Slaughter and May’s high-profile move for former Serious Fraud Office (SFO) director David Green QC has finally been confirmed, following a drawn-out regulatory approval process.
Green will join the firm as a senior consultant on 22 October, six months after leaving the SFO. The firm says Green, who led the SFO for six years, will not work on any matters at the firm that he was involved with while at the SFO.
Slaughters was after the highly-coveted Green for months but his appointment was held up by regulatory approvals , particularly in the form of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA). Its clearance was required before Green could swap public office for work in the private sector.
Green (pictured) has considerable expertise following his stint at the SFO and his move to Slaughters was seen as potentially problematic, given its role advising the SFO on a legal wrangle triggered by a botched raid against the Tchenguiz brothers, as well as advising Rolls-Royce on its deferred prosecution agreement with the SFO – viewed as one of Green’s key wins during his term heading the agency.
ACOBA was set up to vet moves by ministers and civil servants into commercial roles for conflicts. The maximum job restriction period it can apply on future employment is two years, although such restrictions are very rare.
Green will be advising companies and individuals facing investigations brought by criminal and regulatory agencies in the UK and internationally. His hire follows Slaughters’ third-ever lateral hire in April this year, when it brought in former Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission director of enforcement, Wynne Mok, to its Hong Kong office.
Green commented: ‘I am delighted to be joining a firm which has such a deep understanding of the interests and needs of companies and individuals facing criminal investigations across the world. Slaughter and May is a natural fit for me and I look forward to being a part of the firm’s global investigations practice, which rightly enjoys a pre-eminent reputation.’
Richard Swallow, co-head of Slaughter and May’s global investigations group, said: ‘David will give us a unique perspective and his arrival at the firm is great news for our clients. The appointment of David, and Wynne in Hong Kong, reinforce the firm’s commitment to, and existing expertise in, this very significant area.’
hamish.mcnicol@legalbusiness.co.uk
For more on Green’s tenure at the SFO, read: ‘Under the sword’