Partner
LLB (Hons)
Claire was a senior Director in a leading Legal 500 firm before joining ABV in 2016.
She has over 30 years experience in Criminal Defence and has practiced exclusively in this area for her entire career.
Claire represents clients facing police investigations and prosecutions in a whole range of offences, including Murder, fraud, drugs importation and specialises in representing those facing allegations of serious sexual offences, including those of a historic nature.
She is very experienced in advising young clients including young people of neurodiversity, recognising the special care needed in these cases. Claire also regularly advises students facing allegations of Sexual Misconduct as part of a university disciplinary process. She also advises those accused of sexual misconduct in the work place and assists in drafting formal responses and submissions as part of internal disciplinary investigations.
Claire represents clients in the public eye including politicians, writers and musical artists.
She is renowned for her excellent client care and communication skills and her dogged determination to achieve the very best outcome for each of her clients, whatever allegations they face.
She regularly persuades the police and prosecuting authorities to adopt alternative disposals to charging and often succeeds in persuading the police to drop investigations altogether. This is possible because she is proactive at the early stages of the investigation.
Claire is frequently recommended to clients by fellow professionals including accountants, barristers and other solicitors and she is regularly recommended by a number of charitable organisations supporting those accused, including The British False Memory Society.
Claire has a significant Irish client base and recently acted for one of the main defendants in the case of R v Nica and others – the Essex lorry death case, where 39 Vietnamese migrants died in the back of a trailer. She has wide experience in representing hauliers and HGV lorry drivers across the country.
She contributes to a number of publications and delivers talks to schools and charities regarding how to deal with criminal investigation/proceedings.
Her article concerning the unacceptable delay in criminal investigations and prosecutions was published by The Times newspaper.
Serious Fraud & Business Crime Cases
Claire’s client was the subject of a Private Prosecution by an individual which led to his committal for trial at the Crown Court. Mr S was an academic of good character ineligible for Public Funding and facing incredibly stressful litigation. The CPS were persuaded to use their statutory powers to intervene in the prosecution and undergo a full review of the prosecution case. This resulted in them taking over conduct of the case and immediately offering no evidence against Mr S. In addition, Counsel instructed successfully argued for an order for this client’s full (substantial) costs to be paid.
Offence- Conspiracy to defraud. The client was one of 6 defendants charged with a high value bank fraud. All of the defendants were employees of the bank at the time of the fraud. Claire’s client was one of only 2 clients acquitted. The defendant was a man of previous good character and was able to return to the banking sector to pursue his career.
Serious & General Crime Cases
The defendant was part of a huge operation resulting in the prosecution of 20 defendants in a drug smuggling conspiracy. In the case against the client, the Crown relied on ANPR evidence, cell site and observation evidence. The defence instructed experts to examine the Crown’s reports and challenges were raised at trial. In addition, a series of impeccable character witnesses gave evidence about the client and the jury were persuaded to acquit him. The co- defendants received sentences of between 9 and 15 years.
Sexual Offences
The defendant was one of 4 defendants charged with serious sex offences. In cases such as these, probing for full disclosure from the Crown is critically important and can often change the course of the evidence. Documents unearthed in this case undermined the complainant’s credibility as far as the client was concerned and he was the only one of the 4 defendants to be acquitted.
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