Leila is a tenacious criminal advocate whose charming and down-to-earth character sets her apart in terms of her advocacy as well as her ability to build lasting relationship with clients from all walks of life.
Leila specialises in criminal law and is a CPS Level 2 Panel advocate. She prosecutes and defends an array of offences including drugs, violence, dishonesty and sexual offences and has a flourishing jury practice. She has experience in the Crown, Magistrates’ and Youth Courts.
She has experience dealing with vulnerable witnesses and clients, including those with acute mental health problems. She is thus familiar with the fitness to plead procedure and mental health disposals available to any sentencing Court.
Before practising at the Bar, Leila worked within the international development sector in Iraq, Turkey and Syria working for United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other Non-Governmental Organisations. Her understanding of cultural sensitivities is aided by her experience of working within diverse communities and within multinational contexts.
Leila’s background of campaigning on issues of social justice is what informed her career path. She continues to try to make a difference in her community by volunteering. She, therefore, takes pride in representing vulnerable individuals and leaving no stone unturned.
Notable Cases:
R v P.M (2023): Leila successfully defended the Defendant at trial facing two counts of strangulation. The Defendant had a previous conviction for murder, therefore a conviction at trial would have had undoubtable serious consequences for any likelihood of a future release. Following a three-day trial, Not Guilty verdicts on all counts were returned by the jury at York Crown Court.
R v G, W et al ; R v F, R and S; R v C & H (2023): Leila acted as disclosure junior on a large drugs OCG across four criminal trials. It led to multiple Guilty verdicts and/or pleas from 7 out of 9 Defendants (the jury was hung in respect of one Defendant).
Highly Reported Cases:
R v Lee Kennett Moore: prosecuting a man who was described as an ‘incredibly inept’ burglar caught dangling upside down by his shoelaces. Reported across all local media and national media including Private Eye and BBC News