Hugo Lodge
- Financial Services Lawyers Association (FSLA)
- Criminal Bar Association (CBA)
Instructing Hugo Lodge
To instruct Hugo or for any further information please contact our clerks.
Clerk: Paul Rodgers
Telephone: +44 (0)7894 125 434
Email: Click here
Hugo Lodge is a regulatory and targeted financial sanctions expert, with a background in serious and organised crime cases. He advises banks, trusts, investment managers and fund entities on their regulatory obligations. In addition to advising and representing corporate clients, Hugo defends High Net Worth individuals in white collar disputes. He is an experienced jury advocate.
Hugo is a subject matter expert on Anti-Money Laundering (and related fields of Counter Proliferation Finance and Counter the Financing of Terrorism) and has had three books published by Oxford University and The Law Society of England & Wales. Hugo’s most recent publication is the Blackstone’s Guide to the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 which has a focus on Russia targeted financial sanctions. He has been the Butterworths / Lexis Nexis expert on the Proceeds of Crime Act, since 2020. Hugo is a published expert on Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) obligations.
Hugo is an active member of the Financial Services Lawyers Association (FSLA) and has had three extended period of work the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Hugo was called to the Bar in England & Wales in 1998, and became an Attorney in the Cayman Islands in 2019 as a partner in the largest offshore law firm. He was admitted as an DIFC advocate in 2023. Hugo currently splits his time between the Caribbean, London and Dubai where he appears in the DIFC courts. He is an experienced advocate in serious civil and criminal cases, he has an extensive practice before appellate courts.
Practice Areas
Hugo has advised and represented investment managers in New York, London, Dubai and Hong Kong. He is regularly instructed by banks, insurance companies and trust companies in the Cayman Islands, Bahamas and Barbados.
Hugo has had three extended periods of work at the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). As part of an Enforcement and Market Oversight investigative team he led interviews of the CEO of Barclays, accused of breaching his obligations in seeking to trace a whistle-blower. Within the financial crime department of FCA Supervision, Hugo led a team responsible for the oversight of AML regulators in the UK’s legal sector. He was part of HM Government’s delegation to FATF during the UK’s Mutual Evaluation. He later gave evidence on behalf of the Cayman Islands Government as part of its delegation to CFATF. Hugo helped to found the Cayman Attorneys Regulation Authority. Most recently, he returned to the FCA as part of its Interventions team, policing the perimeter of crypto regulation in the UK.
Hugo is experienced in challenging multi million pound confiscation orders in the Crown Court and on appeal. He represented the Director of an educational business said to have received a criminal benefit of more than £11 Million. Hugo defended long running confiscation proceedings related to fraudulent trading on the London Metal Exchange.
Hugo has prosecuted in complex confiscation matters for the CPS and DTI. He has advised the FCA on the overlap between confiscation in criminal proceedings and other regulatory action.
In 2020 Hugo was appointed as Lexis Nexis / Butterworths subject matter expert on the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Hugo has defended the full spectrum of forfeiture proceedings, at first instance and on appeal. He has been instructed to challenge the forfeiture by UK Border Force of goods at the point of export to Russia.
The Law Society of England & Wales published his ‘Guide to the Criminal Finances Act 2017’ which focused on challenging Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs).
Hugo is an expert on targeted financial sanctions and UK export controls. He frequently advises banks and other corporate entities on how to best meet their obligations in respect of Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) and other high risk individuals.
Hugo recently appeared in the Commercial Court to defend a Director facing committal (to prison) for alleged breach of a freezing order.
Hugo Lodge has appeared in the Central Criminal Court and Crown Courts throughout England and Wales in jury trials of the utmost gravity. He has represented those accused of Murder and Manslaughter, as well as corruption in public office. As for serious and organised crime, Hugo has appeared in trials alleging kidnap as well as people and drug trafficking. Hugo has advised and represented in more than one hundred allegations of rape and serious sexual offences. As for his experience in allegations of a financial nature, please see other sections of this profile.
Notable crime cases
R v JR
At Snaresbrook Crown Court, October 2023, successfully defended a man accused of Applying a Corrosive Fluid with Intent to do Grievous Bodily Harm, and Administering a Poison with Intent. The Defendant was unanimously acquitted by a jury within thirty minutes of being asked to consider its verdict.
R v SE
Birmingham Crown Court, September 2023. Acquittal on an allegation of Attempted Murder. Abuse of process argument at close of the prosecution case, successful ground-breaking argument on novel application of autrefois acquit.
R v Kingshott, Tansley and Marsden
Bristol Crown Court, January to March 2016 and re-trial January to March 2017.
Secured acquittal in alleged Manslaughter in police custody.
R v F [2013] EWCA Crim 84
Ground-breaking case, Court of Appeal (Criminal Division), on admissibility of Defendant’s bad character evidence.
R (C) v Chief Constable of A [2006] EWHC 2353
Novel High Court challenge to validity of a search warrant, and police decision on bail to return.
Hugo has experience defending Enforcement under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) 2005 acting for companies, individuals and landlords, in respect of fire safety enforcement notices, appeals and prosecutions for alleged breaches of fire safety.
He was involved in high profile death in police custody cases involving Corporate and Gross Negligence Manslaughter cases concerning police officers, lay employees and a police force.
Hugo has allied experience of representation of individuals, companies and landlords at the Crown and Magistrates’ Courts, Summary and Jury Trials, Plea and Sentencing Hearings. He is accustomed to conducting appeals to the Court of Appeal and the High Court.
