Criminal Defence

Criminal Defence

“We have positioned ourselves as “Champions of the Community”; fighting for justice for the people of the North East for over 30 years”

Since our owner Jimmy Watson founded the firm in 1988, we have developed an enviable reputation for the successful defence of cases of serious crime. We have acted in some of the most high profile criminal defence cases in the North East, Nationally and Internationally over the past 30 years, as one of the largest criminal defence firms in the North East, the firm has amassed a wealth of knowledge and skill in defending the most serious of crimes.

Many of our clients come to us, in their darkest hour of need, they are extremely stressed and can our lawyers really listen, through your concerns, and evaluate how we can solve your legal problem. We undertake the most rigorous preparation in the defence of your case. This will involve subjecting the prosecution case to intense scrutiny, and as much face-to-face contact as is required to ensure that you are kept both fully informed and that we have all the relevant material to be used in building your defence. Where clients plead guilty, we assist in the preparation of detailed mitigation for presentation before the Court to assist as to sentence.

We employ a team of in-house Counsel and High Court Advocates meaning that you will have access to your full criminal defence team from the beginning until the end of your case. We will also instruct independent Barristers where this is deemed more suitable for your personal circumstances.

Our Criminal Defence team is led by owner and founder Jimmy Watson and managed by

Sean Grainger:  Head of  Crown Court 

Victoria Molloy: Head of Magistrates, Criminal Defence Direct and Housing.

Their teams work hard to guarantee that the accused only receives as much punishment as is deserved. (Should the defence fail, however a judge can still mitigate the punishment during the sentencing phase of the trial)

They are highly specialised and have earned themselves highly respected reputations in court proceedings across the UK and Abroad, thanks to their life changing outcomes for clients. 

We seek to ensure fair represent for the defendant in all criminal court proceedings, to insure all rights afforded to the accused are upheld throughout the criminal justice process and will undoubtedly often greatly improve the outcome of a case. We work to ensure that courts do not wrongfully convict defendants or impose excessive sentences for convictions. 

Various funding options available, and our lawyers can advise. One of these may be Legal Aid.