As Chair of the London Public Law and Crisis Management Practice, Co-Chair of the firm’s Global Hearing Preparation and Global Crisis Management and Strategic Risk practices, and Co-Chair of the firm’s Investigations Department, Joanna Ludlam brings a unique skill set and steady guidance to clients facing sensitive, high stakes matters. Joanna advises major corporations, regulators, and public bodies on complex issues spanning administrative and public law, contentious regulatory investigations, and corporate crime—often involving bribery, fraud, tax evasion, and anti-money laundering—underpinned by her experience in reputation and risk management.
Joanna’s strategic, level-headed approach offers clear direction in moments of intense public and legal pressure. She counsels C-suite executives and boards on corporate criminal liability, regulatory compliance, and reputational issues, frequently preparing them for appearances before public inquiries and Parliamentary Select Committees. Known for her deft handling of investigations, challenging government and regulatory decisions, workplace misconduct cases, and crisis management, Joanna also assists clients in navigating data regulatory defense and ESG risks.
Before joining Jenner & Block, Joanna led the global investigations, compliance, and ethics practice at an Am Law 100 top 10 firm, where she played a key role in some of the United Kingdom’s most high-profile public inquiries and judicial review cases shaping the public agenda. Her extensive work includes challenges to government policies including the UK-Rwanda Asylum Partnership, and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s unlawful prorogation of Parliament ahead of the UK’s departure from the European Union. She has advised clients in major UK public inquiries, including the Post Office Horizon Inquiry, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, the Leveson Inquiry into the practices of the British press, the Covid-19 Inquiry, and the Infected Blood Inquiry. Joanna has defended clients facing investigations and enforcement action by a number of prosecutorial and regulatory authorities, including the UK Serious Fraud Office, the US Department of Justice, the UK Financial Conduct Authority and the UK Competition & Markets Authority.
As a leader in her field, Joanna’s contributions have been widely recognized. She has been lauded by Chambers for her “strategic astuteness” and praised in The Legal 500 for her “hugely impressive” judgment and strategic oversight. In addition to industry accolades from Who’s Who Legal and Business Today, she was named “Compliance Innovator of the Year” by the Women in Compliance Awards, “Admin & Public UK Lawyer of the Year” by ACQ5. She led the team winning The Lawyer’s Pro Bono Team of the Year 2024 and was winner of Modern Law’s Outstanding Achievement Award 2024 for her work on the Rwanda case. She has also been honored as one of Global Investigations Review’s “Top 100 Women in Compliance” and named to INvolve’s “HERoes Women Role Model List.”
Joanna’s pro bono work is equally impactful, including her representation of the Bermuda Human Rights Commission in a landmark gay marriage case and her continued advocacy for refugee rights on behalf of UNHCR before UK and European courts.
Areas of Focus
Representative Matters
- Leading the team acting for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in its intervention in the litigation concerning the UK Rwanda Asylum Partnership in which the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the Court of Appeal’s decision in finding the policy unlawful.
- Acting for a FTSE 100 company in relation to a multi-jurisdictional government investigation into allegations of overseas corruption, which involved providing strategic advice on interactions with law enforcement agencies and government bodies.
- Conducting a high number of investigations concerning workplace culture for a household name in the UK and Ireland, providing associated reputation management advice.
- Supporting a multinational pharmaceutical company in connection with a regulatory audit following allegations of a failure to comply with industry regulations.
- Advising a professional services company on its participation in NHS England’s procurement of Federated Data Platform and Associated Services.
- Advising a global energy company in connection with a successful intervention in an appeal before the UK Competition and Markets Authority.
- Representing a global technology company in connection with an investigation and enforcement action by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office.
Credentials
Service / Recognition
Overview
As Chair of the London Public Law and Crisis Management Practice, Co-Chair of the firm’s Global Hearing Preparation and Global Crisis Management and Strategic Risk practices, and Co-Chair of the firm’s Investigations Department, Joanna Ludlam brings a unique skill set and steady guidance to clients facing sensitive, high stakes matters. Joanna advises major corporations, regulators, and public bodies on complex issues spanning administrative and public law, contentious regulatory investigations, and corporate crime—often involving bribery, fraud, tax evasion, and anti-money laundering—underpinned by her experience in reputation and risk management.
Joanna’s strategic, level-headed approach offers clear direction in moments of intense public and legal pressure. She counsels C-suite executives and boards on corporate criminal liability, regulatory compliance, and reputational issues, frequently preparing them for appearances before public inquiries and Parliamentary Select Committees. Known for her deft handling of investigations, challenging government and regulatory decisions, workplace misconduct cases, and crisis management, Joanna also assists clients in navigating data regulatory defense and ESG risks.
Before joining Jenner & Block, Joanna led the global investigations, compliance, and ethics practice at an Am Law 100 top 10 firm, where she played a key role in some of the United Kingdom’s most high-profile public inquiries and judicial review cases shaping the public agenda. Her extensive work includes challenges to government policies including the UK-Rwanda Asylum Partnership, and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s unlawful prorogation of Parliament ahead of the UK’s departure from the European Union. She has advised clients in major UK public inquiries, including the Post Office Horizon Inquiry, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, the Leveson Inquiry into the practices of the British press, the Covid-19 Inquiry, and the Infected Blood Inquiry. Joanna has defended clients facing investigations and enforcement action by a number of prosecutorial and regulatory authorities, including the UK Serious Fraud Office, the US Department of Justice, the UK Financial Conduct Authority and the UK Competition & Markets Authority.
As a leader in her field, Joanna’s contributions have been widely recognized. She has been lauded by Chambers for her “strategic astuteness” and praised in The Legal 500 for her “hugely impressive” judgment and strategic oversight. In addition to industry accolades from Who’s Who Legal and Business Today, she was named “Compliance Innovator of the Year” by the Women in Compliance Awards, “Admin & Public UK Lawyer of the Year” by ACQ5. She led the team winning The Lawyer’s Pro Bono Team of the Year 2024 and was winner of Modern Law’s Outstanding Achievement Award 2024 for her work on the Rwanda case. She has also been honored as one of Global Investigations Review’s “Top 100 Women in Compliance” and named to INvolve’s “HERoes Women Role Model List.”
Joanna’s pro bono work is equally impactful, including her representation of the Bermuda Human Rights Commission in a landmark gay marriage case and her continued advocacy for refugee rights on behalf of UNHCR before UK and European courts.
Areas of Focus
Representative Matters
- Leading the team acting for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in its intervention in the litigation concerning the UK Rwanda Asylum Partnership in which the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the Court of Appeal’s decision in finding the policy unlawful.
- Acting for a FTSE 100 company in relation to a multi-jurisdictional government investigation into allegations of overseas corruption, which involved providing strategic advice on interactions with law enforcement agencies and government bodies.
- Conducting a high number of investigations concerning workplace culture for a household name in the UK and Ireland, providing associated reputation management advice.
- Supporting a multinational pharmaceutical company in connection with a regulatory audit following allegations of a failure to comply with industry regulations.
- Advising a professional services company on its participation in NHS England’s procurement of Federated Data Platform and Associated Services.
- Advising a global energy company in connection with a successful intervention in an appeal before the UK Competition and Markets Authority.
- Representing a global technology company in connection with an investigation and enforcement action by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office.
Credentials
Admissions
- England and Wales, 1997
Education
- College of Law, 1995
- King's College London, 1994
- Université de Paris I (Pantheon-Sorbonne), Certificat du Droit Français, 1994
Service / Recognition
Awards
- Pro Bono Recognition List, England & Wales, 2026
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Leaders in Crisis Management, 2026