Simon Pentol KC

A powerhouse Silk with a golden reputation and a heavyweight practice centred upon complex and substantial cases of serious crime, financial crime and allied causes.

Having led continually for 25 years in cases at the highest echelon of serious crime and complex financial crime, Simon’s consistent rankings as a top-tier silk in both disciplines exemplify his gravitas, wealth of experience, know-how, composure and talent.

His charisma, courtroom flair, tactical prowess, eye-for-detail, inventive thinking, dedication, approachability, straightforward attitude and all round business acumen mean his is very much in demand as a team leader for both individual and corporate clients that face important, serious, substantial and complex allegations in all types of privately and very high publicly funded work both at the investigation stage and at trial.

He is one of only a handful of defence Silks who has earned an enviable reputation in cases of homicide / organised crime and Serious Fraud / allied regulatory matters.

A sample of recent independent testimonials from the legal directories, say it all:

• “A magician who wins the most difficult of cases. He is fearless, a masterful tactician . . .” [Legal 500 Crime, 2021].
• “A tour de force advocate. His case preparation, is all consuming . . .”  [Legal 500 Fraud, 2021].
• “Clients love him, juries love him, and solicitors love him” [Chambers & Partners].
• “Simon inspires immense confidence, a masterful advocate with a proven track record. One of the most charismatic members of the Bar” [Legal 500 Crime, 2023].
• “He has exceptional judgement and dazzles in the courtroom” [Chambers UK 2024].
• “He is razor-sharp and eloquent, and he cares” [Chambers UK 2025].
• “Simon embodies charisma and formidable intelligence . . .” [Legal 500, 2025].
• “Pentol fights your corner every step of the way. His court presence is unrivalled” [Chambers UK, 2026].

Simon’s track record for achieving notable results for individual & corporate clients in very difficult circumstances has rightfully earned him plaudits from a wide range of lay & professional clients.

His leadership qualities and strategic thinking, make him the first choice for individual & corporate clients both at the investigation stage to either secure a favourable resolution pre-charge / pre-trial and/or to develop a proactive case strategy all the way to trial. In financial matters, he is well-versed in establishing compliance protocols to meet anti-bribery /corruption, anti-money-laundering and anti-tax evasion criteria. Simon has achieved notable successes in securing the withdrawal of criminal investigations for individuals in criminal & financial cases, corporate clients in anti-bribery & tax investigations and for business professionals in sensitive criminal and/or tax/fraud investigations.

He is vastly experienced in dealing with substantial & complex investigations and conducting cases in all types of tax issues, corruption/bribery, money-laundering and asset seizure brought by FCA, the SFO, the NCA, HMRC & the City of London Economic Crime Directorate.

He has earned the reputation as a formidable performer among his peers and the judiciary. Simon brings a skill set comprising judgement, intuition, versatility, assurance and commitment to all cases in which he is instructed. He gives a “Rolls Royce” service.

These qualities combined with his experience of leading in numerous high-profile cases have afforded Simon the opportunity to uniquely develop a parallel practice in the specialist field of Sports-related work.

He is now sought after in Sports disciplinary/regulatory and advisory work both legal/commercial and transactional/contentious, in all sports but most notably Football and Boxing in which he has earned an enviable reputation having acted for individual participants and/ or alongside federations (The FA, CAF & The Ghana FA), clubs, agents, individual participants and corporate partners.

The combination of his criminal law background and an advanced understanding of regulatory frameworks make Simon one of the few Silks properly versed in sports/criminal law crossover cases. 

His strength of personality and understanding of modern media/PR make him best placed to meet the demands of clients regularly in the public eye.  Accordingly, he continues to be instructed on behalf of high profile / high net worth individuals and business professionals from the worlds of finance and sport & entertainment. Dating back to his representation of the likes of Des Byrne (Wimbledon footballer and co-defendant of John Terry in a serious nightclub fight), Chris Eubank Snr.(legendary boxer), Ashley Walters (aka Asher D of the So Solid Crew) and Brian Harvey (East 17) through to more recent clients such as boxers Dereck Chisora & James DeGale (before the British Boxing Board of Control), the Sky exclusive boxing promoter  Boxxer Ltd as retained external counsel,  an established football club sporting director (before the FA for betting infractions) and the ‘drill’ rapper “Loski”.

Simon undertakes Direct Access work for which he has enhanced status.

Simon has twice been shortlisted for Financial Crime Silk of the Year at the Legal 500 Bar Awards in 2023 and 2025.

Most Notable on-going Work

He is presently instructed/engaged in the following notable on-going matters:

• R (SFO) v SG and Others (Op. HZLO1/2) Acting for a principal defendant in a complex, widespread international fraud and allied bankruptcy offences re fraudulent transfer of existing pensions into SIPPs,
• R (FCA) v JR and Others (Op. Forte Payne) Acting for principal defendant in complex international fraud across four separate conspiracies to commit fraud by false representation and money laundering re schemes to sell bulk water rights to UK investors purporting to relate to sites in Namibia, NZ & Australia
• R (London Borough B&D) v JT and Others Widespread fraud arising out of bribery/corruption against a London Borough Council re the provision of service contracts
• Gambling Commission v TJ and Others Acting for a senior political figure in a high-profile prosecution of using confidential information – specifically advance knowledge of the proposed date for the last General Election – to gain unfair advantage in betting markets
• HMRC Asset Freezing Order v ER Acting for foreign national in opposition to AFO re multiple UK bank accounts premised upon suspected tax evasion and money-laundering
• HMRC Asset Freezing Order v D Ltd Acting for company and its directors in opposition to AFO re UK corporate and personal accounts premised upon suspected tax evasion and money-laundering

Associated Work

• Led plenary sessions re corporate crime at the Cambridge University International Symposium on Economic Crime
• Long-term author and lecturer on the key corporate aspects of The Bribery Act 2010, The Criminal Finances Act 2017 and The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023
• Sought-after expert analyst for major TV & radio broadcasters on range of current sports & legal issues
• An active, long-standing board member of the British Association for Sport and Law (BASL) and long-established lecturer on the BASLPost-Graduate course in Sports Law and a regular platform speaker at conferences/seminars organized by BASL & other sports law organisations
• Author of articles for 25 Bedford Row newsletters, BASL publications and provides legal insight/guidance to journalists of The Times and the Sun newspapers

Memberships

• Criminal Bar Association
• Fraud Lawyers Association
• Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers (ARDL)
• Board Member of British Association for Sport and Law (POCLA)
• Proceeds of Crime Lawyers Association (POCLA)