Litigation boutique Quillon Law has hired Ian Hargreaves from Covington & Burling as a partner, bolstering its expertise in handling large and complex fraud cases and investigations.

Formerly Covington’s EMEA co-head of white-collar defence and EMEA co-head of commercial litigation, Hargreaves adds a broad blend of civil fraud, regulatory and litigation expertise, including asset tracing and recovery, bribery and corruption, money laundering, as well as aligned advice on corporate governance, risk management, commercial disputes and cybercrime.

Hargreaves brings extensive experience in emerging markets, spanning African, Eurasian, Russian and CIS disputes, and a lengthy City career that included spells at Addleshaw Goddard, King & Wood Mallesons and Covington.

Hargreaves has conducted investigations for large multinational companies in China, Nigeria, Ghana, Russia, India and South Africa and has significant legal and forensic contacts across continental Europe and the United States.

Before his three-year stint at legacy KWM (originally SJ Berwin), he led Addleshaw Goddard’s fraud team, having been a partner there for more than 20 years, where he worked with many of Quillon’s founding lawyers, including Michael Barnett and Mark Hastings. He joined Covington in 2017.

He has acted for numerous corporate, oligarch and ultra-high net worth clients in criminal and regulatory matters involving the Serious Fraud Office, the US Department of Justice, the National Crime Agency, the City of London and Metropolitan Police, the Financial Conduct Authority, and other regulators.

Hargreaves has led some of the most significant civil fraud cases involving worldwide freezing injunctions, search and seizure orders, complex disclosure orders, repatriation orders, delivery up orders, oral examinations, fraud-exception privilege applications and insolvency-related relief proceedings.

He is known for his onshore and offshore asset-tracing capabilities and has worked with all leading London sets, assembling counsel teams adroitly. He has been involved in judicial review applications (recently involving the Cabinet Office), cyber-ransom cases involving the NCA and FBI regarding sensitive encrypted material, and extradition matters.

He said: “Since being established only a few years ago, Quillon Law has emerged as an industry leader in the London litigation market. I am delighted to be joining the partnership. I look forward to working with the team to advise clients in navigating various legal challenges and disputes.”

Quillon Law’s founding partner, Mark Hastings, said: “Having worked alongside Ian at a previous firm, I have seen his tenacity as a litigator first-hand. His strategic and commercial approach is a natural fit with our ethos at Quillon Law, and we are delighted to welcome him to the partnership.”

The six-strong partnership promoted James Clark to partner in April 2024, following the appointment of partner Abigail Healey in 2023 and former Grosvenor Law partner Nicola McKinney in 2022. In May the firm also hired London and Hong Kong-qualified commercial litigator Alina Neal as of counsel.

Hargreaves is the second senior disputes partner to depart Covington recently, with Greg Lascelles exiting to Hausfeld last month.