During the first six months of Thomas’s pupillage, he has observed various hearings across jurisdictions; most of his time has been spent in the Crown Court and Magistrates Court but he has also experienced proceedings in the High Court, Medical Practitioners Tribunal, Police and Disciplinary Tribunal.
In this period Thomas has drafted numerous legal documents including advices on appeal and on sentence, defence statements and Regulation 31 responses (Police) and skeleton arguments on subjects ranging from abuse of process, disclosure and bad character.
As Thomas began his own practice in his second six months of pupillage, he has prosecuted and defended in a range of hearings in both the Crown Court and the Magistrates Court. Defending specifically, he has represented a number of clients suffering from both mental and physical health issues and has successfully navigated the complexities of their case. One particular example involved Thomas making ‘exceptional hardship’ submissions on behalf of a client with suicidal thoughts and successfully retaining his driver’s license.
He remains calm and capable at all times when faced with the significant pressure of the criminal justice system, an attribute which sets Thomas apart from his peer group and has yielded positive results. One particular case recently Thomas secured a community order for a Police Sergeant who had pleaded guilty to a strangulation and an assault on a taxi driver. In these proceedings his confidence enabled him to balance the unique strains that come with representing police officers.
Thomas welcomes any instructions in his area of expertise and is developing a broad criminal practice.
