Pictured above: Ghulam Sohail
Ghulam Sohail, head of the only West Midlands' based business
and serious crime legal team with UK-wide ranking in the globally
recognised Chambers directory, has been appointed to the management
board of Midlands law firm Challinors.
Partner in charge of Challinors' 17-strong Business and Serious
Crime Department, Ghulam Sohail has received the highest rankings
for Criminal work in the West Midlands' regional section of the
latest edition of the Chambers & Partners Directory - the UK's
most respected guide to the leading solicitors and barristers in
over 70 specialist areas of law - for the third consecutive year.
He is a VHCC Panel A Member.
Ghulam joins Challinors' other board representatives, senior
partner and board chairman, Paul Griffiths, chief executive Andy
Hodges, partner and head of Wills Fiona Debney and Clinical
Negligence partner Nick Tubb. The board has responsibility for
strategic development and day-to-day decisions for the firm, which
are ratified by Challinors partnership, and develops its short to
long term plans and identifies opportunities for the firm, in
particular for sustaining its expansion and acquisition
strategies.
Challinors' Business and Serious Crime department represents
private and publically funded clients in matters
investigated/prosecuted by CPS, HMRC, SOCA, SFO and the Counter
Terrorism Unit. Recent successes have including defending in a
Counter Terrorism prosecution, representing a Customs Officer and
CPS caseworker in relation to allegations of corruption, a prison
inmate investigated for an alleged escape from prison with
terrorist members, and advising a UK subsidiary of a Japanese plc
in relation to breach of UN sanctions relating to the sale of
dual-purpose material.
"The volume of instructions for our team has doubled in the last
12 months, with a significant percentage involving high value HM
Revenue & Customs cases and mortgage fraud, no doubt a
reflection on the difficult times brought about by the global
economic downturn," comments Ghulam. "We predict instructions will
continue at the current rate, if not increase, for clients both
inside and outside of the Midlands region; the expertise of our
team and highly cost effective services is a significant draw,
particularly for clients and organisations in London."
Of Ghulam's appointment to the management board, Challinors'
Andy Hodges comments: "Now that Ghulam is a member of the
management board, Challinors can take full advantage of his
exceptional legal and strategic business acumen. Doubtless, he will
make a significant contribution to the tactical growth of the firm,
having demonstrated his ability as a criminal lawyer, heading a
team that has experienced a consistent rise in the volume, size and
scope of instructions, which will have benefits to developing the
other corporate and private client teams."
Challinors has offices in Birmingham, West Bromwich,
Wolverhampton, Halesowen and Nottingham. The firm has 24 partners
and over 100 fee earners, and is ranked as one of the top legal
firms in the West Midlands, being Number 1 in the Chambers UK
Directory in a number of categories, including Clinical Negligence
and crime and business defence.