Leila Gaskin
Year of Call: 2000
Affiliations: South Eastern Circuit
Specialist Areas: General Crime, Serious Crime, Homicide, Serious Violent Offences, Firearms, Large Drugs Related Offences, Terrorism, Sexual Offences, Serious Fraud & White Collar Crime, Police Disciplinary Tribunals
Biography
Leila Gaskin is a highly regarded criminal practitioner with a busy practice both as a junior and led junior in a wide range of cases. In particular she specialises in the following areas of law:
Fraud and Complex Cases
Large Scale Drugs Conspiracies
Police Discipline
Regarding Fraud and Complex Cases, Leila has for many years now been instructed as a junior in a number of high profile, complex and lengthy cases. Her ability, background and experience in cases involving complicated matters of disclosure and vast amounts of material (evidential and financial) has led to her instruction in an advisory capacity both prosecuting and defending such cases. She is instructed by a number of well known firms of solicitors and by a number of prosecution authorities in this regard such as Casework Directorate and the Fraud Prosecution Service.
Leila’s experience in Large Scale Drugs Conspiracies - having been instructed frequently in cases of this nature - has led her to have a busy and demanding practice in this area. She has particular experience in multi-handed prosecutions that bring with them challenging issues of evidence, disclosure and manageability and is, therefore, familiar with all the recent protocols in this regard.
Over the last few years Leila has been instructed more and more frequently in cases of police discipline. These are often complicated and sensitive cases that require careful handling and of course detailed knowledge of the recent change in the regulations and the independent reviews that have resulted in these changes.
Leila both defends and prosecutes in the Crown Court. She regularly works with a number of defence solicitors to represent defendants charged with a broad spectrum of offences. She seems to have developed a niche in representing defendants in cases where there are issues concerning mental health law and cases where there are young witnesses involved. As a result, she is frequently asked to advise on cases of this kind.
Furthermore, Leila is a Grade 3 Prosecutor and is instructed frequently by the Crown Prosecution Service in London in that capacity to prosecute often long and complicated cases such as frauds and multi-handed cases. In addition she prosecutes for the following authorities:
Serious Organised Crime Agency
Directorate of Professional Standards (Metropolitan Police Service Anti-Corruption Command)
Department of Work and Pensions
Westminster City Council
Crown Prosecution Service in the Administrative Court and the High Court (Family Division)
Equally she has acted for a number of authorities in the following capacity:
The Civil Aviation Authority in the Coroner's Court
Applicants at Parole Board Hearings
Applicants before the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board
Officers at Police Disciplinary Tribunals