Meet the team

Richard Silver

Richard Silver

Senior Solicitor

Richard Silver qualified in 1986 and is the firm’s Senior Solicitor. With over thirty years’ experience, including eight as a Senior Crown Prosecutor, he is now a criminal defence specialist and deals primarily with motoring cases, including speeding, drink driving and drug driving. He also deals with road haulage, regulatory and other criminal matters.

He is a nationally recognized motoring law expert and has been described by a senior QC as having “unrivalled knowledge and expertise in the field of law” in which he specialises. Many other lawyers choose Richard to represent them or seek his advice. He has appeared on the BBC as a motoring law expert and has written for a number of motoring publications, including Fleet News. Richard has also acted as an advisor on criminal law to TV, radio and theatre scriptwriters, and has advised an EU embassy in London on road haulage law.

He has secured acquittals in cases which other lawyers advised were unwinnable and has acted in many successful appeals after being asked to take over from other firms.

His clients include professional footballers and well-known actors, and come from all walks of life, many having been referred by other solicitors and barristers, or recommended by existing clients. He is regularly asked to appear in Courts all over the country.

Richard is a higher courts advocate, an accredited duty solicitor and a member of the Manchester Law Society Criminal Law Committee. He is also a member of the Law Society and Liberty.

Richard is a motoring enthusiast, who regularly rides Triumph motorcycles and has a classic 1969 MGB Roadster. He also spends time skiing, hill-walking, sailing and mountain biking.

Richard was also one of the founders of AMOL, a non-profit making organisation recognising true expertise in motoring law.

Contact Richard on mail@richardsilver.co.uk.

Alison Mafham

Alison Mafham

Criminal Defence Specialist

Alison Mafham qualified in 2003. She joined the practice as an Associate in 2004 and is now a Consultant.

She is a criminal defence specialist with substantial experience and deals exclusively with criminal, motoring and taxi licensing cases. Alison has a particular expertise in drink driving and drug driving cases, and has secured many acquittals and uncovered many examples of procedural failures by the Police in such prosecutions. She also has experience of Appeal and “Judicial Review” proceedings. Alison has also appeared on the BBC as a motoring law expert.

She also has considerable experience of serious Health & Safety and Fraud cases. She has handled a number of high profile cases, including a money laundering case at the Old Bailey in London and a case in Liverpool involving the the theft of anti-tank mines from the Ministry of Defence.

Alison is an accredited duty solicitor who regularly appears in courts all over the country. She also has Higher Courts Rights of Audience and handles a substantial number of Crown Court cases. Many new clients have approached her following recommendations by existing clients. Alison has also been recommended to overseas clients by their British embassies.

As an expert in criminal defence law, Alison has also been featured discussing legal loopholes on BBC’s Newsbeat programme.

In her spare time, Alison is keen on modern art, theatre and hill-walking.

Contact Alison on admin@richardsilver.co.uk.

Judith Hawkins

Criminal Defence Specialist

Judith qualified in 2005 and joined the practice as an associate in 2016.

Before joining Richard Silver, Judith was Senior Partner in well-known Manchester firm, Rhys Vaughan.

Judith is a criminal defence specialist, with substantial Magistrates’ and Crown Court experience across a broad range of serious cases, including murder, rape, sexual assault and other sex allegations, supply of controlled drugs, fraud and confiscation proceedings.

A recent example of her caseload is a multi-defendant conspiracy to murder case where her client was granted bail and later acquitted at the Crown Court.

She has also secured Crown Court acquittals in other serious matters, including two recent rape acquittals.  She takes a particular pride in seeing cases through from police station interview to conclusion at Court.

Judith also has substantial experience and expertise in drink and drug driving and other motoring cases, and has secured many acquittals.

Judith was an accredited Duty Solicitor and has a particular interest in mental health issues.

Before qualifying as a Solicitor, Judith was an accomplished and successful professional actor, making appearances in a number of well-known TV series, including Coronation Street, The Royal and Red Dwarf.

In her spare time, Judith is interested in politics, theatre, literature and travel.

Contact Judith on judith@richardsilver.co.uk

Support Staff

Deborah Bates, Administrator

Contact Deborah on debbie@richardsilver.co.uk or admin@richardsilver.co.uk

Katie Pollitt-Marshall, Secretary

Contact Katie on katie@richardsilver.co.uk or admin@richardsilver.co.uk

Debbie and Katie are both very experienced legal secretaries and have worked at Richard Silver Solicitors for most of their careers.

Debbie joined the practice in 2000 and Katie in 2005.

Regulatory Information

This firm maintains professional indemnity cover in accordance with the rules of the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Details of the insurers and the territorial coverage of the policy are available for inspection at our office.

Our services are provided by Solicitors of England & Wales, authorized and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, number 231623. The legal team is led by Richard Silver.

We are happy to accept payment by most credit or debit cards and we comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) under Registration reference Z586527X.

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