GT Stewart Limited

Criminal Defence

Partner & Higher Court Advocate

Melanie has been practising in the criminal courts for over 20 years.  She started her career at the Crown Prosecution Service which gave her an insight into the prosecution process before getting the opportunity to move to her true vocation which is defence work.  She has done a vast amount of advocacy in all the criminal courts, ranging from cross examining police officers in execution of duty cases in the Magistrates' Courts to successfully appealing convictions at the Court of Appeal. She has conducted many serious Crown Court trials as an advocate including a successful acquittal as leading junior in a multi-handed murder investigation where the co-defendants were represented by QCs.  She is often instructed privately by clients who want herto act as litigator and advocate.  She bring a huge amount of experience and acute tactical judgement to cases.  Her success rate as an advocate is based on tireless preparation and fearless presentation.  She often finds telling details in the unused material that win cases oftennot spotted by the prosecution or other defence advocates.

Melanie recognises the importance of working with her clients and knows that their views are crucial to the success of any case.  She is an excellent communicator and is able to quickly analyse and assess the strengths and weaknesses of a case to determine a defence strategy.

Melanie is happy to accept private instructions from anyone being investigated for a criminal offence.  Melanie is an expert in cost issues and she regularly attends the Senior Courts Cost Office on appeals against costs decisions by the Legal Aid Agency.  She loves to win cases and is prepared to make the extra effort to maximise the changes of success.

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