Paul Wainwright

Paul is head of the counter fraud and intelligence team and joint head the fraud and financial crime practice area. Paul is responsible for fraud or financial crime investigations and asset tracing, civil fraud recoveries and financial related regulatory compliance investigations and advice.

Paul’s main areas of interest include early intervention through interim injunctions and disclosure orders, investigations, asset recovery through litigation and deterrence by prosecution.

Having a wide practice area covering all sectors he regularly acts for clients in the finance, corporate, education, retail, fintech, health, charity and construction sectors. His clients appreciate his forensic approach combined with an ability to simplify complex issues, his approachability, and understanding of their business and organisation’s values.

His extensive knowledge of insurance fraud in defending suspected fraudulent claims and investigating claims fraud for insurer clients has led to notable successes with findings of fundamental dishonesty as well as prosecutions for contempt of court.

Paul is also a strategic partner for clients and the commercial insurance team handling suspect first- and third-party claims, policy indemnity and FOS complaints based on fraud or business crime.

In addition, Paul advises on anti-fraud, bribery and corruption policy and risk management, supply chain due diligence, and regularly conducts independent investigations around compliance and governance issues. He has a growing practice of client organisations whose losses are attributable to cyber-enabled fraud and cryptocurrencies.

Clients also make use of the counter fraud team’s intelligence support to validate claims or identify dishonesty or wrongdoing but also in identifying and locating misappropriated assets, bad actors or their associates. Paul’s work is underpinned by OSINT intelligence, and he has close working relationships with forensic specialist accountants and e-disclosure teams as well as Counsel.

Paul is a member of the Special Advisory Panel for the Fraud Advisory Board and the Fraud Sector Focus Team at FOIL (Forum of Insurance Lawyers) and speaks at industry events on matters including fraud, financial crime and cyber-enabled fraud. Paul has a master’s degree in Counter Fraud and Counter Corruption from the University of Portsmouth.