Partner, London
I started out as a legal secretary in a legal aid criminal defence firm. After a few years, I realised this was where my passion lay and decided to qualify as a solicitor, undertaking my legal studies part-time while continuing to work. I subsequently joined Russell Jones & Walker (RJW) in 2001, initially as a secretary, but trained with the firm, qualifying in 2006. I joined BCL Solicitors as a partner in 2017 and have been there ever since.
At RJW, most of my work was undertaken on a legal aid basis. One of its main clients was the Police Federation, so my early years there were spent representing police officers in criminal and disciplinary cases. This came with many highs and lows. A lack of sleep while being on call to attend police stations was not always pleasant, but this was often offset by knowing that you had achieved the right result for a client following a spurious complaint.
My decision to move into financial crime is due to the late Rod Fletcher, with whom I had the privilege of working at RJW. Rod was one of the most respected white-collar crime lawyers. I worked alongside him on the SFO’s Operation Holbein prosecution into allegations of price fixing in the supply of medicines. It was then the largest ever SFO prosecution, involving five corporate and nine individual defendants. The case eventually collapsed in 2008. This was my first significant financial crime case and motivated me to specialise in financial crime. I thrived on the challenge of sifting through vast volumes of documents to identify and analyse key material.
'Seeing yourself on the front page of the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian the morning after the first court appearance, while eating breakfast in the hotel, was surreal'
Since then, I have been fortunate to work on many other high-profile cases. One in particular stands out during my time at BCL. In 2019, I represented an English senior barrister in proceedings in Trinidad and Tobago. The case concerned allegations that my client had taken kickbacks from a former attorney general in return for being instructed to represent the state of Trinidad and Tobago. It was extremely newsworthy in Trinidad as my client entered into a plea agreement in which he agreed to give evidence against a former attorney general – the first plea agreement of its kind in that jurisdiction. Seeing yourself on the front page of the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian the morning after the first court appearance, while eating breakfast in the hotel, was surreal. The case eventually collapsed and the former attorney general denied any wrongdoing.
In addition to my work with BCL, I serve as one of the founding committee members of the Fraud Lawyers Association (FLA). In 2012, while still at RJW, a small group of us who had served on the Young Fraud Lawyers Association (YFLA) committee found ourselves too old (in terms of PQE) for the YFLA. The idea for the FLA emerged over a glass of wine as we realised that there was no other association for more experienced fraud lawyers. After several months of planning, we presented our idea to numerous senior practitioners within the key firms and chambers in the field. The FLA was launched in 2013 and now has more than 600 members. The annual dinner is the key social event in a fraud lawyer’s diary – tickets for the 2026 dinner sold out in less than a minute!
In 2024, I also became co-chair of the programming committee of the London chapter of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association (WWCDA). The WWCDA is a hugely important global organisation for women in a field still dominated by men at senior levels. It promotes equal opportunity by helping members build connections, collaborate with colleagues and advance inclusion. The London chapter is the biggest outside the US and is flourishing under the leadership of Rita Mitchell (Willkie Farr & Gallagher) and Claire Halstead (PwC). As co-chair of the programming committee alongside Sara Teasdale (PCB Byrne), we arrange events for our chapter members, including a painting evening, small group dinners and our annual carol service. Last year, I was honoured to be invited to become co-chair of the WWCDA’s global programming committee, which is responsible for the global enforcement and compliance series as part of the WWCDA’s educational programme.
Professional associations such as the FLA and WWCDA are invaluable. They foster knowledge-sharing, facilitate meaningful connections and amplify our collective voice on critical industry matters, strengthening us as practitioners and advancing the profession itself. This is why I will continue to dedicate time and energy to these organisations alongside my practice at BCL.
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