Photo, Joanna Ludlam

Joanna Ludlam

Partner
Baker & McKenzie LLP

Biography

Joanna Ludlam is co-chair of Baker McKenzie's Global Compliance & Investigations practice. She has held this position since 2017, having previously led this group in the EMEA region. She is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution team in the London office, where she leads the Regulatory, Public & Media law team.

Joanna has extensive experience in leading complex investigations and pioneering compliance initiatives. She advises clients, including the C-suite, on corporate criminal liability, regulatory compliance, and crisis and reputation management. She also prepares senior executives for appearances at public inquiries and Parliamentary Select Committee hearings.  Her expertise in administrative and public law and public procurement law complements her investigations practice.

Joanna co-authored the firm's Connected Compliance thought leadership, which includes the world's first global compliance integration benchmarking tool.

Joanna was the winner of the “Compliance Innovator of the Year for Connected Compliance” at the Women in Compliance Awards and the “Admin & Public UK Lawyer of the year” by ACQ5 in 2019. She was one of GIR's "Top 100 Women in Compliance” in 2018 and “Role Model in the HERoes Women Role Model Lists” in 2019. In 2016, Joanna made The Lawyer’s “Hot 100” and is consistently recognized by Chambers and Legal 500.

Joanna designed the Firm’s innovative Investigations Academy, a comprehensive, state-of-the-art training programme for investigations practitioners within the Firm’s team and clients. She is also a member of the leadership team for BakerWomen, a key Baker McKenzie D&I focus group.

Practice Focus

Joanna advises clients in the areas of administrative and public law, procurement law, litigation and investigations. She has particular experience in sectors including media, financial services, healthcare, technology, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, professional services, and consumer goods. Joanna handles all kinds of high court litigation as well as investigations, including into issues of bribery, corruption and fraud. She advises clients, frequently at board-level, on regulatory compliance and crisis and reputation management.

Joanna focuses on bringing practical solutions to client issues, and designed the Firm’s innovative Investigations Academy, a comprehensive and state-of-the-art training programme for investigations practitioners within the Firm team and our clients'.

Representative Legal Matters

  • Acting for the BBC Trust as their sole advisers on public law and regulatory matters and reputation management, including advising the Trust in connection with the high-profile inquiries into Jimmy Savile and the Leveson inquiry, and on matters pertaining to its coverage of the 2015 General Election.
  • Representing the Criminal Bar Association in its high-profile judicial review challenge to the Legal Service's Board's Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates. This ultimately went all the way to the Supreme Court and resulted in the making of new law.
  • Advising Genomic Health on the commercialisation (market access) of its genomic assay for breast cancer, Oncotype DX, in the UK market, including in connection with their contract negotiations with NHS England and a potential review of NHSE's commissioning decision.
  • Representing two high-profile law firms in respect of separate SRA regulatory investigations into their professional conduct.
  • Acting for a global investment bank investigating whistleblower allegations relating to suspected bribery, money laundering and fraud being committed in Indonesia and Singapore.
  • Representing the Bank of England in relation to claims brought in the English High Court against another bank by its shareholders.

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Law Society of England & Wales

Admissions

  • England & Wales~United Kingdom (1997)

Education

  • College of Law at London (1995)
  • King's College London (1994)
  • University of Paris I (Pantheon-Sorbonne) (1994)

Languages

  • English
  • French

Contributor (Chapters on Breach of Confidence and Protection of Journalistic Sources) to the 4th Edition of Crone's Law and The Media, co-edited by Tom Cassels.

Jo is an English qualified solicitor-advocate.