David Janes
Partner
020 7930 5100

For the best defence
About David
“David Janes. Brilliant mind”
– Legal 500, 2025
David is exceptionally highly regarded in the profession and one of the leading and most experienced criminal lawyers. He is considered to be ‘a brilliant tactician’ and has been involved in a number of the highest profile cases and leading authorities. David is continuously highly ranked in Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500.
David has an unrivalled reputation in the field of serious and complex fraud and cases involving direct and indirect taxation. He has successfully represented clients in the most complex and difficult of cases many of which have attracted national media interest – such as his client’s acquittal in the Libor case.
He also specialises in defending allegations of bribery and corruption, alleged corporate offences, and all aspects relating to the proceeds of crime. He is experienced in regulatory matters and civil recovery.
Professional memberships:
- Fraud Lawyers Association
- Fraud Advisory Panel
- POCLA
- Howard League
Hobbies:
- Wildlife (especially large cats)
- Bird watching
- Tranquillity
- Travelling
- Nature
- Arsenal
Notable cases
Rolls Royce Investigations
Janes Solicitors were instructed by nine past and present executives surrounding the investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into allegations of bribery and corruption. A keynote investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into one of the UK’s leading companies.
R v Wootton (Central Criminal Court)
Known as the ‘Jubilee Line Corruption Trial’ (Wikipedia), Janes Solicitors represented a key defendant in one of the most iconic fraud and corruption cases of modern times. This was in respect of a £60 million fraud in connection with the extension of London Underground’s Jubilee line. The trial started in June 2003 and continued for 21 months before collapsing in March 2005.
Reporting:
R v Lynch (Central Criminal Court)
Arguably the most highly publicised fraud trial of the decade and certainly the first of its kind, Janes Solicitors represented the high profile jockey Fergal Lynch who was charged with six others, including six-time British Champion jockey Kieren Fallon, with a conspiracy to defraud Betfair customers by fixing races. Following submissions in which Janes Solicitors took a leading role at the end of the prosecution case all defendants were acquitted after the Judge ruled there was no case to answer. This was a huge victory after a lengthy investigation and prosecution.
Reporting:
R v Jain (Southwark Crown Court)
Janes Solicitors represented the second defendant in a high-profile case prosecuted by the Serious Fraud Office. The Allied Deals/ RBG Resources fraud was a truly global fraud that cost banks $700 million dollars worldwide. The Serious Fraud Office were claiming that in the confiscation proceedings the benefit figure that should be held against our client was in excess of $1 billion. Janes successfully argued that there should be no confiscation proceedings against our client and no order was made.
Reporting:
R v Goodman (LIBOR) (Southwark Crown Court)
High profile acquittal of our client, a former ICAP broker and a key defendant (referred to as “Lord Libor”) in the Serious Fraud Office prosecution concerning alleged criminal manipulation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), a ‘benchmark rate’ that underpins about $350 trillion of financial products worldwide. This case was extremely high-profile and complex, with disclosure from over twenty global banking institutes and referenced millions of financial trades across multiple jurisdictions. Janes were the only defence team to utilise industry financial academic expert Professor Neuberger to challenge ‘rate setting’ manipulation allegations.
Reporting:
R v Lunn (Southwark Crown Court)
This was a major HMRC prosecution of a leading tax accountant engaged in what was said to be a systematic long-term fraud against HMRC on behalf of clients, himself and his associates. The client was the ‘accountant to the stars’, counting Jeremy Paxman and Fiona Bruce amongst his 7,000 clients. The case involved the manipulation of the tax affairs of clients running to over £117m.
Reporting:
R v Amin (Southwark Crown Court)
High profile acquittal of former RBS banker in the first HMRC prosecution against investors in film schemes. The case attracted extensive media attention as it sent shockwaves through the tax advisory industry as investors were also now being targeted. One of a series of three trials prosecuting thirteen defendants including the financial advisor, founder and promoter, investors and film directors.
The case was unusual in that in one trial a genuine film was made, and the other film productions were used as a smoke screen to camouflage grossly inflated invoices. This particular trial turned on falsified diary entries for the bogus film productions where money was transferred across multiple jurisdictions and accounts to disguise the circular nature of the scheme financing. This is another case which demonstrates our firm’s role at the vanguard of white-collar criminal defence work.
Reporting:
R v Khan (Southwark Crown Court)
Acquittal of our client, the lead defendant in a 15-handed conspiracy to defraud mortgage fraud investigated by the Economic Crime Department of the City of London Police. The case involved several well-known high-street banking institutions, including Barclays Private Clients International and complex offshore and international property transactions using trusts. The combined value of the alleged frauds were £40m.
Reporting:
Operation Florin
Representing the lead defendant in an alleged pension liberation fraud valued in excess of £9 million and involving over 800 victims Nationwide. The case raised significant public policy consideration due to the impact on public as a result of pension liberation promotion by the Government and the huge rise in the number of frauds related to the same.
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