Present - Jesse James Inquest

We are currently involved in the Jesse James Inquest relating to his tragic murder. The firm is ensuring the family's voice is heard and that justice is done.

2010 Red Diesel Fraud Acquittal

Our client faced serious charges relating to a large scale conspiracy to trade in red diesel, covering the UK mainland and Northern Ireland.  He was acquitted on all charges following a six week trial

2010 Unite Against Facism

We have represented clients throughout the north west but including Manchester, Bolton, Burnley and Blackpool, where they have been involved in demonstrations against the British National Party and English Defence League.

2010 Nightclub Murder

We successfully defended two clients charged with murder following a shooting in a Yorkshire nightclub.

2010 Defended Suspected Islamic terrorist

We successfully represented a suspected Islamic terrorist arrested on suspicion of conspiracy and who was detained for a number of weeks, the client was ultimately not charged. The case involved alleged significant issues of national security and received significant media attention.

2010 Bernard "Sonny" Lodge Inquiry. Robert Lizar acted for the family of a man found dead in his cell at Strangeways Prison, Manchester in 1998.

The inquest found that

"There was a systemic failure to protect Sonny Lodge in the last days of his life...."

"There was a systemic failure in the assessment of fitness for adjudication and cellular confinement in that it was made without reference to any history or prior knowledge of Sonny Lodge.

2008 Mr N Extradition

The firm have successfully defended a client accused of war crimes and genocide in Rwanda where the authorities have sought extradition.

2004 Guantanamo Bay
Represented a client detained in Guantanamo Bay (Robert Lizar served papers on the US government).

"[Our client] has been detained as an innocent man for a period of two years....he has been treated in a cruel, inhumane and degrading manner, he wants the authorities to answer for that."

Robert Lizar (reported in the Independent)

2002 Robert Brown appeal, Wrongly convicted of murder freed after 25 years

"A convicted murderer who has been protesting his innocence from jail for the past 25 years walked free yesterday when the court of appeal accepted "compelling" evidence of police corruption, bullying and non-disclosure of vital evidence.

By Nick Hopkins, crime correspondent The Guardian

2001 Burnley 4 demo case

Acted for 4 activists following an Anti - Racist march in Burnley

2000 Operation Cleopatra

Robert Lizar acted for a number of people who had been abused whilst they were children in care. The case received national media attention and we successfully claimed compensation for the abuse the clients had suffered.

1998 ASBO's

Since their inception we have been built a reputation for aggressively defending our clients against ASBOs. Manchester was, at one time, the area with the highest incidence of ASBOs in England and we had to ensure that our clients' human rights were acknowledged when the authorities chose to enforce these instruments.

1998 Bolton 7 - worldwide publicity Gay Human Rights.

We represented, at the Appeal stage, a number of the defendants who were convicted of having gay sex in the privacy of their own home.

In 2000, we appealed to the European Court of Human Rights arguing that the prosecutions against the men violated their rights under the European Convention on Human Rights by interfering with 'the right to respect for a private family life' enshrined in article 8 of the Convention. They were subsequently awarded compensation.

1997 Good Samaritan Murder

We represented the defendant in the Good Samaritan Murder case.

In this case our client had seen himself pictured on television when CCTV footage was shown. We advised him both in relation to his trial and the issue of what was the right time to give himself up to the police.

1996 Fly Poster Murder

'In Central Manchester during the mid-1990s two men were shot whilst fly-posting. One died. The other survived and named our Client as the person responsible. We undertook substantial background investigations into a murky world relating to the lucrative fly posting trade presenting a defence case which secured the Client not guilty verdicts on all count. We instructed Michael Mansfield QC as Leading Barrister for this Client and he described the Jury's Not Guilty verdicts as the quickest he had ever know in a murder case.'

1994 Hassan Khan got damages against Birmingham Police for corruption case.

Our client was freed by The Court of Appeal because his "confession", which was made in a car travelling through Birmingham, was deemed unreliable.

"Students of the West Midlands serious crime squad will recall that [an officer] achieved the remarkable feat of noting down, by torchlight, a lengthy confession from Hassan Khan in a police car travelling at high speed. His evidence was disbelieved by the court of appeal." Chris Mullin MP

The client, after spending years in jail, was freed and awarded compensation as a result of our representation.

1993 INLA - 1993 IRA explosives Somerset

We defended Irish nationalists against claims that they had attempted to steal explosives from a Somerset quarry for terrorist purposes. The prosecution evidence included significant MI5 involvement.

1990 Represented clients at the Strangeways Prison Riots

In 1990 there was a major disturbance at Strangeways prison, which resulted in a sit-in on the prison roof. We represented a number of clients who, it was alleged, were part of the disturbance. It is said that a Robert Lizar client was the last one on the roof!

1989 McDonald Enquiry

Robert Lizar was appointed by Manchester City Council as the solicitor to the McDonald Enquiry which concerned an Asian pupil at Burnage High School who was murdered at School.

1984-85 Miners Strike

During the miners strike the firm raised money and assisted miners on strike as well as representing miners arrested in Yorkshire and West Lancashire

1985 Tony Mycock
Represented Tony Mycock following a miscarriage of justice.

The client was wrongly accused of burglary where evidence was later found that the complainant had "sold" the alleged stolen articles.

Miscarriage of justice (featured in the BBC's Rough Justice programme)

1983 Eddie Shah demo arrests

Acting for trade unionists arrested following demonstrations in Manchester and Warrington against Mr Shah's high profile campaign against the print unions.

1982 Francis McDonagh

We defended clients in their appeal case arising from their conviction for the murder of Francis McDonagh

An Uncle and nephew were wrongly convicted of murder. Evidence was uncovered that the murder weapon had been in the hands of another man who subsequently confessed.

The case was featured in the BBC's Rough Justice programme.

1981 Moss Side riots

We defended many clients charged with civil disorder offences following the violent street protests of 1981

1980 Sandpipers

Sandpipers was a club in Manchester where it was alleged there was a bar against Black customers. The firm successfully claimed against the club for colour barring under the Race Relations Act 1976

1980 Cottaging

When James Anderton was the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester, the self-styled "God's Own Policeman", we successfully defended numerous clients accused of "Cottaging".

There were a large number of cases where people from all professions and walks of life were subjected to prosecution and where policing was done with almost evangelical zeal.

1978 and beyond Civil Disorder

The firm has a long history of representing clients accused of civil disorder in relation to Anti-Fascist demonstrations against The National Front and later the BNP and EDL.

1978 Womens Aid

When we first opened we did surgeries at Hulme Advice Centre and a substantial amount of work for Womens Aid.