Hardeep Dhaliwal

Awards and Recommendations for Hardeep Dhaliwal

"Hardeep is a stand-out partner, experienced in handling serious and complex matters such as gang related crime, murder and high-value fraud charges".

Legal 500 2024 Edition.
Crime: General; General Crime and Fraud / London; South East

Hardeep is a Recommended Lawyer for his criminal defence work across London in the 2023 edition of The Legal 500.

Legal 500 2023 Edition.
Crime: General / London

Hardeep is a Recommended Lawyer in the 2022 edition of The Legal 500.

Legal 500 2022 Edition.
Crime and Fraud / London

A specialist in fraud defence.

Legal 500 2021 Edition.
Crime: General / London

Hardeep Dhaliwal is a Recommended Lawyer in the 2020 edition of The Legal 500.

Legal 500 2020 Edition.
Crime: General / London

Hardeep Dhaliwal is listed as a Recommended Lawyer in the 2019 edition of The Legal 500 where he is described as 'very personable' and 'a keen practitioner' who is 'good with clients and has an easy manner.'

Legal 500 2019 Edition.
Crime / London

"Recommended for his Fraud Defence work"

Legal 500 2017 Edition.
Crime: General / London

"Praised for his ‘great client care', Hardeep Dhaliwal leads the team at Duncan Lewis Solicitors…"

Legal 500 2014 Edition.
Crime: General / London

I am a Director in the Crime Department at Duncan Lewis. I am responsible for managing and supervising a team of solicitors, trainee solicitors and caseworkers.

I joined Duncan Lewis as an assistant solicitor in January 1999. My initial years at the firm involved representing clients and preparing a wide variety of cases at police stations, magistrates courts and the crown courts, ranging from relatively minor offences right through to very serious indictable offences. As the years progressed and as the criminal department at Duncan Lewis has grown, my role at the firm has widened in that I have taken a further managerial function in additon to continuing to service clients.

My present role has further evolved into marketing the department and ensuring that we are recognised as leaders in representing clients charged with very serious high profile offences which are only triable at the Crown Court. This includes high value complex fraud cases and large scale drug importation cases. Over the past eighteen and a half years I have established a substantially large client base in East London and Essex. Existing clients who find themselves continuously facing criminal charges contact me for assistance on a regular basis as well as recommending my services to new clients.

I have further expanded my role within the department by working closely in partnership with a small consortium of other lawyers from other criminal law firms who refer clients to me and vice versa. This would happen in those cases where a particular firm would be acting for more than one client and a conflict of interest has arisen between the defendants. Equally, I have referred clients and continue to refer clients to the same law firms where a conflict of interest has arisen between two or more of my clients in a case. This practice ensures that in both scenarios, clients receive a high quality service by reputable criminal law practices at all times.

Having been with Duncan Lewis Solicitors since 1999, I have shown the characteristics of dedication, commitment and loyalty. These same characteristics are a vital prerequisite that a criminal lawyer needs to display towards his/her clients. I have also been ranked by the independent legal directory, The Legal 500 UK, as a as a Recommended Individual, recognised in particular for my client care skills and high level of service to clients.

• Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice (LPC)
• Law LLB (LLB) Hons

• Appointed Director at Duncan Lewis, 2003
• Duncan Lewis Solicitors, 1999-present
• Admitted as a solicitor in 1997

• Recommended Lawyer - The Legal 500, (2024 - 2019 & 2017)

Criminal Court

• R v A & Others - The case involved a large and complex HMRC fraud involving the client and multiple defendants. It was alleged that all defendants had set up numerous fictitious companies and claimed back the VAT on invoices that were never paid for in relation to goods and services received. The amount of the VAT fraud ran into hundred of thousands of pounds. The Prosecution had carried out an extensive and detailed analysis of all the defendants phone records and bank accounts.


• R v H & Others - The case involved a large and complex boiler room fraud operation concerned with multiple defendants. The allegation was that a large number of victims were duped into buying a large number of bogus shares from fictitious companies. All of the victims had parted with thousands of pounds. The City of London Police had carried out an extensive investigation into this case. As defence lawyers we were involved in analysing in depth the client's and co defendants numerous bank accounts and phone records.


• R v M & Others - This case was very much in line with the R v H & Others above. It involved a high value boiler room fraud resulting in a number of victims suffering heavy financial losses, some of which were nest eggs for future retirement plans. The fraud involved a number of co defendants who were directors of a company. They had persuaded victims, namely the elderly to part with varying amounts of cash on the promise that they would receive a high rate of return on their investment. The investments did in fact turn out to be worthless. The total value of the fraud was estimated to be in the region of 1.5 million pounds and it was alleged that our client allowed her bank account to be used for funds to be transferred from the fraud by one of the co defendants.


• R v B & Others - A conspiracy to defraud case in that the defendant and one other were alleged to have carried out multiple fraudulent activities to purchase expensive paintings by Andy Warhol, Banksy and Hirst using credit cards relating to others who were unaware that their cards were being used.


• R v I & Others - This case involved a conspiracy to defraud H & T Pawnbrokers and Barclaycard to the total value of £150,000. Two dishonest employees of H & T Pawnbrokers were in agreement with the defendant to issue a number of false loan contracts that were paid for by stolen credit cards. There were in total 3 co defendants and it was alleged that the defendant opened an account with H & T Pawnbrokers under a false name.


• R V G - A case involving the facilitation of a breach of the immigration rules and there was an allegation that the defendant provided immigration services to the public whilst not being qualified to do so. The investigation was carried out over a year long period which resulted in the UKBA discovering at least 50 cases involving overseas applicants whose immigration status the client is alleged to have breached by permitting them to work over the permitted twenty hours per week whilst being students.


• R v S - A large conspiracy to defraud matter, which involved a husband and wife. The husband is alleged to have been kidnapped and murdered abroad and his wife is alleged to have then fraudulently claimed in the region of one million pounds on his life policy with the knowledge that he was in fact alive.


• R v S & Others - This case relates to seeking leave to remain in the UK by deception. The applicant alongside 10 other co defendants submitted application forms that contained false details in that bogus companies purporting to have sums in excess of £50,000 for investment were set up. The case involves immigration related offences.


• R V H & Others - This case received widespread media coverage on the national BBC news. It was the first case of its kind in which an individual was facing charges of human trafficking of females not only into the country but also trafficking individuals out of the UK. The client was alleged to have trafficked females into the country for prostitution and then trafficked the same females out of the UK to Spain and Greece.


• R v M & Others - This case again received widespread BBC new coverage. It was a terrorist related case offence in that the allegation was that the defendant had failed to disclose to the authorities that her husband had in August 2014 travelled to Syria to participate in terrorist related activities. The client was under the impression that her husband had in fact travelled to Turkey to teach in a school. There were 4 other co defendants in this case each charged with various or similar terrorist related offences.


• R v M & Others - The Prosecution alleged that a mixed group of 4 males and 1 female had been involved in targeting a vulnerable girl who suffered from ADHD and learning difficulties since April 2013 by sexually exploiting her in Leicester. The allegation was that she was coerced into being raped, trafficked and forced to engage in sexual activities with the defendants and other strangers. The coercion involved violence, threats of violence and grooming. Our client disputed any involvement with the allegations and claimed to have had no association with the group. He maintained that he knew one of the co defendants due to living in the same town and he relied on the defence of mistaken identity.


• R v H & Others - The client was charged with encouraging / assisting the commission of an either was offence believing it to be committed under the Serious Crime Act 2007. It was alleged that the defendant supplied chemical Benzocaine, which was capable of encouraging or assisting the commission of an either way offence, namely the supply of a class A controlled drugs, heroin, believing that the offence would be committed and his acts would encourage or assist in its commission. There were two other co defendants in this case and the total value of the Benzocaine was 25 kilos which was estimated to have an estimated street value of 1 million pounds.


• R V A & Others - Large scale class A drugs conspiracy namely heroin and cocaine which involved a considerable amount of telephone evidence served in addition to undercover surveillance evidence served. The drug dealing activity took place around Winchester and in total 5 defendants were arrested.


• R v E - The client was charged with the murder of his friend after spending an evening together watching football. Both parties consumed a considerable amount of alcohol. The cause of death was a stab wound to the heart and this was a unique case in that the defendant could not recall all the events leading up to and after the killing. The client suffered from mental health issues and a neuropsychiatric expert was required to be instructed to comment on dissociative amnesia which advanced the proposition that the defendant may not have been in a position to recall stabbing the victim.


• R v S & Others - Case related to an attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. The defendant was charged alongside 4 other co defendants. The victim attended a particular location to partake in a drugs transaction and was robbed of his rolex watch, beaten and shot twice with a sawn off shotgun. The offence was being investigated by Operation Trident.


• R V P & Others - This case received extensive media coverage due to the fact that it was a violent disorder matter between Arsenal and Anderlecht football supporters clashing before a Champions League match on the 4th November 2014. In total 7 defendants were charged with these offences.


• R v TY & others - In total 5 defendants were charged with kidnapping. My client was the only female within the group and was viewed as the honeytrap to lure the victim to a particular location which resulted in the other 4 male co defendants forcing him into a car and driving off. My client and another co defendant were the only two to be acquitted. This case centred strongly on telephone evidence linking the various defendants.

• Leaked Home Office report says cocaine has been ‘flooding’ into the UK leading to a crime epidemic (2 July 2018)
• Former Charity Boss found guilty of £700,000 fraud (31 May 2018)
• Money Launderer used fake email to cash in £240,000 (31 May 2018)
• Gang who manufactured fake IDs for immigration offenders jailed (29 January 2018)
• Car dealer who sold unroadworthy car as “excellent all-rounder” given 6 month custodial sentence (26 January 2018)
• Legal 500 Recommended National Law Firm Duncan Lewis Hires New Crime Director Nicholas De Freitas (8 January 2018)
• Legal 500 2015 rank Duncan Lewis as a leading London Crime Defence Practice. (21 September 2015)
• Duncan Lewis is praised as a leading law firm in Fraud: white-collar crime work by Legal 500 UK 2014 edition; Hardeep Dhaliwal recommended. (6 October 2014)
• Duncan Lewis Criminal Defence Solicitors take on 18 Qualified Crime Solicitors and Crime Duty Solicitors (3 July 2014)