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Professional Services Investigations

Our global investigations team are market leading experts in advising clients on internal and external regulatory investigations in the professional services sector.

We are the adviser of choice for the largest, most serious and complex issues arising within professional services firms, and our team has extensive experience in acting on high-value domestic and multi-jurisdictional investigations that threaten the business and reputation of our clients and individual practitioners. We have acted on investigations and professional negligence cases for a broad range of professionals, including those relating to the conduct of banks, lawyers, accountants, auditors, insolvency practitioners, counsel, surveyors and other professional advisers. Our commercial approach recognises the importance of acting swiftly to investigate the issues, to preserve evidence and also to identify ways to remediate proactively and prevent reoccurrence.

Internal investigations are a key tool in the toolkit for professional services organisations to quickly and effectively investigate and understand issues that have arisen across their networks. As well as undertaking the internal investigation, we also advise on appropriate steps that may be required depending on its findings, whether that be on employment and partnership implications, regulatory reporting obligations and remediation.

The regulatory landscape for professional services businesses is constantly evolving and there is a growing global trend of increased regulatory scrutiny in this sector. Our global team is well placed to advise on these changes and to help clients navigate investigations and enforcement proceedings in this context.

Our related podcasts

Financial reporting and enforcement trends in the professional services industry

The Most Important Issues in Business Crime podcast series

Doug Davison is joined by guests Rebecca McGregor and Michael Lamson. Together they discuss the increased regulatory focus on financial reporting and enforcement trends in the professional services industry.

Notable matters

A Big Four accounting firm: advising in defending an action brought by the SFC for production of audit working papers, the handling of which is subject to PRC state secrecy restrictions.

A Big Four accounting firm: advising in a high-profile disciplinary proceeding brought by the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

KPMGI: advising in a DOJ and SEC investigation into the collapse of a leading Middle Eastern investment fund.

KPMG: advising in relation to the FRC’s investigation under the Accountancy scheme in connection with KPMG’s responses to the FRC’s Audit Quality Reviews in respect of the 2016 audit of Carillion plc. 

Acting for a Big Four accounting firm in relation to the FRC's AEP investigation into issues arising from its audits of a publicly listed company and its subsidiaries.

KPMG: acting for the firm and one of its former partners in relation to the FRC’s investigation into their role in the sale of the Silentnight group of companies.

The Canadian and UK firms of Ernst & Young: acting in a £350m Commercial Court claim brought by Freightliner LLC.

KPMG UK: acting on a £450m claim by the liquidators of Independent Insurance plc and defending them in disciplinary proceedings brought by the Institute's investigatory body.

A Big Four accounting firm: defending a £450m professional negligence claim in relation to the provision of audit services.  

Explore Investigations at Linklaters

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