Arun Chauhan

There are two things you need to know about me and the purpose behind how I manage Tenet. Firstly, my aim personally and our firm is to help reduce fraud, educate people about fraud risk and reacting to fraud all in order to help minimise the impact of fraud and financial crime for clients and wider society. Secondly, I want to demonstrate how a law firm can thrive by focussing on its people ahead of its work, taking away targets and presentism to allow colleagues to focus on their work product and their own wellbeing to allow them time with their families.

I am proud that since 2016 we have grown retaining our purpose throughout and that we have been recognised by our peers and others for our approach to disrupting our approach to delivering legal services.
I am proud that we have grown from my starting Tenet as the only solicitor here through recommendation and referral. We are now the only single service specialist civil fraud and financial crime compliance law firm outside of London.

I typically represent claimants who have suffered loss to dishonest actions involving fraudulent misrepresentations (typically investment or acquisition of asset type fraud) and breach of duty claims (typically employee fraud or claims against agents).

I continue to advise the full spectrum of clients from listed companies (domestically and internationally), housing associations, charities, fintech banks, SMEs and individuals. I advise on fraud investigations, litigation, disputes and compliance issues arising from fraud and financial crime. I am immersed in the counter fraud world and was the first private practice solicitor to obtain the post-graduate diploma qualification in financial crime compliance with the International Compliance Association (their leading qualification on the subject).

I am a regular speaker and trainer on counter fraud issues as well as an expert for the BBC providing advice particularly on consumer banking and digital platforms, fraud risks, featuring on programmes such as Watchdog, Panorama, Rip Off Britain and BBC Radio 4 (Moneybox), Crimewatch Live and Radio 5 Live news. I have been quoted in a number of news publications including BBC News, The Times, The Telegraph, The Guardian and industry publications.

My interest in leadership and human behaviour helps me to serve everyone in the team. I look up, not down. I seek equality and respect on how each treat one another. It is my job to create a safe and secure environment for my team and their families, in which all can thrive. As Simon Sinek promotes and I firmly buy into, my ethos is about leaders eating last.

Expertise across a range of sectors including Housing Associations, Fintech / Financial Services, Real Estate, Food and Beverage and Manufacturing.

Compliance

• Fraud Policy and Strategy advice including with public and education institutions on future fraud threats, the impact of leadership on fraud and consumer education on the threat of fraud.
• Fraud and financial crime prevention training.
• Policy and procedure advice on fraud prevention, fraud response, risk registers, code of ethics / employee handbooks, procurement policies and money laundering risk.
• Advising banks on a range of financial crime compliance issues, including AML (Anti Money Laundering) risk relating to new products, reporting obligations on specific instances of concern and account suspension issues together with delivering in-house financial crime / fraud prevention training.
• Providing business-wide fraud and financial crime risk assessments followed by a report to the Board for a range of clients including large supplier to a large fast-food chain, a large owner of ports in the UK and housing associations.

Investigations

• Advising individuals and organisations domestically and internationally through investigations when fraud is suspected.
• For organisations, typically cases relate to suspicion of employee or supplier fraud, such as bribery, misappropriation of assets, unjust enrichment, unlawful sharing of confidential information and breach of fiduciary duties or duties of fidelity.
• For individuals, typically cases relate to investment concerns such as investing in property schemes, shares in private companies, financial products and cryptocurrency schemes.
• I have advised on numerous successful cases of obtaining freezing injunctions over assets (domestically and internationally) and obtaining disclosure orders (Norwich Pharmacal and Non-Party Disclosure / Bankers Book Evidence Act Orders) from third parties to proceedings to aid investigations (for example, obtaining bank account statements of third parties suspected of committing fraud).

Litigation

• Managed over 100 fraud related cases concerning bribery, insider fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation and breach of fiduciary duties ranging in value from £10,000 through to £30m.
• I have worked with a multi-billion dollar turnover American listed company in relation to seeking a freezing injunction and anti-suit injunction in the Commercial Court of The High Court alleging loss of $15m. These applications arose out of the award of a tender in the Middle East to the client company, the tender being worth in excess of a hundred million dollars. The client retained their contract award, limiting exposure to their agent company and gaining certainty as to ongoing commercial obligations in Saudi Arabia.
• Advised investors into a private company in relation to fraudulent misrepresentation in share valuation resulting in a successful outcome after a 9-day trial.
• Acted in the Court of Appeal to obtain the leading judgment on issues concerning the appointment of Administrators arising out a challenge of the legitimacy of their appointment of a company used as a vehicle to shield assets of a defendant found liable to our clients for £2m of loss arising out of a property investment fraud.
• Managed a case resulting in a successful 13-day trial concerning the fraudulent inducement of a company to enter into lease finance agreements with in excess of £1m.
• Advised numerous housing associations on employee and supplier fraud cases.

• Arun provided evidence to a House of Lords Committee about the impact of digital fraud and the effectiveness of the Fraud Act 2006.
• Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Crime Compliance with the International Compliance Association [2016].
• In 2023 Arun was awarded Transformational Leader in the Business Desk Leadership Awards for his innovative approach to leadership.
• Arun regularly speaks on counter-fraud, financial crime compliance and fraud matters having featured on the BBC 2016, featuring on Watchdog, Panorama, Rip Off Britain, Crimewatch and BBC Radio 4 (Money Box) and BBC Radio 5 Live.
• Arun has been a Trustee of the counter fraud charity, the Fraud Advisory Panel since 2016 and served as Deputy Chair for two years.
• A fellow of the International Compliance Association and a member of the Commercial Fraud Lawyers Association.
• He is a trainer on counter fraud and financial compliance across a variety of sectors including Financial Services, Housing Associations, Public Sector, Banking and Food Sector.
• In 2019 and 2020 Arun was highly commended as a sole practitioner at the Law Society’s Excellence awards.
• Shortlisted in 2022 and 2023 for the West Midlands Business Desk Leadership Awards in the professional services category.
• He is often quoted in the media publications including The Times, The Telegraph, The Guardian, Quality Assurance & Food Safety, New Food Magazine, RICS, Chartered Institute of Credit Management and The Paypers.
• International guest panelist at the 2023 Clio Cloud Convention in Nashville Tennessee. The Clio Cloud Conference, a.k.a. ClioCon, is the most highly-anticipated and influential event on the annual legal technology calendar. The conference attracts thousands of leaders from across the legal and technology industries who want to learn, be inspired, and innovate. Arun shared insights on different channels to communicate with clients. How to achieve client success from first meet and manage their expectations along the way and how to have difficult conversations with care and clarity and encourage referrals and reviews.