AFB Practice Workshop: How to Handle Internal Investigations into Allegations of Fraud

Financial services firms are seeing increased instances of fraud which require an internal investigation to be carried out. This interactive practice workshop, in partnership with Stephenson Harwood will run through a scenario which will consider the challenges that can occur during a fraud investigation and explore practical ways to manage those challenges.

Why attend?

The workshop will guide participants through a fraud investigation within a bank from its discovery to the end of the investigation. It will be an interactive session with attendees discussing the issues in small groups, each moderated by a hosting lawyer. Delegates will be encouraged to identify the issues which need to be addressed as the investigation progresses and share experiences of handling different challenges.

This scenario concerns a fraud that has been uncovered. However, the session will be of relevance to a broad spectrum of internal investigations.

What will members gain for use at their bank?

• Details of latest updates of the expectations of the Serious Fraud Office and Financial Conduct Authority for banks
• Practical advice and guidance on conducting internal investigations for fraud allegations
• The opportunity to engage in facilitated discussion on these issues with fellow AFB members and Stephenson Harwood specialist teams, including regulatory litigation and investigations, corporate and commercial, competition, employment and data privacy

Who should attend?

The session is of broad relevance to members and designed to assist professionals from legal, finance, HR, and compliance functions.

Speakers

Moderators for the seminar are drawn from specialist teams within Stephenson Harwood.  The session will be facilitated by:

Alan Ward, Partner (Regulatory Litigation)

Alan is a partner in the regulatory litigation practice group. He advises corporate entities and individuals in the context of regulatory and criminal investigations, commenced by agencies such as the Serious Fraud Office and Financial Conduct Authority.  He also assists corporates and individuals in relation to the conduct of, and responses to, internal investigations.

Alan’s work regularly involves allegations of misconduct on financial markets. Recently, he has advised a number of individuals in the context of investigations into suspected market abuse on a diverse array of international markets, including equity, debt and commodities markets. He has also advised firms and exchanges on detecting and preventing market misconduct.

Alan represented a number of individuals in relation to the global LIBOR and foreign exchange (FX / forex) investigations, including both individuals who were the subject of regulatory and criminal allegations of market misconduct and senior managers investigated by regulators for alleged oversight failures.

Alan is one of a very small number of lawyers who has successfully represented a senior trader at a major investment bank at trial. He has also been instructed to advise corporates and individuals in providing assistance to agencies including the SFO, FCA, Prudential Regulation Authority (“PRA”), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and other US authorities.

Much of Alan’s work has a significant international dimension. He regularly advises corporate clients and financial institutions, including banks and asset managers, on matters that may have an impact, regulatory or otherwise, in more than one jurisdiction. 
Alan writes regularly in the legal and mainstream press and speaks at a number of industry conferences, both in the UK and internationally.  

Logistics

Format:   In-person at Stephenson Harwood, 1 Finsbury Circus, London, EC2M 7SH

Cost:        £265.00 + VAT

Date:       Thursday 16 January 2025

Time:       08:30 – 11:00 (Registration and breakfast from 08:30-09:00)

Places:     Maximum of 36 people

If you would like to submit a question or have any specific areas that you would like the session to address, please send them to the AFB Secretariat. You will receive final event details one week before the event.

Stephenson Harwood is not charging the AFB or Members for hosting this workshop and will deliver the session on a complimentary basis.  The delegate fees received for this course are invested in the ongoing running and administration of AFB.