our team who previously worked for regulators including the SFO. Because of this, we know exactly how the regulators work, what they look for and how companies can end up in hot water. This means that we bring an invaluable perspective when developing innovative compliance programmes, ensuring they actually work in practice.
In working with us, you’ll be working with an accessible, flexible, down-to-earth and genuinely diverse team, both in terms of professional background as well as specialist skills and approaches to problem-solving.
Many traditional firms have large disputes or litigation departments where associates and even partners practice a mix of general litigation, arbitration and white-collar work.
Fulcrum focuses exclusively on white-collar compliance, investigations and defence, making us true experts in our field, and the largest dedicated white-collar crime team in the UK.
We pride ourselves on being able to deliver flexible, tailored pricing models to suit our clients’ businesses.
Some clients prefer hourly rates, but much of our work is also undertaken on a fixed fee basis. This means our clients benefit from transparency, certainty, and the ability to budget, regardless of the complexity or size of the instruction.
None of our lawyers have billable hour targets because we don’t believe that this delivers the best efficiencies, service or value for our clients.
Owing to our size and the exclusive nature of our practice, we are generally conflict-free. This contrasts with many larger firms who are unable to accept clients because of their involvement in conflicting representations.
Fulcrum has a strong commitment to its corporate social responsibility and works on various projects with local communities, charities and organisations.
We are headquartered in London, with a Compliance & Integrity business (Fulcrum Integrity SAS) in Paris, but we work wherever our clients need us to work and have wide-ranging experience of overseas investigations and litigation.
Almost all of our work involves an international element and we have on the ground experience in numerous jurisdictions including Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South America, the Caribbean, and the US.
We work with clients across a range of sectors, including financial services; construction and engineering; defence and aviation; energy and extractives; logistics and supply chain; and sport.
Fulcrum is unique in that it has its genesis at the English Bar.
We were founded in 2010 by David Williams QC and Ivan Pearce, two highly regarded barristers, each of whom spent a significant amount of time at the self-employed bar specialising in white-collar crime.
Changes under the Legal Services Act 2007 meant that for the first time, a law firm could be created that could be led by barristers but which would bring together professionals from across the investigations and white-collar defence arena, including lawyers, compliance professionals, analysts and investigators.
Fulcrum brought together these skilled individuals to service the needs of corporate clients and senior individuals who found themselves under increasing scrutiny from regulators and prosecutors as a result of new legislation such as the UK Bribery Act 2010. This innovation was recognised in 2016 when we were ranked in the top tier of innovative law firms in the Financial Times’ Innovative Lawyers’ awards.
Over the last 10 years we have acted in some of the most significant and high-profile investigations and prosecutions of the last decade, including the first full self-referral process, resulting in a settlement for Macmillan Publishers with the SFO; representing high profile individuals such as Vincent Tchenguiz and Tom Hayes; and more recently the successful defence of Alstom.
Amongst other matters, we currently act for ENRC in the SFO’s long-running investigation into the company and have also acted for individuals in the context of the Rolls-Royce and Rio Tinto investigations.
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Fulcrum Chambers Ltd is a limited company registered in England & Wales, under registration number 7149049.
Its registered office is Bridge House, 181 Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4V 4EG.
It is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, registration number 541616.
“Partner” is a marketing term for lawyers and other professionals of senior standing and does not denote ownership of or partnership with Fulcrum Chambers Ltd.