Nick Brett

PARTNER

Partner at City Office specialising in all aspects of serious crime and related civil litigation including judicial review; POCA civil asset forfeiture, confiscation, cash detention and forfeiture and money laundering investigations /proceedings; extensive experience in dealing with criminal appeals; advises and represents clients defending all types of regulatory and criminal offences; regularly instructed to appear for private clients summonsed for motoring offences; Higher Courts Advocate; acts for the Respondent in SOCA v Pelekanos (2009 EWHC 2307) in which allegations of drug dealing and money laundering in support of a claim for a civil recovery order were rejected; acts for all three Claimants in Scopelight and others v FACT and others (2009 EWCA Civ 1156) which decided the extent of police property retention powers in connection with private prosecutions; other recent reported cases include Muse and Others (2007 EWHC) and Salih (2007 EWCA 2750); acted for M in the R(M) v Isleworth Crown Court and HM Customs and Excise case which established the right to judicial review over Crown Court bail decisions (2005 EWHC 363); in R v Anderson whose conviction for murder was quashed (2005 EWCA 492) and acquitted following re-trial (2006).

Other recent cases include:

  • R v W (2008) – successful defence of trade mark infringement of money laundering allegations
  • BERR v C (2008) – successful defence of director disqualification proceedings
  • R v A (2007) – successful settlement of confiscation proceedings where the Crown were seeking in excess of £1m in assets

Career:
Trained Saunders Solicitors LLP; qualified 2000; joined Lewis Nedas in 2006; partner 2008.

Member:
London Criminal Courts Solicitors Association.

Education:
Skinners’ Grammar School, Tunbridge Wells; Thames Valley University (1996 LLB Hons).

Personal:
Born 1969; resides London.