The Team

Patricia specialises in complex financial cases, disputes over children between married and unmarried partners and co-habitation and civil partnership disputes.  She combines excellent legal knowledge with great empathy so you can trust her to find the right solution, minimise disputes and thereby save you costs.  However when litigation is unavoidable you will find her highly professional, organised and not shy of a tough fight.

Expertise:

• Family
• Divorce
• Complex Financial Disputes
• Children Issues
• Domestic Violence
• Disputes between unmarried partners

Patricia set up a chain of antique book shops before starting her legal career. She became a founder member of Aletta Shaw in October 2000 and has used both her legal and business experience to build a successful and respectable law firm over the past 10 years.

Simon became a barrister in 1981 and works with Aletta Shaw as a specialist advocate and advisor.

He is a heavyweight specialist criminal advocate who has developed a loyal client base and an excellent track record in serious and complex casework. He has acted as lead counsel in murder, attempted murder and manslaughter cases as well as numerous cases involving fraud, serious organised crime, violent sex offences and causing death by dangerous driving.

Expertise:

• Rape
• Indecent Images
• Violent Crime
• Death by Dangerous Driving/ Dangerous
• Driving
• Drink Driving
• Road Traffic Offences

Simon is happy to represent clients in court throughout England at Crown Court and Appellate levels. He practices mainly in the Crown Courts in London and the South East.

Notable cases:

• R v Beysongu and others - multimillion pound class A drugs importation. involving 9 defendants
• R v P - slavery, GBH, sexual abuse by 41 year old female defendant.
• R v Tedder and others - Leading Junior in armed robbery of £2.5 Million (Securicor van). Co-Defendant giving evidence for Crown.
• R v Caleja and others - Human Trafficking for prostitution.
• R v Turner - Importation of £12.5 million cocaine.
• R v P - Choirmaster accused of historical sexual abuse of 4 boys.
• R v C and others - Operation Ore. Sophisticated peer to peer paedophile computer network. National High Tech Crime Unit.
• R v R - 15 year old accused of sexual abuse of 3 year old. Child of 5 giving evidence
• R v Riley - Attempted murder - sleepwalking defence.
• R v G - Multiple death by dangerous driving.

Samir joined the firm as a Trainee Solicitor and has progressed from leading teams to the position of Head of the Employment Law department.

Samir’s broad knowledge over several areas of law allows him to find pragmatic and effective solutions to matters that he is instructed on.

Samir is known to fight for his clients, to exercise excellent tactical judgment and effectively put his client’s position forward.

Samir regularly advises both companies and individuals in relation to employment matters both within Tribunal proceedings and in relation to compromise agreements. Samir recently defended an Employer within Tribunal proceedings in a complex matter where a claim for Unfair Dismissal and a breach of TUPE regulations were brought by five claimants.  Within just over a month, Samir through effective swift negotiations ensured that all five claimants had withdrawn their claims bringing a cost effective conclusion for the delighted client. Samir is equally at home representing employees and recently obtained a £50,000 settlement in relation to a complex claim for whistleblowing and constructive dismissal.

He has represented clients in complex and high profile cases which he deals with sensitively and by clearly advising his client’s without the use of legal jargon. Samir recently successfully represented a client in a high profile case relating to use of social media namely Twitter which encompassed issues of freedom of speech which was widely reported in national newspapers.

Samir also represented two clients in a multi defendant high profile fraud case in which both of his client’s were acquitted in a case in which a number of the remaining Defendant’s received a custodial sentence.

Samir regularly represents clients in the County Court where he has achieved excellent consistent results for clients.

Areas of Law

• Crime
• Motoring Offences
• Employment Law
• Civil Litigation
• Advocacy 

Duncan joined Aletta Shaw in 2009 when he relocated to Kent. Before joining Aletta Shaw he worked at one the UK’s top 15 Law firm for five years at which he obtained first class experience as an associate solicitor in what is recognised as one of the premium property law departments in the UK.

Duncan is an expert in:

• residential conveyancing
• transfers of equity
• new build purchases
• re-mortgages
• commercial leases
• commercial disposals/acquisitions
• commercial landlord/tenant management
• transactions

Having entered the legal profession from school, Martin qualified as Legal Executive in 1974; and has worked in a number of solicitors firms in Central London and most recently for 20 years in Woolwich before bringing his wide experience to Aletta Shaw in 2004.

Specialising in civil litigation, housing and landlord & tenant law, Martin works closely with Hazel Scanlon (a solicitor and Director of the Firm) in those fields and in matrimonial law. He frequently appears in local County Courts.