MICHELLE GALLAGHER Michelle Gallagher was formerly a Police Officer in the North of England having served for eight years in a variety of posts within the service before retiring and studying law achieving LLB (Hons) and LLM (Hons) graduating from The University of Northumbria with a Masters degree specialising in 'Advanced Legal Practice'. Michelle completed her training with a large specialist Criminal & Family firm in Newcastle upon Tyne and has continued to specialise in Family and Criminal law in general practice over the last thirteen years. Michelle joined us to head the Private Family department undertaking, Divorce, Matrimonial & Relationship Disputes, Children, Residence and Contact Disputes. Michelle has experience acting for clients involved in High Value financial settlements including property and pensions, and has successfully negotiated financial settlement in cases involving Pakistani , French and Greek Law. Michelle is also a qualified Duty Solicitor who works alongside Tony Jackson in the Criminal Duty Solicitors Dept. She has experience in serious category crime including Murder, Rape, Assaults and Firearms offences along with serious offences of Theft, Fraud and Road Traffic matters. GILL RUTHERFORD Gill Rutherford is the companys Senior Managing Case Worker with expertise in conducting Employment Related Criminal law matters. This includes: Allegations against professional Persons by young and/or vulnerable people Other Serious and General Crime Gill has a long career in the law originally working in the field of Civil Litigation before choosing a career in Criminal Defence work and obtaining Accreditation in Police Station Representation, which is a specialist legal qualification regulated by the Legal Services Commission. Gill is particularly renowned for her expertise representing Teachers, Carers, Nurses and others falsely accused of offences of abuse. In the late 1990s Gill, supervised by Patrick Andrews, set up and instructed a team of 6 barristers successfully defending some twenty prosecutions resulting from the Northumbria Police investigation Operation Rose. Gills efforts in these case's merited a personal mention in Richard Webster's acclaimed book, The Secrets of Bryn Estyn "The making of a modern witch hunt". Gill's efforts and successes helped to bring to the attention of the public and Parliament the inherent dangers of the police practice of "trawling" for alleged victims of abuse, which can lead to false allegations based on motives of financial reward. Gill has addressed MPs at the Houses of Parliament on the subject and is regularly invited to attend and participate at such meetings. Gill also has experience in working on the whole range of criminal case’s including those of the most serious nature. Gill was the senior caseworker in the case of R –v- Nicholls, Teesside Crown Court, a murder case and has expertise in preparing for trial cases where Defendants have been charged with Death by Careless Driving and Health & Safety offences. Gill is also a member of our Private Family Law Department headed by Michelle Gallagher have gained a Certificate in Family Law accredited by the University of the West of England. PATRICK ANDREWS Patrick was admitted as a Solicitor in the English Jurisdiction in 1992 and now practices as a Solicitor Advocate specialising in a number of areas of law including employment related criminal matters. He regularly receives instructions in the following types of cases: Health and Safety Investigations and Prosecutions Misconduct in Public Office. Patrick was instructed by one of the interested parties in Operation Gestalt Fraud, DTI and other financial offences, including MTIC, Carrousel, and Diversion Frauds Offences relating to the disqualification of Company Directors Allegations against professional persons by young and/or vulnerable people Inquests Gross Negligence Manslaughter and Corporate Manslaughter Defendant Asset Recovery Agency actions Firearms cases Patrick was the Partner who Supervised the team which conducted the defence of the train drivers in the Watford Junction and Southall train crash trials. Patrick had also previously been instructed to advise and provide representation during the Lockerbie Investigation. As an Advocate Patrick represented a client who appeared before the High Court in Rouen in Normandy, regarding an allegation of Gross Negligence Manslaughter and has represented Local Government Officials and Teachers in connection with Health and Safety investigation and inquests. Patrick has also appeared on behalf of clients at Crown Courts including appearing on behalf of the defendant in R v Clifford, a Health & Safety fatality case, at the Old Bailey in London and R v Nicholls a murder case. Patrick has also appeared in the Court of Appeal in case’s such as R v Wilson & Others, the Banham Marshalls College case. Patrick was instructed to appear as Advocate on behalf of one of the interested parties at the HMS Tireless Inquest, which was held in Sunderland, inquiring into the death of two Royal Navy Sub-Mariners who died as a result of an explosion, on a Royal Navy Nuclear Submarine whilst it was under the ice off the coast of Alaska. Another of Patricks areas of specialisation is Regulatory Law. Patrick is regularly instructed to act for Police Officers in disciplinary proceedings, as well as also acting for individuals facing investigatory bodies such as the DPEI, (DTI). Patrick is also instructed on licensing matters and has appeared at Court on behalf of Public House Licensees who have been in dispute with their landlords and/or suppliers and also accepts instructions from Public House Licensees in respect of rent review disputes and related issues. Patrick heads our company’s Overseas Law and Conflict of Laws Department. In addition to having appeared in the High Court in Rouen in Normandy, has also represented clients in the former Supreme Court of Yugoslavia. Patrick is also admitted as a Solicitor in the Republic of Ireland and also in the Northern Ireland jurisdiction. Patrick is a founding member of the Health & Safety Lawyers Association and a member of the Association of Regulatory & Disciplinary Lawyers. Patrick is a founding Director of Andrews Angel Solicitors Limited.