Ruth Paley

Partner
“I work in partnership with boards and senior executives to mitigate regulatory and criminal exposure across the full spectrum of financial crime risks, acting decisively before scrutiny turns into enforcement.”
Ruth Paley is a leading authority on corporate crime, financial regulation, and investigations, with particular expertise in anti-money laundering (AML) and enforcement strategy. Known for her command of the UK Money Laundering Regulations, Ruth is consistently recognised as a top practitioner in her field, “a powerhouse performer in global corporate investigations,” and “one of the leading names in anti-money laundering work in London, with a depth of knowledge few in the City have” (Legal 500).

She acts for global corporates, financial institutions, and senior executives facing exposure to criminal and regulatory risk. Ruth frequently leads internal investigations, large-scale remediations, and regulatory inquiries, working side-by-side with Boards and ExCos to advise on enforcement strategy and risk mitigation. She is often called upon to support firms grappling with criminal activity on the part of employees and third parties, using a solutions-focused approach to protect her clients’ best interests. Ruth also represents individuals under investigation by the SFO, the City of London Police, and other enforcement authorities.

Ruth’s recent matters include advising a FTSE-listed company in a cross-border investigation into suspected money laundering; leading a multi-jurisdictional investigation for a global energy company into corruption concerns spanning the UK and MENA; advising a UK first tier financial institution on a £100m customer fraud on the UK government, supporting a UK Life Sciences client with an internal investigation into serious criminal misconduct, and defending one of India’s largest banks in a high-profile FCA investigation involving AML systems and controls. She is regularly instructed to manage engagements involving Skilled Person reviews and has advised on a number of serious enforcement investigations brought under the UK Money Laundering Regulations, the Bribery Act, the Fraud Act, and the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Ruth began her legal career at the Bar, where she spent twelve years prosecuting and defending heavyweight jury trials involving serious fraud and financial crime, as well as murder, kidnap and serious violent/sexual offences. As counsel she worked with all the major prosecution agencies, including the FCA, SFO and CPS, where she advised on sufficiency of evidence a Grade III prosecutor and CPS specialist panel advocate for the Serious/Organised Criminal, POCA, Fraud and Rape lists. Ruth later became a partner at one of the world’s largest litigation firms and was appointed to the FCA’s s.166 Skilled Person panel for Financial Crime.

A frequent lecturer on risk, compliance, and regulatory enforcement, Ruth also contributes to several AML practitioner texts, including Lissack & Horlick on Bribery and Corruption, where she authors the chapter on the UK Money Laundering Regulations. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the Institute of Money Laundering Prevention Officers.

Life Sciences

Mining

Real Estate

Associated Practice Areas

Corporate Crime & Investigations

Representative Matters

  • Acting for a payments company in one of only a handful of ongoing FCA enforcement investigations involving alleged money laundering exceeding £1 billion and potential breaches of the UK Money Laundering Regulations.
  • Acting for a UK PLC in a complex National Crime Agency investigation involving alleged money laundering and regulated-sector offences, advising the Board and the company’s Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) in connection with criminal investigations and interviews under caution.
  • Representing an MLRO under investigation for alleged AML control failures, including failure to report suspicions of money laundering to the NCA and permitting prohibited activity within a non-financial regulated-sector business.
  • Acting for an individual charged with money laundering and fraud arising from an alleged £4 million investment scheme in the City of London.
  • Acting for one of India’s largest banks in a landmark cross-border FCA investigation involving allegations of money laundering and AML control failures, one of only a small number of criminal investigations ever conducted into alleged breaches of UK AML regulations.
  • Leading a multi-jurisdictional investigation for a global energy-sector company into alleged corrupt activities involving employees in Iraq, Dubai, and the United Kingdom.
  • Advising several overseas banks in FCA investigations involving alleged money laundering offences and AML systems-and-controls failures.
  • Acting for a global trading-platform client in investigations conducted by the FCA and the City of London Police.
  • Acting as Skilled Person and Assurance Partner in multiple large-scale, multi-year Skilled Person reviews involving detailed assessments of customer due diligence, sanctions screening, transaction monitoring, governance, training, and suspicious activity reporting frameworks.
  • Acting as shadow financial-crime Skilled Person for a major Nordic bank, preparing more than 30 employees—including senior executives—for regulatory interviews and advising on responses to the Skilled Person review and resulting report.
  • Advising multiple foreign banks on AML supervisory visit preparation and subsequent regulatory engagement with UK authorities.

Credentials

Bar & Court Admissions
  • Barrister, England and Wales (Bar Standards Board and SRA regulated)

Professional Affiliations

  • Fraud Lawyers Association
  • Institute of Money Laundering Prevention Officers
Education
  • University of Southampton, LL.B.

Insights & News

Articles / April 1, 2026

Preparing for extended POCA powers

International Compliance Association

Articles / March 31, 2026

How information sharing will work under ECCTA

FT Adviser

Media Mentions / March 25, 2026

Defendants found guilty in landmark prosecution

Law360, Solicitors Journal, Manchester TV

Articles / February 2, 2026

SAR Struck: Trends in NCA Suspicious Activity Reporting Figures

Compliance Monitor

Articles / January 6, 2026

AML enforcement: year in review 2025

FT Adviser

Ruth Paley

Partner
London
+44 (0)20 3334 8333
https://www.mrllp.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Paley-Ruth-LON-Preferred-Photo.png
“I work in partnership with boards and senior executives to mitigate regulatory and criminal exposure across the full spectrum of financial crime risks, acting decisively before scrutiny turns into enforcement.”

Overview

Ruth Paley is a leading authority on corporate crime, financial regulation, and investigations, with particular expertise in anti-money laundering (AML) and enforcement strategy. Known for her command of the UK Money Laundering Regulations, Ruth is consistently recognised as a top practitioner in her field, “a powerhouse performer in global corporate investigations,” and “one of the leading names in anti-money laundering work in London, with a depth of knowledge few in the City have” (Legal 500).

She acts for global corporates, financial institutions, and senior executives facing exposure to criminal and regulatory risk. Ruth frequently leads internal investigations, large-scale remediations, and regulatory inquiries, working side-by-side with Boards and ExCos to advise on enforcement strategy and risk mitigation. She is often called upon to support firms grappling with criminal activity on the part of employees and third parties, using a solutions-focused approach to protect her clients’ best interests. Ruth also represents individuals under investigation by the SFO, the City of London Police, and other enforcement authorities.

Ruth’s recent matters include advising a FTSE-listed company in a cross-border investigation into suspected money laundering; leading a multi-jurisdictional investigation for a global energy company into corruption concerns spanning the UK and MENA; advising a UK first tier financial institution on a £100m customer fraud on the UK government, supporting a UK Life Sciences client with an internal investigation into serious criminal misconduct, and defending one of India’s largest banks in a high-profile FCA investigation involving AML systems and controls. She is regularly instructed to manage engagements involving Skilled Person reviews and has advised on a number of serious enforcement investigations brought under the UK Money Laundering Regulations, the Bribery Act, the Fraud Act, and the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Ruth began her legal career at the Bar, where she spent twelve years prosecuting and defending heavyweight jury trials involving serious fraud and financial crime, as well as murder, kidnap and serious violent/sexual offences. As counsel she worked with all the major prosecution agencies, including the FCA, SFO and CPS, where she advised on sufficiency of evidence a Grade III prosecutor and CPS specialist panel advocate for the Serious/Organised Criminal, POCA, Fraud and Rape lists. Ruth later became a partner at one of the world’s largest litigation firms and was appointed to the FCA’s s.166 Skilled Person panel for Financial Crime.

A frequent lecturer on risk, compliance, and regulatory enforcement, Ruth also contributes to several AML practitioner texts, including Lissack & Horlick on Bribery and Corruption, where she authors the chapter on the UK Money Laundering Regulations. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the Institute of Money Laundering Prevention Officers.

Life Sciences

Mining

Associated Practice Areas

Corporate Crime & Investigations

Representative Matters

  • Acting for a payments company in one of only a handful of ongoing FCA enforcement investigations involving alleged money laundering exceeding £1 billion and potential breaches of the UK Money Laundering Regulations.
  • Acting for a UK PLC in a complex National Crime Agency investigation involving alleged money laundering and regulated-sector offences, advising the Board and the company’s Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) in connection with criminal investigations and interviews under caution.
  • Representing an MLRO under investigation for alleged AML control failures, including failure to report suspicions of money laundering to the NCA and permitting prohibited activity within a non-financial regulated-sector business.
  • Acting for an individual charged with money laundering and fraud arising from an alleged £4 million investment scheme in the City of London.
  • Acting for one of India’s largest banks in a landmark cross-border FCA investigation involving allegations of money laundering and AML control failures, one of only a small number of criminal investigations ever conducted into alleged breaches of UK AML regulations.
  • Leading a multi-jurisdictional investigation for a global energy-sector company into alleged corrupt activities involving employees in Iraq, Dubai, and the United Kingdom.
  • Advising several overseas banks in FCA investigations involving alleged money laundering offences and AML systems-and-controls failures.
  • Acting for a global trading-platform client in investigations conducted by the FCA and the City of London Police.
  • Acting as Skilled Person and Assurance Partner in multiple large-scale, multi-year Skilled Person reviews involving detailed assessments of customer due diligence, sanctions screening, transaction monitoring, governance, training, and suspicious activity reporting frameworks.
  • Acting as shadow financial-crime Skilled Person for a major Nordic bank, preparing more than 30 employees—including senior executives—for regulatory interviews and advising on responses to the Skilled Person review and resulting report.
  • Advising multiple foreign banks on AML supervisory visit preparation and subsequent regulatory engagement with UK authorities.

Credentials

Bar & Court Admissions
  • Barrister, England and Wales (Bar Standards Board and SRA regulated)
Professional Affiliations
  • Fraud Lawyers Association
  • Institute of Money Laundering Prevention Officers
Education
  • University of Southampton, LL.B.