Victoria Gainza > 23ES > London, England > Barrister Profile

Victoria Gainza

Position

Victoria is a conscientious and skilled advocate, whose main areas of interest are fraud, financial crime and complex criminal litigation.

She has quickly developed a practice beyond her call and is regularly led in cases of considerable gravity and complexity.

She both prosecutes and defends in all areas of her practice and has been appointed as a Level 2 Prosecutor on the CPS General Advocate Panel List.

Fraud and serious/complex crime

Victoria is developing a specialist Fraud practice and is also particularly interested in the litigation of organised or multi-handed serious crime.

Since May 2015, Victoria has been instructed by the Financial Conduct Authority as Disclosure Junior in a case involving the suspected operation of a number of successive boiler room companies by several individuals, which is currently at the pre-charge investigation stage. The library of electronic material already contains in excess of a million documents and Victoria’s involvement from an early stage has provided her with invaluable insight into the investigation of cases of this nature.

In 2014, Victoria was instructed as junior counsel for the second defendant in a four-handed VHCC trial at Southwark Crown Court, which related to an alleged Ponzi scheme that resulted in cumulative losses of £23m to unsophisticated investors. Victoria demonstrated an ability to master complex financial evidence and personally conducted the cross-examination of the partner at Price Waterhouse Coopers who had acted as the company’s auditor during the indictment period.

In 2013, she acted as junior counsel for the first defendant in a seven-handed case concerning conspiracies to cause explosions likely to endanger life. The case involved detailed telephonic and cell site evidence, as well as unusually complex legal argument regarding the admissibility of hearsay, bad character and incriminating conversations recorded during prison visits.

Prior to pupillage, Victoria worked as a paralegal for a freelance solicitor with a heavyweight crime practice and was responsible for the preparation of the defence in serious cases, including the 20-handed Victoria Station murder and a 23-handed VHCC case involving an Organised Criminal Network and a UK-wide conspiracy to import, cultivate and distribute drugs on an industrial scale.

During pupillage, Victoria had continuous exposure to complex Fraud cases, including a multi-handed conspiracy to defraud three high–street banks (resulting in losses of approximately £7.6 million) and an FCA prosecution for conspiracy to mislead markets by officials of a former FTSE 250 company.

General Crime

Victoria’s Crown Court practice encompasses the full range of criminal offences. She is also regularly instructed to deal with all manner of quasi-criminal matters, including confiscation proceedings.

She has considerable experience in dealing with cases of serious violence; she has defended in a number of section 20 GBH trials and is currently instructed to prosecute a section 18 GBH trial involving the use of a Stanley knife as a weapon.

Victoria has particular interest in cases involving young or vulnerable defendants and witnesses.

Inquests and Public Inquiries

Victoria has worked on high-profile public Inquests and Inquiries and is well-versed in the relevant procedural and evidential legal principles.

In late 2013, Victoria completed a ten-week secondment at Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP, the solicitors to the Hillsborough Inquests. She assisted with the review and disclosure of voluminous amounts of evidence, which often engaged complex legal issues.

Victoria was also instructed in a ten-week secondment in late 2012 as assistant counsel to the Al-Sweady Inquiry, which concerned allegations of unlawful killing and mistreatment of Iraqi nationals detained by the British Army in 2004.

Public/ Direct Access

Victoria is authorised to accept instructions directly from members of the public in accordance with the Public/Direct Access scheme. She accepts instructions in all of her areas of practice and is experienced in representing professional clients or individuals of good character.

Career

Called 2010; Middle Temple.

Languages

Spanish (bilingual); French.

Memberships

Criminal Bar Association, the Young Fraud Lawyers Association and the Young Legal Aid Lawyers Association.

Education

University of Cambridge (2009 BA 2(1) Law; awarded the Lovells Law Prize (2007), a Robinson College Academic Prize (2009)); College of Law (2010 Bar Vocational Course, Very Competent, including ‘Outstanding’ in Criminal Procedure, Evidence and Sentencing).