More Good News...

We are continuing with our 'Good News from Wainwright & Cummins' theme with this blog post, though watch this space for an 'Access to Justice Bulletin' later today in which we will be considering some rather less good news from the world of legal aid. But for now, our highly experienced Crown Court ligitator Mr Marvin Roberts discusses some recent successes, and the meaning of success in criminal work.

Success is difficult to measure and to quantify and is very often a very personal thing. In our job, success is measured in many different ways. The success of this firm is measured almost exclusively in the results of our cases and in that respect we have been very successful in the last year. In the last quarter our success has been astronomical and personally I have had a plethora of acquittals that have meant a lot to me: the offences have ranged from the basic Crown Court theft, to the most heinous.

I would like to say that this is a reflection of the work that I put in to the cases, but I can honestly say that I have always put in as much work as possible. I have always spent at least eight hours at work each day and then spent long periods at home or at police stations continuing the work that I do. Most people will never see the work that my colleagues and I put in but our families will be very aware of it.

So in the last few months I have been extremely successful. I have had acquittals on all of my Crown Court cases, many of which were newsworthy and reported prior to the conclusion; in several of those cases the evidence appeared overwhelming, but we have got to the central issues and the juries have come to their conclusions.

That however, is just one measure. For me, I get a great sense of achievement from the not guilty verdicts, but also from the knowledge that I am valued by those that I work with. I value that my clients constantly put their trust in me and that they are confident enough in my work that they will entrust their family and friends to me. I value that when I walk into a police station, I have the trust of the person that I represent and the respect of the police officer in front of me. That officer will be aware that I will vociferously uphold the law for my client and ensure that they have the best possible advice and that my representation will go way beyond that of someone who is simply doing enough.

That then is the value of my success at Wainwright & Cummins; being an important part of an ever changing, vibrant Brixton community and seeing the positive results of my work in the thanks and the appreciation of those that I represent and those that I work for.