Cunninghams Solicitors > Manchester, England > Firm Profile
Cunninghams Solicitors Offices
5TH FLOOR, FOUNTAIN HOUSE
83 FOUNTAIN STREET
MANCHESTER
M2 2EE
England
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Cunninghams Solicitors > The Legal 500 Rankings
Crime, fraud and licensing > Crime: general crime and fraud Tier 2
The complex fraud and crime team at Cunninghams Solicitors is particularly adept at handling multi-jurisdictional organised crime and serious fraud cases, often involving multiple defendants. While practice head David Caplin has built a reputation for handling complex serious fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion investigations, director Sarah Housley, drawing on over 10 years’ experience, handles some of the most serious and high-profile cases of fraud and financial crime. The team is also experienced in the conduct of confiscation and restraint proceedings, particularly under The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.Practice head(s):
David Caplin
Other key lawyers:
Sarah Housley; Steve Halsall
Testimonials
‘Efficient and helpful. Sound advice and diligent case preparation.’
‘Steve Halsall is someone who is extremely experienced and easy to work with. I found him to be kind and caring, but robust in his approach to lay clients. He is thorough in his preparation of each case and I would highly recommend his services to anyone in need of a criminal solicitor.’
‘They are quite simply superb at what they do. They have been a top tier firm for fraud in the North West and nationally for many years now. They are so sought after that they have a client in most large fraud cases in England and Wales. They have a network of experts who are hand picked for each case.’
‘David Caplin is charismatic and an innovator. He is one of the best fraud lawyers in the country. He is a master tactician who knows where to find the weak points in a case. Sarah Housley is an amazing fraud lawyer. As soon as you have her on your side, you immediately secure a tactical advantage.’
‘Sarah Housley and Steve Halsall are tremendous professionals. Their instructions are lucid and detailed, and they action any reasonable request efficiently. The lay clients trust them.’
‘Sarah Housley is incredibly hard-working, grasps detail firmly, and she understands complex cases. She exudes competence, so the lay clients trust her, and she elicits clear, relevant instructions.’
‘The practice handles almost exclusively heavyweight fraud and serious and complex crime. Unlike many larger practices who conduct this work, they are a tight-knit team who have been together for a very long time, the majority of which each have 30 years of experience in this field. Each significant case is director-led, including the servicing of cases throughout England, Wales, and overseas.’
‘Superb team players. Everyone in the team is focused on the client and the case in hand. David Caplin is a superb tactician and Sarah Housley is excellent at managing the evidence.’
Work highlights
Cunninghams Solicitors > Firm Profile
The firm: Cunninghams is a leading criminal practice specialising in the defence of allegations of serious fraud and serious and organised crime. The practice operates a nationwide service from its head office in Manchester and its base in Central London.
All serious casework is partner led, supported by a team of experienced criminal practitioners who have been involved in defending some of the country’s most high profile and complex allegations of fraud and serious crime. The practice is a founding member of the Very High Cost Case Panel and Specialist Fraud Panel and continues to be one of an exclusive number of firms who are able to be publicly funded to conduct the most serious and complicated cases. Due to their heavyweight workload the firm continues to be at the forefront of defending cases of the most serious, complex and organised crime, many involving multi-jurisdictional issues. This work is complemented by a dedicated department dealing exclusively with proceedings relating to confiscation, the restraint of assets in proceedings brought under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and associated legislation. The practice also offers a complete general criminal defence service bringing to it its experience in dealing with the most serious and complicated of criminal charges.
Principal areas of work
Fraud and business crime: Each year the firm handles the defence of a variety of large-scale fraud allegations which are prosecuted by amongst others the Serious Fraud Office, HMRC, Financial Conduct Authority, Trading Standards, DBEIS, the National Crime Agency as well as the Economic Crime Units of the Police. The firm advises suspects from the very outset of a criminal enquiry providing pre-charge advice and negotiation, advice during interview and the providing the highest quality representation in court proceedings.
The firm acts for businesses and individuals facing allegations of boiler room fraud, mortgage fraud, banking fraud, including missing trader and VAT fraud. It has been involved since the inception of the Bribery Act 2010 in defending high profile allegations of bribery and corruption often involving those persons entrusted by the public. It has extensive experience in dealing with the most serious accusations of large-scale money laundering including that of alleged terrorists’ funds.
Serious and complex crime: Cunninghams handle the defence in an extensive caseload of serious crime including homicide, multi defendant drugs conspiracies, firearms offences, people trafficking and allegations of gangland murder. The firm routinely defends cases prosecuted by the CPS Complex Crime Unit.
Asset recovery: The firm has a dedicated department devoted to the protection of clients’ assets in forfeiture and confiscation proceedings which regularly amount to millions of pounds. The department has a reputation for achieving excellent outcomes for clients due to their tenacity in this area and their successful challenging of prosecution evidence and presumptions.
Regulatory offences: Cunninghams represent clients charged with regulatory offences in areas such as environmental, health and safety, trademarks, food safety and hygiene as well as Cosmetic Regulations amongst others.
Sexual offences: The firm has a long-standing reputation for defending serious sexual allegations, particularly historic cases and has been involved from the outset in the defence of a number of high profile individuals caught up in the recent nationwide enquiries into historic abuse in football.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Director | David Caplin | ||
| Director | Philip Lythgoe | ||
| Associate Director | Sarah Housley | ||
| Fraud and complex crime | David Caplin | ||
| General crime | Philip Lythgoe |
Lawyer Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Sarah Housley | Associate Director | View Profile |
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Philip Lythgoe | Philip Lythgoe’s career has moved from commercial practice to serious criminal defence… | View Profile |