We are experts on Money laundering, detection and prevention:
Monica Bond wrote the first Accountants Digest on Money laundering for the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales back in 1994 and has long been an acknowledged expert on Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations since then. She has created systems for a number of banks and lectured extensively throughout the world. As a lawyer, Monica has reviewed bank systems and the transactions of high risk clients and her recommendations have created new safeguards in a number of major financial institutions. More details of her extensive experience in this area can be found by following the link to the Bond Associates Limited website.

We can provide advice and procedures on the prevention of bribery and corruption: 
Monica Bond and her associates within the firm have provided advice on anti-corruption measures to a number of government agencies and major companies in different parts of the world. Since the enactment of the Bribery Act, it is vital for companies to put in place clear policies and procedures to prevent corruption. This is particularly important for companies involved in international business. We can audit existing policies and procedures, we can examine carefully the risks in specific contracts or operations in high risk locations and we can design and help implement measures and procedures that will minimise risk and provide protection from bribery risks. Both Monica and some of her associates currently lecture in the Far East, Middle East and the Caribbean on these subjects. The training section of this website shows recent and future training programmes being undertaken by either Monica or Adrian Bond.

For many business clients, the first time they need the help of a lawyer is in the creation of a business. Our objective is to provide practical solutions and advice for a company's complete life-cycle. In addition we often act for shareholders, directors or partners where there are corporate or partnership disputes. Thus we can provide the full range of support and legal advice on:-
 

·         The creation of new limited companies, partnerships and activities as a sole trader
·         The drafting of commercial contracts
·         The drafting of joint venture agreements
·         Issues of Company Law, including meetings, the issue of shares, shareholder agreements
·         Business acquisitions and due diligence
·         Drafting Partnership deeds
·         Partnership disputes
·         Shareholder disputes
·         Business re-organisations and re-structuring
·         Investments into businesses
·         Loans to and from businesses including securitisation
·         Business sales
·         Succession planning

These are just some of the many areas that we can assist in the successful progress of your business or resolution of your business dispute. We can bring to bear on your problem the wide experience of our Principal, Monica Bond, who is not only a lawyer but a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators and a Chartered Accountant.

Bond Solicitors has unique strengths and experience in the civil remedies of business crime through more than twenty years experience in this area.

The legal and regulatory aspects of business are becoming ever more complex. The grey area where civil fraud, regulatory procedures and criminal investigation overlap is increasing.  Individuals and businesses can be either victims of crime or on the wrong side of the law, without knowing they were even at risk.

Having different sets of lawyers that specialise in the various areas of bribery, tax, competition, fraud, sanctions-related issues, market abuse, directors' disqualification and beyond can be a complex and costly process and can add to the strain of dealing with the issues.

Our Business Crime service offers a comprehensive but streamlined approach for clients who may find themselves with a portfolio of problems. Whether an individual has been a victim of fraud or accused of improper financial conduct, we can address all aspects of the case: civil, regulatory and criminal - all within a single team. We offer the following services:

Prevention

Our in-depth knowledge of the workings of regulators and investigators in the UK, Europe and US (SFO, FCA, CPS, HMRC, SEC, MOJ among others) allows us to offer advice to ensure our clients' affairs are compliant before any issue arises. We also provide training to both in-house counsel and staff.

Management

Should the regulator or investigator become involved or an issue arise, we think creatively about all options available. We recognise that the best results can often be achieved without litigation. We can advise on the best negotiation approaches based on significant inside experience. Immunities and Deferred Prosecution Agreements are some of the tools we deploy to achieve the best outcome for our clients.

Solution

We have extensive capabilities for representing victims of fraud or other wrongful behaviours. We know how to use the court processes to help our clients achieve their goals: this includes judicial review to compel investigators and prosecutors to take action, or mounting private prosecutions.

If a case does come to court and a client needs to be defended, we provide practical hands-on expertise to represent them at the very highest level in UK, US and other national courts. We regularly deal with matters such as: bribery, fraud, directors' disqualifications, money laundering, asset recovery, insider dealing and fraudulent trading.

Regardless of the issues, we take pride in fiercely guarding our clients’ interests.

Every business and every business transaction is confronted by risk. At Bond Solicitors we are used to advising clients on how to minimise risk or reduce the risk of an existing business or new business opportunities.

In the UK we have many regulated sectors: these can be either business sectors such as banking or financial services for example or professional activities such as practising as a solicitor or an accountant where both individuals and firms are subject to strict regulatory processes. We can assist both companies and individuals in these areas. We specialise in financial services regulation, probably the most regulated area in UK business. The following list provides some examples of the many areas in which we can help clients:-
 

• Dealing with problems between your firm and a regulator, e.g.the FSA§  Providing or updating business systems so as to comply with existing or new regulatory requirements

• Assisting individuals who have complaints against regulated firms: this may include dealing with for example the Banking Ombudsman

• Advising on Data Protection issues, either for a company or an individual

• Assisting an individual or a firm that is subject to a professional disciplinary complaint

• Assisting in the regulatory areas of financial crime, such as fraud, AML, company law offences and bribery

At Bond Solicitors we are experts in resolving commercial disputes. Many disputes can be resolved through sensible communication between the parties, with the lawyers acting as intermediaries. As a firm we have reached successful financial settlements in this manner and naturally this is a lower cost solution than mediation, arbitration or commercial civil litigation. On other occasions, despite our best efforts, matters go to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), which may be mediation or arbitration, and provided there is goodwill, we find that this will normally resolve disputes. Naturally we are used to seeking settlements by mediation. Sometimes however disputes become so intractable that they can only be resolved by commercial civil litigation. Again we are litigation solicitors and are thus entirely familiar with the Civil Procedure Rules and taking matters through letters before action, civil claims and high court procedures and settlements.

The scope of the litigation and disputes we have handled is wide and covers all the specialist sectors set out elsewhere in this website.

Our general commercial experience includes advising on all commercial contracts including contracts for services distribution, software licensing, product, marketing, manufacturing, supply, maintenance and support, white labelling, collaboration, joint venture agreements and online terms and conditions.

Clients value the calibre of our team, the quality of our legal expertise and our ability to negotiate robust agreements in their favour.  Key to our success is the ability to combine the technical skills of our professionals with the business needs of our clients.  We proactively help you to understand and deal with issues that arise in a commercial manner that fits in with your business objectives.

The firm has handled a wide range of employment matters for both individuals and firms. With individuals we are normally engaged when a dispute has arisen between the employer and the employee. For employers we typically advise when terms of employment are created, when employment manuals are created or revised, when company re-structuring occurs or when senior staff are removed. Employment law is constantly changing and as an employer there is always a need to ensure that your employment practices have kept pace with the law. As an individual, if you have a problem with your employer you need to understand your rights and obligations and these are regularly changing.
 

When acting for Individuals:
Individuals can have a wide range of employment issues that may include both unfair dismissal or wrongful dismissal and possibly issues concerning:-

§  Contracts of employment
§  Discrimination at work issues
§  Bullying and Harassment
§  Constructive dismissal claims
§  Grievance and Disciplinary hearings
§  Compromise Agreements
§  Whistleblowing
§  Redundancy

We have acted for dismissed shareholder directors where there have been Company Law claims.

When acting for Employers:
The problem for employers with employment law is that it is for ever changing due to both legislation and interpretation derived from case law. We can offer employers a wide service which can include:-

§  Preparation of employment contracts for both junior and senior staff either on a full time or part time basis
§  Preparation of staff handbooks and disciplinary and grievance procedures
§  Preparation of consultancy agreements
§  Advising on the termination of employment including grievance and disciplinary hearings
§  Advising and providing documentation of TUPE transfers on asset sales
§  Advising on proposed redundancies

§  Preparing and negotiating compromise agreements

Bond Solicitors is experienced in dealing with both franchisees and franchisors. We can create franchise contracts and the other related legal documentation and we can advise on franchise disputes on behalf of either the franchisee or the franchisor.

In 2007 we won for a client a major victory where he had been removed as a franchise holder and was being subjected to personal claims against him of over £300,000. After extensive analysis we established a variety of misrepresentations by the franchisor and obtained for our client an out of court settlement in excess of £220,000. In other words a net gain to our client of over £520,000. This exceptional victory was achieved by persistence and clear analysis and the conclusive demonstration of the misrepresentations made to our client. In this case the financial analysis and investigations were performed by our sister company Bond Associates Limited and this helped to keep costs under tight control.

We can assist where you have been the victim of fraud or misrepresentation:
For most victims of a financial crime, the key requirement is to recover as much as of what has been lost as possible. Effective and prompt recovery is a difficult skill and normally relies on Civil Law remedies. In conjunction with our related company, Bond Associated Limited, who are Investigative accountants we have a long and reputable record of achieving good recovery results for our clients. For details of past recoveries, which stretch over more than 20 years please follow the link to our Bond Associates Limited website where details of cases handled can be reviewed. Many recoveries have been achieved without the expense of litigation but, as in all areas of the law, the key is speed and clarity of evidence and objectives.

It is hard to think of a service, product or activity which does not in some way depend on Intellectual Property. From financial institutions to globally recognised brands; business software and computer gaming; sporting events, iconic design; art and fashion, all of the businesses that operate within those industries are entirely dependent on the creation, exploitation and protection of IP – their most valuable asset.
 

The commercialisation of IP is central to a business's ability to expand and invest but once it becomes a successful asset, the threat of infringement grows substantially as others try to monetise the value of your asset. The internet enables anonymous websites to be set up quickly to sell copycat products to consumers, diminishing your brand and generating huge profits for infringers who steal your ideas, brands and products.

This is why the protection of intellectual property from the outset should be at the core of every business's plans.  As well as the monetary impact, inferior products can damage the reputation and desirability of your brand.

We are committed to helping businesses protect their valuable intellectual property.

We are uniquely well placed to help our clients in these areas, given our combined multi-disciplinary expertise in auditing, reviewing audit trails, and our many years of understanding statutory audits, preparation of company accounts and fraud investigation. Unlike other law firms, we bring our many years’ experience of accounting to what is essentially an accounting-related challenge and opportunity inherent in these major technological developments.  

We advise on regulatory compliance and in the context of disputes in this area. Our non-contentious work covers a wide range of assistance, including advice, assistance regarding controls and registration with the FCA, together with training in compliance issues related to these matters. 

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Our Dispute Resolution Team also involves legal specialists in this field and much of our work to date has involved the investigation of frauds in this industry and to help investors in relation to the recovery of their investments. 

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• Financial Technology (Fin Tech) 

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Just one of the many emerging areas of potential fraud is within the Financial Technology or FinTech sector. This is, in essence, the technology and innovation that aims to compete with traditional financial methods in the delivery of financial services. This continues to be a constantly evolving industry that uses technology to improve activities in finance. The use of smartphones for mobile banking, investing, borrowing services, and cryptocurrency are examples of technologies aiming to make financial services more accessible to the general public. The fast-moving nature of this industry produces a higher level of risks and also of major opportunities for fraudsters. Our specialist team includes Cybercrime specialists, alongside FinTech industry specialists within our accountancy and legal personnel. We focus of prevention, detection and investigation in these areas and act swiftly to minimise your exposure.  

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We help a wide range of businesses from start-ups to well established financial institutions and technology companies. We have worked for a number of years in this sector and are delighted to be regularly consulted by clients in relation to the opportunities and challenges they encounter.  

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At Bond Solicitors we recognise that debt recovery is intrinsic to the health of any business and that there can be a whole range of complicating factors involved in the process.We provide a complete range of debt recovery services.

We have acted for both lenders and debt purchasers across their businesses. We have expertise in dealing with sales and shortfall, unsecured lending, asset finance, and invoice finance.

Our structure ensures we can provide a full range of volume recoveries and litigation options, whilst ensuring that we have the expertise and experience to deal with complex and technical issues arising from volume recoveries.We can provide a wide range of generic and bespoke reports, providing clients with the information they require in order to understand the performance and status of the portfolios on which we are instructed.

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Debt Recovery and Costs

Both Monica and Adrian Bond have an international reputation in professional training and conduct training courses both within the UK and through out the world.

§  Monica Bond is currently providing webinars to lawyers within the UK on the Bribery Act 2010
§  Both have lectured extensively in the Middle East particularly in relation to AML; Fraud prevention, detection and recovery; Regulation in relation to banks and financial service companies; Basle II and banking capital adequacy: Financial Crime; Bribery & Corruption.
§  Monica Bond regularly lectures in Singapore, Hong Kong and China on fraud and money laundering.
§  In December 2009 Monica lectured on fraud to the entire senior management of the Bank of China.
§  Both Monica and Adrian were senior lecturers in Trinidad in 2010 at the Caribbean and Americas Forum on Governance, Regulation and Financial Crime Prevention.
§  Both Monica and Adrian have lectured on Bribery and Corruption to government agencies in Malaysia & the Caribbean.