Trevor Francis > Blackfords LLP > Croydon, England > Lawyer Profile

Blackfords LLP‘s criminal defence and financial crime department fields one of the leading criminal teams in the UK, and covers the whole spectrum of criminal work. With a growing specialism in defending professional clients and company directors who are subject to criminal prosecutions, the department’s workload includes handling gangland killings, complex financial crime cases, and HMRC prosecutions. With a track record in handling high-profile national and international fraud cases, Gary Bloxsome ‘knows the market inside out’ and co-heads the firm’s financial crime team. Trevor Francis is the firm’s managing partner and specialises in serious crime work, including complex fraud and money laundering cases. Diana Payne heads up the general crime team and is a renowned Youth Court expert, while Daniel Cundy focuses on white-collar mandates and Hannah Giles leads the criminal defence team in the Woking office. Lucinda Shand is also active in the practice.

Blackfords LLP is particularly focused on health and social care-related matters. The team’s track record also includes acting for solicitors accused of criminal offences, as well as representing serving police and MoD police personnel in misconduct proceedings. Another growing area is acting for football professionals facing sexual abuse allegations of a historic nature. Gary Rubin, solicitor advocate Jennifer Richardson and senior litigation executive Jo Kaucher ‘all produce high-quality work‘; Trevor Francis‘ practice also incorporates professional disciplinary hearings; and Gary Bloxsome‘s caseload covers disciplinary investigations featuring potential criminal issues. Cardiff-based director Philip Williams is ‘a driving force in professional discipline‘.

Displaying ‘massive strength in depth’, the Blackfords LLP financial crime team is praised for its advice in high-profile SFO prosecutions and complex tax fraud cases. The ‘strong niche’ practice has a track record representing company directors, business people, and HNW individuals in multi-jurisdictional financial crime cases ranging from investment fraud to bribery and corruption. Gary Bloxsome and Daniel Cundy co-head the practice, with the former described as a ‘charismatic rainmaker’ specialising in all aspects of serious fraud and money laundering matters, whilst the ‘adept’ Cundy has vast experience handling SFO, NCA, and FCA investigations. Managing partner Trevor Francis focuses on serious crime and complex fraud proceedings, while solicitor-advocates Diana Payne and Jennifer Richardson focus on major fraud offences including Ponzi schemes. In-house counsel Rachel Wilson is a specialist in money laundering cases, while solicitor Naureen Shariff concentrates on restraint orders.