Olliers Solicitors

Leading Criminal Defence Law Firm Manchester & London

Olliers is firmly established as one of the UK's leading criminal defence and regulatory law firms. We are based in Manchester with facilities in London and our client base is nationwide. Areas of specialism involve the defence of corporate and financial crime, regulatory offences, serious crime, sexual offences, asset recovery, insolvency disputes, motor offences, inquests and appeals.

We have a particularly strong reputation in the field of 'crisis management', frequently receiving instructions during the very early stages of a case, often before an interview has taken place. We understand the stress and anxiety an investigation can cause an individual or a business. We are known for our proactive approach, establishing early dialogue with investigators, keeping publicity and disruption to a minimum whilst looking to bring any investigation to a swift conclusion.
Why choose Olliers Solicitors?

We are four times winners of the Manchester Legal Awards Crime Team of the Year. We are ranked as a Top Tier Crime/Fraud firm in the current editions of the Legal 500 and the Chambers Guide. Our Managing Director Matthew Claughton has in excess of thirty years experience and is regularly singled out for mention by the Legal 500 and the Chambers.

Criminal defence/regulatory practice areas

We have 14 qualified and highly skilled solicitors working across the sectors below:
Fraud and business crime:

We handle a wide range of large scale, complex and often high profile fraud cases. Our team is experienced in dealing with cases prosecuted by the Serious Fraud Office, HMRC investigations, specialist fraud divisions of the police, and the Financial Conduct Authority. Key contact; Matthew Claughton
Regulatory offences:

The firm's regulatory team represents clients in the following regulatory areas; trading standards, food safety and hygiene, trade marks, fire safety, copyright and design breaches, health and safety, environmental damage and, transport law. Key contact; Matthew Claughton
Insolvency disputes:

Our insolvency dispute team deals with all matters that may arise from insolvency, including illegal dividends, wrongful and fraudulent trading, preferences, transactions at undervalue, misfeasance claims, bankruptcy annulments, reuse of company following insolvency and validation orders. Key contact; Stephen Chinnery
Serious crime:

Olliers' reputation for committed and rigorous defence work means that we attract an enviable volume of heavyweight criminal work. The serious crime specialists have experience in the full range of criminal cases including gangland murders, multi-handed drugs conspiracies, firearms offences, terrorism allegations, people smuggling and a wide range of cases involving undercover operations. The serious crime team has considerable experience of dealing with prosecutions brought by agencies such as the CPS Complex Crime Unit and the National Crime Agency. Key contact; Matt Corn
Extradition:

We act for individuals abroad facing extradition to the United Kingdom and provide representation for those currently in the UK facing extradition to another country. Key contact; Sharmila Salvi
Internet and cyber crime:

Our internet and cyber crime team defends allegations relating to the dark web, distribution of pirated and copyrighted material, hacking and cyber terrorism, identity theft and phishing scams, cyber stalking, revenge porn and indecent images. Key contact; Toby Wilbraham.
Sexual offences:

Matthew Claughton heads the team dealing with serious sexual offences and has had notable success during recent years with a particular emphasis on historic rape and sexual assault allegations. Matthew has developed an enviable reputation in proactively defending sexual allegations whilst at the investigative stage. His team also deals with allegations involving sexual communication, grooming and images. The team dealing with indecent images cases have developed a strategic approach in dealing with such investigations.
Asset recovery:

Seven solicitors have expertise in this area, which covers restraint, cash seizures, money laundering and proceeds of crime. Olliers specialists can assist from the point of restraint proceedings prior to charge through to post conviction POCA proceedings. The firm has been instructed in confiscation proceedings with alleged benefit figures running to tens of millions of pounds, with some excellent results. Key contact; Matt Corn
Motoring offences:

We have a thriving motoring department. The team specialises in defending allegations of driving with excess alcohol and drug driving with a particular emphasis on technical and procedural irregularities. They also represent those facing the loss of their driving licence as a result of dangerous driving, careless driving, speeding allegations and regularly appear in courts nationwide with applications for exceptional hardship and early return of licence following disqualification. Key contact; Ruth Peters
Managing Director Matthew Claughton

Matthew Claughton trained with Olliers, qualifying in 1990. He is a former Manchester Legal Awards Partner of the Year, and Modern Law Awards Lawyer of the Year. He is ranked as a leading individual in both the Fraud and General Crime categories of the Legal 500.

Practice Areas	No. of Attorneys
Bankruptcy	1
Litigation	2