Strategic Counsel for Non-Standard,
High-Exposure Situations
Scylla Advisory is a boutique strategic advisory practice engaged in non-standard, high-exposure situations both before impact and after disruption has already occurred.
We act for individuals, groups, and companies, operating beyond established playbooks who may encounter high-risk situations around the world and domestically because of changing political circumstances and a need to get ahead of the competition.
We engage where your situation resists classification: politics, business, law, communications or an inextricable combination of them. Our team is ready to jump on board and assist, whether your situation arises before the ship hits the rocks and can be sailed to calmer waters or after impact, where your value needs to be salvaged and a route to your destination must be navigated.
Where we have operated
INTERPOL Red Notice proceedings
Political imprisonment & unlawful detention
Assassination attempts & personal security threats
State representation before international bodies
High-value corruption & financial crime cases
Abduction & cross-border hostage situations
Presidency & heads of state advisory
Fact-finding & independent investigations
HNWI reputation & narrative defence
Extreme crisis communications strategy
The Nature of Our Work
Our Role as Your Strategic Counsel
We operate as strategic counsel, acting by your side, by not simply giving you the advice you need for business or personal success but turning this advice into action that will take you and your organisation forward.
When situations have escalated, decisions are under scrutiny, and conventional responses risk making things worse, our work happens behind the scenes. However, we can ensure that your message is heard publicly around the world when that is required.
We provide strategic vision to ensure the success of you, your group, or your company and to help you avoid the traps which may not appear obvious but can have a devastating effect on your future. When conflict has already arisen, our role is to stabilise, contain, and redirect the trajectory in order to prevent further irreversible damage from occurring and to return you to the road to success.
Our Strategic Role:
Control or regain the narrative, whether that is because you have been under personal attack or because your company needs to demonstrate what you can offer
Consider the international legal and regulatory context to your field or industry so that all tools available are utilised for your success
Work across political and linguistic divides with a multinational team who understand what works in different corners of our globe
Strategise and implement solutions which address your political, legal, and communication needs
React quickly, to meet with you where we are needed, to prevent damage, and to provide the solutions and actions before the opportunity to advance is lost
When to Engage Us
You can engage us when:
You require strategic advice for yourself, your family, or your company
A crisis situation has developed and legal, political, or reputational damage needs to be addressed
Following a crisis situation when you have heightened exposure and need to get yourself on to the front foot
Who We Advise
We advise individuals operating under heightened exposure, including:
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Public figures, entertainers, artists, executives and other high-profile individuals facing reputational, media or crisis exposure who require discreet strategic counsel, crisis communications and reputation management.
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Politically exposed individuals
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Senior business leaders and principals
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Groups and states under pressure for religious, ethnic, or political reasons
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News organisations facing attack because of their reporting
How We Work
We provide regular strategic support or ad hoc assistance, meeting clients in a jurisdiction that is convenient and accessible to them. In a confidential setting, we assess the political, reputational, legal, and commercial challenges facing you, your company, or your organisation, then develop a clear strategy designed to avoid foreseeable risks and move the situation forward. Where required, we help implement that strategy through a multidisciplinary network spanning industry, politics, communications, and law, while continuously assessing the international landscape so you can respond early to emerging trends, threats, and risks affecting you, your family, or your business.
The People Behind the Work
The firm was founded by individuals whose experience was formed inside prolonged public exposure, political pressure, hostile scrutiny, and legally sensitive environments. Their work spans decades of direct involvement in non-standard situations involving state-level controversy, media escalation, reputational attack, and personal consequence - not as observers, but as participants and advisors operating where decisions carried real cost. This experience includes navigating sustained public pressure, international attention, legal and political friction, and the long-term consequences of visibility, silence, and action. It is complemented by retained senior legal and strategic advisors with jurisdictional and courtroom-level experience, engaged selectively and discreetly. Names, specific involvements, and roles are disclosed only after alignment and under formal confidentiality.
Our work is international by necessity. We operate across jurisdictions and borders, advising in situations where exposure does not respect geography and consequences travel faster than control.
Founders
CO-FOUNDER
Michael Polak
One of London's most formidable international barristers, Michael Polak practises across public international law, human rights, serious crime, and strategic litigation. He acts for high-net-worth individuals and groups under pressure by repressive regimes and powerful individuals around the world.
He was named the world's most outstanding young lawyer by the International Bar Association in 2021. He has operated in over 20 jurisdictions, from Beijing to Buenos Aires, representing individuals, families, and persecuted groups before international courts and UN bodies.
He is the founder of Justice Abroad. LSE-trained with a Master's Degree in Public International Law. Relentless by reputation, he often acts in cases where law, politics, and the media are inseparably intertwined.
CO-FOUNDER
Klara Courtois
Political scientist with a degree in Diplomacy and Security, with extensive experience at the intersection of politics, strategic communications, and crisis management. She has led international campaigns for a political prisoner subjected to repeated unlawful detention and multiple assassination attempts, coordinating pressure across multiple jurisdictions until his release was secured. Her work drew formal responses from the UK Parliament, the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, and the United Nations, and coverage in The Guardian.
Her experience spans political campaign management, crisis communications, media reputation management, and diplomatic relations. At Scylla Advisory she leads client strategy across communications, political engagement, and crisis response.
Our Operating Principles
Confidentiality & Selectivity
Our work is conducted under strict confidentiality. Engagements are not publicised, referenced, or attributed. We do not produce case studies, testimonials, or public records of our involvement.
We meet with you in confidence, assess the situation in full, and establish a clear route forward.
Not every situation requires our involvement, and not every request is accepted. Capacity is limited by design, and engagements are chosen based on relevance, exposure, and strategic fit.
Engagement Structure
Engagements are selective and capacity-limited, with support structured through initial strategic assessments, fixed advisory blocks, or monthly strategic retainers depending on the nature and duration of the matter.
Pricing is discussed privately and reflects exposure level, urgency, and strategic complexity.
Our Approach
We consider all aspects of your interests and goals so a multifaceted solution can be implemented.
We act with speed to stabilise narratives and other risks before they harden and to reduce escalation and secondary exposure.
Our solutions are practical and shaped by the realities in which you operate, including international and domestic legal obstacles, the political systems in play, the public relations environment, and your wider financial strategies and objectives.
Discuss a Matter in Confidence
+44 (0) 204 577 2009
info@scyllaadvisory.com
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