Nick Freeman
Nick Freeman (born 1956 in Nottingham) is principle partner of Manchester based legal practice Freeman & Co., best known as a celebrity motoring lawyer, nicknamed "Mr Loophole" by the British tabloid press.
Biography
Freeman completed his A-levels a year early, and so worked in Paris as a waiter for a year to save fro his first car. He studied law at Trent Polytechnic, and on graduation became an Articled Clerk in Nottingham. He won an advocacy competition, and was hired as a prosecutor for Greater Manchester Police. In 1983, he moved to a firm of criminal lawyers in Manchester, and was a prtner within six months.
After 16 years, although still a criminal lawyer, his was a practice inside a practice due to his speciality in motoring offences. Aged 42, he left and set-up Freeman & Co. He is famed for getting those that can afford his fees aquitted of all manner of motoring offences. While some of these offences are minor ones that should arguably be legal, such as speeding, others are genuine offences such as drink driving. Clients have included:
- David Beckham - being chased by the paparazzi
- Alex Ferguson - his first high profile case, argued that Fergsuon had to use the hard shoulder to get to the training ground to allow for his upset stomach
- Colin Montgomerie
- Ronnie O'Sullivan
- Caprice Bourret
- Emma Parker Bowles
- Jon Bradshaw - the Manchester business man was four and a half times over the limit. Acquited in December 2005 [1]
Loopholes
Freeman's knowledge of motoring law often exposes police officers not following the legal process, identifying discrepancies in the evidence or shortcomings in procedures leading up to charges - establishing that inadequate statutory warnings were given before blood or breath tests were taken.
- Defended a businessman who had crashed his car and was taken to hospital seriously injured. The law forbids the police from taking blood from an unconscious person, but now allows it on condition that consent is obtained from the person afterwards. The police surgeon asked one of he team attending the businessman to take some blood. The businessman was over the limit, but the legislation says that the blood must be taken by someone who is not associated with the driver's care. As it was taken by a surgeon directly involved, the businessman man was acquitted.
Freeman admits that he does have two clients whom he has cleared on technicalities three times
Personal life
Freeman and his wife live in Knutsford, Cheshire. Freeman drives either a Bentley Azure convertible or a Bentley Continental GT.