Kennedy Talbot KC

Practice Areas in Detail

“.. is the ultimate POCA expert. He always gets to the core of the issue no matter how complex the question.” “He is very reactive, very pragmatic and someone who really understands this area of law.”

"He is very responsive and pragmatic. He is also exceptionally knowledgeable on the law and has confidence in a field where people want confidence because of the risks."

"He has excellent judgement and strong advocacy skills. He is very intellectual in his approach."

“He really has no equal in terms of his breadth of knowledge and experience in the area”

”He’s an exceptional lawyer who gets the right result. He’s absolutely first-class.”

”..described by some as “Mr POCA””

“He has an unrivaled expertise but most importantly, remains commercial and able of explaining difficult legal concepts in a meaningful way that clients can understand.”

“He has become the go-to barrister for AML issues.“

“Kennedy has a brilliant, brilliant mind and fantastic drafting skills.” 

“He is extremely knowledgeable and one of the longest-established practitioners in this area, so he really knows his stuff.” 

“One of the foremost experts in confiscation and restraint law, he is extremely erudite and very good with clients.” 

“extremely impressive”

“just fabulous”

Chambers & Partners and Legal 500

POCA & Asset Recovery

Civil. Currently instructed in multiple PoCA/Criminal Finances Act 2017 High Court civil recovery, bank account and crypto asset freezing or forfeiture applications. Examples include

-              Acting for office holders appointed in 2025 in High Court £5bn crypto civil recovery claim.

-              R (Mileage Reclaim Limited) v HMRC [2024] EWHC 1531 (Admin). Acting for company in bank account freezing order judicial review. Now £8m compensation claim.

-              DPP v Binance. Acting for Cayman Islands DPP in crypto civil recovery claim. Judgment awaited.

CPS v Baroness Mone and another – Currently acting for the CPS in £65m asset freezing proceedings arising out of a Covid PPE fraud investigation.

Currently acting for private prosecutors in a number of PoCA related cases

-              Hackney v Tia Kansara – Fraud by breach of trust restraint proceedings

-              Taktouk [2025] EWCA Crim 71 - £4.5m confiscation order in private prosecution. Currently awaiting judgment on the correct approach to prosecution costs from Central Funds.

-              Hassenfeld v Tierney, Khera and others – restraint and contempt of court proceedings

Kennedy is an editor of the White Book and the author of its civil recovery and unexplained wealth order section (White Book, V2, section 3-K).

He advised the UN on the development of its Model Civil Forfeiture Law.

He has been recommended in the POCA sections of Legal 500 (“Proceeds of Crime and Asset Forfeiture”) and Chambers UK (“POCA Work & Asset Forfeiture”) every year that the sections have been published.

Money Laundering - Litigation and Advisory.

R (World Uyghur Congress) v NCA (Spotlight on Corruption intervening) [2024] 1 WLR 4532 (Court of Appeal). Acted for Spotlight in guideline case on laundering in supply chains.

Advising 2 different NGOs on liability of financial institutions and supply chain intermediaries for dealing with the proceeds of unlawful Amazonian deforestation.

Advising UK profession regulator on money laundering responsibilities arising out of the Uyghur judgment

Advising UK solicitors on accepting client fees in the light of the Uyghur judgment

Numerous advices to solicitors on various commercial money laundering issues (eg acquisition of an estate agency business with historic regulatory non-compliance; contracting with a Iranian university which operated in breach of sanctions; whether an asset fund manager is caught by the money laundering directives and/or regulations; whether payment under a contractual obligation would comprise laundering the proceeds of tax evasion; unblocking the bank accounts of a multi-national telecoms company; whether an international art dealership is caught by the money laundering directives and regulations; and advising Jersey bank on transactions a sovereign wealth fund suspected of corruption)

Fraud & Asset Recovery

­Leading in the Commercial Court for the SFO in the Orb/ Gerald Smith £80m proceedings involving 27 parties, BVI and Jersey liquidators and High Court receivers to recover the proceeds of breach of trust and fraudulently obtained property (see most recent judgments in contempt proceedings: Re Smith [2024] EWHC 3154 (Comm), [2024] EWHC 3161 (Comm))

Nelson v Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago (Trinidad High Court and Court of Appeal). Currently defending the T&T AG in £12m breach of contract claim brought by corruption whistleblower

Acted in civil action against betting company for recovery of gambled fraud proceeds (Dhir v Flutter Entertainment [2021] EWHC EWHC 151 (QB)).

Previously acted for stockbrokers in Bilta v Deutsche Bank and SVS (Commercial Court breach of trust proceedings).

Recovery by the Egyptian government of Mubarak looted funds.

Previous recent (2021-2023) reported cases

Fresh View Swift Properties [2023] EWHC 605 (Admin) (High Court forfeiture of unlicensed money service business proceeds);

Miller [2023] 4 WLR 6 (Court of Appeal – corporate legal personality);

NCA v Persons Unknown and Barclays Bank (2022), 25 November (Business and Property Court - acting for bank in recovery of £51m);

Tierney [2022] EWCA Crim 1042 (Court of Appeal - interlocutory contempt proceedings));

Luckhurst [2022] 1 WLR 3818 (Supreme Court – legal expenses in civil proceedings);

Asplin [2022] Crim LR 9 (Court of Appeal – confiscation of pensions);

Green and Ryder [2021] Env LR 6 (Court of Appeal – confiscation in environment cases).