Bindmans LLP

Anna Ford

Solicitor, Crime, Fraud and Regulatory team. Anna has a breadth of experience in the field of criminal defence, representing individuals at all stages of proceedings, from the police station through to courtroom advocacy, in addition to complex criminal litigation. Anna is routinely instructed by professionals such as pilots, teachers, medical professionals, and high-profile individuals from the world of business and the arts. She appreciates the importance of discretion and making strong representations from the outset to minimise the risk of litigation. Anna has extensive experience representing those being interviewed by the police whether detained or invited to attend a voluntary interview, and those accused of very serious offences. She is able to quickly understand the evidence and issues in a case, offering accurate and pragmatic advice. She also has experience representing young clients accused of very serious offences, as well as professionals, with a strong understanding of a client’s short- and long-term needs. Anna is a keen advocate, with experience conducting trials and legal arguments at the Magistrates’ Court, including those regarding sexual offences and drugs offences, as well as dishonesty offences, violent offences, and fraud offences. Anna has also litigated a wide range of criminal cases at the Crown Court, including numerous complex cases regarding allegations of murder, historic sexual offences, sexual offences, dishonesty offences, sensitive child assault offences, firearms offences, and violent offences. She also has a strong background in cases that involve telephone analysis. Anna is quickly able to identify where expert evidence is required and assist in the defence. She has strong tactical ability in pre-trial preparation, praised by peers for her strong instincts. Anna also has experience in representing vulnerable defendants. This includes those with mental health difficulties, those on the autistic spectrum and those with learning difficulties. She is very much alive as to whether any special measures could assist her clients, and has experience in making such applications where required.

Jude Lanchin

Associate, Criminal Defence and Extradition. Jude has a strong reputation for outstanding work in a case range including: murder, firearms, drugs supply and importation, money-laundering and large-scale confiscation, fraud, white-collar/ business crime, perverting course of justice, immigration offences, large-scale protest/public disorder and serious youth crime. Jude is particularly regarded for her tactical skills and her skill and experience in dealing with controversial and difficult clients and cases involving young people. She inspires huge client confidence and is known as an assertive, dedicated and fearless lawyer, with very considerable ability to negotiate the complexities of criminal litigation and practice. She works on both legally-aided and privately-funded cases. Jude has also been involved in a number of media-related projects arising from the disturbances of August 2011 and regularly assists TV researchers on criminal justice matters. She has also carried out consultancy work for Kids Company and is involved in research relating to the position of young people in other criminal jurisdictions. Jude qualified as a solicitor after a career in community-based work. For a number of years, she worked with the young people on the North London Broadwater Farm Estate who were charged after the 1985 riot. She subsequently established and ran a community project in Islington for former prisoners. Jude has maintained her connections with the North London communities where she previously worked and is involved on a voluntary basis with a number of organisations. She has also presented training courses in youth justice, has run sessions with young people in schools and exclusion projects and provided legal advice to drugs organisations.

Tayab Ali

Partner, Crime, Fraud and Regulatory Law. Tayab’s practice encompasses criminal and civil/public law in both the UK and international jurisdictions. He is routinely retained by high profile, high net worth clients seeking to protect their reputations against false public and criminal allegations. Tayab has acted in some of the most high profile and complex criminal trials over the last two decades. He has represented clients in the Supreme Court, European Court of Human Rights as well as at international political and legal institutions including the United Nations, the International Criminal Court and the African Commission of Human and Peoples’ Rights. He has also made important contributions to public debates on counter-terrorism legislation, the prosecution of international crimes and the use of torture. He has provided evidence to Parliamentary Select Committees on behalf of his clients, and advised a number of UK and foreign members of parliament, ministers, political parties and former governments. He is an internationally recognised and highly respected solicitor.

Kate Goold

Partner, Crime, Fraud and Regulatory. With almost 30 years’ experience as a criminal solicitor, Kate has extensive expertise in defending complex and serious crime and extradition including all aspects of business crime and fraud, money laundering, restraint and confiscation and cross-border investigations. She is particularly well regarded for her skill in dealing with politically sensitive, high profile, and controversial cases and has recently seen success in University Disciplinary proceedings. Kate has a broad extradition practice and has successfully challenged applications for extradition, many of which are politically sensitive, to both Category 1 and Category 2 territories. She advises on Interpol Red Notices and Mutual Legal Assistance Requests and liaises closely with US Attorneys in negotiations with the DOJ and defending related SEC actions where appropriate. Kate is also frequently instructed by those in the public eye whose reputation is everything. She fully understands the additional burden that press intrusion places on both the individual and prosecuting agency and is expert at navigating clients through the media storm. Kate regularly provides advice pre-charge and during investigations brought by a range of prosecuting agencies, with regards to police powers, production orders, search and seizure, securing evidence and publicity. She has provided evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee regarding pre-charge bail and suspect anonymity, and also advises media organisations with regards to reporting restrictions and protection of journalistic material and sources. Kate is a forceful defender of an individual’s rights and regularly draws on the Human Rights Act to ensure those rights are protected. She is widely respected for her sensitivity, tactical skill, attention to detail, her ability to tackle complex forensic issues and her thorough and determined pursuit of disclosure and defence leads.

Katie Wheatley

Partner, Head of Crime, Fraud and Regulatory. Katie has vast experience in many areas of criminal law. She acts for and advises individual clients and organisations about a range of criminal and regulatory law issues, including investigations and prosecutions. Katie advises in connection with investigations and prosecutions for allegations of serious fraud financial and business crime, including conspiracy to defraud, bribery and corruption, insider dealing and money laundering. She also acts for and advises employees, directors trustees and organisations in connection with allegations and investigations and prosecutions of business crime, including corporate manslaughter, gross negligence and unlawful act manslaughter, Health and Safety breaches, theft and assault. She advises in connection with individual liability for allegations of criminal misconduct in the workplace and criminal liability of organisations for the acts of their employees. Katie also has special expertise in private prosecutions. She has established a particularly strong reputation for advising journalists and media organisations, especially in investigations relating to their work, including arrests, searches, production orders, protection of journalist material, whistleblowing and allegations of breaches of the Official Secrets Act, whistle-blowers or undercover operations which have attracted police interest or attention. She regularly advises about the intersection of the criminal law with the work of journalists and acts in respect of investigations and prosecutions for breach of court reporting restrictions. Katie also acts in criminal cases involving allegations of serious general crime including murder and manslaughter. She has special experience in advising in connection with allegations that relate to end of life decisions such as encouraging and assisting suicide and 'mercy killings.' She acts for individuals and organisations who are designated Interested Parties at Inquests in circumstances where a person’s death is unexplained or is believed to have occurred as a result of a criminal act. In addition, Katie acts for landlords in criminal and regulatory cases involving allegations of breaches of regulations relating to properties, including houses of multiple occupations, fire safety, planning and tree preservation.