Ben Smith
Biography
Ben Smith is a partner in Baker McKenzie’s London office and a member of the Firm's Compliance & Investigations Group and International Trade Practice, ranked Tier 1 by the Legal 500 UK.
Ben joined the London office of Baker McKenzie in September 2007. He has also worked in Baker McKenzie's San Francisco and Brussels offices, and was on secondment to the legal and compliance teams at three FTSE 100 UK plcs.
The Legal 500 UK ranked Ben as a “Next Generation Partner,” noting “Ben Smith is a pleasure to work with. Professional, knowledgeable and always ready to assist with practical solutions.”
Practice Focus
Ben advises clients on EU and UK sanctions, export controls, anti-bribery and corruption, competition and broader corporate compliance laws.
Ben has significant experience in advising clients in a number of sectors, including energy and energy services, technology and telecommunications, consumer goods and retail, financial services, healthcare, defence, and transport.
Ben assists in managing risk assessments and the design and implementation of compliance programmes; conducting due diligence and managing compliance risks in the context of M&A transactions; handling external and internal compliance investigations; and engaging with government authorities on disclosures, licence applications and export classification.
Representative Legal Matters
- Assisting in the management and roll-out of a global compliance programme for a FTSE 100 plc, advising on anti-bribery and corruption, sanctions, and broader compliance laws.
- Advising a number of companies in the technology and energy sectors on sanctions and export controls compliance, assisting with licence applications and engagements with key sanctions regulators
- Assisting a number of companies in the technology and energy sectors on handling investigations into non-compliant conduct, including supporting a technology company on defending a US sanctions investigation by OFAC
- Assisting a leading technology company in conducting a risk assessment of its global anti-bribery, sanctions and competition law risks, and in building and rolling out adequate procedures as part of a compliance programme to mitigate those risks
- Advising a leading FTSE 100 UK technology company on the global export classification of its software and technology
- Advising a FTSE 100 UK plc on sanctions disclosures to the UK and other EU authorities
- Assisting a global energy services company, a US-headquartered defence company, and a leading global technology company on the disclosure of export control violations to the UK authorities
- Managing a global sanctions risk assessment for global oil and gas company
- Advising a US headquartered client in the ecommerce sector in relation to an ongoing European Commission investigation into alleged infringements of EU competition law
Admissions
- England & Wales~United Kingdom (2009)
Education
- Magdalene College, Cambridge (Master's Degree Law) (2009)
- BPP Law School (Distinction) (2007)
- Magdalene College, Cambridge (B.A. Law) (2005)
Languages
- English