Mike Kenyon

Expertise

Mike has been recognized for many years as one of the foremost regulatory and financial defence lawyers in the country and has defended individuals and their businesses against most of the many government regulators that now seek to impose restrictions on business from Whitehall, Washington and Brussels. Understanding that repeat business can sometimes be regarded as disappointing, he looks to defend first, mitigate in any way possible and then always advise on future avoidance. Having managed the most successful financial crime, tax investigation and regulatory firm in the North for six years, Mike has a real understanding of the imperatives of business and the need for advice to be commercial and not just legally correct. He has often advised on pre-emptive action including dawn raid procedures. Apart from his well-known reputation in financial crime and tax investigations, Mike is also a leading expert in firearms law and wildlife crime.

Experience Highlights

• International VAT investigation concerning cross-border transactions by Europe’s largest steel making group.
• Successfully defended a UK based individual being investigated by the SEC for passing market sensitive information concerning a Dow quoted company.
• Successfully defended a bank director in the largest fraud case undertaken in the Isle of Man.
• Successfully defended a director of a listed PLC against allegations of insider dealing.
• Sued HMRC for the recovery of over £20 million in disallowed VAT input tax.
• Numerous ‘Hansard’ tax investigations including one for a Manx domiciled British resident now based in Jersey.
• Raid of and investigation into the employment practices of a large restaurant group; 75 people arrested but charged after a 3-year investigation.
• Acted for a property group accused of laundering money for the IRA.
• Acted for a Swiss-based British couple accused of tax evasion in Germany.

Career History

Previous Law Firms

• Legal Adviser — National Gamekeepers Organisation
• National Consultant in Financial Crime — Hill Dickinson LLP
• Founding and Managing Partner — Cooper Kenyon Burrows
• Commercial Fraud Partner — Burton Copeland
• Senior Crown Prosecutor

Education

• Chester Law College
• University of Kent at Canterbury