Bindmans LLP

Managing Partner: Jon Crocker

Deputy Managing Partners: Tayab Ali and Danny Fletcher

Number of partners: 22

Number of other qualified solicitors: 55

FIRM OVERVIEW: Bindmans LLP is one of the country’s leading law firms, with an unrivalled reputation for its civil liberties and human rights work. The firm offers top-quality legal services in the following practice areas: clinical negligence and personal injury, community care and health services, criminal law, discrimination and equality law, education law, employment law and professional discipline, family and matrimonial law, housing, human rights, public law and judicial review, immigration, inquests and inquiries, international law, media and information law, reputation and crisis management, mental health, police misconduct, prison law, private client, professional negligence, public procurement and commercial regulation, serious fraud and regulatory investigations and Brexit.

Established in 1974, Bindmans has a long history and tradition of challenging injustice and protecting the rights and freedoms of ordinary people. While the firm has evolved over the years to offer a broad range of services, its commitment to fairness and to ensuring access to justice remains at the heart of everything it does. Ranked as a top-tier firm in many of its practice areas, Bindmans has a reputation for its cutting edge work, in groundbreaking areas of the law. Its lawyers are among the most knowledgeable in the country and many are nationally recognised as experts in their fields.

Bindmans’ client base is wide and developing and includes businesses, NGOs and trade unions, public and regulatory bodies and private individuals. Known for achieving excellent results for its clients, the firm aims to defend their interests, ensuring sound decision-making and the highest standards of legal accountability.

MAIN CONTACTS

Actions Against Police & State: Jules Carey

Administrative Law: John Halford

Children/Cross-border Disputes: Alison Leivesley

Court of Protection: Laura Hobey-Hamsher

Crime: Katie Wheatley

Defamation: Tamsin Allen

Education Law: Karen May

Family/Matrimonial: Alison Leivesley

Healthcare/Mental Health: John Halford

Housing: Paul Ridge Immigration: Alison Stanley, Liz Barratt

Media & Information Law: Tamsin Allen

Medical Negligence: Jon Crocker

Personal Injury: Jon Crocker

Private Client: Amrit Rana

Professional Negligence: Jon Crocker

Public Law & Human Rights: John Halford

MAIN AREAS OF PRACTICE

Brexit: This department is intended for individuals, businesses, NGO’s and campaigners who want to move forward proactively now the UK has left the EU, making sure their interests are protected and championed effectively.

Clinical Negligence & Personal Injury: Notably brain damage and other serious disabilities. The firm has regularly recovered awards of more than £3m. All types of personal injury are dealt with, including road traffic and workplace accidents.

Criminal Law & Fraud: The firm deals with all aspects of criminal defence work, from serious white-collar fraud to terrorism, homicide and public order cases. The firm has a special interest in cases involving abuses of police powers, as well as extradition and Official Secrets Act cases. It acts for journalists under investigation by the police, deals with company regulatory obligations and is dedicated to uncovering miscarriages of justice.

Defamation, Privacy, Media & Entertainment: The practice is a leader in defamation, and has brought and defended major libel actions. It also deals with privacy, breach of confidence, copyright and freedom of information. The practice also has wide experience of film production, data protection issues and media contractual work.

Education Law: The practice acts for individuals as well as local authorities, schools, higher education institutions, dealing with all aspects of education law. The firm provides expert support with inspections, policy and regulatory processes; SEN Tribunal cases; admission and exclusion matters; safeguarding issues; disputes with independent schools. The department has notable experience in pursuing judicial review challenges to decisions taken by public bodies, including schools and local authorities, in relation to education.

Employment Law & Professional Discipline: The firm acts for both employees and employers in all aspects of employment law, both contentious and non-contentious. Bindmans acts for public authorities and within the not-for-profit sector. The firm is a leader in discrimination cases. Bindmans has a diverse and dynamic professional regulatory practice. It is one of a very small number of firms that acts for regulators, regulated persons and affected members of the public.

Family: The full range of matrimonial and family law is covered: divorce, separation and cohabitation disputes, and complex financial proceedings, often with an international element, and also advise on fertility, surrogacy and adoption matters.

Housing: Work includes homelessness, eviction, rent assessment, and following work on Grenfell, the team has developed increasing specialism in advice on cladding and fire safety issues.

Immigration: All aspects of immigration, asylum, nationality and refugee law with particular emphasis and expertise in: asylum and human rights cases; overlap between asylum and extradition law; representing children subject to immigration control; representing victims of trafficking and other vulnerable clients; detention and deportation; immigration issues in adoption and surrogacy cases; immigration for family members of British and settled people; EEA-related matters, in particular relating to third-country national family members; appeal work in FTT and UT and the higher courts; public law challenges to home office in judicial review; and immigration bail.

Police Law: All areas of police law covered. Highly regarded for work involving death on contact, assaults, false imprisonment and discrimination.

Private Client: The practice advises on a wide range of private client matters, notably on tax issues including wealth preservation, income, capital gains and inheritance tax. The firm provides services in wills and estates and succession planning; contentious and non-contentious probates and trusts; powers of attorney; court of protection; lifetime gifts; elderly clients and later life planning needs.

Public Law & Human Rights: This department has been at the forefront of the growth in judicial review work, while maintaining the firm’s profile of general public law and its expertise in human rights and civil liberties. The firm has particular expertise in cases concerning the European Convention on Human Rights.