Justine Davidge (Door Tenant)

As a criminal practitioner Justine had a specialism in fraud, other financial crime and confiscation, as well as dealing with quasi-civil matters arising out of such proceedings. She has previously prosecuted and defended in equal measure in the Crown Court, has appeared in both the Court of Appeal and the Divisional Court and has prepared cases for the Supreme Court.

Justine’s particular interest in confiscation and asset forfeiture law, including restraint and enforcement, arose having previously undertaken a secondment in the Asset Forfeiture Division of the Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office (now the CPS Proceeds of Crime Unit). Justine was appointed as one of the SFO’s ‘B’ list instructed advocates, instructed both as junior counsel and counsel acting alone; was graded level 3 in respect of the CPS list of panel advocates, and appointed to both the CPS Specialist fraud and POCA panels. She was appointed as a Grade B panel advocate to the Welsh Assembly in respect of Criminal Law matters.

Justine has extensive experience in the field of disclosure and has acted as both disclosure counsel and independent review counsel for the purposes of material potentially covered by ‘Legal Professional Privilege’. She is also proficient in respect of applications for Public Interest Immunity and for the disclosure of confidential records.

Justine has specific experience of prosecuting and defending regulatory offences throughout the criminal courts and has acted both for and against HMRC, DWP, BERR, HSE, the Inland Revenue and various local authorities. She also advised on Judicial Review proceedings.

In January 2015 Justine ceased full-time practice at the bar in order to take up a secondment with the Law Commission of England and Wales. There she led the Commission’s work on reviewing the law on Misconduct in Public Office and co-led its work on reviewing the criminal records disclosure regime of England and Wales.

Justine’s regulatory experience was substantially widened when, in January 2013 she was appointed as a member of the Bar Standards Board and again, in December 2014, she was appointed as a Chairperson of the Police Disciplinary Appeals Tribunal, which reviews decisions reached by police disciplinary misconduct meetings and misconduct hearings. This is a fee-paid judicial appointment.

Since November 2016 Justine has sat as a legal advisor to the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s disciplinary panels and is available to sit as a legal advisor for other regulatory bodies as a door tenant.

Since October 2017 Justine has been employed by the Payments Systems Regulator in the area of financial services and payment systems regulation. She has co-led the PSR’s enforcement function and team since October 2018.

2016 – speaker at the at the Liverpool University Financial Crime Symposium: past lessons, contemporary challenges, and future solutions.

2016 – author of “The Law Commission’s Consultation Paper on Reforming Misconduct in Public Office” published in Archbold News November 2016  and of “Misconduct in Public Office”, 5 Feb 2016 CLJW 180(5).

2012 – to date: Seminars on confiscation law and its relationship with family law (with Chris Bryden)

2012 – to date: Seminars of Local Authority Prosecutions

January 2009 – December 2010: Co-author of a court guide published in instalments within the New Law Journal Presented an original research paper at the University of Wales annual Feb 2000: Legal Research Conference held at Gregynog, Wales

1999 & 2000: Presented original research papers at the annual Legal History Symposium of the University of Wales Cardiff and the University of Munster, Germany. Held in Cardiff in 1999 and Munster in 2000.