Overview
Stuart Alford KC is a partner in the London office of Paul Hastings. Mr. Alford is a specialist in financial crime, specifically bribery, corruption, money laundering, fraud and dishonesty. He has an exceptional background advising on global investigations, criminal prosecutions and civil claims (in particular those involving UK and U.S. agencies), as well as advice and representation on issues of legal privilege, directors’ duties, shareholder disputes and judicial review.
Previously, Mr. Alford was Head of Banking Fraud and a member of the Management Board of the UK Serious Fraud Office. His career started with 20 years at the Bar in London, including time as a United Nations prosecutor, Legal Adviser to the Iraq High Tribunal (Saddam Hussein) and as a Special Advocate of the UK Attorney General.
For almost a third of his career Mr. Alford has been King’s Counsel, providing senior, team-leading guidance and advocacy. He is trusted by general counsel and company boards for his calm, authoritative advice.
In addition to his financial enforcement and regulatory work, Mr. Alford has extensive experience with litigation in the UK and Caribbean courts. He has built up an excellent network of offshore counsel in Caribbean jurisdictions where his work has included shareholder and directors’ duty litigation.
Mr. Alford works across all industry sectors, but his recent experience has included particular focus on crypto-currency, bio-tech, gambling, fin-tech, digital retail and cannabis cultivation.
Mr. Alford has a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion initiatives, including during his time in government, when he was Diversity Champion and Chair of the People & Culture Committee at the Serious Fraud Office.
Recognitions
- Described by Legal 500 as: ‘an exceptional contentious adviser to boards and corporates; his knowledge of the inner workings of the SFO is highly prized by clients’.
- Appointed King’s Counsel (then Queen’s Counsel) in 2014
- CEDR accredited mediator
Education
- University of Westminster: Diploma in Law, 1991
- University of Reading: BSc (Hons) Geography, 1989
Representations
- Advising a financial services company on parallel SFO and DOJ investigation, involving corruption allegations in South America
- Conducting internal investigation in South Africa following whistle-blower allegations at UK-headquartered tech company
- Representing a Chinese bio-tech company, in board-level litigation in the Caribbean (now on appeal to the Privy Council), with related litigation in the U.S., China, and Hong Kong
- Conducting a multi-jurisdictional investigation of corruption in China for an online technology company
- Investigating an allegation of corruption in the Middle East for an international aviation company, with related U.S. civil litigation
- Advising a UK-listed company on a criminal insider-trading investigation by the Financial Conduct Authority
- Advising multiple banking employees in the UK, U.S., and Hong Kong on a criminal market manipulation investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice
- Investigating allegations of corruption by the Africa Development Bank, in respect of a project in Egypt, for a Japanese infrastructure company
- Acting for a European private equity fund in the arbitration of a shareholder dispute, seated in Hong Kong
- Representing U.S. directors of a private equity portfolio company, in a prosecution by UK Companies House
Matters may have been handled prior to joining Paul Hastings.
insights
Engagement & Publications
- GIR’s Practitioner’s Guide to Global Investigations (Data Protection chapter)
- International Investigations Review (England & Wales chapter)
- Chaired panel session at North America Combar meeting in Boston: “Cryptoasset Litigation and Financial Crime”
- Panel member at GIR Live
- Presented in-person seminar at Financial Times Board Director Programme: “Current issues in financial crime”
- Three-part video series on “Topical Issues in Financial Crime”
Involvement
- Chair of Employed Barristers’ Committee of Bar Council, 2023
- Member of Bar Council’s General Management Committee, 2023
- Chair of International Bar Association’s War Crimes Committee, 2008 to 2013
- Member of Fraud Lawyers Association