Phillippa Ellis
Phillippa is a Senior Associate in our Commercial Disputes team, and leads our business crime and investigations practice.
She works alongside colleagues from across the firm, to help clients develop strategies for identifying and managing risks associated with business crime and regulatory breaches.
Phillippa joined us from the Serious Fraud Office where she investigated financial and economic crime. She has worked alongside domestic and overseas agencies including the US Department of Justice and the Financial Conduct Authority.
Phillippa has led teams investigating corporates and individuals suspected of large scale, complex fraud and bribery & corruption often involving multiple jurisdictions. She was part of the team investigating LIBOR benchmark manipulation.
Phillippa is an employed Barrister. Prior to joining the SFO, Phillippa specialised in criminal law as both a solicitor and a barrister.
- Acting as the prosecutor on an investigation into a corporate and Bribery and Corruption by a mining company in West Africa.
- Leading complex investigations into corporates and individuals suspected of fraud, bribery and corruption, and money laundering in the UK and overseas. These included an investigation into suspected fraud within the steel industry, and a bribery investigation into the award of a contract for printing currency in East Africa.
- Acting as part of the SFO team investigating and prosecuting the fraudulent manipulation of LIBOR.
- Defending a case concerning the sale of counterfeit batteries from China including reaching an agreeable settlement of the Proceeds of Crime application.
- Corporate criminal liability
- Economic and financial crime
- Fraud
- Bribery & corruption
- Money laundering
Career
- Senior Associate, Capital Law Limited (Mar 2021 – present)
- Case Controller, Serious Fraud Office (Aug 2018 – Feb 2021)
- Lawyer, Serious Fraud Office (May 2015 – Aug 2018)
- Barrister, 33 Bedford Row (Dec 2013 – May 2015)
- Barrister, Solicitor, Paralegal, Noble Solicitors (Jul 2001 – Dec 2013)
Education
- BPP Law School: Bar Vocational Course (2006 – 2008)
- BPP Law School: GDL (2004 – 2006)
- Brunel University: BA in English Lit and Drama (200 – 2003)
Memberships / Trustee Positions
- Women in Criminal Law
- Society of Asian Lawyers
- The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple