MEET THE TEAM

Dave qualified as a solicitor in 1984, having obtained a degree in law from the University of Birmingham before completing his final exams after a year at the College of Law in Chester. He returned home to Liverpool to complete his training with a local firm. Dave has been working as a criminal lawyer in Liverpool and latterly Knowsley for 34 years. He is a higher court advocate and heads the criminal law team at Levins Solicitors having joined the firm in 2002. Dave mainly works on crown court cases but he also represents clients in the magistrates court on a regular basis.

Over many years Dave has accepted instructions from falsely accused teachers and carers. He has been involved in many high profile and complex enquiries and has developed expertise in this area that frequently results in instructions from outside the Merseyside area. In recent years he has been involved in advising on regulatory matters including matters relating to safeguarding issues. Dave has experience of health and safety prosecutions and has advised companies facing OFSTED investigation in relation to the running of care and children’s homes.

Outside of work Dave is the chair of governors at Calderstones School. He is an associate governor of Huyton with Roby CE Primary school. He is the Chair of Woolton FC and has an active involvement in the administration of local amateur football.

Tracy graduated from The University of Teesside in Accounting with Law BA (Hons.) in 1998. She then completed the Common Professional examination in Law and Legal Practice Course at the University of Northumbria . Tracy qualified as a Solicitor in May 2003 and was admitted as a duty solicitor in 2004 having completed Stage 1 of the Criminal Accreditation Scheme.

Tracy joined the firm in 2003. She has extensive experience as a Criminal Lawyer. She has a particular interest in representing people with ASD and is an Ambassador for St Helens Rugby League Disability Team and Treasurer for Connect, a charity in St Helens which supports disabled young people.

Tracy is Managing Partner of the firm.  She has a Puggle called Stanley who often accompanies her to the office.

I am a criminal defence solicitor and work exclusively in the area of criminal law. I obtained an LLB Honours Degree from Cardiff University in 1990 and upon qualification as a solicitor in 1995, I began to work as a criminal defence solicitor.

I have extensive experience of advising suspects in the police station in relation to a vast array of criminal allegations and have represented thousands of defendants involved in criminal prosecutions. I have represented defendants in relation to a variety of serious criminal cases including high profile murder cases, misconduct in public office cases and I regularly act in cases involving serious sexual wrongdoing.

I successfully defended one of two suspects charged with Cheshire’s first ‘no body’ murder. He was acquitted after a lengthy trial and considerable hard work by myself and the defence team.

My experience of defending in drug cases is particularly extensive, from a multi-billion pound international importation case (said to be the UK’s largest ever) to county-lines conspiracies.

I defend in proceeds of crime confiscation cases, and in one case saved my client from an order for the confiscation of in excess of £12,000,000.

I am a criminal defence solicitor appearing in the Magistrates Court, Youth Court and Crown Court across the Northwest on a daily basis.

I obtained a BA honours degree from Nottingham Trent University in 1984, and qualified in 1990. Since 1997 I have been a criminal law specialist.

I am also a duty solicitor and regularly attend police stations to advise suspects under caution in all manner of criminal cases. I have developed a particular skill for dealing with young Defendants.

Over the years I have dealt with the whole spectrum of criminal cases from straight forward motoring allegations to nationally significant homicide cases. I am a higher Court criminal advocate and appear increasingly in the Crown Court to represent Defendants facing serious criminal charges.

Michelle joined JR Levins in August 2025 as Head of Conveyancing. Michelle qualified in 1999 and has spent many years working for firms in Warrington & Runcorn firstly as a conveyancing solicitor and then latterly in conveyancing management.

Outside of work, Michelle is a keen reader (primarily of historical non-fiction/fiction, science fiction and thrillers) and, to offset the sedentary nature of this, attempts weekly ballet classes and is beginning to learn archery. She can also be found supporting Widnes Vikings RFL having been a season ticket holder for many years

Karla joins us from her own Estate Planning practice to become Head of Wills and Probate at JR Levins Solicitors. She has nearly two decades of experience in Estate Planning and Probate Administration dealing with a range of clients from care home fee planning to business succession planning.

 Karla said: “I am delighted to begin a new chapter with JR Levins Solicitors having consulted here for nearly 4 years. In my new role, I am committed to leveraging technology to create better experiences for clients, ensuring that their needs are met with greater efficiency and care.”

Jon has acted in many different types of cases and many different courts and tribunals, both as solicitor and advocate. He began his first ever case while still in law school – a discrimination claim against a major airline on behalf of his disabled aunt, which resulted in a win that was reported in the national press. Jon has a particular interest in free speech and belief discrimination, and is frequently instructed by people who have been discriminated against because of their gender critical beliefs.

Jannine graduated from Bolton University in 2002 with a BA Hons degree in law and psychology. She then completed the GDL through the College of Law and completed this in 2005. Jannine then completed her LPC at the College of Law, Chester and completed this course in 2008. Jannine qualified as a Solicitor in 2008.

Jannine joined the firm in May 2019 and has a lot of experience in family law with a particular interest in children matters including private and public law. Jannine also deals with divorce and financial settlements arising from divorce or separation.

Jannine is approachable and understanding and is able to guide clients through very difficult times. Jannine is the head of our Family Law division.

Louise is the Head of our busy Magistrates’ Department and a Criminal Advocate

Having initially qualified as Police Station Accredited Representative in 1999, Louise studied at John Moores University and went on to become a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives in 2005, and in 2008, became one of the very first lawyers in the country to be awarded the status of CILEX Criminal Advocate. Louise is also a qualified Duty Advocate and Legal Aid Supervisor.

Louise is one of our longest serving members of staff having been with the firm since 2003.

Louise predominantly represents defendants in the Magistrates’ Courts, dealing with all aspects of criminal litigation across the Northwest and beyond. As well as this, Louise regularly attends police stations to advise clients on some of the most serious of offences, including murder, sexual and drug offences.

Gary qualified as a Solicitor in 1992 and has lived and worked in Warrington for over 30 years.

Gary is a skilled and enterprising Defence Lawyer who has experience of a wide range of Criminal Law cases, including many clients charged with serious offences, such as Murder, Drug Trafficking, Conspiracies of various kinds and Fraud/Money Laundering.

One of Gary’s most high-profile cases involved his successful defence of two Company Directors charged with illegally selling military equipment to the Sri Lankan Government.

Gary is a dedicated and meticulous lawyer who will frequently advance defences and technical legal arguments overlooked by others.

Before joining JR Levins in January 2025, Gary was previously a Partner at FDR Law, a regional law firm based in Warrington, and more recently the national law firm Taylor Rose.

Gary has served on the Legal Services Commission Costs Appeal Committee and provided ‘pro bono’ legal advice at the Warrington Citizens Advice Bureau for many years.

I am a criminal defence solicitor, working exclusively in criminal law. I obtained a degree in Biochemistry and Genetics and then converted to Law. I did my training contract at Jones Robertson and have now been qualified for 25 years, practising solely in crime in the Magistrates Court.

I have gained a lot of experience dealing with vulnerable youths and adults with mental illness and learning disabilities. I am also a duty solicitor.

I am an experienced criminal solicitor and Higher Court Advocate.  My areas of expertise include trial advocacy representing defendants across an extensive range of criminal offences, including cases of domestic violence, assault, theft and fraud.

I have represented children as young as 11 who have found themselves caught up in the criminal justice system and I advise young people in the police station and the Youth Court.

I appear regularly in Magistrates and Crown Courts throughout Cheshire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester.

As a proficient advocate and accredited police station representative, I support clients from the initial police investigation to representation at court.

Joe graduated from University of Leeds in 2012 with a 2:1 degree in Law LLB, before completing the LPC at the College of Law, York, receiving commendation. He qualified in London as a solicitor in 2017 before moving back to the North. Joe initially practised in Chester for a couple of years before moving to practice in Liverpool, where he has been since 2019

Joe joined Levins in June 2022 and has settled in well. Originally from Burnley, Lancashire, he now feels very much at home in his adopted city.

Joe specialises in criminal defence and is duty qualified. This involves attending magistrates’ courts and police stations across Merseyside, the North West and in some cases, nationally to represent individuals. He is also a qualified supervisor.

Alice graduated from University of Liverpool in 2020 with a degree in Law and is currently studying her Legal Practice Course at the University of Law.

Alice joined Levins as a Paralegal in the Family Department in November 2022, having previously worked in Mental Health and Human Rights law.

Alice has a keen interest in Family Law, particularly in relation to injunctions and divorce proceedings.

Alice assists the solicitors within the department and often attends court to support clients.

I qualified in 1981 after graduating from Manchester University with LLB honours in Law.

I specialise in residential conveyancing and re-mortgage work, with over 40 years experience in this area.

I can also offer advice in commercial property matters both lease hold and free hold together with business transfers such as newsagents, takeaway business, and manufacturing businesses both in and outside the borough of Halton.

Finally, I also prepare wills, obtain grants of probate, letters of administration, Estate administration and Powers of Attorney.

Hannah has worked for JR levins for a number of years and you may mostly recognise her from Police Stations where she has a great deal of experience dealing with serious criminal matters. Hannah often represents a whole host of clients, adults and children as an accredited station representative and duty solicitor representative. 

Hannah is often out at the police stations across Cheshire and Merseyside during the day and night, and when based in the office, works on our Magistrates files predominately.

Hannah is currently undertaking her CILEX Criminal Advocate Course.

Adele has 25 years experience of working within Criminal Law.

During that time she has performed a variety of roles, but for the last few years has concentrated on dealing with complex criminal defence cases, including high profile murders.  She has an excellent reputation within the Court world and her professional expertise is highly regarded by barristers throughout the North West.

I am a legal assistant in JR Levins Solicitors’ criminal legal department. I have worked at the solicitors since 1988.

I regularly attend at police stations to advise Defendants under caution and I have substantial experience in all sorts of cases from the most straight forward to serious sexual offences and murder cases.

I am a fully accredited police station representative and a duty solicitor representative.

Dan graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2024 with a 2:1 degree in Law and is currently studying for his SQE at BPP University.

Dan joined JR Levins as an Assistant in the Criminal Department in January 2024 whilst completing the final stages of his law degree.

Dan has a keen interest in Civil Litigation, particularly in relation to personal injury and discrimination cases.

Nikki is an apprentice paralegal specialising in wills and lasting powers of attorney within the Wills and Probate team. She supports clients with the preparation of key legal documents and offers guidance through the often sensitive process of planning for the future.

Prior to joining the team, she gained valuable experience across other areas of the firm, giving her a strong foundation in legal practice. Nikki’s broad experience and approachable manner help her provide clear, compassionate support to clients during important personal and legal transitions.                                                        

I joined Jones Robertson in May 2021 and am currently doing a distance learning course in my spare time to become a qualified conveyancer, specialising in residential transactions, including sales, purchases, transfers, re-mortgages and lease extensions.

Carla Wright joined Levins Solicitors in 2011, and  has risen to the position of Conveyancing Executive and is a senior member of the team. Carla deals with all aspects of residential conveyancing, including freehold and leasehold properties, sales, purchases, re-mortgages, transfer of equity and right to buy transactions.

Sarah started at the firm in 2018 as an assistant in the Conveyancing Department, later transferring to the Private Client team.

Sarah had a friendly and approachable nature and was always willing to assist client and other members of staff.

Sarah will always be sadly missed by everyone here at JR Levins.

Stanley is our youngest member of staff and is distinctive insofar as he has absolutely no interest in the law.  In fact, Stanley’s only interest is himself.  He enjoys eating chicken, growling at male dogs and being the centre of attention.  Stanley is an Evertonian.