John Gibson

Spear’s Review

When John Gibson joined the London office of Cohen & Gresser as a partner in 2018, he had already acted as a senior prosecutor in the bribery and corruption unit of the UK’s Serious Fraud Office for five years and as a barrister at 36 Bedford Row for more than 20 years.

He now uses his expertise as the head of Cohen & Gresser’s white collar and investigations practice, where he focuses on complex economic crime, investigations and regulatory matters in Europe and emerging markets.

Gibson, who graduated with honours from Durham University, has particular expertise with UK/US cooperation in economic crime investigation and has worked with government institutions, including the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the US.

Adviser Profile

John Gibson is an obvious choice for complex, multinational, high-profile financial crime, sanctions and investigations matters. His clients are attracted to his ability to find early solutions to seemingly impossible situations. He is seen as a brilliant strategist, sometimes an anti-lawyer, often advising on how to de-escalate a gathering storm or placate misunderstandings by regulators, law enforcement and commercial counterparties. With over three decades of experience in UHNW and family office crisis situations, he offers iron fist in velvet glove representation. He’s a fearless lawyer but always calm and courteous with clients, understanding the pressures upon those he represents. 

Gibson’s clients include high-profile business leaders and entrepreneurs, billionaires, foreign states and family offices. His clients are often front-page news in the international business press for weeks on end. His decades of experience as a trial advocate and his time as a senior government lawyer work in perfect combination for him to offer highly credible and trustworthy representation against any opponent. He able to establish early trust when dealing with regulators and law enforcement. He is a brilliant communicator and collaborator. He offers an encyclopedic knowledge of the best investigators, artificial intelligence and intelligence specialists, communications experts, and financial forensic specialists to work with. He sees elite legal representation as a multidisciplinary process. 

Gibson has been involved in many of the high-profile, high-stakes UK investigations and enforcement actions in recent years. He’s highly commercial whilst also expert at deploying technical legal arguments that provide prospects of victory.