Rachna Gokani

Practice: Crime, Fraud and Regulatory

Summary

Rachna has prosecuted and defended in a wide range of criminal cases in the Youth Court, Magistrates’ Court, Crown Court and the Court of Appeal.

She has been instructed as junior counsel, both for defence and prosecution, in cases of serious and complex crime including money laundering, conspiracy to defraud, Arms sanctions offences, perverting the course of justice, commercial-scale immigration offences and perjury. Appearing alone, she has defended and prosecuted cases of Robbery, burglary, weapon possession, possession with intent to supply drugs of Class A, sexual assault, arranging child sex offences, religiously aggravated assault and in cases of serious violence.

She also has defence and prosecution experience in cases involving restraint, forfeiture and confiscation. She has substantial expertise and experience privately defending traffic offences and has prosecuted on behalf of the National Probation Service and the Security Industry Authority, most recently in the case of the SIA v Duncan Thorburn (See: ‘Security Supplier Subject to Curfew After Being Found Guilty of Supplying Unlicensed Guards’ – SIA website)

Rachna has recently appeared as a junior in the Court of Appeal in the case of R v PD [2011] EWCA Crim 2082. This appeal related to the manner in which Security Council Resolutions relating to the arms trade are implemented in the domestic law of the United Kingdom under the United Nations Act 1946.

In 2011, Rachna appeared as a defence junior in the case of R v Uddin and Others at the Central Criminal Court, a six-handed conspiracy to launder high-value CISCO components taken in professionally planned burglaries throughout Europe.

In addition to general crime, Rachna has experience in regulatory law, appearing before the General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal.

Rachna is a contributing author to the Blackstone’s Guide to the Bribery Act 2010 by Monty Raphael (OUP, 2011)

Before joining QEB Hollis Whiteman, Rachna was researcher to Monty Raphael QC, Special Counsel at law firm Peters & Peters, where she conducted research on technical points of law. As a result, she has a considerable working and academic knowledge of the following areas of criminal law: fraud, money laundering, corruption, antitrust and extradition. She also contributed to a number of publications, including: ‘Getting the Deal Through: Anti-Corruption Regulation in 40 jurisdictions,’ (Published in 2007, 2008 and 2009); and ‘UK: OFT payments to whistle-blowers - A step too far?’ (Concurrences (antitrust publication) - May 2008).

Additional Information

Awarded the Lincoln’s Inn Buchanan Prize, 2006
Winner of the College of Law Prize for Advocacy, 2006

Professional Memberships:-

Female Fraud Forum
Criminal Bar Association
Young Fraud Lawyers’ Association
Extradition Lawyers’ Association

Education:-
2005 University of Leicester, LLB (Hons)
2006 Bar Vocational Course, College of Law, London(Outstanding)