Steve Melrose is an English and New Zealand qualified Senior Investigations and Compliance Lawyer.
He has extensive experience in conducting domestic and cross-border internal and government-facing investigations for clients in a range of industries and advising clients on the design and enhancement of compliance frameworks.
Prior to joining Bellevue Law, Steve worked in the London office of leading international law firm, Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher LLP, where he conducted a range of internal and external investigations, helped clients to understand their compliance obligations and design and enhance their compliance frameworks.
He has assisted clients in a range of industries, including financial services and reinsurance, mining and extraction, media and communications, professional services, manufacturing and distribution, and care homes. He has worked on investigations involving the UK Competition and Markets Authority, Financial Conduct Authority and Serious Fraud Office, U.S. agencies including the New York Attorney General, Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Department of Justice, as well as enforcers and regulators in Europe.
Steve is available to:
- Conduct internal investigations, including those relating to code of conduct and related policy violations, and conflicts of interest; fraud, bribery and other financial crimes; supply chain and third-party concerns; whistleblowing concerns and grievances; employer and employee conduct, including harassment, discrimination and other forms of misconduct.
- Carry out compliance risk assessments, including regarding fraud, bribery and corruption risks, and to help clients design, implement and enhance their compliance frameworks.
- Draft internal policies and procedures, and train staff on internal policy and external legal obligations.
- Help companies respond to requests for information from Government agencies, including the CMA, FCA and SFO.
- Assist with UK Modern Slavery Act compliance.
- Assist companies and law firms to conduct bribery and corruption due diligence, including third-party and supply chain reviews, and in the context of M&A transactions.
Steve is a member of the Fraud Lawyers Association, the Financial Services Lawyers Association and the Association of Corporate Investigators.
Representative matters include:
- Advising a global company in connection with parallel DOJ, FCA and SFO investigations regarding allegations of bribery and corruption, including advice regarding the “adequacy” of its anti-bribery procedures.
- Advising a global media company in connection with various cross-border whistleblower and other internal investigations in Europe and APAC.
- Advising a global musical instruments company in connection with a CMA antitrust investigation, through to negotiated resolution.
- Advising a care home management firm and its North American shareholders in connection with a CMA consumer law investigation, which resulted in the first resolution in which the CMA used its newly acquired Enhanced Consumer Measures (in this case formal Undertakings).
- Representing an individual under investigation by the FCA and CFTC for trading-related conduct issues.
- Advising a U.S. investment bank in connection with criminal investigations brought simultaneously in the U.S. (DOJ and SEC) and UK (Financial Conduct Authority) in relation to suspicions of insider dealing.
- Advising a global consulting firm in connection with enquiries from the FCA regarding insider dealing concerns.
- Advising a U.S. listed global consulting firm to resolve historic contentious tax issues with the Swiss Federal and Cantonal tax authorities.
- Advising a Swiss insurance company in connection with its U.S. cross border tax exposure.
Steve has previously been recognised by The Legal 500 UK for Administrative and Public Law.
