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Crime

Cartwright King strengthened its serious fraud team with the hire of Mark Fowler and a team of six lawyers from the now defunct Ashton Morton Slack. The 14-fee-earner team deals with serious fraud and general criminal cases, with recent work including representing a mid-defendant in a £300m MTIC fraud case.

The ‘reliable and astute’ Rob Rode leads the ‘very competent’ team at Clarion, which handles serious fraud and general crime matters. It has recently been instructed in an international money-laundering case and a property franchise fraud, and also worked on three large-scale drug conspiracy cases. The ‘excellent’ Steve Milner is recommended.

The ‘thorough and expeditious’ team at Irwin Mitchell LLP, led by the ‘congenial and experienced’ Paul Haycock and the ‘great’ Dan Stowers, advises on complex criminal and serious fraud cases, and provides a ‘Rolls-Royce’ service to its clients. The team recently advised on a high-profile theft case as well as handling a number of SFO investigations.

The ‘very knowledgeable’ team McCormicks has recently been involved in a wide range of criminal cases including cases involving sexual offences, theft and grievous bodily harm. It also handled a number of fraud and civil tax investigations. Geoffrey Rogers leads the team.

The large team at O’Garra’s is led by Michael O’Garra, and handles cases for individuals and business defence cases presented by the SFO.

The team at Grahame Stowe Bateson handles general crime matters, ranging from traffic offences to robbery and murder cases.

The ‘efficient and hardworking’ team at Howard & Byrne Solicitors handles both serious fraud and general crime cases. In 2010 it advised on a joint enterprise murder charge and a £1m fraud case. Led by the ‘extremely experienced’ Kevin Blount, the team also has a sub-team of three fee-earners dedicated to prison law work. Sally Howard, John Howard and Colin Byrne are also recommended.

The 20-fee-earner team at Howells LLP has experience in white-collar crime and large-scale drug importation cases as well as murder cases. It has specialist expertise in youth crime, public order law and cases with civil liberties and human rights dimensions. Daniel Simpson leads the team.

The ‘outstanding’ team at Lester Morrill successfully defended a number of serious cases, including an attempted murder and murder charge. Practice head Philip Goldberg is ‘hugely committed and extremely effective’.

An ‘excellent’ firm specialising in serious fraud and regulatory matters, Rahman Ravelli Solicitors recruited senior associate Christiana Hayward-Kourabas from Garstangs after losing Bill Rawstron and Darryl Lockwood to Switalskis Solicitors LLP. It works for a number of high-profile international clients, and has recently been instructed in a major property fraud case. The ‘first-class and highly experienced’ Aziz Rahman leads the team.

Rob Casey leads the 12-fee-earner team at Switalskis Solicitors LLP, which was bolstered by the arrival of Bill Rawstron and Darryl Lockwood from Rahman Ravelli Solicitors. With a focus on serious fraud matters, it has recently handled a conspiracy-to-defraud case and a number of money laundering cases.

Tates Solicitors is experienced in general crime cases and regularly defends cases brought by the SFO and other regulatory bodies.

The team at Williamsons has an active defence practice, and was instructed in murder, rape and conspiracy cases in 2010.

Licensing

The two-partner team at Gosschalks continues to advise major players in the alcohol, entertainment and gambling industries, including on regulatory defence matters, arising out of prosecutions relating to licensed premises. Clare Johnson and Richard Taylor are the key individuals in the practice.

The ‘excellent and very proactive’ four-partner team at John Gaunt & Partners has seen an increasing number of instructions from Scotland. Led by the ‘exceptional’ John Gaunt, it advises clients including Whitbread and the Marston’s chain. Names to note include the ‘highly knowledgeable’ Tim Shield, Katharine Redford and Michelle Hazlewood.

Walker Morris’ two-partner team handles betting, gaming and e-gaming, and liquor/entertainment licensing matters across the country, for private and public sector clients. Paddy Whur and Andrew Woods lead the team.

At DLA Piper UK LLP, national head of safety, health and environment Teresa Hitchcock heads a well-regarded team, working closely with head of UK litigation and regulatory David Grey in Manchester. Key clients include the Empire cinema chain, and the P & A Partnership.

Ford & Warren has significant experience in licensing and gaming work. Led by ‘excellent licensing specialist’ John Coen, it provides ‘good sound commercial advice, and an excellent overall level of service’.

Nicholas Dyson leads Blacks Solicitors LLP’s licensing team, whose clients include a number of multi-site park home operators. It also recently acted in the £9m refinancing of a chain of over 40 pubs.

Richard Arnot joined as head of the practice at Watson Burton LLP in 2009. The team deals with contentious licensing matters, and has recently represented the Co-op Food Group.

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