HICKMAN AND ROSE

What HICKMAN AND ROSE does

Hickman & Rose is a privately-held UK litigation boutique law firm founded in 1991 by Ben Rose and Jane Hickman, headquartered in Clerkenwell, London. The firm represents individual and corporate clients in serious legal difficulties across six integrated practice areas: Business Crime (corporate fraud, SFO investigations, bribery and corruption, money laundering, extradition); Serious & General Crime (criminal defence from corporate manslaughter to drugs offences); Regulatory Law (FCA, FRC, SRA, GMC disciplinary proceedings); Inquests & Public Inquiries (deaths involving state agencies); Human Rights & Judicial Review (state abuse of power, police misconduct, universal jurisdiction cases); and Civil Litigation (commercial disputes, professional negligence, data protection). The firm is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA Number: 73698) and operates as a partnership with approximately 30–40 lawyers and legal staff.

The firm's revenue model is fee-based legal services, privately funded by clients rather than legal aid. It generates income through professional fees for representation in high-stakes criminal, regulatory, and civil matters, with a model characterised as bespoke and partner-led. Pricing is not publicly disclosed but is implicitly quote-based given the bespoke, complex nature of engagements. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales through partner-led direct engagement, supplemented by visibility in legal directories (Chambers and Partners, Legal 500), earned media coverage of notable cases, and professional referrals. Geographic scope is England and Wales. The firm has no disclosed technology, API, or proprietary software platform; it operates as a traditional professional services practice with standard web infrastructure (WordPress, Google Analytics, Hotjar) and no application product surface.

The client base spans high net worth individuals (primary), corporate clients facing financial crime or regulatory scrutiny, regulated professionals facing disciplinary proceedings, and bereaved families in inquests. Notable engagements have included representation in LIBOR/EURIBOR-related prosecutions (SFO), Tesco, Serco and G4S cases, the Auriol Grey and Andrew Malkinson exonerations, and high-profile individual clients including the actor Michael Ward. The firm holds consecutive Band 1/Tier 1 rankings in Chambers UK Guide, Legal 500, and Chambers HNW Guide for financial crime defence, and is consistently described as a 'go to' firm for privately funded corporate crime and serious crime work.

Name

HICKMAN AND ROSE

Legal name

Hickman & Rose Solicitors

Website

https://hickmanandrose.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hickman & Rose is a London-based litigation boutique law firm founded in 1991, representing high net worth individuals and corporate clients in business crime, serious criminal defence, regulatory proceedings, inquests, human rights, and civil litigation across six integrated practice areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Litigation Legal Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation & Dispute Resolution (BPAHAAAB)

Keywords

• Criminal defence litigation
• White-collar crime defence
• Regulatory law advisory
• Human rights law
• Inquests public inquiries

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Fees: The firm generates revenue through legal fees for representing individual and corporate clients in serious legal matters including business crime, serious and general crime, regulatory law, human rights and judicial review, inquests and public inquiries, and civil litigation. Services are privately funded, with the firm known for handling sensitive matters for clients demanding discretion.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hickman & Rose is a UK-based litigation boutique law firm that provides bespoke, partner-led legal representation across six practice areas: business crime, serious and general crime, regulatory law, inquests and public inquiries, human rights and judicial review, and civil litigation. The firm primarily serves high net worth individuals and corporate clients facing serious criminal, regulatory, and civil legal difficulties, with multi-disciplinary teams combining criminal and civil litigation strategies.

Product overview

Hickman & Rose is a UK-based litigation law firm offering a unified portfolio of legal services rather than a modular software product. The firm operates across six core practice areas: Business Crime (corporate fraud, bribery, money laundering), Serious & General Crime (criminal defence), Regulatory Law (professional disciplinary matters), Inquests & Public Inquiries, Human Rights & Judicial Review, and Civil Litigation. These practice areas work together in multi-disciplinary teams tailored to each client's needs, with solicitors and barristers collaborating across criminal, regulatory, and civil law disciplines. Established in 1991 and based in London, the firm primarily serves high net worth individuals and corporate clients in serious legal matters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Crime

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple acquittals in SFO prosecutions, including LIBOR fixing, Tesco, Serco and G4S cases - described as 'an unmatched record of success at trial'
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• INQUESTminorOthersINQUEST is a legal charity focused on deaths in custody and related issues. Daniel Machover, the firm's Partner leading inquest work, served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of INQUEST for ten years. The firm regularly represents bereaved families in matters involving INQUEST.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bindmans LLP: London boutique with strong civil liberties, human rights, and public law practices, including inquests and inquiries. Highly comparable to Hickman & Rose's human rights, judicial review, and inquests work, with a similar ethos-driven boutique model.
• Peters & Peters Solicitors LLP: Specialist London business crime and regulatory boutique with a longstanding reputation in white-collar fraud and serious crime defence. Closely comparable in practice mix, client profile, and boutique scale to Hickman & Rose.
• Harcus Parker LLP: London litigation boutique founded by Damon Parker and others, focused on commercial litigation, white-collar defence, and regulatory work. Comparable in boutique size, private funding model, and senior-led client engagement to Hickman & Rose.
• BCL Solicitors LLP: Long-established London firm recognised for business crime, financial regulation, and serious criminal defence. Directly comparable to Hickman & Rose in its white-collar and regulatory focus and HNW/corporate clientele.
• Corker Binning Solicitors: London white-collar crime and regulatory boutique specialising in business crime, FCA investigations, and serious crime defence. Directly comparable to Hickman & Rose in practice mix, boutique scale, and senior-led service model.
• Kingsley Napley LLP: London-based litigation and advisory boutique with a market-leading white-collar crime, regulatory, and serious crime practice. Directly comparable to Hickman & Rose in size, client base (HNW individuals and corporates), and Chambers/Legal 500 positioning.

Broad incumbents

• DLA Piper: Global law firm with a substantial UK white-collar, investigations, and regulatory enforcement practice. Overlaps with Hickman & Rose in SFO/FCA defence work but offers cross-border reach and scale the boutique cannot match.
• Slaughter and May: Magic Circle firm with a leading white-collar crime and regulatory enforcement group in London. Competes with Hickman & Rose for top-end financial crime mandates, particularly for corporate clients, though operating at materially larger scale.
• Reed Smith LLP: International law firm with a strong white-collar crime and investigations practice in London. Competes with Hickman & Rose for premium financial crime mandates while providing global platform and cross-border capacity.
• Mishcon de Reya LLP: Major London full-service firm with a significant white-collar crime, regulatory, and private client litigation practice. Competes with Hickman & Rose for high-end white-collar and HNW defence work but operates at substantially larger scale across multiple practice areas.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hickmanandrose
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hickman-and-rose

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HICKMAN AND ROSE