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What our clients say - criminal defence

At Stephensons our criminal defence solicitors pride themselves on achieving the best possible result for our clients, the comments below are from clients who have used our legal services. Call us on 01616 966 229 or complete our online enquiry form and a member of the team will contact you directly.

“The representatives I met were very understanding, sympathetic and considerate towards my situation. Their professionalism was always evident and their approach was reassuring from a client perspective.”
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Excellent4.7 score on Trustpilot
Rated 4.7 / 5 Based on 2107 reviews
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What others say

"Stephensons Solicitors LLP is a Wigan-based boutique criminal practice. On the general crime side, which includes three High Court advocates, the practice deals with motoring offences, civil liberties, miscarriages of justice and SRA interventions. On the fraud side, the firm handles large-scale cases such as land-banking matters, Ponzi schemes and VAT and investment fraud. Sean Joyce heads the regulatory and criminal justice team, while Correna Platt oversees the fraud practice. Mike Pemberton manages the civil liberties and public law unit, dealing with cases involving public law or human rights issues. Colin Rawson offers expertise in drug offending cases, in particularly those arrested connected to encro phones and county line cases. Fraud specialist John Greenwood and Duncan Phillips are other key members of the team.

Stephensons have an excellent criminal department of experienced and dedicated lawyers, dealing with the full range of criminal cases.

An excellent team that is able to deal with the full spectrum of criminal offences including financial crime.

Stephensons are a top-rated criminal firm with a great team who have exceptional client care skills. "- Legal 500 2023

"Wigan-based Stephensons Solicitors LLP deals with a wide range of general crime, civil liberties, appeals and miscarriage of justice matters. 'Fearless' Sean Joyce, who specialises in regulatory enforcement issues, leads the team with the 'experienced' and 'knowledgeable' Correna Platt, who has extensive expertise in handling murder and sexual offences, with particular knowledge of forensic matters and medical defence issues. Mike Pemberton is noted for his experience in human rights work and advising life or indeterminate sentence prisoners. Colin Rawson 'really fights for his clients' and is recommended for multi-handed drugs conspiracy cases, while associate Duncan Phillips specialises in RSCPA and DWP prosecutions." Legal 500, 2022

‘Stephensons are very special due to a combination of their attention to detail and the thoroughness of the preparation. They are always attuned to client needs and are able to understand the priorities of the client and the concern they have. They work well with all other professionals and disciplines and are truly multi-disciplinary.’ Legal 500, 2022

‘Correna Platt is an excellent solicitor and one who always puts the client first and concentrates to a very great degree on the concerns of the client but does not lose focus or attention to the case as a whole or the global picture. Her attention to detail and the ability to use a diverse type of resources marks her out as an innovator.’ Legal 500, 2022

‘Stephensons are a firm with a large criminal department, headed up by Sean Joyce who is a fearless lawyer. He manages the team in a very efficient and effective way and they are highly regarded in the industry for their hard work, good communication skills and for achieving great results.’ - Legal 500, 2022

"The ‘tenacious’ Sean Joyce is a Higher Court Solicitor Advocate and heads the  regulatory and criminal justice department at Stephensons Solicitors LLP. Joyce is ‘one of the top criminal solicitors in the North West and really fights for his clients’. The department assists clients nationwide and is ‘particularly recommended for its miscarriage of justice work’. Joyce is praised for his health and safety work for individuals and businesses and for his advice on road transport issues. The ‘highly experienced and knowledgeable’ Correna Platt is a ‘fearless advocate’ and heads the serious crime and defence team. The ‘skilled and dedicated’ Mike Pemberton  manages the civil liberties and public law department and senior associate Colin Rawson garners praise for his ‘excellent communication skills’. The team has six high court advocates and assists clients on various matters such as SRA interventions, prison law matters and inquests. In a case that attracted a considerable amount of media interest, the team secured an acquittal for its client after two retrials. The client had been charged with murder and complex issues were considered at trial such as self-defence, reasonable force and adverse inference." - Legal 500, 2018

"For some, Stephensons Solicitors LLP ‘leads the way nationally in human rights and civil liberties litigation ’. The ‘very well-regarded and long-established legal aid firm’ impresses by virtue of its team’s ‘efficiency and grasp of the essentials of every case’." - Legal 500, 2017

"We turned to Stephensons Solicitors to help us deal with a sensitive and quite traumatic incident involving an accident that a family member was caught up in. Within minutes of my initial phone call to explain the situation, I was contacted by a member of staff who deals with such incidents. He immediately explained how the process was likely to play out and reassured me and my family that he would be available to assist and help us throughout the process. Nothing was too much trouble for him, he kept us informed throughout and always responded to phone calls and emails very promptly and professionally. We felt looked after throughout what was a very hard time for us to. To have legal situations explained to you when your are unsure of how these things work and to know that you are getting full unequivocal and very professional support is very comforting. I cannot recommend this company enough and I will always be grateful for the work that the solicitor at Stephensons did for us. Thank you."
View from a satisfied client

“Stephensons are a firm who will go to great lengths for you, you are given full attention from day one. Mike Pemberton and all his team have been excellent.”
View from a satisfied client
 
“With Stephensons you’ll get excellent advice and representation, which will help you make the right decisions, I speak from experience.”
View from a satisfied client
 
“I have used Stephensons on a number of occasions, for a variety of reasons and have always found them to be reliable, trustful and they carried out my wishes/instructions in full.”
View from a satisfied client
 
“This is how a legal service should be run, I have used other solicitors but Stephensons are in a league of their own.”
View from a satisfied client
 
“The professionalism is of the highest calibre, both written response and personal consultations are prompt; advice given is concise; the resulting actions taken have been highly effective in their outcomes.”
View from a satisfied client
 
“You listened and then explained everything back to me in terms that I understood and put me at ease when I went to Court, I never felt uncomfortable, I had complete trust in you.”
View from a satisfied client

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Crime reorder

  • Correna Platt
  • Sean Joyce
  • Duncan Phillips
  • Martin Pizzey
  • Colin Rawson
  • Andrea Woods
  • Christine Hodge
  • Sarah Prior
  • Callum Gaydecki