Tom Rainsbury
UK Bar Guide 2025
Band 2 : POCA Work & Asset Forfeiture
Band 2
About
Provided by Tom Rainsbury
Practice Areas
Civil fraud; POCA & asset forfeiture; banking and finance; crypto-assets; financial services; sanctions; administrative and public law; financial crime
Career
University College London, LLB (First Class)
University of Cambridge, Commercial LLM
Tom has a busy advisory and litigation practice in the above fields.
He has particular expertise in claims involving allegations of fraud, including APP fraud, advance fee fraud, mortgage fraud, ponzi schemes, procurement fraud, and bribery and corruption.
He has a thriving judicial review practice, particularly in cases at the intersection between public and commercial law and claims against the FOS, FCA and FSCS.
He is developing a discrete practice in sanctions work, which is complemented by his strong background in public law and proceeds of crime.
As a member of the Attorney General’s Panel of Counsel and the SFO’s Panel for Proceeds of Crime and International Assistance, he regularly acts for the NCA, SFO, DPP and HMRC.
Recent cases: Hajiyeva [2018] 1 WLR 5887 and [2020] 2 All ER (Comm) (first application for unexplained wealth order); Javadov [2022] 1 All ER 730 (open justice in account freezing order hearings); Briedis [2021] EWHC 3155 (Admin) (whether crypto-assets are property under the proceeds of crime legislation); MAS5 [2022] EWHC 1979 (Admin) (judicial review of decision by the FOS to investigate historic variations to SVRs); and Petrosaudi [2022] EWHC 920 (Admin) (prohibition order over a significant arbitral award held in the CFO).
Professional Memberships
ALBA, FSLA, LCLCBA, YFLA
Publications
Administrative Court Digest, Editor
Mitchell, Taylor and Talbot on Confiscation and the Proceeds of Crime, Contributor
Chambers Review
UK Bar
Tom Rainsbury offers strong expertise in POCA matters including those relating to civil recovery, freezing orders and account forfeiture. He also worked on the first cases involving Unexplained Wealth Orders. Rainsbury is sought after by enforcement agencies and is also a member of the Attorney General's B Panel of Counsel to the Crown and the SFO's Proceeds of Crime B Panel.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"Tom Rainsbury is a stellar junior. He excels in complex, cross-border, politically charged cases. Extraordinary in his written work and very persuasive as an advocate."
"Tom is outstanding. He is hard-working and has a first-rate understanding of civil procedure rules and considerable experience within this area of the law, which is invaluable."
"Tom has a very good brain for NCA work and is very good on the public law link with POCA work."
"Tom Rainsbury is a stellar junior. He excels in complex, cross-border, politically charged cases. Extraordinary in his written work and very persuasive as an advocate."
"Tom is outstanding. He is hard-working and has a first-rate understanding of civil procedure rules and considerable experience within this area of the law, which is invaluable."
"Tom has a very good brain for NCA work and is very good on the public law link with POCA work."
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