Alexandra Melia

Alex Melia's practice focuses on all aspects of financial crime compliance, investigations and enforcement defense related to the increasingly interconnected fields of UK sanctions, export controls, bribery, corruption, and money laundering. Her practice also encompasses other aspects of national security and international trade such as national security concerns arising from foreign direct investment, UK trade remedies cases, and the UK's modern slavery regime.

Ranked in Chambers UK for Sanctions, clients report that Alex "really is a subject matter expert, and is brilliant at explaining in a way that a non-specialist can understand and apply to their business." She is also described in Legal 500 UK as "quick and sharp."

Alex regularly assists clients with global operations across a wide range of industries to assess and manage their financial crime and other international regulatory risks through the development of effective compliance strategies. She combines first-hand experience of operationalising compliance controls within a global business, obtained during a year-long client secondment as the acting Chief Compliance Officer of an oilfield services company, with her deep understanding of UK financial crime and adjacent regulatory regimes and regulators' expectations, to offer practical guidance to clients on achieving their business goals in a compliant manner.

Her compliance experience includes conducting risk assessments and compliance audits, advising clients on the design, implementation and evaluation of global compliance programs and their constituent parts, conducting pre-investment financial crime due diligence and devising post-investment compliance integration plans for asset managers, private equity firms, and companies investing in high-risk sectors and countries as part of acquisitions, joint ventures, minority investments, and other strategic transactions, advising clients on navigating the requirements of the UK's bribery, export controls, money laundering, sanctions, and modern slavery regimes, and engaging with UK sanctions and export controls agencies within HM Treasury and the Department for Business and Trade to obtain licensing and guidance for clients. She also assists clients in responding to disputes with a significant sanctions component.

Alex has conducted numerous internal investigations into alleged breaches of the UK's bribery, money laundering, and sanctions regimes, as well as counseling clients on voluntary self-disclosure and submitting defence against money laundering SARs to the National Crime Agency. She has also defended clients in investigations and enforcement actions brought by the UK's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Serious Fraud Office, Financial Conduct Authority and other law enforcement and regulatory agencies.

Additionally, Alex advises clients on the national security review requirements under the UK National Security and Investment Act 2021 and their application to individual investments. She also represents clients in UK trade remedies investigations initiated by the Trade Remedies Authority.