Exchange Chambers

Criminal

Nicholas Hammond qualified as a solicitor in 1997 and has worked in the field of criminal defence exclusively during his career. Latterly he was a partner at a well respected firm in Leeds City Centre. His experience as a solicitor gave him an insight into the level of client care required and expected by both solicitors and lay clients, when dealing with serious criminal allegations.

He has defended in all types of cases including complex fraud, murder, terrorism, modern day slavery and serious sexual offences. Nick has defended complex regulatory cases, including those brought by The Environment Agency and other Government departments. Nick has also defended in complex and protracted POCA proceedings where there was a suggestion of assets being hidden in numerous jurisdictions and corporate entities.

He is authorised by the Legal Aid Agency to act as a supervisor in very high cost cases as a result of his experience in dealing with those types of specific contract cases.

Nick has held Higher Rights of Audience in Criminal courts since 2004 and has conducted all types of proceedings in crown courts throughout the country. He has appeared at the Court of Appeal.

During his time as a solicitor, Nick specialised in representing clients who were in danger of losing their driving licence, specifically those who wished to argue that a driving disqualification would cause Exceptional Hardship. He has extensive experience of representing those appearing before Parole Boards throughout the country, especially those who have been deemed dangerous and are subject to indeterminate periods of imprisonment.