Lloyds PR Solicitors > Watford, England > Firm Profile

Lloyds PR Solicitors
MERIDIEN HOUSE
GROUND FLOOR, 69-71 CLARENDON ROAD
WATFORD
WD17 1DS
England

Crime, fraud and licensing > Crime: general Tier 2

The ‘dedicated and hardworking team’ at Lloyds PR Solicitors has recently opened a new office in Baker Street, expanding their services from three to four offices. The firm is jointly led by Harsha Rupasinghe, Manoj Rupasinghe, and Moshin Ariff. Manoj Rupasinghe, a former barrister, is hugely experienced in complicated cases at all levels of court, including a Supreme Court level extradition appeal which involves underage sexual assault, and an espionage case at the Central Criminal Court. Ariff brings strong expertise in large scale modern slavery and human trafficking matters, as well as child deaths. Prasad Palihawadana also has a strong record in the trafficking and slavery area, and brings cross-sectoral white collar crime experience on matters including drug production and money laundering.

Practice head(s):

Harsha Rupasinghe; Manoj Rupasinghe; Mohsin Ariff

Other key lawyers:

Prasad Palihawadana; Ieva Giedraityte; Ieva Giedraityte

Testimonials

‘Harsha and Manoj Rupesinghe make an exceptional team at the top of the firm. This creates highly professional environment from top to bottom. The service that is offered to clients is second to none.’

‘This is the most dedicated and hard working team I have encountered.’ 

‘Manoj Rupesinghe is the most tenacious solicitor I have worked with. He leaves no stone unturned. Clients can be assured that whatever the outcome of the litigation every avenue will have been explored on their behalf.’

‘Mohsin Ariff is an exceptional solicitor. Despite his heavy workload created by his popularity with clients, he manages to offer each one of them his personal attention.’

‘Mohsin Ariff has great judgement, and this is invaluable in advising clients in difficult cases.’

‘In terms of caseload, Lloyds PR are one of the biggest players in criminal defence work, appearing in a steady stream of high-profile and serious work. Despite the quantity of work that they manage, they manage to provide an outstanding service in all of their cases. ’

‘Mohsin Ariff is an absolute star, with really good strategic sense and superb client management skills.’

‘Harsha Rupasinghe has really sound judgement and works terrifically hard for his clients.’

Work highlights

  • Representing an appellant in an extradition appeal case allowed by the Supreme Court in March 2024 after complex legal arguments.
  • Representing an alleged member of a cross-jurisdiction Organised Crime Group.

Lloyds PR Solicitors is a leading criminal defence firm specialising in fraud and white-collar crime, with offices based in London and Hertfordshire. The firm handles serious and complex cases, including conspiracies and large-scale money laundering.

The firm: Lloyds PR Solicitors has developed a reputation for extensive legal knowledge, sharp tactical awareness and excellent client care. It is authorised to deal with very high cost cases and its staff include many who have been recognised for their talent in The Legal 500: partners Harsha Rupasinghe (solicitor) and Manoj Rupasighe (barrister), and Mohsin Ariff (solicitor).

The firm often handles cases that are international in scope such as ‘Operation Lait’, concerning a £44m banking fraud investigated by the FBI and the Metropolitan Police. In R v W the firm represented a defendant in a ten-handed conspiracy in which the prosecution alleged they were selling khat to individuals in the US in order to fund an Islamic terrorist group in Somalia. This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security in the US and the Metropolitan Police.

The firm’s solicitors and team of in-house counsel, led by Manoj Rupasinghe, are able to provide high quality representation at all stages of proceedings.

Areas of work undertaken
Serious and general crime: Lloyds PR Solicitors provides representation at police stations, magistrates’ courts and the Crown Court in serious and general crime cases.

The firm enjoys a wealth of experience in dealing with serious criminal cases, such as those involving allegations of murder, drug importation, armed robberies and conspiracies. Examples of some of the cases it has worked on: ‘Operation Jardim’, high-profile investigation into the murder of Sabrina Moss; ‘Operation Netwing’, a widely publicised case involving allegations of slavery and forced labour; and R v Beyene [2010], a high-profile robbery of gemstones worth £40m from Graff (the jewellers) on New Bond Street in 2009.

Fraud and white-collar crime: one of Lloyds PR Solicitors’ key strengths is its ability to assimilate large volumes of complex material and undertake forensic accountancy analysis, in order to reduce its clients’ liabilities.

Examples of some of the cases it has worked on: ‘Operation Daniel’, a ten-handed pharmaceutical fraud and money laundering case valued at over £10m; Operation Prelacy, a £179m money service business fraud investigated by the SOCA; and ’Operation Veneer’, £150m money service business fraud.

Money laundering and regulatory work: Lloyds PR Solicitors has a regulatory department specifically aimed at the money service businesses and the foreign exchange market by providing advice on compliance and money laundering.

Asset restraint and confiscation: Lloyds PR Solicitors has expertise and extensive experience in cash forfeiture, restraint order, confiscation and civil recovery proceedings, which often run alongside or after criminal cases. The firm regularly represents contesting sums of several million pounds. In ‘Operation Prelacy’, it is contesting a confiscation figure in excess of £192m, the second largest confiscation order sought to date.

Extradition: the extradition team at Lloyds PR Solicitors is led by Harsha Rupasinghe, a member of the Extradition Lawyers Association, who specialises in extradition and mutual assistance.

Judicial review: Lloyds PR Solicitors represents clients in judicial review cases born out of criminal proceedings. Its successes have led to changes in the law: see R (Dyer) v Watford Magistrates’ Court [2013] ACD 47.

Department Name Email Telephone
Advocacy Manoj Rupasinghe [email protected] 02089631050
Crime and regulatory Harsha Rupasinghe [email protected] 02089631050
Crime and regulatory Mohsin Ariff [email protected] 02089631050
Extradition Ieva Giedraityte [email protected] 02089631050
Fraud and money laundering Harsha Rupasinghe [email protected] 02089631050
Magistrates court Prasad Palihawadana [email protected] 02089631050
Magistrates court Natasha Patel [email protected] 02089631050
Business development Ieva Giedraityte [email protected] 02089631050
Photo Name Position Profile
Mohsin Ariff photo Mr Mohsin Ariff Mohsin is a Solicitor at Lloyds PR Solicitors and is a highly…
Thomas Ashbey photo Mr Thomas Ashbey Thomas is a Solicitor at Lloyds PR Solicitors.
Nyara Goonewardena  photo Ms Nyara Goonewardena An experienced solicitor, Nyara Goonewardena has steadily built a solid practice in…
Moeen Khan photo Mr Moeen Khan Khan is a Solicitor-Advocate at Lloyds PR Solicitors & a qualified Supervisor under…
Alexandria Marcou photo Mrs Alexandria Marcou Alexandria is a Solicitor at Lloyds PR Solicitors.
Oliver Mather photo Mr Oliver Mather Oliver is a Solicitor at Lloyds PR Solicitors.
James O'Donnell photo Mr James O'Donnell James is a senior solicitor & a supervisor at Lloyds PR.
Natasha Patel photo Ms Natasha Patel Natasha is a solicitor & a supervisor at Lloyds PR.
Harsha Rupasinghe photo Mr Harsha Rupasinghe Harsha Rupasinghe is a partner at Lloyds PR Solicitors.  
Nadeem Sheikh photo Mr Nadeem Sheikh A duty solicitor at Lloyds PR Solicitors.
Subashini  Sithamparanathan  photo Ms Subashini Sithamparanathan Subashini is a fully accredited Duty Solicitor at Lloyds PR Solicitors. 
Photo Name Position Profile
Jay Nutkins photo Mr Jay Nutkins Jay is a practising barrister representing clients in both the Magistrates’ and…
Manoj Rupasinghe photo Mr Manoj Rupasinghe Manoj is the Managing partner of Lloyds PR Solicitors.
Number of UK partners : 3
Number of other UK fee-earners : 40
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