Kovalevsky joins from Cohen & Gresser where he was head of criminal defence and investigations at the firm’s London office. Prior to joining Cohen & Gresser, he was head of the financial crime practice at Stewarts, having previously practiced at the Bar as a leading barrister at 2 Bedford Row.
He has over 30 years of experience representing high net worth individuals, directors, and corporations in a wide variety disputes and investigations, with expertise in white-collar, criminal defence, regulatory enforcement, contentions tax, internal corporate investigations, civil litigation, and brings a concentrated and focused approach to working with clients to resolve, or litigate issues of significant risk.
Kovalevsky has extensive and direct experience gained through conducting matters at all levels of the court system in England and Wales. He has engaged with all major enforcement bodies in the UK, the primary agencies in the US and has gained significant international experience and insight through conducting investigations, negotiating, and litigating in many jurisdictions external to the UK.
Kovalevsky advises a wide range of clients on claims, including of fraud, money laundering, applications to unfreeze assets, corruption, market manipulation, market abuse, competition and cartel allegations, and insider trading. He also regularly advises client’s during CoP 9 investigations and matters carrying the risk of criminal sanction conducted by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
Charles Hewetson, co-chair of Reed Smith’s Global Commercial Disputes Group, said: “It was a rare opportunity to bring a King’s Counsel of Richard’s standing to the firm. He is highly talented and hugely experienced with a truly commercial outlook that will prove a real asset to our clients, many of whom are already very familiar with him.”
Brigid North, Reed Smith’s London office managing partner, added: “We are delighted to welcome Richard to firm. He is a standout name in the market and exactly the type of lawyer we are looking to bring on board as we continue to grow our London office and deepen our client relationships, advising them on their most complex matters."
Kovalevsky commented: “Reed Smith has a very strong global disputes practice with an enviable international platform and a genuinely collaborative approach, which all made the decision to join the firm very easy. There are lots of client synergies and I am looking forward to working with the wider team to deliver the very best service to them.”
Highly regarded by both clients and peers, Kovalevsky is currently recognised in Band 1 by Chambers & Partners for Financial Crime and as a Leading Individual by The Legal 500 UK for Regulatory Investigations and Corporate Crime (Advice to Corporates). He is also recognised as a leading practitioner in Who’s Who Legal in the Investigations category, in Spear’s 500, and in Best Lawyers in the United Kingdom for fraud-related work.
The arrival of Kovalevsky marks the 41st lateral partner hire for Reed Smith globally this year.