Hannah Willcocks KC

Recommendations

Hannah is excellent, clear-headed and thorough.

― Chambers UK (2025)

Hannah performs high-quality cross-examinations.

― Chambers UK (2023)

Hannah is very bright with a fantastic attention to detail.

― Legal 500 (2023)

She is extremely bright and conscientious.

― Chambers UK (2022)

Hannah has a calm, persuasive manner and combines persistence with a jury-friendly style, which enables her to score her forensic points in a highly effective manner. She is an exceptionally able advocate whose advocacy shows her meticulous preparation.

― Legal 500 (2022)

Fair, very reasonable and incredibly hard-working. She is always going the extra mile to make sure everything is done.

― Chambers and Partners 2021

She is always so cerebral and thoughtful and takes such an intellectual approach to the cases that she runs.

― Chambers and Partners 2021

She’s efficient and handles difficult cases well.

― Chambers and Partners 2020

She can put her opponent in a whole world of trouble.

― Chambers and Partners 2020

She is very hard-working and shows great attention to detail.

― Chambers and Partners 2019

She is very, very able and has attention to detail in spades.

― Chambers and Partners 2018

A first-class advocate and excellent lawyer, whose attention to detail is of the highest order.

― Legal 500 2017

She has a remarkable capacity for mastering volumes of material.

― Legal 500 2016

Incredibly calm under fire.

― Chambers and Partners 2017

She is so on top of things, and her mastery of an inordinate amount of material is very impressive.

― Chambers and Partners 2017

A very methodical thinker and will do her damnedest to get the job done.

― Chambers and Partners 2016

Very dedicated and very much into the detail, she’s a very methodical thinker and works so hard.

― Chambers and Partners 2014

She’s incredibly bright.

― Chambers and Partners 2014

Very strong, extremely hard-working and highly efficient.

― Chambers and Partners 2013

Advisory

Hannah has significant experience of advising on all stages of large, multi-handed and complex prosecutions, from pre-charge through to confiscation.  Acknowledged as being “excellent, clear-headed and thorough” (Chambers & Partners 2025), as well as ‘‘always so cerebral and thoughtful’ (Chambers & Partners 2021), Hannah’s ‘fantastic attention to detail’ (Legal 500 2023) means that she is extremely adept at addressing and providing detailed advice on intricate issues of both fact and law.   With a ‘remarkable capacity for mastering volumes of material’, Hannah is also particularly well-skilled at collating and analysing investigations in order to provide effective, strategic and practical advice on evidential, disclosure and legal issues at an early stage, as well as on charge.

As well as her extensive professional experience of disclosure in financial crime cases, Hannah is currently undertaking a part-time PhD at Queen Mary University of London examining Disclosure in Serious or Complex Fraud Cases.  As a result, she possesses specialist in-depth knowledge in this area.

Examples of past work include:

• Pre-Charge Advice:

• • (2022-2023): Advised CPS on criminal charges and strategic direction on commencing prosecution in case involving multiple suspects and offences, including significant money laundering conspiracies.
  • (2020): First junior counsel instructed by the SFO in its eighth Deferred Prosecution Agreement and assisted leading Counsel with extensive written advice on review of evidence and potential criminal action against individuals.
  • (2019 – 2020): Advice on evidence, charge and strategic direction of investigation / commencing prosecution provided to Insolvency Service in case involving 7 suspects.
  • (2019): Instructed to assist leading counsel advise on an internal corporate investigation into VAT irregularities.  Included provision of advice regarding the conduct of internal interviews and voluntary disclosure to HMRC.
  • (2017 – 2018): Instructed to advise pre-charge as junior prosecution counsel in a case involving a death in custody.  Involved detailed consideration of both evidence and law.
  • (2011-2012): Instructed to advise pre-charge as sole prosecution counsel in a Marine Management Organisation investigation of nine suspects. Involved detailed consideration of both evidence and regulatory law.

• Disclosure:

• • XX LLP  – YY plc (2018):  instructed by the Financial Reporting Council to advise and assist with the disclosure exercise following the issue of formal complaints issued under the Accountancy Scheme.
  • Op. Hornet (2013 – 2017): High profile multi-handed prosecution involving conspiracy to corrupt, fraudulent trading and conspiracy to launder criminal property with an estimated loss of approximately £245m.    One of the largest investigations ever undertaken by Thames Valley Police with over 195,000 pages of evidence, as first disclosure counsel Hannah led a large disclosure team comprising numerous officers and over 20 other junior counsel, advising on all aspects of the disclosure process from an early stage of proceedings and throughout.   Press Report.
  • Op. Eurovet (2009-2011): Case concerning illegal importation and supply of approximately £6m of unauthorised and prescription–only veterinary medicines. One of the largest DEFRA prosecutions of its kind, Hannah’s role included devising a disclosure strategy that involved making enquiries in five other countries.
  • Op. Stirling (2008-2011): Disclosure counsel in a large-scale tax fraud directing and supervising 16 police officers in an extensive review of probe material. Hannah’s disclosure strategy subsequently became the framework for all Northumbrian Police operations involving the deployment and use of probes.

• Niche Issues:

• • (2021-2023): Advised and assisted in review of Digital Processes and Protocols implemented by a large-scale investigation in respect of material subject to Legal Professional Privilege to ensure systems in place robust and reliable from a legal, as well as practical perspective.
  • R v RJ (2013): Advised and drafted legal argument for the FCA regarding choses in action obtained from spread betting and whether associated costs should be deducted from the defendant’s benefit figure.  Some of the submissions were novel but accepted by the Court:  none were appealed.  Press Report

Business Crime & Fraud

Repeatedly recommended for her work in financial crime, Hannah developed an established reputation as prosecution counsel in large scale cases involving the most serious and complex white-collar crimes.  Prior to taking Silk, Hannah was appointed to the Serious Fraud Office’s Prosecution Panel A list in 2017 and as a Grade 4 Advocate for the CPS Specialist Fraud Panel in 2019.  Past cases include:

• Advising CPS pre-charge in case involving multiple suspects and offences, including significant money laundering conspiracies (2022 – 2023).
• First junior counsel instructed by the SFO in its eighth Deferred Prosecution Agreement (2020).
• Vouch (2018 – 2019): leading prosecution Counsel in a multi-handed prosecution of 10 defendants involving offences of conspiracy to commit boiler room frauds and conspiracy to launder criminal property both in the UK and abroad.  The case affected numerous victims, many of whom were elderly and vulnerable, with a loss of over £2million.
• XX LLP – YY plc (2018):  instructed by the Financial Reporting Council to advise and assist with the disclosure exercise following the issue of formal complaints issued under the Accountancy Scheme.
• Hornet (2013 – 2017):High profile multi-handed prosecution involving conspiracy to corrupt, fraudulent trading and conspiracy to launder criminal property with an estimated loss of approximately £245m.    One of the largest investigations ever undertaken by Thames Valley Police with over 195,000 pages of evidence.   (Led jnr. and first disclosure counsel).  Press Report.
• Susumo (2015 – 2016):Money laundering prosecution involving 7 defendants and the alleged laundering of over £6m (led jnr).
• R v RJ (2013)Advised and drafted legal argument for the FCA regarding choses in action obtained from spread betting and whether associated costs should be deducted from the defendant’s benefit figure.  Some of the submissions were novel but accepted by the Court:  none were appealed.  Press Report
• Saturn (2012):Junior prosecution counsel in the then FSA’s longest and most complex prosecution of insider dealing to that date tried over four months.  Press ReportOp. Ghast (2011): 6-handed £22m VAT (MTIC) fraud and money laundering.  (Led jnr. and one of two disclosure counsel in the overall operation).
• Stirling (2008-2011):Disclosure counsel in a large-scale tax fraud directing and supervising 16 police officers in an extensive review of probe material. Hannah’s disclosure strategy subsequently  became the framework for all Northumbrian Police operations involving the deployment and use of probes.
• Saiful (2008-2010):Junior prosecution counsel in an 11 handed banking fraud.
• Thankful (2007-2010):Prosecution counsel in complex, lengthy confiscation proceedings in a drugs importation case.  A hidden assets finding and confiscation order of £238,304.87 was made.
• In the Matter of ****** and in the Matter of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (2007/2008): Advised on the appropriateness of seeking a restraint order and receivership post confiscation order where new assets had been discovered by R.C.P.O. Also subsequently instructed to appear and advise in confiscation enforcement proceedings following the granting of the restraint order.
• In the matter of ****** and in the matter of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (2007): Successful High Court application for restraint order under the CJA 1988 for Thameside Metropolitan Council prior to the defendant being summonsed to the Magistrates’ Court for benefit fraud offences.

Regulatory & Professional Disciplinary

Having been instructed by both DEFRA (now CPS) and the FSA (now FCA) in two of their most complex cases to date, as well as having undertaken work for the Marine Management Organisation and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, Hannah has extensive experience of regulatory work.

Also recognised for her expertise in prosecuting serious financial crime, Hannah was instructed in the FSA’s (now FCA) flagship prosecution of insider dealing.

Featured Cases

• R v RJ (2013) – Advised and drafted legal argument for the FCA regarding the choses in action obtained from spread betting and whether associated costs should be deducted from the defendant’s benefit figure in confiscation proceedings. Some of the submissions were novel but accepted by the Court: none were appealed.
  [Press report]
• Op. Saturn (2012) – Junior prosecution counsel in the then FSA’s longest and most complex prosecution of insider dealing to that date tried over four months.
  [Press report]
• R v X (2011-2012) – Instructed to advise pre-charge as sole prosecution counsel in a Marine Management Organisation investigation of nine suspects.
• Op. Eurovet (2009-2011) – Led jnr. and disclosure counsel in case concerning illegal importation and supply of approximately £6m of unauthorised and prescription–only veterinary medicines. One of the largest DEFRA prosecutions of its kind involving extradition proceedings, the obtaining of extensive evidence from abroad, contested expert evidence and issues arising from restraint proceedings.

Serious & Organised Crime

Prior to taking Silk, Hannah was appointed a Grade 4 Advocate for the CPS Specialist Serious Crime Panel in 2019, as well as a Grade 4 Advocate on the CPS General Crime Panel in 2016.  She has particular experience of cases involving Serious Violence having both prosecuted and defended a very large number of such cases during the early years of her practice.

• R v P (2019): Defence counsel in multi-handed conspiracy to kidnap and rob case. Successful submission of no case to answer.
• ****** (2017 – 2018): Instructed to advise pre-charge as junior prosecution counsel in a case involving a death in custody.
• Nutant (2007-2008):Junior prosecution counsel in the importation of 36.72 kilos of heroin.
• R v X (2008):Prosecution of GBH – a head injury caused by a hammer and serious burns.
• R v Y (2008):Defence of GBH (later reduced to ABH) in which the Defendant had run over another person with his car.
• R v B & Ors (2006):Junior prosecution counsel in 6 handed conspiracies to kidnap.  One defendant gave Queen’s Evidence; there was a significant amount of cell site evidence, which Hannah called and cross-examined the experts upon.

Education

• MA Law by Research, Distinction (Dissertation on ‘The Fraud Act 2006 – Ten Years Later’ 80%), Queen Mary, University of London 2017.
• BPP Law School, Bar Vocational Course 2001.
• BPP Law School, Postgraduate Diploma in Law, Distinction (top of year) 2000.
• B.A. Joint Honours, Modern Languages: French and German Second Class Honours (First Division), Bristol 1998.

Professional Appointments

• SFO Prosecution Panel – Silks List 2024
• UCL Faculty of Laws, Lecturer (Teaching) 0.8 FTE: September 2023 – ongoing
• SFO Prosecution Panel – A List – Reappointment 2020
• UCL Faculty of Laws, Lecturer (Teaching) 0.2 FTE: October 2020 – August 2023
• CPS Specialist Fraud Panel Grade 4 (highest grade) 2019
• CPS Specialist Serious Crime Group Panel Grade 4 (highest grade) 2019
• Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) 2018
• SFO Prosecution Panel – A list 2017
• UCL Faculty of Laws, Teaching Fellow: October 2017 – September 2020
• CPS General Crime Panel Grade 4 (highest grade) 2016
• Recorder 2016
• Associate Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University: 2013 – 2015
• CPS Specialist Proceeds of Crime Panel Grade 2 2013
• Attorney General’s C List 2005

Memberships

• Fraud Lawyers Association
• South Eastern Circuit
• CBA
• Middle Temple
• Advisory Board of UCL Faculty of Law’s Centre for Criminal Law

Publications, Lectures and Training

Publications

• Archbold, Criminal Pleading, Evidence and Procedure (Sweet & Maxwell 2019 to date) contributor.
• Ormerod & Montgomery on Fraud: Criminal Law and Procedure (OUP 2019) contributor.
• The Encyclopedia of Road Traffic Law and Practice, (Sweet and Maxwell 2003 to date) co-editor.
• Lloyd’s Law Reports: Financial Crime (2015 – 2019) case reporter.
• South Eastern Circuit’s written response to the Lord Chancellor’s speech ‘What does a One Nation Justice Policy look like?’ (2015) contributor.
• Statutory Conspiracies: Practical Law (2015) co-author.
• Parties to a Conspiracy: Practical Law (2015) co-author.
• Conspiracy: the agreement: Practical Law (2015) co-author.

Lectures/Presentations

• Lecturer (Teaching) (part-time) at University College London: October 2020 – ongoing.
• Teaching Fellow (part-time) at University College London: 2017 – September 2020.
• ‘The Fraud Act 2006 – A Step Too Far?’, November 2019, UCL Assize Seminar.
• Co-presented Lexis Nexis webinar on Market Abuse and FCA Enforcement: 2015
• Associate Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University: 2013- 2015.
• Discussion group member of the review of sanctions for disclosure failures organised by Lord Justice Gross: 2012.

Languages

• French & German (moderate)

Other expertise

• Business Crime & Fraud

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