CALL OUR PHONE LINE MAKE AN ENQUIRY

Law Specialists

Our Team

Lawtons Criminal Solicitors was set up in September 2004 with one aim: to provide outstanding advice to those accused of criminal offences.

Private Client Team

Nick Titchener

Managing Partner

A dedicated defence solicitor and Solicitor Advocate, Nick is one of the founding directors of Lawtons and specialises in complex and serious crime – particularly drug crime, violence and sexual offences. Nick tends to deal with privately funded cases, where clients demand a higher level of service and attention to detail.

Stephen Halloran

Managing Partner

Stephen Halloran is one of the founding directors of Lawtons and is a specialist criminal defence solicitor, with over 25 years’ experience in criminal law. He is a Solicitor Advocate and helps his clients to navigate through complex litigation, presenting the best possible defence.

Dawn McKnight

Partner

Dawn qualified as a solicitor in 2004 and joined the firm in 2006. Dawn has experience in all aspects of Criminal work and regularly appears in the Magistrates Court and Police Station.

Joanne Cestaro

Partner

Jo is a Partner at Lawtons and one of the longest serving solicitors at the firm. She has specialised in criminal defence work since qualifying in 1997 and has experience dealing with all aspects of criminal litigation.

Paul Dillon

Partner

Paul is a senior solicitor and consultant with over 20 years’ experience in all aspects of criminal law and with an increasing emphasis on the private instructed individuals who want to ensure a guaranteed level of service.

Massimo Trebar

Partner

Massimo is a solicitor who has worked in criminal law since 2000, with exceptional skill in all aspects of case preparation and advocacy. He is renowned for his ability to adapt and effectively support each individual client.

Andy Hobdell

Partner

Andy Hobdell is a highly motivated and experienced Criminal Solicitor and consultant. With over 20 years of experience Andy has dealt with a wide range of cases within the Magistrates Court and Crown Court. Andy primarily deals with cases within Hertfordshire and London.

Glen Henry

Solicitor Advocate

Glen is a Solicitor Advocate and has 25 years experience in dealing with serious and complex criminal cases. He regularly appears in the Crown Court as well as appearing in the Magistrates Court on a range of cases including Proceeds of Crime enforcement.

Our Lawyers

Kajel Doshi

Senior Solicitor

Kajel is a Senior Solicitor and has extensive experience in criminal defence. She represents clients facing a range of criminal charges and provides her full attention and enthusiasm in all cases.

Nick Seeley

Senior Solicitor

Nick Seeley is a Solicitor with multiple years experience in all aspects of criminal law. He has represented a number of defendants in high profile cases.

Andrew Morton

Solicitor Advocate

Andrew qualified in 1981 and joined Lawtons in 2011. He has practised as a Criminal Solicitor throughout his career, and has also a range of experience in other areas of law.

Crystal Plummer

Duty Solicitor

Crystal is a Duty Solicitor with over twelve years experience, specialising in criminal defence. She has experience in all aspects of criminal litigation and is renowned for providing excellent quality service to all clients.

Samantha Harmer

Duty Solicitor

Samantha is a Duty Solicitor and accredited Police Station Representative with extensive experience in preparing Crown Court cases. She has experience in a variety of criminal matters and focuses on building trust with her clients to best support them through difficult times.

Lauren Gilbert

Solicitor

Lauren is a Solicitor and an accredited Police Station Representative. She works on our Magistrates Court team and is heavily involved in our youth justice department.

Christopher Wilson

Solicitor

Christopher is a Solicitor Apprentice and Accredited Police Station Representative based at our St Albans office. He has a range of experience both preparing and assisting Magistrates and Crown Court cases.

Angie Deacon

Legal Executive

Angie joined Lawtons in 2009 but has worked in criminal defence for over 30 years. Angie is an accredited Police Station Representative and Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives.

Toni Hennessy-Ling

Legal Executive

Toni joined Lawtons in 2018 and is based in our Leighton Buzzard office. She is experienced in all areas of criminal law and has worked with a wide range of clients over the past twenty-three years.

Lynn Warren

Legal Executive

Lynn joined the Lawtons team in 2005 and is based at our Leighton Buzzard office. She is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives.

Nicola Hobdell

Consultant

Nicola joined Lawtons in 2012 and works within our Hertford office dealing mainly with Crown Court matters. She is able to put her clients at ease and provide them with clear guidance at all stages.

Russell Robinson

Consultant

Russell qualified as a Solicitor in 1994, and Solicitor-Advocate in 2007. Specialising in Criminal Defence, he has handled the full range of offences including murder, serious fraud and aircraft hijacking.

Finbarr Cuneen

Consultant

Finbarr qualified as a solicitor in 1992 and has worked exclusively within the criminal justice field. He provides sound, robust legal advice and assistance and all with a thoroughly approachable manner.

Patrick O’Reilly

Consultant

Patrick qualified as a Solicitor in 1992 and joined the Lawtons team in 2026 as a Consultant Solicitor. He has significant experience in the field of criminal defence with an extensive client base.

Kim Cresswell

Police Station Manager

Kim has worked in criminal defence for over 20 years representing clients across a broad spectrum of criminal offences which include murder, firearm offences, complex fraud cases, large scale drug supply and serious sex offences.

Keith Simmonett

Police Station Representative

Keith is an Accredited Police Station Representative with over 30 years’ experience of working in the criminal justice system. He has experience working with complex cases and is recognised for his attention to detail and commitment to his clients.

Thomas Evans

Police Station Representative

Thomas is an Accredited Police Station Representative with over 15 years experience working as both a police station representative and as a Crown Court manager. He has experience dealing with the most complex and serious criminal cases and takes the utmost care to support and advise his clients.

Laura O’Brien

Police Station Representative and Crown Court Paralegal

Laura has over 10 years’ experience in criminal law, working across Crown and Magistrates’ court trial prep, police station representation and billing.

Meghan Frazzoni

Solicitor Apprentice

Meghan joined Lawtons in 2026 as a Solicitor Apprentice and is currently working towards her Police Station Accreditation.

Ross Wilson

Paralegal

Ross joined the team in June 2025 as a Paralegal and is currently studying for the SQE exams with the aiming of ultimately qualifying as a solicitor.

Kriti Virmani

Paralegal

Kriti joined the team in November 2025 as a Paralegal at our St Albans office. A recent graduate from the University of Cambridge, Kriti intends to practice in Criminal Law.

Maya Sanderson

Paralegal

Maya joined as a Paralegal at our St Albans Office in January 2026. Having completed her PGDL, she is now studying for the SQE and intends to qualify as a solicitor.

Our Support Team

Louise Waters

Finance Controller

Louise joined Lawtons in October 2014 as an Accounts Assistant and is responsible for ensuring that all company Rules and Regulations are upheld. She has many years’ experience working within highly regulated environments.

Amy Thompson

Accounts and Crown Court Billing

Amy joined Lawtons in 2010 and is a qualified Legal Cashier. She is responsible for all financial transactions and for processing and submitting bills for our Crown Court Department.

Asher Marley

Billing Clerk

ashermarley@lawtonslaw.co.uk

Karen Hicks

Compliance Manager

Karen joined Lawtons in 2005 as a Police Station Representative, after working in London for 9 years. After working in this role for 16 years, she moved to an administrative role and is now the Compliance Manager.

Klara Ferraioli-Schubert

Marketing Executive

Klara is our Marketing Executive, where she is responsible for promoting Lawtons’ services and plays a key role in enhancing the firm’s visibility by creating and sharing content that celebrates the work of our solicitors.

Pauline Anthony

Legal Secretary

Pauline is the one of the secretaries at Lawtons and is the first point of contact for the majority of our clients when they call.

Aisha Yasmin

Legal Secretary

Aisha is a Legal Secretary at our St Albans office. She ensures a welcoming experience for all clients and provides essential support to our solicitors.

Audrey Tonge

Legal Secretary

Audrey joined Lawtons in February 2025 as a Legal Secretary. She is based in our St Albans office in reception and is the first point of contact for clients.

Lucy Clifford

Legal Secretary

Lucy joined Lawtons in February 2026 as a legal secretary based at our St Albans office. She provides support for our solicitors through IT skills and liaising with clients.