ADEELA KHAN
Adeela is an experienced criminal solicitor, having started her career at a well - respected legal aid firm in Tottenham in 2006. Since then, she has successfully represented clients accused of a wide range of offences including murder, drugs supply and serious public order offences.
Since qualifying as a solicitor, Adeela has gained specialist knowledge and expertise in representing clients arrested during protests and for public order offences and is highly recommended by the Network for Police Monitoring as a top solicitor in this field. Adeela is known for being a robust and tactical advocate and has secured a number of acquittals by deploying legal arguments during the trial or pre-trial process. She is adept at identifying weaknesses in the prosecution case and cross-examining police officers to demonstrate to the Court that they have acted unlawfully or improperly. In 2021, she represented several defendants who their convictions for offences arising from Extinction Rebellion protests overturned by the Crown Court, which received national press coverage.
Adeela regularly drafts representations and makes submissions that cases should not be proceeded with, or that an alternative to prosecution should be considered. She carefully considers her client’s needs and vulnerabilities and instructs expert witnesses to assist in persuading the prosecution that they should not continue with the case.
Adeela was nominated for Criminal Defence Legal Aid lawyer of the year in 2022 and has featured in the Law Gazette, Lawyer in the News for her protest related work.
Notable cases
R v H and others – appeals against conviction for obstruction of the highway where it was held that following the Supreme Court decision in Director of Public Prosecutions v Ziegler and Ors, that the protection of articles 10 and 11 of the ECHR extended to a protest which took the form of intentional disruption obstructing others.
R v F – acquittal of defendant for two counts of violent disorder arising from “Black Lives Matter” protests, where there was footage of the defendant’s actions and self-defence successfully raised.
R v M – acquittal of defendant accused of assaulting a prison officer during a large-scale disturbance at HMP Pentonville where several prison officers claimed the defendant had punched and kicked a prison officer.
R v A and others – advocate during 5-day trial where it was found that arms fair protesters were justified in obstructing highway due to prevention of war crimes and illegal weaponry sales
R v F - acquittal of male accused of eight counts including violent disorder after being identified by police as being part of the “London Riots” in August 2011
R v T – persuaded the CPS to drop possession of firearms case against 18-year-old vulnerable female, where a gun was found inside her bedroom wardrobe. Legal argument about exclusion of prejudicial comments made by defendant at scene.
Outside of her practice, Adeela has been Vice President of the London Criminal Courts Solicitors Association, a Trustee at the miscarriage of justice charity, Appeal and has conducted legal training for charities and campaigning groups. She believes that everyone deserves the best defence representation, regardless of their financial resources, and that the government should urgently invest in legal aid and the criminal justice system before it is too late.
