Francesca is widely recognised as an asset on the highest-level corporate crime investigations and other matters where crisis management is vitally important.

Her track record includes in-depth experience of many of the largest and most notable multinational cases. Having worked for many years for an international law firm, she is adept at handling all aspects of the most complex, multifaceted investigations.

Francesca’s workload has included many of the most significant Serious Fraud Office investigations, including some of the biggest bribery, cross-border and carbon credit tax fraud cases. Francesca advised a senior executive in the SFO’s Petrofac bribery investigation. She acted for a former bank trader who was charged regarding market manipulation of the EURIBOR interest rate benchmark and assisted in the defence of traders investigated and prosecuted by the SFO over alleged manipulation of the LIBOR interest rate.

Her ability to identify and navigate the best route in a criminal investigation has led to her being the first choice of many high net worth individuals, senior business figures and professionals in cases where reputations are at stake.

Francesca was involved in the UK’s biggest phone hacking and related investigations - Operations Weeting, Elveden and Tuleta – and has represented clients in high-profile extradition proceedings.

Francesca has particular expertise in the area of proceeds of crime (money laundering) and frequently advises on a range of issues including the making of suspicious activity reports (SARs) and law enforcement applications that seek to freeze or seize assets, including Account Freezing Orders, Restraint Orders, and other applications made under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).

With her acknowledged achievements in fraud and other financial crime, she is also sought by corporates for advice and representation on compliance matters; including responding to whistleblower complaints and conducting internal investigations and risk assessments.

Her work on top-level investigations has included acting for those investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority over suspected anti-competitive practices. She also represented the former CEO of an international telecommunications company in a Financial Conduct Authority investigation into market abuse and suspected breaches of the Financial Services Act 2012.

Francesca is former chair and current Educational Secretary of the Young Fraud Lawyers Association.

Mary Inman is a partner at Whistleblower Partners. She has 30 years of experience representing whistleblowers in the U.S. under the False Claims Act, as well as the SEC, CFTC, IRS, FinCEN, and NHTSA/DOT whistleblower programs. After three years working in London, Mary represents an increasing number of international whistleblowers seeking to expose misconduct overseas with a nexus to the U.S. She also regularly helps whistleblowers bring claims to foreign regulators, including the Ontario Securities Commission, Canada Revenue Agency, His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, and Korea’s National Tax Service.

Shah is head of the Employment and Professional Discipline team in London. His practice covers all areas of employment law, discrimination law and professional discipline. He is a recognised leader in representing executives and professionals in both contentious and non-contentious work.

He has also developed a good reputation in pursuing successful discrimination and whistleblowing cases against large corporations and public bodies. He has extensive experience of advising on regulatory issues including cases before the Financial Conduct Authority and the General Medical Council, and has a portfolio of key employer clients ranging from national charities, local authorities and companies. He is also an accredited mediator.

Shah is a former Board Member of the Discrimination Law Association and the Muslim Council of Britain’s Legal Affairs Committee. He is an active member of the Employment Lawyer’s Association.

He is the author of the Equal Opportunities chapter of Tolley’s Employment and Personnel Procedures and a former visiting lecturer at London Metropolitan University. He has spoken at conferences held by the Law Society, Employment Lawyers’ Association, National Council for Voluntary Organisations and the Discrimination Law Association.

Shah has been interviewed and quoted in the press including the Guardian, the Times, the Telegraph and the Independent. He has appeared on BBC Newsnight, BBC News, Channel 4 and Radio 5 Live to provide legal comment.

In 2022, Shah won the 'Achievements in Law' award at the British Muslim Awards.

Sybille is Protect’s legal director, an experienced employment solicitor and a compelling speaker. She is a leading specialist whistleblowing lawyer working alongside employers, regulators and whistleblowers.

At Protect, she co-directs the charity’s legal case work and policy work. She has in-depth knowledge of the law and the practical realities of whistleblowing. She has spearheaded several successful legal interventions at the Court of Appeal and Employment Appeal Tribunal levels. She has a key role in Protect’s current legal reform campaign, pushing for innovative and much needed improvement to the UK whistleblowing legal framework. She also has wide-ranging expertise in helping organisations improve their whistleblowing arrangements and ‘speak up’ culture. She creates and delivers bespoke training and board briefings, conducts specialist whistleblowing audits.

Sybille believes that collaborative, transparent, and safe workplaces make excellent business sense, and that freedom of expression is the bedrock of the rule of law and democracy.

Protect is the UK’s whistleblowing charity and is a leading authority on whistleblowing in the UK. It was established as a charity in 1993 and has to date individually advised more than 45,000 whistleblowers and helped hundreds of organisations. It regularly provides evidence to Parliamentary Select Committees and government departments. It has successfully intervened in numerous important appellate cases involving the interpretation, scope and application of whistleblowing legislation.  It has unparalleled insight and unique expertise in how whistleblowing works in practice.