Nick De Freitas joined GT Stewart in 2025 as Head of Crime at our St Albans and Barnet offices. He qualified as a Solicitor in March 2008, beginning his legal career at Noble Solicitors, where he achieved Duty Solicitor status and obtained Higher Rights of Audience.

From 2011, Nick worked predominantly as a Crown Court Advocate, acting as Junior Counsel in murder trials and representing clients in a wide range of serious cases including drug offences, rape, fraud and violent crime.

In 2018, he became Director of Crime at Duncan Lewis Solicitors, leading a team handling complex matters, including work on the Public Inquiry into the Grenfell Tower disaster.

In 2023, Nick joined the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) as part of the RASSO team, dealing exclusively with serious sexual offences.

Nick brings extensive experience as both a litigator and an advocate across a broad range of criminal matters. His background in both defence and prosecution stands him in good stead, allowing him to foresee potential issues in cases and provide strategic, informed advice to clients.

Education & Qualifications

• LPC – College of Law, London, 2005
• LLM (Hons) Criminal Litigation, City University (Inns of Court), 2004
• BA (Hons) Law with Economics (with a Year in Europe), Leicester University, 2003

Memberships & Accreditations

• Cross Examination of Vulnerable Witnesses Accreditation
• Higher Rights of Audience (Criminal Law)
• Duty Solicitor Accreditation
• Police Station Accreditation

Notable Experience or Interests outside of Law

• Sitting as a Senior Member of the Valuation Tribunal for England (VTE)
• Former School Governor

Notable Cases

• Grenfell Public Inquiry – Phase 1 – 2018/2019
• R v S and others – Multi-handed Immigration Fraud
• R v K [2017] – Murder
• R v R [2012] – Murder

Client Reviews

“Nick De Freitas (St.Albans branch) provided us with services, who has been a pleasure to work with so far. Extremely knowledgeable, compassionate and professional with all dealings. Highly recommend and will continue to use in the future.”

“The overall conduct of GT Stewart in dealing with my case was exemplary; offering help, advice and support every step of the way. My initial impressions through interactions with the staff were that GT Stewart is approachable, friendly and helpful. The recommended solicitor was out of the office so they put me straight through to one of the partners of the firm, who talked me through the process and put my file together. My solicitor was confident in their legal knowledge and proficiency, assuring me I had made the right decision in turning to them. They advised me on the vital documentation to provide for the best chance of securing a successful outcome and gave realistic expectations of this. Their willingness to listen and respond to queries during our Teams meeting filled me with confidence in communicating. Replies were speedy and they kept me informed in a clear way I could understand throughout the progression of the experience. They were proactive on the day of the court hearing, arriving early, talking me through the procedure and ensuring our case was heard first. I couldn’t be more delighted with the outcome and am extremely grateful to the company.”