Leigh qualified as a solicitor in 2004 and for almost 20 years has practised exclusively as a criminal defence lawyer.  She is an active advocate and relishes the opportunity to represent her clients both at the police station and at court.  She has a wide experience of all types of offences including robbery, burglary, possession/production of controlled drugs, rape, and murder.  She specialises in road traffic law and is adept at putting forward exceptional hardship arguments and other mitigation to prevent the loss of her clients’ driving licences and travels to a wide variety of courts from London through to Yorkshire.

Away from law, Leigh is President of Clapton Football Club in London, encouraging the beautiful amateur game.    She is also a Trustee of the Somerville Heart Foundation, a national charity that supports young people and adults born with congenital heart disease.

Qualifications

• Sc (Hons) – University of Sheffield
• Sc – University of London
• Postgraduate Diploma in Law (commendation) – University of Law, London
• Legal Practice Course (commendation) – University of Law, London
• Police Station Representative
• Duty Solicitor
• Higher Rights of Audience (Criminal & Civil)

Notable cases

MPS –v- R

Successful argument of exceptional hardship for an 80 year old HGV driver who depended upon continuing to work as he had no pension or benefits.  Exceptional hardship is usually only found when some other innocent party would suffer by the driver’s loss of employment due to disqualification, eg a dependent spouse or children.   The Magistrates on this occasion found exceptional hardship as it was unlikely the client would ever be able to work again if he lost his licence and this would have a profound effect upon his mental health if unable to support himself.

R –v- B

Driving without due care and attention and failure to stop after accident when a toddler was hit by the defendant’s vehicle.  She did not see the child who had run out from a block of flats and she was not aware there had been an accident.  Successful legal argument put forward at trial, following a site visit, that the land where the accident took place was not a road or public place, hence neither of the offences could be made out.

R –v- K

Client acquitted at trial of dangerous driving following cross-examination of the prosecution witnesses, both off duty murder squad detectives.   They gave evidence of the defendant driving at speed in an erratic manner on the North Circular Road, swerving in and out of lanes and finally crashing causing a burst tyre.  Client gave evidence that he had initially suffered a burst tyre and the ‘erratic driving’ witnessed was due to him trying to bring the car under control.

MPS –v- A

Client charged with driving without due care and attention and failing to stop and report after an accident.  Client already had points on his licence and was worried that he would be disqualified as a totter if convicted.  He depended upon his vehicle for work.  He was not in the car at the time of the accident; it was parked and rolled down a hill due to a faulty handbrake.  Charges withdrawn after representations made at court that as he was not driving at the time of the accident he could not be driving without due care.  As it was accepted by the prosecution that he was not driving there was no duty for him to stop and report the accident, the requirement being upon a driver.

R -v- F –

Driving with excess alcohol, a strict liability offence.   Successful representations made to CPS that client drove out of necessity, having been robbed at gunpoint whilst sitting in a car waiting for a lift home.  A crime report was obtained from police confirming the incident.  Case discontinued.

R –v- M

Gang-related kidnap and torture with ransom demands.  Conviction at trial quashed by Court of Appeal after enquiry by the Criminal Cases Review Commission into jury misconduct, one of the jurors having conducted their own on-line research into the law of joint enterprise and influenced others.  Client acquitted at re-trial.

R –v- T

Multi-handed case involving serious outbreak of violence in a prison with the use of weapons resulting in injury.  Acquitted at trial.

R –v- A

Four-handed gang rape of 16 year old girl.  A number of allegations were made over a period of time.  Client acquitted at trial.