Ella is a Consultant Solicitor in our Crime, Fraud & Regulatory Department specialising in all areas of general crime, youth crime, business and financial crime as well as internal investigations.
Ella has an outstanding record of successfully representing clients throughout the investigative and criminal justice process and has built a very strong reputation within her field. Her non-crime practice includes representing interested parties in inquest proceedings and cases with overlapping human rights issues, including complaints to international human rights agencies and cases before international human rights tribunals.
She is recommended in both Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners. In 2021, 2022 and 2023 Chambers and Partners ranked Ella as an ‘Associate to Watch’. In 2022, Ella was awarded ‘Rising Star of the Year’ at the Modern Law Awards in recognition of the breadth of her practice and her contributions to the wider community.
General Crime and representing high profile individuals
Ella’s diverse general crime practice includes matters ranging in seriousness from historic sexual offences, violent offences (assault, ABH, GBH, manslaughter and murder), drug offences and terrorism offences all the way through to driving offences including speeding, excess alcohol and dangerous driving.
She is often instructed in respect of criminal allegations faced by high profile individuals in the entertainment sector and is therefore well versed in managing the related reputational issues that can arise at the pre-charge, charge and latterly the court reporting stages of proceedings.
Youth Crime
Ella’s youth crime practice has a strong focus on avoiding criminal prosecutions by diverting young people away from the Courts. She has a long-standing record of persuading the CPS not to charge suspects or to drop charges already brought. She also has extensive experience successfully negotiating out of court disposals including community resolutions, youth cautions and fixed penalty notices. Linked to her youth crime practice, Ella acts for students in University Misconduct proceedings, where their misconduct also constitutes criminal offending. She acts for individuals accused of a range of offending including “revenge porn”, sexual offences where the accused and accuser are both young people, image based “sexting” offences, drugs offences and violent offences.
Ella has also acted for young members of activist groups including Black Lives Matter, Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion, earning her a reputation as the “name to note” for Protest Work (Legal500) and for which she was recognised in “the Times 200 Best Law Firms” guide in 2019. Her knowledge is kept constantly up to date through engagement with various youth justice organisations and she is a legal content contributor with the Youth Justice Legal Centre.
Ella has a particular interest in the use of criminal behavioural orders in censoring creative works within the music industry (see “Defending Digga D: Criminal Behaviour Orders, Rehabilitation and Cultural Censorship”.)
Business Crime and Fraud
Ella is experienced in a range of business crime matters including complex and serious fraud, insider dealing, bribery and corruption and money laundering. She acts in several high-profile matters and has experience defending private prosecutions. She represents individuals in multi-jurisdictional SFO investigations and FCA investigations. Ella’s clients have included a Chief Executive accused of a multi-million-pound fraud, a financial controller accused of multi-million-pound theft, retail managers and company directors. She has a particular interest in cryptoassets and artificial intelligence (AI) and the interface between crime and the tech industry.
International Human Rights Law
Ella works closely with Tayab Ali, Partner in the Political, Diplomatic and International Law Team. Alongside other human rights specialists Ella has drafted complaints to UN agencies including to Special Rapporteurs and the UN Human Rights Committee. She has acted for Syrian returnees and their family members on repatriation cases working closely with NGOs, human rights organisations, politicians and journalists. She has a particular interest in Middle East and North Africa region, and works on human rights complaints pertaining to jurisdictions including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Syria and Iraq.
Education and career
- Ella graduated in 2012 from the University of Nottingham with an LLB in Law. Following this, she achieved a distinction on the Legal Practice Course at the University of Law
- Before joining Bindmans, Ella worked in an International Law firm specialising in commercial and residential conveyancing, and then for a small legal aid firm specialising in criminal law
- Ella mentors young BAME women about entry into the legal profession as part of the Centre for Women’s Justice’s Scheme for BAME women. She also acts as a panel lawyer for the Centre for Women’s Justice and provides regular legal updates for a number of organisations including the Youth Justice Legal Centre
Experience
Ella’s cases include
General and White-Collar Crime
R v S
- Ella acted for a vulnerable woman accused of smuggling drugs and phones into prisons. The police investigation resulted in no charges being brought against the woman
R v L
- Ella acted for a former gang member accused of conspiracy to commit murder. The defence involved the exposure of a sophisticated drug dealing operation across some of London’s most high security prisons. The defendant was acquitted
R v Webb
- Ella acted for Queen Guitarist Brian May’s chauffeur in a historic sexual offence allegation. The defendant was acquitted. See more here
R v A
- Ella acted for a former CEO of an Insurance company accused of Conspiracy to Defraud in one of the country’s largest ever private prosecutions
R v T
- Ella acted for a young professional accused alongside six others of conspiring to defraud Transport for London. The defendant was acquitted
Protest law
In 2020, Ella was recommended by Legal 500 as the ‘name to note for protest work’ and is one of the department’s protest specialists. She has represented a number of clients associated with high profile groups, including Extinction Rebellion – for which Ella was recognised in The Times Best Law Firms guide – Black Lives Matter, Stop Killing London and the Youth movement Fridays for Future
In another significant and high profile case, Ella represented Moosa Mohammed, a Bahraini protestor who was almost killed during an interaction with staff on the roof of the Bahrain Embassy in London. Read more here
International law
Ella works closely with Bindmans’ Partner Tayab Ali, on the firm’s international law practice. Their work includes:
Complaint to the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) regarding Sri Lanka’s forced cremation policy
- Ella and Tayab represented the Muslim Council of Britain in a complaint to the UNHRC regarding a discriminatory policy of forced cremations adopted as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic
Saudi Arabia Fact Finding Panel (FFP)
- Ella and Tayab were two of the lawyers assisting a panel of cross-party British Members of Parliament who investigated and reported on the disappearance of two senior members of the Saudi Arabian Royal Family. The Report, published in December 2020, touched upon the disappearances of the Royals as well as the wider human rights abuses in the region
Complaint to the UN Special Rapporteur
- Ella sent a complaint to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Protection of Freedom of Opinion and Expression regarding the censorship of Palestinian journalists
EU-Egypt trade representations
- Ella and Tayab act for the Egyptian National Action Group (ENAG); a group of exiled former Egyptian parliamentarians, in connection with EU-Egypt trade negotiations. Read more here
Recognition
What clients say
Thank you so much for not giving up on me. I sought out Bindmans because of the reputation and you have further enhanced this
– Client
From the outset Ella Jefferson was sympathetic and understanding about my case, and we quickly established a rapport. She kept me informed throughout which was very reassuring. I was charged with obstructing the highway while attending a demonstration. Ella kept chasing the CPS until they responded; she convinced the CPS that it was not in the public interest to pursue the case and the case was withdrawn. She is now claiming costs on my behalf. I am very grateful for her expert help and would be more than happy to recommend Ella to anyone requiring legal advice in the future
– Client
From my first meeting with Ella she came across extremely professional and knowledgeable. Dealing with solicitors can be a very daunting process however, she listened and addressed all of my worries and concerns throughout. I have no doubt in my mind she is destined for much greater things within her chosen career path
– Client
Ella Jefferson is without question the finest solicitor I have personally worked with. She has consistently proven herself to be an energetic, diligent and compassionate lawyer who consistently exceeded my expectations as a client. When confronted with complex cases, she fights with tenacity and determination and invariably secures the best possible results. She also shows a responsiveness and concern for her clients’ needs and wellbeing which I have never experienced before. Ella will undoubtedly be my first choice as a solicitor for the foreseeable future
– Solicitor
Legal Directories
Chambers and Partners 2023
- Ella is ranked as an ‘Associate to Watch’ in Crime. She is an associate with a growing reputation as a criminal defence practitioner. She advises on cases concerning violent offences as well as matters involving political protesters
- “Ella pays attention to detail, provides strategic ideas about how to approach matters and is really engaged in her cases”
- “She is very diligent, hard-working and personable”
Chambers and Partners 2022
- Ella is ranked as an ‘Associate to Watch’ in Crime. She is described as “a superstar of the future”
- “She has a really good keen strategic sense and thinks carefully about putting a brief together”
- “Ella is fantastic – she’s super bright, really capable and punching above her level”
Legal 500 2022
- Ella is described as “a really bright and talented future star”
Professional memberships
- Female Fraud Forum
- LCCSA
Languages
- English (Mother tongue)
- Kurdish Sorani (Intermediate)
- Swedish (Beginner)
