Florence Jerome-Ball is a member of the White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice in Greenberg Traurig’s United Arab Emirates office. She has wide-ranging experience assisting regional and international clients with a diverse array of cross-border financial crime and special projects cases across the region.
Florence has led on complex cases requiring balanced knowledge of practical local litigation support and international outlook and strategy. Her cases involve root issues around fraud, bribery and corruption, anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing, sanctions, mutual legal assistance, and extradition matters. She assists corporate clients in a variety of contexts, from facing enforcement action and through corporate transactions, to introducing preventive governance restructuring. She has assisted clients in developing and implementing response strategies that encompass criminal action, parallel civil proceedings, internal investigations, reporting to competent authorities, and compliance framework remediation.
As well as acting as local counsel for corporates, Florence also acts for UHNWI individuals facing cross-border criminal action and extradition from the UAE. She has a successful record in leading all aspects of defence work in such cases, including resisting extradition and securing bail, removing INTERPOL Red Notices and Diffusions and aiding with mutual legal assistance requests. She also helps clients to mitigate the adverse consequences of legal proceedings in respect to reputational defence work, and advocating in third party client continuance issues to maintain business relationships.
Additionally, with a robust cross-disciplinary background in law, politics, and security studies, Florence brings a nuanced geopolitical perspective to cases, which are frequently shaped by diplomatic and foreign policy developments. She has acted on several highly sensitive instructions for foreign governments requiring advice based on local constitutional and criminal law, and fluctuating policy positions.
Concentrations
• Regulatory controls and enforcement around anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing
• Anti-bribery and corruption
• Fraud, embezzlement and breach of trust
• Sanctions, trade blockades and embargoes
• Trade-based financial crime
• White Collar and investigations
• INTERPOL, extradition and mutual legal assistance
Experience
Representative Matters
• Assisted UHNWI with criminal defence and extradition, including representation in removing an INTERPOL Red notice, managing client continuance requirements to protect commercial interests and securing personal freedoms during ongoing proceedings.°
• Handled internal investigation and governance restructuring for listed FinTech company facing enforcement action and long term monitorship for AML-related failures.°
• Provided strategic and legal support for financial institution with respect to money laundering investigation into established typologies and compliance failures.°
• Advised regulated international financial services company on sanctions implications and disclosure requirements in respect of impending change of control event.°
• Assisted large international luxury fashion brand in appealing AML enforcement action and secured 90% reduction of the compliance fine.°
• Advised a foreign government on domestic criminal law, prosecution procedures, and diplomatic practices in the context of cross-border and politically influenced proceedings to assist with negotiation of multinational trade agreement.°
• Provided board-level training to major state-owned enterprise on the implementation of a new compliance culture, incorporating conflict of interest controls and whistleblowing channels.°
• Advised sovereign wealth fund on bribery laws related to target company practices raised during pre-transaction due diligence to confirm the viability of the transaction and measures to control residual post-acquisition risks.°
• Advised an international law firm on UAE constitutional law, powers of public office, and national security policy in support of ongoing proceedings against the ultimate client for espionage charges.°
• Acted for multinational corporate clients in criminal proceedings related to complex fraud, embezzlement, and breach of trust issues.°
• Advised multinational companies on domestic sanctions legislation and the applicability of international sanctions regimes from a local perspective in relation to corporate restructuring and intra-group financing.°
• Drafted internal policies for regulated and non-regulated high-risk companies in respect of internal financial crime controls and other compliance-related protocols. Designed compliance frameworks for entities in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia, including drafting new anti-money laundering legislation for freezones.°
• Advised various Government Ministries within the GCC on a number of matters of policy and diplomatic communications in respect of financial crime matters.°
°The above representations were handled by Ms. Jerome-Ball prior to her joining Greenberg Traurig Limited.
Recognition & Leadership
Professional & Community Involvement
• Aide to the Chair of the Middle East and North Africa Chapter, Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime, 2020-2024
