Thomas O'Brien
Thomas has worked at the firm since 2019, joining directly from university after obtaining an LLB in Law from Leeds. He particularly enjoys working on high level fraud and serious criminal cases, and providing outstanding commitment and client care.
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Languages
Thomas's reviews
Education
University of Leeds
Bachelor of Laws (LLB)LLB Law with International Honours4
KU Leuven
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About Thomas
Thomas has been a lawyer with the firm since 2019, and he is based at our Head Office in Salford. He has clients across all of England and Wales, with many in London and South East. Thomas defends all types of criminal allegations and frequently represents people at the police station. He specialises in serious criminal allegations, including defending serious sexual offences and financial crime allegations. He has particular expertise in the niche area of indecent images.
Education
Thomas went to school in Manchester before reading Law at the University of Leeds. As part of his legal studies, he spent a year at the KU Leuven in Belgium where he was taught by the eminent Paul Lemmens, the Belgian judge sitting at the European Court of Human Rights. He completed a dissertation on the international legal principle of the Responsibility to Protect held by signatories to the UN Charter. Thomas then completed his LLB at Leeds University, graduating with honours.
In 2020, Thomas also passed the examinations for representation of clients in the police station.
Approach to the work
Thomas believes that a meticulous approach to each case is essential. His strong view is that everyone deserves to be able to put their defence across properly. He understands the burden that comes with being accused of a criminal offence, and he always makes sure that every potential avenue is explored when preparing a case.
Thomas' committed approach is reflected in the reviews of former clients on Trustpilot and Google. His consistent work ethic has helped many people get the result that they needed.
Writing and Media
Thomas is part of the firm's pioneering Legal Writing Programme. As well as writing free legal articles for the general public which appear on the firm's website, he also trains and mentors other lawyers in the firm in their legal writing.
Outside the law
In his free time, Thomas is a major sports enthusiast. He plays football, badminton and basketball, and he enjoys hiking in the Lake District. Before becoming a lawyer, he played non-league football, the highlight of which was a European tour with a fifteen match run.
Practice areas
Thomas deals with all criminal matters, including terrorism, fraud and public order offences. He has particular experience with cases involving serious sexual offences and indecent images.
Pre-charge Representation
A significant number of Thomas' clients come to him when they are being investigated by the police but no charges have been made. It can be extremely important to conduct this work pre-charge and can even result in the investigation being discontinued or a lesser offence being charged. Thomas takes a proactive approach with both the Police and Crown Prosecution Service to exmaine whether there are any avenues for the case to be dropped at the investigation stage.
Fraud & Financial Crime
Thomas has worked on a number of fraud-related cases across England and Wales. This includes various types of frauds at different levels of seriousness. He has recently prepared a multi-million pound case of VAT fraud in London.
Serious Crime
Thomas deals with cases involving serious crime, including blackmail, perverting the course of justice, serious violent offences, and offences relating to organised drug crime.
Serious Sexual Offences
Thomas has been the prominent lawyer on cases involving serious sexual allegations. These include rape, sexual assault, and alleged sexual offences against children.
Terrorism
Thomas represents individuals accused of terrorism offences by the Home Office, and is building a particular expertise in this area of criminal law. For reasons of sensitivity and the heightened rules governing non-disclosure in these cases, more information cannot be given.
Indecent Images
Thomas has represented a significant number of people accused of this type of offending. He appreciates the social stigma that comes with accusations of this nature and always ensures that clients feel that they have someone who is fighting their corner when preparing for a trial.
There are sometimes clients who wish to plead guilty to these offences, often because they have made admissions to the police before even being interviewed and retaining a lawyer. Thomas has great experience preparing cases in these circumstances both at court and during the investigation stage of proceedings, with the aim of reducing the criminal penalty and limiting the reputational damage.
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