Rustem Guardian Solicitors

Rustem Guardian Solicitors is a go-to firm for the defence of complex crime cases including murder, serious sexual offences, country lines drug cases, financial crime, account freezing orders, and forfeiture proceedings associated with substantive investigations or proceedings. A high proportion of these cases have an international aspect and multiple agency operation, and are often high-profile, receiving significant attention in the local and national press. As well as securing its place as a formidable criminal defence law firm in the city of London, the team has also established a presence within the Far East, specifically China, Hong Kong and Thailand.

Key aspects of our practice: Exceptional expertise in the full range of crime work, including serious crime (murder, drugs, serious sexual offences) and fraud and financial crime.

• • Murder: Over the past year, Rustem Guardian Solicitors has continued to represent a number of individuals who have been charged with murder, including gang murders. Our cases in this category are exclusively dealt with by the senior lawyer Timur Rustem who carefully appoints experienced barristers including Queen’s Counsel and experts where required. He then tactically plans the defence to maximise the potential for an acquittal.
  • Drugs: The firm has become known for its work in a number of multi-handed, county-lines drug cases, often with complex evidence to review, including where youths are used to operate the line raising issues of modern-day slavery.
  • Serious sexual offences: Rustem Guardian is well known for its team of specialist solicitors who provide a dedicated and discreet service to primarily private clients facing false allegations of sexual offences. Our team has recently, and successfully, dealt with a number of high-profile cases, including our representation of an award-winning BBC producer and a number of international clients living in the UK.
  • Fraud and financial crime: Defence of serious fraud and financial crime, advising clients domestically and internationally, including senior members of the legal profession. The offences often involving complex issues of law and jurisdiction, with prosecutions brought by agencies including the Serious Fraud Office, Financial Services Authority, Office of Fair Trading, Serious Organised Crime Agency, HM Revenue and Customs, and the Medicines & Healthcare Regulatory Agency. We also handle matters involving account freezing orders, cash seizures and asset restraining orders. Notably, we have successfully opposed and limited in time Account Freezing Orders brought by the National Crime Agency against our international clients.
  • Confiscation: Rustem Guardian is well versed in dealing with confiscation proceedings arising from complex substantive proceedings. Rustem Guardian has successfully challenged both the benefit figures and available amounts asserted by the prosecution by conducting in-depth analysis of the substantive offence, while gathering evidence on behalf of clients who are often in custody and have difficulty obtaining documentation to assist with their defence. It also has the expertise to assist clients once the confiscation order has been made – for example where an extension of ‘time to pay’ the confiscation order is required, or where the prosecution commence enforcement proceedings in the Magistrates Court.
  • Substantial experience in handling appeals. Rustem Guardian Solicitors offers a wealth of expertise in pursuing appeals for those who have been wrongly convicted at trial having been represented by another firm or for appealing their sentence. It offers an unparalleled, first-class service with a highly skilled team who leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of grounds of appeal.
  • First-of-their-kind cases: Rustem Guardian was instructed in what is thought to be the first Encrochat case, as the evidence was served prior to the NCA announcement in June 2020. Since this date, it is now a go-to for drug conspiracy cases involving encrypted phone evidence and utilises specialist counsel and the foremost Encrochat phone expert in the UK. It has been instructed on a number of large-scale cases involving vast amounts of telephone data arising from the issuing of warrants in Project Venetic. It has worked closely with clients during the appeals in respect of Operation Sub-Zero (Liverpool CC / Court of Appeal) and is in the process of preparing legal arguments arising out of these decisions.

Growing practice in Asia: An impressive and growing team of solicitors, including a growing practice in Asia and an increased involvement with the Chinese Consulate.  Rustem Guardian Solicitors was founded in 2005 by senior lawyer, Timur Rustem, after a very successful and high-profile legal career, who offers over 25 years of experience in criminal defence. The firm has remained dedicated to growing as a firm and building its team, which now includes Des Jenson, an experienced Grade A senior solicitor and a Crown Court advocate who specialises in international fraud, complex and serious crime and appeals, particularly against miscarriages of justice.

Our international standing is strengthened by the ability to offer clients advice with Chinese and Thai speaking solicitors as part of their defence team. Qing Kang, head of the Chinese department has become the go-to specialist lawyer in the Chinese community with a renowned reputation at both UK and international levels.

An impressive and expanding roster of clients and caseload: We have comfortably increased our caseload by 250% since February 2020. This increase has primarily been in complex crime cases with an international element. Due to the firm’s reputation, a significant proportion of these instructions in the past year have been referrals from previous and current clients, barristers (including Queen’s Counsel), law firms, consultant solicitors and foreign consulates. Alongside British defendants, including companies and their directors, our client base now also includes individuals and families from Chinese, Albanian, Lithuanian, Thai, Spanish, Columbian, Brazilian, Turkish and Polish communities, in both a private and public funding capacity.

Strong track record of successful outcomes

• • Defence of a 15-year-old who was acquitted of murder in a multi-handed case at the Central Criminal Court where our team had just over a month to prepare for his trial.
  • The ‘Deliveroo Drugs Case’ which involved a Columbian organised crime gang operating in Central London, in which we were successful in helping our client secure a sentence approximately one third compared to his co-defendant.
  • Acquittal for our client, one of the defendants in a murder case involving a Lithuanian group, where out of the seven defendants on trial, five of the other co-defendants were convicted of murder and manslaughter.
  • Successful representation of a senior member of the Bar in a multi handed case involving senior members of the legal profession and tribunal judges who are facing allegations of a legal aid fraud involving more than £12m.

Significant experience of handling complex cases: Our cases regularly involve a plethora of written evidence and the instruction of multiple experts. We recently worked with over one million pages of mobile telephone evidence in a large-scale investigation involving charges of controlling prostitution and international people trafficking. Additionally, we are currently representing a South American defendant facing a 23-count indictment and a Chinese defendant facing sex trafficking, prostitution and drugs charges in a case of over 1 million pages of prosecution evidence.

Assembly of bespoke legal defence teams: The senior lawyer, Tim Rustem travels both nationally and internationally in order to meet with his clients and to put together bespoke legal teams in cases. This regularly includes meetings with Queen’s Counsel and where relevant forensic experts and private investigators. Notably, the team was recently instructed by a high-net-worth international businessman accused of millions of pounds of money transfers and money laundering, in which we appointed the foremost Queen’s Counsel in this area along with forensic accountants. Due to successful legal arguments all charges were dropped and replaced with a single regulatory breach.

Instruction in high profile cases and thought leadership: Many of our cases are often featured in the mainstream media, with Timur Rustem often sought by leading news channels for his legal opinion and comment on a variety of areas. Additionally, Qing Kang has been invited to comment in the UK-focused Chinese media and to represent the Chinese community at events. These include:

• • R v MC – a high profile case with racial connotations, which went viral over the internet due to the manner of the arrest and led to officers concerned being suspended by the Assistant Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police;
  • R v CC – a high profile armed robbery of jewellery valued at £40m from Graff Jewellery Stores on New Bond Street;
  • R v GD – a high-net-worth Chinese individual and his business in a complex £20m money laundering case with international aspects in Hong Kong and China;
  • R v SS – an accountant involved in a £79m Ponzi scheme defrauding London investors;
  • R v DDP – the largest ever single seizure (worth £3m) in a professional commercial drugs operation whereby the defendant received a sentence of less than one third in comparison to his co-defendants;
  • R v WP – a Chinese national charged with prostitution, people trafficking and supply of drugs offences, working with one million pages of mobile telephone evidence;
  • R v MH – representing the main defendant involved in two prosecutions for complex multi-handed frauds where the accused impersonated police officers to defraud vulnerable victims.