Criminal Law: Nick Melville

Nick Melville Nick was born in Liverpool in 1961.

He attended St Edward’s College, Liverpool; studied law at Newcastle Upon Tyne University and the College of Law at Chester.

Nick has specialised as a Criminal Defence Lawyer for over 20 years. He is a Duty Solicitor, a Supervisor on the Serious Fraud Panel and a Higher Courts Advocate in criminal proceedings.

Nick was the partner in charge of the Criminal Department at David Phillips & Partners and then set up Quinn Melville in Liverpool City Centre in 1995.

Nick retains a managing interest in the Police Station / Magistrates’ Department and specialises in serious crime, including serious fraud.

Nick’s recent case load has involved the overturning of a murder conviction in the Court of Appeal Criminal Division; representing a Defendant in the House of Lords in relation to Human Rights issues that defined the protocol for trials continuing in the absence of the Defendant; successfully representing a number of different Defendants in different Operations brought by Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs where the allegations entailed conspiracies to defraud Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs of millions of pounds worth of revenue or duty.

Over the past couple of years Nick has been the Supervisor and Case Manager in a number of serious fraud matters brought under Contract by the Complex Crime Unit.

Nick is presently involved in two separate contracted Complex Crime Unit matters. The first is said to be the biggest ever investigation into drug supply in and around Liverpool. It involves a covert police investigation lasting over 18 months, across 5 Countries in Continental Europe and involves some 14 Defendants.

The second is a Revenue & Customs prosecution in relation to tax fraud in the construction industry, said to involve in excess of £20 million worth of revenue evaded and such a concerted attack on the Taxation Rules relating to the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) that it is in danger of collapse.

Nick works with a small pool of excellent, well known and well respected Barristers and prides himself on the ability to place a particular Defendant with suitable Counsel.

Nick is a keen sports fan and still regularly plays tennis and golf and Quinn Melville have for many years sponsored local junior rugby and football teams. Nick is a season ticket holder at Liverpool Football Club and a keen horseracing fan.