Adam Wilkinson

Spear’s Review

Adam Wilkinson is director of critical risks at Schillings, overseeing teams who deal with digital and physical risk and private diplomacy around the world, with a particular specialism in African countries. 

The critical risks practice covers blackmail, extortion, kidnapping and personal security as well as ransomware and hacking. Physical security is often directed to specialist companies in Wilkinson’s trusted international network, while dealings with extortionists and blackmailers are more likely to be dealt with entirely in-house, as are problem-solving expeditions covering threats to property, business and people in areas of the world where the courts might be powerless or corrupt.

Asked about his team, Wilkinson says: ‘We’re a law firm; it’s not a particularly normal function. The reason it exists is because our clients have such acute issues in difficult places, they don’t feel they have reliable people that they could normally use. They need specialists. It’s usually a pretty extreme situation by the time we are involved.’