Edmund Smyth > Kingsley Napley LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Kingsley Napley LLP is lauded by clients as ‘arguably the best firm of criminal solicitors in the country‘, with the ‘extraordinary‘ team headed by Louise Hodges, Sandra Paul, and David Sleight. Hodges leads in criminal litigation, while Paul and Sleight co-lead on general crime. The practice is experienced in advising both UK and international clients on the full spectrum of general crime matters, with recent work including advice on sexual misconduct allegations within the workplace, attempted murder, driving offences, and fraud. Other key team members include Rebecca Niblock, who is highly experienced in extradition matters, pre-charge advice specialist Edmund Smyth, and Matthew Hardcastle, who was promoted to partner in May 2023. Associates Edward Jones, Rebecca Smart, Emily Elliott, and Maeve Keenan are also names to note within the team.

With an active presence in the white-collar defence sphere, the ‘stand out’ criminal litigation team at Kingsley Napley LLP is highly regarded for multi-jurisdictional cases spanning from money laundering to financial sanction breaches. Its client roster includes politicians, senior employees, and HNW individuals and the group regularly advises defendants in SFO, US DOJ, and INTERPOL Red Notice cases. Louise Hodges leads the practice, specialising in financial crime and complex fraud proceedings; former criminal litigation head and senior partner Stephen Parkinson was recently appointed as the UK’s new director of public prosecutions. Nicola Finnerty has expertise in cartels and insider dealing claims, and Jonathan Grimes focuses on regulatory and market manipulation issues. Caroline Day assists individuals with bribery and corruption investigations, while Alun Milford handles corporate crime and deferred prosecution agreements. Aaron Watkins is an expert on extradition issues. Other key names in the team include Rebecca Niblock , Edmund Smyth and legal directors Sophie Wood and Gemma Tombs .