• Tony Lewis
• Partner, London
• Field Fisher Waterhouse
• tony.lewis@ffw.com
• work +44 (0)20 7861 4940

Tony Lewis is a seasoned litigator, and a recognised expert in fraud and international asset tracing.

A leading directory, Chambers, comments, “Tony Lewis is acclaimed for the 'unerringly accurate anticipation of opposition moves' that keeps him 'one step ahead of the game'. He engenders further praise for his smooth running of cases and ability to 'seamlessly pull together complex concepts and diverse teams of professionals'." The Legal 500 says that he "impresses clients".

He specialises in issues arising from fraudulent conduct, including breach of directors’ duties, tracing assets, theft of confidential information and other assets, money laundering, corruption, and the interplay between civil and criminal proceedings.

Tony has acted in many high profile, complex and reported cases, which have often been multi-jurisdictional. He has significant experience of recovering assets, conducting investigations, and obtaining and enforcing freezing orders, search orders and other injunctions, both in the UK, and in support of proceedings worldwide. Tony is also registered to conduct litigation in the Dubai International Financial Court. He also acts as the court appointed, supervising solicitor for search orders.

Tony also has wide-ranging mediation experience and acted in one of the largest mediated settlements ever achieved, and is an accredited mediator himself.

Tony specialises in the financial institutions, life sciences, and public sectors.

Recent cases include:

• Pursuing a US$25 million asset tracing claim on behalf of companies in the British Virgin Islands, Isle of Man and Africa arising out of the sale of an Angolan food business;
• Obtaining a worldwide freezing order for a Hong Kong trading entity against a former employee who had misappropriated assets and taken bribes, and dealing with the inter-related criminal proceedings;
• Acting for a UK public body in relation to a £20 million investigation in relation to misappropriated funds;
• Acting for national accountancy firm in relation to litigation arising from resignation as auditors following discovery of accounting irregularities, and dealing with related money laundering issues;
• Acting for a major utility in a number of fraud related claims, including a significant procurement fraud;
• Obtaining a worldwide freezing order in support of proceedings in Italy, to facilitate international tracing and recovery of assets across Europe and in the US and Panama;
• Obtaining and executing a search order for a national telecoms company in relation to the diversion of business by directors to a competing business;
• Acting for an NHS body in relation to fraud allegations;
• Obtaining a worldwide freezing order, tracing, and recovering assets for a UAE based entity which had been defrauded.

Tony is authorised by the Dubai International Financial Centre ("DIFC") as a practitioner permitted to issue and conduct proceedings in the DIFC Courts which hear all types of civil and commercial matters. Proceedings in the DIFC Courts are conducted in English applying common law principles.

Tony has spoken at a number of engagements including the London Fraud forum annual conference, the Lexis Nexis Anti-Money Laundering conference, the Lexis Nexis International Litigation and Fraud Conference, Central Law Training, and a series of talks for R3, the organisation for business recovery professionals.

Tony has also had articles published in the Lawyer, Fraud Intelligence, European Lawyer and the IBA Litigators’ Newsletter.

Tony is also an active member of various professional organisations, including the Commercial Fraud Lawyers’ Association, the International Bar Association, the London Fraud Forum, the Commercial Litigators’ Forum and the Proceeds of Crime Lawyers’ Association.