Hugo is a specialist in civil fraud investigations and litigation.
He has acted in dozens of cross-border fraud cases involving the need to trace and recover assets by executing search orders and asset freezing injunctions.  He is regularly instructed to act in cases involving dishonesty and misconduct by employees. He has a breadth of experience ranging from managing internal corporate investigations into bribery and corruption to obtaining disclosure orders in the Channel Islands to help demonstrate sham trust arrangements. He has experience in regulatory and compliance investigations by the FSA and the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers. Hugo has a track record of resolving disputes through mediation and other forms of dispute resolution.

He is a member of the Young Fraud Lawyers Association (YFLA) and is developing a reputation as one of the go-to lawyers on cases involving data theft and the enforcement of restrictive covenants. He has been quoted in the recruitment industry press and lectured to this industry on these issues. He is a regular contributor to the Firm's Fraud Briefings. He speaks French and Spanish.

key experience

• Acted for an investor in a property development joint venture, against well-known UK property developers for fraud and breach of fiduciary duty on the basis of diversion of funds and opportunities belonging to the joint venture.
• Investigation into a major gang of counterfeiters on behalf of a global US software manufacturer leading to multi-million dollar recoveries, following wide-ranging civil search, freezing and disclosure orders.
• Successfully represented a number of top recruitment businesses in injunctive proceedings to recover the client and candidate database and applications for pre-action disclosure, including for the first time in reported legal history an application on behalf of Hays for pre-action disclosure of documents held in a LinkedIn account as reported in the Telegraph.
• Acted for a hedge fund in an investigation into two former senior employees who allegedly downloaded financial secrets and complex trading software to set up in competition.
• Acted pro bono for a well-known charity in recovering the proceeds of a "fresh air" invoicing fraud perpetrated by a project manager in the property services division.
• Defended two businessmen associated in a multi-million dollar claim and worldwide asset freezing injunction brought against them by a British Virgin Island company owned and controlled by a Russian oligarch. The claim arose in connection with a loan agreement, personal guarantees and indemnities.
• Acted for the leading independent supplier of petrol and diesel products in the UK in a claim against a former employee who stole confidential information and sought to use it to his advantage in a competitive tender bid to win business from national supermarkets.
• Acted for a supplier of mobile phone and other telecom accessories based in the Middle East and Africa in a global investigation and subsequent multi-jurisdictional fraud claim against two former board directors and various corporate nominees.
• Acted for Pimlico Plumbers in the case reported in the Evening Standard and Daily Mail
• Successfully represented leading London estate agents Foxtons in a number of injunctions and applications for search orders, including the high profile case reported by the Evening Standard.
• Defended a claim brought by a film financing agent against a former director for wrongfully procuring a company to be put into liquidation and diverting business opportunities in breach of fiduciary duty.
• Acted for a leading fashion brand owner in a contractual claim and jurisdiction race against an Italian distributor who failed to pay royalties, and deliver a well-known underwear range on time.

Career History