Global law firm Ropes & Gray has strengthened its industry-leading international risk practice with the appointment of Judith Seddon, one of the UK’s leading financial crime lawyers. Judith will join the firm as a partner and co-head of the firm’s London international risk practice, alongside US and England & Wales qualified partner Amanda Raad.
Judith - who joins from Clifford Chance, where she was also a partner - specialises in advising clients on UK and cross-border regulatory and criminal investigations and prosecutions, with a particular focus on the financial services sector. Her experience includes working on some of the largest and highest profile investigations of the SFO (the UK’s Serious Fraud Office). Judith’s expertise will benefit not only UK-based clients, but also any global client doing business in the UK on all issues of white-collar crime, fraud, corruption as well as regulatory investigations.
Judith is widely recognised as one of the UK’s leading financial crime lawyers. She is ranked as a leading individual by the Legal 500 UK directory, which has described her as the go-to woman for all financial services investigations with a criminal dimension. She is also ranked as a Band 1 lawyer in the Chambers & Partners UK directory, which notes her impressive criminal law background and strong relationships with financial institutions, as well as her sensible and strategic approach. She is additionally listed in the Global Investigation Review’s ‘100 Women in Investigations’ and was awarded ‘Best in White Collar’ at the European Women in Business Law Awards 2016.
At Ropes & Gray, she will join a team that is recognised as one of the world’s leading law firms for enforcement and international risk matters. Ropes & Gray received the Corporate Crime & Government Investigations ‘Client Service Award’ from Chambers USA in 2016, and is ranked in the top tier for white-collar crime in Benchmark Litigation 2017. The firm recently launched a comprehensive suite of risk assessment and advisory services, R2M2.
Judith’s reputation as one of the UK’s leading financial crime lawyers speaks for itself, and she is an excellent addition to our market-leading international risk group, said David Chapin, managing partner of Ropes & Gray.
After working alongside Judith for years, I have witnessed firsthand her superior substantive expertise and ability to exceed client expectations. She is the perfect fit to help drive forward our growing global financial crime and international risk practice, said Amanda Raad, London co-head of international risk, at Ropes & Gray. As companies doing business in the UK come under increased scrutiny from UK enforcement authorities on issues related to corruption and fraud, Judith’s unparalleled experience will be immensely beneficial in navigating clients through potential enforcement landmines.
We are very pleased to welcome Judith to our outstanding group of partners in London, said Mike Goetz, managing partner of Ropes & Gray’s London office. Judith is perfectly positioned to offer important insights and advice to our premier client base and her arrival further broadens our office’s capabilities and expertise.
