Kelly Wilson

Experience

Kelly's practice covers all areas of white collar crime, investigations, and contentious regulatory matters. Kelly is in a unique position having been a successful former prosecutor as well as being a defence practitioner with a proven track record of providing excellent outcomes for clients. 

Recently, Kelly was the lead lawyer representing a former CEO of a listed company facing charges by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) of making misleading statements to the market. Kelly led a team of lawyers to successfully defend her client in a 14 week trial at Southwark Crown Court, resulting in the unanimous acquittal of her client on all counts.

Kelly has advised in some of the most high-profile, complex cross-border investigations and litigation. Prior to joining DWF, she advised an aerospace company in a global investigation into allegations of fraud, bribery and corruption resulting in the world's largest global settlement for bribery to date with the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), U.S Department of State and the French Parquet National Financier (PNF).

Whilst at the SFO, Kelly successfully prosecuted a number of individuals charged with conspiracy to defraud the EURIBOR rate. As a Senior Crown Prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Kelly led the prosecution of a £10 million pound multi-handed diversion fraud and money laundering case resulting in the conviction of 10 defendants.

Kelly's prior experience at the SFO, the CPS and as a Case Review Manager at the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) investigating miscarriages of justice, enables her to provide insightful and strategic advice to both corporates and individuals at all stages of a case whether it be at the investigation stage, trial or on appeal. 

Memberships

• Fraud Lawyers Association
• Financial Services Lawyers Association
• The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple
• Women's White Collar Defence Association
• Female Fraud Forum

Recent Cases

Corporate Crime & Investigations:

• The lead lawyer representing a former CEO of a listed company charged by the FCA with market abuse offences under s.89 Financial Services Act 2012, in the first ever prosecution by the FCA brought under this statutory provision. Kelly successfully led a team of lawyers to defend her client resulting in the client's unanimous acquittal on all charges following a 14 week trial.
• Advising an aerospace company in a global investigation by the SFO, DOJ and PNF into allegations of fraud, bribery and corruption resulting in the world’s largest global settlement for bribery in a deferred prosecution agreement of €3.6 billion.
• Advising a corporate in a highly sensitive investigation by the SFO into allegations of corruption in Saudi Arabia.
• Advising on the SFO prosecution of a number of individuals charged with conspiracy to defraud the EURIBOR rate.
• Advising on a multi-jurisdictional SFO investigation into biodiesel trading fraud and money laundering.
• Representing an international financial institution in a SFO and DOJ investigation into bribery, corruption and money laundering. 
• Representing a C suite executive and the corporate in a largescale FCA investigation into providing misleading and incomplete information in respect of investments arranged by the corporate.
• Representing a Senior Manager of a listed company in a FCA compelled interview and investigation into insider dealing.
• Advising a corporate and individual in proceedings brought by HMRC for the fraudulent evasion of excise duty.
• Advising a parent and subsidiary company based overseas who were victims of a sophisticated fraud involving purported correspondence from UK bodies such as HMRC, the Bank of England and a major UK bank to extract money.
• Providing advice to a solicitor's firm on their client due diligence and anti-money laundering controls, policies and procedures following a fraudulent transaction.
• Leading on the prosecution of a £10 million pound multi-handed diversion fraud and money laundering case resulting in the conviction of 10 defendants.
• Successfully prosecuting a case of fraud by false representation in which the defendant purported to be a billionaire to obtain credit in offending spanning multiple jurisdictions.
• Investigating alleged miscarriages of justice resulting in two cases successfully being quashed by the Court of Appeal in the landmark decision of Mateta & Others [2014] 1 WLR 1516, concerning the prosecution of refugees for Identity Document Fraud.

Regulatory and Compliance:

• In 2023, Kelly undertook a three-month secondment at Amazon to provide regulatory and compliance advice and support. 

Professional Discipline:

• Acting for a solicitor accused of serious offences of dishonesty by the SRA, which led to a contested hearing before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal following a three-year investigation.
• Defending a Company Secretary accused of serious allegations of dishonesty made by an anonymous source to the SRA. 

*Includes matters handled at DWF or prior to joining the firm.

Publications

• A step too far by the SFO: Supreme Court finds the SFO's Section 2 powers do not have extra-territorial reach
• Financial Crime and Fraud Regulatory Updates March 2021
• DWF successfully defends client accused of misleading investors in case brought by the FCA
• The FTX Crypto Scandal: "Same old-school fraud, just with new technology"
• A bone of contention - The SME exemption in the new proposed failure to prevent fraud offence
• InsureInsight: Insurance Sector Trends 2024