Leading dispute resolution firm Blackfords LLP has announced the promotion of Lucinda Shand to Partner and Head of Criminal Defence at its Croydon office. With a reputation for handling high-profile and complex cases, Blackfords continues to strengthen its leadership team across its offices in London, Cardiff, Woking, and Croydon. Lucinda’s appointment reflects the firm’s ongoing commitment to excellence in criminal defence and strategic growth.
Lucinda Shand began her legal career as a trainee at the firm in 2008 and has since been involved in some of the country’s most high-profile cases including representing an individual involved in the alleged bribery and corruption of Government Officials in the Turks and Caicos Islands; securing recognition of “battered women’s syndrome” in cases of drugs importation in the Appeal of Goldie Coats; and representing a defendant alleged to be the ‘controlling mind’ in the running of a fraudulent company selling investments in rare earth metals totalling £7 million.
A member of Women in Criminal Law and the Association of Regulatory & Disciplinary Lawyers, Lucinda represents individuals in the UK and internationally on a plethora of criminal offences including serious fraud and money laundering offences; serious violent offences including murder; sexual offences including complex historic allegations; weapon offences; drug offences; immigration offences; trademark and counterfeit goods offences; and Traffic Act offences. More recently, Lucinda has also widened her practice to encompass aspects of Regulatory Law, representing professionals before a range of regulatory bodies, challenging decisions made by the Disclosure and Barring Service and Ofsted and representing those involved in Inquests.
This is the latest in a round of promotions over 2025 and follows the February partnership promotions of London based female partners Naureen Shariff, Rachel Wilson and Jennifer Wilson, Woking partners Helen Worden and Hannah Giles, and Croydon-based partner Lisa Towell. The 2025 female cohort brings the total number of partners at the firm to 12 elevating the female to male ratio to 67/33% respectively.
Commenting on the latest promotion, Trevor Francis, Managing Partner at Blackfords LLP commented:
“We are pleased to welcome Lucinda to the partnership here at Blackfords and to have her serve as Head of Criminal Defence in the Croydon office. Having joined us as a trainee in 2008, we are particularly proud to have helped and nurtured her throughout her legal career to reach the partnership. We take career progression and mentoring very seriously at the firm and this is testament to that.
We all, across the firm and partnership, congratulate Lucinda on this achievement and look forward to further benefitting from her legal prowess, determination, significant experience, and leadership. We are confident that she will take these roles in her stride.“
Partner and Head of the Criminal Defence Team in Croydon, Lucinda Shand added:
“I have been overwhelmed by the career support that I have received from the partnership at Blackfords over the years. I aim to provide the same guidance and mentorship to my other colleagues in Croydon and across offices to ensure that they all have the same opportunities that I have been presented with. Having begun my legal career at Blackfords as a trainee and to climb the ranks to partnership I hope serves as an attainable inspiration to our trainees today and junior lawyers that they too can make it.”