Andrew Rootsey LLB ACILEx

As well as a qualified Police Station Representative, Andrew is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (ACILEx). 

As such he is bound by the Institutes regulatory body and keeps up to date with developments in the law and is obliged to maintain his CPD record. 

Andrew has worked as a freelance police station accredited representative for many years and is regularly instructed by a number of prominent and well regarded firms listed in the Chambers & Partners legal directory and the Legal 500, as well as a large number of smaller, up and coming firms.

Specialising in criminal law Andrew has worked in this field for over 13 years and has been a Police Station Accredited Representative for almost a decade.  

During this time Andrew has represented clients at the police station for almost every criminal offence imaginable, ranging from driving offences to murder. 

Andrew has represented clients at the police station from every walk of life, from Premiership Football Managers to Surgeons, Actuaries to Union officials. Andrew has dealt with clients from across the globe from a wide ranging source of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. He has also acted for vulnerable youths and adults. 

He embarked on his career in criminal law in 1999 at Kaim Todner solicitors as an outdoor clerk where he quickly established himself as the leading clerk at the firm. He spent the vast majority of his time working at the Central Criminal Court alongside some of the most renowned barristers and QCs in the U.K, many of whom now sit as Crown Court Judges and Recorders. As a result Andrew was heavily involved in some of the most serious and well known cases in recent times (e.g. Victoria Climbe murder). The experience of being involved first hand in such cases alongside the leading advocates of the time has proved invaluable over the years. 

Having quickly realised that he had ‘found his calling in life’ Andrew embarked upon the LLB part time at the University of East London, completing his studies in the evenings whilst working full time. Whilst studying for a law degree and working full time was at times a challenge, Andrew graduated from the University with a 2:1 Honours degree. 

In the meantime, as a trusted and valued member of staff Andrew quickly progressed through the ranks running his own files and establishing his own client base. 

At around this time, Andrew was also heavily involved in the preparation of the oft cited case of R-v-Hoare and Pierce. The trial concerned the large scale manufacture of amphetamine and would later became one of the important cases with regards adverse inferences that may be drawn at trial following silence in police interview

In addition to working full time and studying for his degree, Andrew successfully passed all the elements of the Police Station Accreditation Scheme examinations at the University of Cardiff. 

Later, via his links with leader of the Rail Maritime and Transport Union, Andrew was instrumental in the agreement between the firm and the RMT Union for the firm to become the official criminal defence solicitors for the Union. The agreement led the firm not only to represent Union members nationwide for offences including manslaughter (Railway Manslaughter, Health and Safety) but also extended to family members and friends across the U.K. 

A small but very busy department dealing solely with the Unions cases was set up, with Andrew acting as the head clerk alongside the solicitor in charge of the department. The department dealt with a huge array of offences from defective handbrakes to GBH and rape. Many of the cases were privately funded by the union whilst others were legally aided. 

Andrew later became involved with a criminal appeals department for another leading criminal defence firm, namely Edward Hayes solicitors, assisting clients with appeals to the Court of Appeal, reviewing evidence and making representations to the Criminal Cases Review Commission before branching out on his own, becoming a Freelance Police Station Representative attending police stations across the country. 

Andrew derives a huge amount of pleasure working in this capacity as a Police Station Representative and revels in the pressurised environment of the police station where key decisions on the eventual outcome of the case are made. There can be little doubt that the advice and representation provided at the police station, often in difficult and stressful circumstances for the client, can have the greatest bearing on any given case.

It is a responsibility Andrew continues to relish and enjoy as he continues to represent every single client to the best of his ability, as he strives to obtain the best possible outcome for every one of his clients.

In his spare time Andrew enjoys a round of golf and following the trials and tribulations of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, something he hopes you will not hold against him!