Our People

Our Partners

David is the fraud lead for the firm, always carrying a caseload of some of the country’s most serious fraud cases, from early enquiry stage to the defence of prosecutions, he has been identified by clients and fellow professionals over the last 5 years as a leading criminal lawyer (Chambers & Partners guide to the legal profession) and described “as a masterful performer in heavyweight cases”. His varied experience means he is equipped to deal with all aspects of a criminal case from advice and representation at interview to advocacy before the higher courts. He prides himself on his ability to negotiate effectively always acting with the utmost discretion and sensitivity firmly believing for many clients their reputation is as important as their liberty.

Phil’s career has moved smoothly from commercial practice to serious criminal defence work in which he has specialised for the last 20 years particularly in complex, paper heavy cases, both as a Partner at one of the country’s other leading fraud practices and then as a Partner at Cunninghams since 1998. Along the way, he has built up an enviable network of professional contacts including forensic accountants, I.T experts and leading barristers to always ensure all Cunninghams’ clients have a personally tailored defence team of the highest quality. His ability to identify the salient points in any case, no matter how complex, at the earliest stage is second to none.

Adrian qualified as a solicitor in 1994 and was previously a Partner in his own practice before joining Cunninghams in 2001 where he became a Partner and holds Higher Court Advocate status. Adrian’s court room advocacy experience has seen him representing defendants in extremely high value, complex multi-handed cases including successful applications to dismiss the Prosecution’s case before the defence case has to begin. Where the evidence against a client is overwhelming his skilful judgement and advocacy can result in a non custodial outcome where others would say a prison sentence was inevitable. He understands the pressures of fraud allegations against professionals in particular.

Key People

Hannah qualified as a Solicitor in February 2006 and has continued to specialise in Crown Court and Human Rights work. As a recent recruit to the firm, Hannah handles all aspects of Crown Court case preparation for the firm’s serious complex criminal cases, including those which are regulated by the Complex Case Unit (CCU – a division of the Legal Services Commission).

In a legal career that has spanned more that 15 years, Rebecca started in a conveyancing practice before moving exclusively into criminal defence work. During this time, Rebecca has been involved in most of the firm’s high value serious fraud cases, she is currently the case manager on “Operation Trail” – a significant nationwide insurance fraud dealt with by the City of London Economic Crime Unit.

Steve has been a Crown Court caseworker since 1999 drawing on his experience within the Police force of handling high-profile, complex and protracted cases – including the Yorkshire Ripper enquiry. He is currrently the lead case manager preparing the defence of a client being prosecuted under “Operation Chancellor” a corruption case involving the activities of Council officials embroiled in corrupt waste management contracts.

James is a recent recruit to Cunninghams Solictors and joins us with experience from commercial legal practice and the Health & Safety Executive. James primarily works on preparing serious crime trials in the crown court and handles a significant caseload of serious crown court work.