Tony Meisels

PARTNER

Tony joined Lewis Nedas & Co as a paralegal in 1992. Having qualified as a solicitor in 2000, Tony became a partner in June 2003.

Tony is an experienced criminal practitioner dealing with a wide range of cases prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service, Revenue and Customs, the Department of Work and Pensions and the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. These cases include serious crime such as murder, GBH, fraud, robbery, people trafficking, rape (including allegations of historical sexual abuse) and the supply of drugs. Tony regularly appears in the Magistrates’ courts across London and the South-East and also represents clients at police stations.

In 2006 Tony obtained his Higher Rights of Audience which enables him to also represent clients in the Crown court.

Recent significant cases include R v Kennedy and others in which Tony represented a businesswoman who was alleged to have obtained over £1 million by deception by persuading clients to invest in two businesses involving cosmetic and ophthalmic laser machines and chip vending machines.  Ultimately after 2 trials, Tony’s client was acquitted of all 35 charges.

At present Tony is handling a multi million pound Ponzi fraud (R v N and others) where his client is one of 6 awaiting trial. Tony is also defending one of 3 co-defendants (R v M and others) accused of a murder on the south coast last year.

Tony also represented one of the six defendants in the case of R -v- Gill and Others, a conspiracy to permit illegal immigrants to enter or remain in the UK through the arrangement of bogus marriages. The case was widely reported in the national press in March 2005.

Other significant cases include that of a West African diplomat (R v T) who appeared in court charged with the importation of a substantial quantity of cocaine and the evasion of the prohibition on importing conflict diamonds. The case was complex and concerned issues of diplomatic immunity. Another case was a multi-handed people trafficking for sex matter(R v A and others)  which received some press coverage.

An area Tony has increasingly focused on in recent years is that of internet child pornography and related offences. He has established an expertise in such cases which often involve complex technical evidence and is able to access forensic computer experts and experienced trial counsel when representing those defendants who wish to contest their cases. Where the client wishes to admit guilt, a properly prepared plea in mitigation can be instrumental in securing a more lenient sentence. With his knowledge and experience, Tony can still effectively represent such clients and deal with the ancillary orders which inevitably follow.

Tony is a member of the London Criminal Courts Solicitors Association.