Clifton Solicitors & Advocates is a niche criminal law firm operating out of offices in South London. Joan Mitchell founded the firm having practised in London for over 20 years.
Joan was admitted as solicitor in 1995. In 2006 she obtained Higher Rights of Audience and was called to the bar by the Inner Temple in 2016.
Joan is part of a highly experienced team:
Norman Cho was admitted as a solicitor in 1997. He is an experienced trial advocate and regularly appears in the magistrates’ court.
Sana Kasmi is the firm’s senior crime paralegal. She has over 20 years casework experience. Sana works closely with Joan on the most serious cases.
Elle Haynes-Harris is the firm’s junior crime paralegal.
Sachelle Gilbert is an accredited police station representative who gained her accreditation in 2018.
Janet Gethin heads up our accounts team.
We are an experienced team and we take pride in the fact that we can take our clients through from the early stages of police investigation right through to the Magistrates’ Court, Crown Court and Court of Appeal.
Terrorism experience
In 2001 Joan represented a client arrested for alleged involvement in the planning of the 9/11 terrorism attack on the US Pentagon. Joan’s client was interviewed over several days in police custody. Joan represented her client at court hearings where the prosecution sought to extend his detention to interview him further. Joan’s client was eventually released without charge. Today, the case still attracts much media attention due to the high-profile nature of the case and its link to one of the world’s worst terrorism atrocities. The case remains very much in the public eye as there is now a trillion-dollar lawsuit being brought in the US by victims’ families and survivors for failings in the way the case was investigated and the lack of evidence sharing between the FBI and the British police.
In 2015 Joan represented a client who was arrested at the Turkish/Syrian border with alleged links to Isis. After extensive hours of interview and detention in police custody, Joan’s client was de-arrested for terrorism offences. Her client was charged with passport and immigration offences. Joan’s client was sentenced to a suspended term of imprisonment allowing her to be released from custody immediately.
In 2023 Joan represented a client who was initially suspected of committing terrorism offences when he drove his car into the gates of Downing Street. The case attracted much media attention at the time given the close proximity to the seat of power in the UK, namely the prime minister’s official residence. Joan’s client spent 6 months in custody before receiving a suspended term of imprisonment for non-terrorism offences arising out of the same incident allowing him to be released from custody immediately.
Joan currently represents a client arrested for alleged involvement in a terrorist attack on the Israeli embassy in April 2025. The case is ongoing.
Joan currently represents a client arrested for allegedly assisting a foreign intelligence service in acts against the UK contrary to section 3(2) of the National Security Act 2023.
The case is ongoing.
We work with some of the best Barristers’ Chambers in the country and together we aim to deliver the highest quality service and representation.
The firm offers a very personal, friendly and concerned service for all its clients.
