Eddie Holland
Senior Clerk
Emma Makepeace
Deputy Senior Clerk
An expert in financial wrongdoing, Amanda is involved in many high-profile cases involving corporate crime, fraud, money laundering, asset recovery and bribery issues, often with an international dimension.
She regularly appears in cases involving the SFO and FCA
Amanda’s expertise is sought by clients across the globe, from politicians and foreign Law Officers, large multi-national organisations and government agencies to small corporates, company boards and officers, and individual private clients. She often advises corporates and company officers who are caught up in business wrongdoing during or after a corporate M&A or internal investigations which she has experience of undertaking.
Internationally, she has advised or appeared as an expert in Gibraltar, Greece, New Zealand, the Middle East and Cyprus.
She is an expert on sanctions law.
She is recognised as a leader by the directories in Criminal Fraud, Financial Crime Corporates and Financial Crime Individual.
Amanda defends and prosecutes in cases involving the SFO and FCA in financial and complex crime cases. Many of her cases are confidential or resolved in favour of her client before a trial. She is “a formidable advocate and a market leader” (Chambers UK 2024) and was shortlisted for Corporate Crime Silk of the Year 2022 by Chambers UK. Her cases often involve money market and benchmark instruments, sophisticated investor problems and collective investment schemes. Her talent lies in making complicated issues easy to understand.
Areas of practice include:
Work in this area includes:
Advisory work:
Prosecuting a Brazilian teak investment fraud for the SFO resulting in convictions. (Appeal ongoing)
Providing an amicus brief to the Court of Appeal for a US attorney association on LPP and US litigation privilege
Advising public authorities on extradition matters in global cases to enable accused to be extradited successfully. Advising individuals overseas on the best course to take in respect of extradition/surrender to the jurisdiction.
US citizen on merits of surrendering to the UK jurisdiction in a private prosecution)
Advising on extradition of suspects from Caribbean Islands, Middle East
Advising on extradition and EAWs
With her immense experience of the criminal process and understanding of the duties involved in prosecuting serious cases, Amanda has conducted private prosecutions and acted for those against whom they are brought. Amanda’s advice is sought for her strategic approach to the pros and cons of using private prosecutions in commercial disputes which clients particularly appreciate.
Private prosecution by a businessman against a retired KC who had falsified documents in the planning process
Acting for P, getting the private prosecution dropped following abuse of process argument over lack of candour to the court and of proper disclosure at an early stage
Amanda’s cases frequently include an element of international money laundering. She is used to directing investigations into large-scale or complex asset tracing with excellent results for clients. She advises at every step of the process, including on making SARs and DAMLs, money laundering compliance and AML obligations in the regulated sector, as well as prosecuting and defending prosecutions for money laundering offences. Amanda has trained foreign judges, prosecutors and lawyers on money laundering, financial crime and corruption in the Middle East, Moscow, Hong-Kong, China.
A global teak forestry scheme
A Forex global investment fraud
Amanda is an expert on sanctions. In June 2023 she was a speaker at the Cyprus Current Affairs Forum: Constructive Communication on Current Challenges. The focus was on Sanctions and Financial Crime, with particular emphasis on the challenges for business arising out of the overlap between sanctions and civil and criminal forfeiture and freezing orders.
She is co-author of the Sanctions chapter in Smith Owen and Bodnar on Asset Recovery since 2019 (new ed in 2025), and has been commissioned to write a book on Sanctions by OUP to be published in 2025.
Amanda is experienced in public law cases. As well as mounting challenges to administrative decisions, she has great experience of assisting law enforcement agencies in meeting challenges to judicial review cases. She is instructed in cases where there is an underlying sensitive issue.
Currently in the closed material
Amanda has great experience of litigation in respect of applications for and challenges to search warrants and production orders. She has successfully advised and appeared for law enforcement agencies, when obtaining and executing nationally coordinated search warrants, terrorism and cases of the utmost national interest sensitivity, on how best to obtain necessary material.
Eddie Holland
Senior Clerk
Emma Makepeace
Deputy Senior Clerk
“Amanda is superb. She builds good relationships with clients and her advocacy exudes gravitas and authority.” Legal 500 2024
“She is one of the leading silks in corporate crime, is a brilliant team leader and can sensitively and skilfully identify the key issues and solutions in any corporate investigation.” Legal 500 2024
“She is a formidable advocate and a market leader.” Chambers UK 2024
“She is subtle and gentle but a complete rock when she needs to be. Judges and juries really like her manner.” “She is always thinking outside the box in terms of different strategies in preparing different defences.” Chambers UK 2024
“Amanda is clear-sighted and knows where she wants to go. She is good at getting everyone to go in the right direction and speaks from a position of authority and knowledge.” Chambers UK 2024
“Amanda is an extremely impressive barrister.” Chambers UK 2023
“Amanda is a tremendous advocate, her judgement is spot on, she is very well respected by the court due to her experience in both defence and prosecution in major business crime cases, and she has consummate client handling skills.” Legal 500 2023
“A polished advocate with superb judgement.” “She is a really good advocate who leaves no stone unturned.” Chambers UK 2022
“A charming polished advocate with superb judgement and great experience; always meticulously prepared; clients love her; prodigiously clever.“ Legal 500 2022
1991 Introduction to the History of Art, Birkbeck College, University of London (distinction)
1982 MA Gonville and Caius College, University of Cambridge (exhibitioner)
Co-Author Corporate Criminal Liability by Pinto and Evans (4th Edition, 2021 Sweet and Maxwell)
2012-present – Contributing editor to Blackstone’s Criminal Practice on corporate crime
2019- present – Contributing editor in relation to sanctions: Smith, Owen and Bodnar on Asset Recovery
| 2024 – | Patron of the Next 100 Years Project |
| 2023 – | Trustee of Paintings in Hospitals |
| 2022 – | Committee member of the Inns of Court Alliance for Women |
| 2022 | Nominated Legal 500 Corporate Crime Silk of the Year |
| 2022 – | Trustee of the Race Equality Foundation |
| 2021 – | Appointed to the Panel of Recognised International Market Experts in Finance (“PRIME Finance”) |
| 2021 | International Leader for 2021, The Women in Law Justitia Award nominee |
| 2021 – | Mentor Birbeck College University of London |
| 2020 | Chair of the Bar of England and Wales |
| 2020 | Shortlisted for Chambers & Partners Outstanding Contribution to Diversity and Inclusion Award |
| 2019 | Vice Chair of the Bar of England and Wales |
| 2018 – 2024 | Champion of the First 100 Years Project |
| 2017 – 2020 | Deputy Chair of the Tate Members Council |
| 2015 – 2024 | Trustee of the Slynn Foundation (enhancing the rule of law and justice systems internationally) |
| 2014 – 2018 | Chair of the international Committee of the Bar Council |
| 2014 – | Bencher of Middle Temple, advocacy and ethics trainer; member of the Bencher Selection Advisory Committee (20141 – 2017) and International Committee (2014 – 2019) |
| 2014 – 2018 | Trustee of the Tate Members Charity |
| 2009 – 2017 | United Kingdom representative on the Council of International Criminal Bar |
| 2005 – | Serious Fraud Office QC/KC counsel panel member |
| 2004 – | Recorder of the Crown Court (part-time Judge in serious crime) |
In 2020 Amanda was elected Chair of the Bar Council of England and Wales. In 2021 she was appointed to the PRIME Finance expert panel as a global expert in complex financial products. In 2022 she was nominated by Chambers and Partners for Corporate Crime Silk of the Year.
Amanda has trained foreign judges, prosecutors and lawyers on money laundering, financial crime and corruption in the Middle East, Moscow, Hong-Kong, China.
I, Amanda Pinto KC , am a data controller and can be contacted at 3 Raymond Buildings, Gray’s Inn, London WC1R 5BH or by telephone on 020 7400 6400 or by email at amanda.pinto@3rblaw.com. My Data Protection Policy can be found on below.
All personal data that I process is for the purposes of providing legal services, conducting conflict-checks, marketing, defending potential complaints, legal proceedings or fee disputes, keeping anti-money laundering records, training other barristers and pupils and when providing work-shadowing opportunities, and/or exercising a right to a lien. The types of data I process vary upon the nature of the legal matter in relation to which I am engaged to advise, but can include names, contact details, biographic details and ‘special category personal data’ (such as details of racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, health, sex life and criminal convictions and proceedings).
Depending upon the circumstances of the case, the legal bases upon which I process personal data are (i) the performance of a contract to which the data subject is a party or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract, (ii) the processing is necessary to comply with legal obligations to which I am subject, or (iii) the processing is necessary for the legitimate interests set out above, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subjects which require protection of personal data, in particular where the data subject is a child. When I rely on (iii) legitimate interests, my ‘Legitimate Interests Assessment’ can be found here. When I process data which has not been obtained directly from the data subject (eg personal data contained in evidential materials), it will have been supplied to me as part of my instructions in circumstances covered by legal professional privilege.
Depending upon the circumstances of the case, I may share the personal data with:
I retain personal data for no longer than 7 years after the case has come to an end or as otherwise required by law.
I do not intend to transfer data to any country which is not either within the European Union, or otherwise permitted by UK data protection legislation.
Under the UK GDPR, data subjects whose personal data I process have the right to request from me access to, and rectification or erasure of, their personal data, the right to the restriction of processing concerning them, the right to object to processing as well as the right to data portability. Data subjects also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk).
In cases where there is a contract between me and the data subject, the provision of personal data is a contractual requirement and the data subject is obliged to provide the personal data in order that I can supply legal services. A failure to provide such data may mean that I will not be able to provide those legal services.
Rev 2.1 31.05.2024
| Address | 3 Raymond Buildings, Gray’s Inn, London WC1R 5BH |
|---|---|
| DX | 237 LDE |
| Opening hours | 08:30 – 18:30 |
| Telephone | +44 (0)20 7400 6400 |
|---|---|
| clerks@3rblaw.com | |
| Senior clerk | Amanda Pinto KC |
