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Caroline is a recognised leader in business crime and corporate investigations.  She has been acting as trusted advisor to those involved in the world’s largest and most complex cases during her career spanning two decades.Caroline regularly works with clients facing investigation and prosecution for financial crime, including internal corporate investigations and those conducted by enforcement agencies such as the Serious Fraud Office, National Crime Agency, HM Revenue and Customs and the police (and their overseas equivalents).  Caroline is equally familiar acting on raids and providing strategic counsel to clients on international matters, leading a seamless service together with hand-picked specialists from across the globe.

Notable Experience (prior to joining Gherson)
  • Acting for middle eastern bank in relation to allegations of market manipulation.
  • Acting for Airbus SE in its multi-year investigation and subsequent simultaneous deferred prosecutions agreements with the UK Serious Fraud Office, the French Parquet Nationale Financier, the US Department of Justice and the Department of State. Caroline was at the centre of the strategic legal team advising the Board and General Counsel and had a fundamental role in achieving this landmark resolution, which received multiple legal awards.
  • Acting for individual Directors in an AIM Regulation investigation.
  • Acting for GPT Special Project Management Ltd in its negotiated plea agreement with the SFO.
  • Assisting with advising MWKL with its investigation and conclusion of a civil settlement with the SFO in relation to corruption allegations in Nigeria.
  • Advising numerous corporate and private clients in criminal defence, including managing office and premises raids and achieving significant “no further action” outcomes for clients facing criminal investigation, including representation at interviews under caution with the UK authorities.
  • Advising companies and regulated entities on compliance policies, procedures, training and design in accordance with the various “failure to prevent” offences in the UK.
  • Admissions and Memberships
  • Admitted as a Solicitor in England and Wales: 2004
  • International Bar Association.
  • Fraud Lawyers Association.
  • Female Fraud Forum.
  • Women in White Collar Defence Association.
  • Recognitions and Publications
  • Prior to a career break, Caroline was ranked consistently in various legal directories, including Who’s Who Legal/Lexology, Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners:
    • Chambers UK ranked Ms. Black as a leading white collar crime practitioner, commending “her ability to understand what is important in the bigger picture” and stating that “she has a very strategic and intuitive way of addressing and negotiating complex issues” (2020-2022).
    • The Legal 500 UK listed Caroline in (2020-2022) as a Leading Individual for regulatory investigations and corporate crime, with clients commenting that she is “very pragmatic and efficient… very capable, engaged, hard-working and widely respected” and “mentally sharp, tactically astute, totally attuned to the client’s needs and fights her corner with great tenacity.” She was described as “a star defense litigator who will… be an even more dominant figure in the area in the future” (2020-2022). She was described as having “the ability to keep cool in complex and stressful situations” The Legal 500 UK 2019.
    • Who’s Who Legal/Lexology listed Ms. Black as a Future Leader for Investigations (2019-2021), with clients stating that she is “impressive in her clear-thinking approach to solving important issues”, and she stands out for her “resilience, pragmatism and professionalism” in anti-corruption investigations.
  • Euromoney’s Expert Guides: Expert for White Collar Crime in the UK (2020)
  • Euromoney: Best in White Collar Crime (2020)
  • Airbus matter:
    • Most Important Development of the Year at the Global Investigations Review (GIR) Awards,
    • White Collar Practice Group of the Year by Law360,
    • International Litigation and Disputes Team of the Year at the British Legal Awards,
    • Conduct, Enforcement or Business Crime Team of the Year by The Lawyer
    • Investigation Team of the Year at the C5 Women in Compliance Awards,
    • Best Provider Collaboration by American Lawyer,
    • Finalist for Most Impressive Investigations Practice of the Year at the GIR Awards (2020).
  • Legal Week: Rising Star for Litigation by Legal Week in 2016
  • Rising Star: London Super Lawyers
  • Global Investigations Review first ‘Women in Investigations’ issue, which highlighted 100 remarkable women in this field of law from around the world in 2015
  • Caroline is regularly publishes thought leadership pieces on topics relevant to financial and corporate crime. Recent publications include:

    • Accounting International: The UK Sanctions Regime: is it fit for purpose?
    • Caroline was a previous author of the GIR Practitioners Guide to Global Investigations, and editor of the Legal 500 Comparative Guide to White Collar Crime

    "Caroline is a seriously smart and effective litigator. She has an astute tactical brain, remains calm under pressure and is highly adept at managing large teams of lawyers in the most complex, high-value and high-profile white-collar cases. She is a skilled negotiator and a powerful advocate for her clients, with an exceptional ability to identify and present key arguments focused on securing the most favourable outcome in every case."

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