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Piers Rake

- Partner - Piers is the head of Astraea’s intelligence & forensic investigations team, and leads multidisciplinary engagements on behalf of clients who are navigating complex special situations. Piers is a Solicitor (20 years PQE), a CEDR Accredited commercial Mediator, a Certified Fraud Examiner, and Forensic Investigator. With a background in commercial litigation, Piers has 20 years of experience helping clients to manage risk, resolve disputes and investigate and respond to allegations or instances of financial wrongdoing and non-financial misconduct. In this time, Piers has lived and worked in the Middle East, and has conducted cross border engagements spanning Europe, the Middle East and North & Sub-Saharan Africa. He has particular experience investigating economic crime and advising regulated businesses on their legal and regulatory obligations, having been global head of financial crime Investigations at Barclays Bank Plc. Piers has led investigations into organised crime networks, high-end money laundering and fraud, in relation to drugs and human trafficking, ‘shadow-banking’ schemes, trade-based money laundering, cash-funnelling, investment and accounting fraud, cross-border corruption, tax evasion and sanction circumvention. Piers is a former investigator and adjudicator for one of the UK’s main political parties, where he undertook investigations relating to complaints against party members in a voluntary capacity. · Astraea

EnglandInvestigations, Forensic InvestigationEnglish

About

Piers Rake is a Partner at Astraea and head of the firm's intelligence and forensic investigations team, leading multidisciplinary engagements for clients navigating complex special situations. He is a Solicitor with 20 years' PQE, a CEDR-accredited commercial mediator and Certified Fraud Examiner, with extensive experience investigating economic crime and advising regulated businesses, including as former global head of financial crime investigations at Barclays.

Practice areas

InvestigationsForensic InvestigationDispute ResolutionRegulatory & ComplianceFinancial CrimeCommercial LitigationInternational Enforcement

Office

Expertise

Economic CrimeMoney Laundering & Asset TracingFraud InvestigationsOrganised Crime InvestigationsTrade-Based Money LaunderingSanctions Circumvention & EvasionCross-Border Investigations (Europe, Middle East, North & Sub-Saharan Africa)Regulatory Advice to Regulated BusinessesHuman Trafficking & Drugs-Related Investigations

Education

  • BA (Hons), University of the Arts London (1996–1999)
  • PgDL & Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, The University of Law (2000–2002)
  • Climate Change for Decision-Makers: Challenges, Transformations and Strategies, University of Cambridge (2023)
  • Negotiation, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) (2023)

Admissions

  • Solicitor, England & Wales (20 years PQE)
  • CEDR Accredited Commercial Mediator
  • Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
  • Member, Law Society of England and Wales
  • Member, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
  • Member, Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution

Languages

English