The White Collar Crime Centre has been established by Bright Line Law to explore the developing engagement between criminal law and corporate misconduct. Directed by Jonathan Fisher QC, Lead Counsel of Bright Line Law, The White Collar Crime Centre operates separately from Bright Line Law’s legal practice.
Established in 2016, The White Collar Crime Centre undertakes high-level research into corporate wrongdoing and develops policy and strategic responses which serve as a catalyst for contemporary debate. Work of The White Collar Crime Centre is strengthened by contributions from legal practitioners, both independent and part of Bright Line Law, academics and postgraduate students with a demonstrable academic interest in white collar crime.
The White Collar Crime Centre is based in London but its research focus is global. Irrespective of location, criminal law has traditionally focused on the prevention of harm. But a modern conception of criminal law points to its role as a promoter of trust and civility. Increasingly, criminal sanctions are used to shape society by filling the space vacated by the disengagement between moral values and the law. Applying this narrative to conduct which takes place in a corporate setting is challenging. Questioning policy and legislative proposals and contributing to legal development is at the very heart of The White Collar Crime Centre’s work.
Research – Analysis – Briefings – Global
The White Collar Crime Centre is principally interested in the role of the criminal law in the regulation of wealth and prosperity and the development of corporate social responsibility by the use of criminal sanction.
Against this background, in 2017, The White Collar Crime Centre is particularly focused on exploring the proposed breadth of the UK’s Criminal Finances Bill 2016 promising to tackle illicit wealth and introduce new corporate criminal offences, and innovative models of corporate criminal liability to meet emerging white collar crime issues.
Ultimately, The White Collar Crime Centre seeks to make thoughtful contributions in the public square as well as provide professional training, symposia and public lectures. Our Publications page contains our contributions to date, including commentary on significant developments in white collar crime and published briefing papers.
For further discussion about The White Collar Crime Centre and to express interest in becoming involved please contact us here.