32 | Acquisition International, Issue 1 2024 Leading Fraud/White Collar Crime Defence Solicitors of the Year – Northern England Harris Solicitors Ltd is a firm specialising in criminal defence, particularly in serious, complex, and high-profile cases. The team represent clients charged with a host of offences in the areas of fraud, drugs, terrorism, and sexual offences, and defend across all aspects of prosecution, whether the charges were brought on by the Crown Prosecution Service, regulatory bodies, or other prosecuting authorities. A truly exceptional firm bolstered by a strong and experienced legal team, clients are fought for fiercely in an attempt to secure the best possible outcome every time. We speak with Halima Ali, who provides further insight into the company, its journey, and its successful representation of clients. Contact: Halima Ali Company: Harris Solicitors Ltd Web Address: https://harrissolicitors.org.uk/ Operating since 2012, Harris Solicitors Ltd was founded by Atta Rehman, a duty solicitor and fully accredited police station representative. Upon enrolling at Huddersfield University, Atta worked many labour-intensive positions in order to garner the funds to pay for his tuition, before commencing work at a law firm upon graduating, with the first nine months of this being unpaid as he fought to secure a training contract. During this period, Atta would work for long hours, and was praised by his fellow employees as being one of the hardest workers that his company had ever seen. After more hard work to achieve the certification of being a fully qualified lawyer, Atta made the decision to establish his own firm, and Harris Solicitors was born. More than ten years later, Atta has successfully represented clients of all ages, professions, and backgrounds, giving each case his total, undivided attention, acutely aware that the needs of every client are of paramount importance to manage a successful law firm. Throughout his tenure, Atta has dealt with minor and serious cases, and today is a POCA, serious crime, fraud, and drugs and conspiracy specialist, having demonstrated over the years an ability to handle cases with a keen eye for detail. This knowledge consistently astounds Atta’s colleagues and has resulted in such accreditations as the Legal 500 UK 2015 Star of the Firm, as well as the Legal 500 UK 2015 Leading Individual Award, Harris Solicitors have also been awarded Criminal Law Firm of the year 2023/24. Having been recognised across the nation for this expertise and experience, Atta’s success rate and keenness to tackle every aspect of a case makes him the ultimate choice to have at the helm and he has driven success for more than a decade. Under this tutelage, Harris Solicitors has established itself as a firm well-versed in handling fraud/white collar crime defence cases, with the company’s lawyers regularly advising and representing clients in all these areas, including VAT, mortgage, insurance, or benefits fraud. Due to this area of law being incredibly complex, it is essential to follow the advice and expertise from experienced solicitors, as cases of this calibre often involve vast amounts of data that need to be effectively analysed. Defence lawyers specialising in fraud usually collaborate closely with external experts such as forensic accountants or auditors, as these provide tremendous insight into the particular circumstances. This is clearly an approach that works, as Harris Solicitors’ expert team of defence solicitors have effectively secured the acquittal of many clients who have been accused of complicated and serious fraudulent offences. In a recent example of success, in the field on insurance fraud, a high-profile case undertaken by the firm involved a large number of defendants, all of whom were accused of insurance fraud by impersonating insurance brokers, to a total fraud value of more than £9 million, with the prosecution serving up more than 30,000 pages of evidence. Across the case, Atta and the team at Harris Solicitors were the only ones to secure a dismissal, this in addition to them achieving variations to an imposed POCA restraint, allowing the client to go about his business as usual throughout the proceedings. Whenever Harris Solicitors Ltd handles a case, it is guided by a philosophy that maximises the chances of success for a client, with this fourpoint ethos including not passing judgement, representing all clients fairly, providing the best possible service, and striving to remain professional at all times. It was “Atta’s dream to become a lawyer to represent and help people”, as Halima explains, and now that he has achieved that goal, he and the entire team are driven to curate a firm that clients can listen to and trust and have achieved this award and the title of being the best by working hard. Nov23221
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