Meet Rachel Coombes, a Solicitor in our Criminal Law Department.

Rachel was first drawn to Law when she was choosing her college subjects, it was something totally different to her previous school subjects and the challenge of the course appealed.

After finishing her law degree, Rachel briefly worked at a local firm in their Conveyancing Department but her passion was always for Criminal Law. She joined our Crime Team in 2018, initially providing secretarial support to the team before being offered a Training Contract and becoming a Solicitor.

Rachel says “I always wanted to help people and working with the criminal team; I saw what a difference they made to people’s lives.” She recalls that one of the team was once told that criminal defence was like cleaning drains: no one wants to do it, but it is essential. Rachel disagrees; she loves what she does, she says “It is incredibly rewarding to help such vulnerable people; providing expert advice to our clients regardless of their background or circumstances is an essential and important part of our justice system. I feel real pride in that.”

Learning about our clients’ lives and understanding what has led them to the point where they need our help is key to providing the proper support and advice.

Rachel has been qualified as a Solicitor for less than a year but in that time she has lost count of the amount of clients she has advised, from brief police station interviews to supporting a client all the way to trial. The work she does is varied, interesting and fast paced. Every day, case and client are different, with their own challenges and rewards.