The Legal 500 2024 Rankings

Leading National Law Firm

Cartwright King remains a leading national law firm confirmed by the newly published Legal 500 2024 rankings.

Cartwright King was ranked in the prestigious first tier for firms specialising in criminal and fraud defence in the East Midlands as well as receiving high rankings for criminal and fraud defence in London, the Northwest, and the West Midlands.

Legal 500, the UK’s leading law guide states: ‘The excellent team at Cartwright King regularly defends directors, senior employees and the management of multinational companies who are accused of serious financial crime.’  

Individual Recognition

Furthermore, the Legal 500 recognised the excellent services provided by individual members of our criminal and fraud defence team.

Laura Smith – Head of Corporate and Financial Crime

In London, Laura Smith, Head of Cartwright King’s corporate, financial and serious crime department was highly commended. Legal 500 states: ‘The department is well regarded for defending individuals in prosecutions brought by the SFO, HMRC, and FCA. The team is headed up by Laura Smith, who dispenses comprehensive advice on serious and complex fraud matters.’

Read more about the London team on Legal 500.

John Allchin – Next Generation Partners

In the West Midlands, John Allchin, was highly commended by the Legal 500: ‘Laura Smith and John Allchin head the practice that also advises companies on how to avoid fraud. Other core areas of focus include advising on extradition matters and civil High Court judicial review proceedings. Its complex fraud work is a mix of privately paid, publicly funded and insurance backed work. Allchin is a Grade ‘A’ supervisor under the VHCC arrangements.’

Read more about the West Midlands team on Legal 500.

East Midlands Rising Stars

Maintaining Cartwright King’s market-leading position in the East Midlands, three of our East Midlands team have been highlighted as “Rising Stars” by the Legal 500. This includes Sharad Buddhev, Nicola Hunter, and James Bainbridge. The Legal 500 states:

‘Senior associate James Bainbridge leads the Crown Court department and is an ‘extremely experienced’ lawyer. Nicola Hunter and senior associate Sharad Buddhdev specialise in financial crime and associated Proceeds of Crime Act cases, with a particular interest in account freezing orders.’

Read more about the East Midlands team on Legal 500.

Comments from Laura Smith

Reacting to the news of the firm’s ranking in the prestigious law guide, Laura Smith, Head of Corporate, Financial and Serious Crime states that she is “Extremely pleased to see the ongoing recognition of our brilliant team of lawyers in the 2024 Legal 500 rankings.”