Ian Ryan

Background

About Ian Ryan

I am a financial crime and regulatory lawyer with over 30 years experience of fighting and winning trials. I am presently acting for significant individuals including suspects in 3 active SFO investigations; an individual in an FCA investigation into allegations of misleading statements to the market; a top ten professional tennis player in an ATP investigation; a multinational law firm in an AML regulatory investigation; and a well-known football agent in a police investigation into an allegation of perverting the course of justice. I am also one of very few senior solicitors specialising in solicitors' defence disciplinary work, having previously prosecuted for the SRA from 1997- 2012. Many of these cases are very sensitive but I am presently advising an ex-magic circle partner in an ongoing SRA investigation and recently advised two magic circle partners in "me-too" investigations which were dropped at an early stage, and successfully represented a well-known solicitor in an investigation into allegations of breaches of confidentiality, which were dropped after detailed representations. I retain a niche criminal practice representing high net worth individuals, including musicians, artists celebrities, politicians and sports people. Previously I successfully defended Achim Kramer (2018) and Andrea Hauschild (2019) in the SFO Euribor trials at Southwark Crown Court; Martin Blackburn (2020) in the high profile Gary Senior hearing at the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal; a Middle Eastern bank in a private prosecution (2021);and I acted for iconic streetwear brand Supreme (2021) in a private prosecution for counterfeiting (also at Southwark CC) that resulted in convictions and significant prison sentences. I also acted for News International Head of Security Mark Hanna who was acquitted of perverting the course of justice in the Rebecca Brooks' phone hacking trial at the Old Bailey (2014); for two senior executives at Tesco in its internal investigation, the subsequent SFO investigation, and during the trial process and its aftermath (2014-2021); and for the ex- CEO of a Colombian subsidiary of JLT Speciality Ltd in a joint SFO/DOJ investigation into allegations of bribery and corruption in Ecuador, and money laundering (2020/21). I have acted for many clients where charges have been avoided following representations and in significant SFO investigations including Rolls Royce, Amec Foster Wheeler, ENRC, GSK,GPT, Harlequin, Vincent Tchenguiz (advising him on his arrest and the subsequent search of his office premises) and Afren.