UPDATE: I am told the numbers 6 and 200,000 figure prominently in this affair.
A little birdie tells me that things are not well at Belfast’s largest criminal law practice, KRW, headed by veteran advocate Kevin Winters.
According to one source, a senior figure left the firm on Friday when it was discovered that several lawyers were planning to jump ship to form a rival company.
And last week it emerged that the putative rivals were making efforts to persuade some longstanding clients to follow suit.
KRW, which began as Kevin R Winters in 2001 and then was incorporated as KRW Law in 2012, has overtaken Madden & Finucane as the largest criminal practice in the North. Earlier this year the company announced plans to expand in Dublin and London.
Prominent clients have included the family of the missing child Madelaine McCann and the convicted Lockerbie bomber, the late Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi. KRW’s core business though remains in NI where the firm is the leading light in the lucrative Troubles legacy field.
It is too early to predict the outcome of the crisis now afflicting KRW but there is agreement that much will depend on the attitude of Sinn Fein, which wields tremendous influence in Belfast these days on clients’ choice of legal representatives.
A clue perhaps about the rebels’ ambitions, if not the Shinners’ intentions, may lie in the putative name for the new law firm: Phoenix Law.
The Broken Elbow 
Karma has come quicker than I thought. 23 July 2018 they enticed me up from Dublin telling me they are not Defence lawyers…after over 2 hours of exhaustice questioning with a lot of information & evidence given on Medical Torture Marie Hands checked 3 times with Kevin Winters who confirmed he was. Was asked to sign letter to get Medical files. Told cannot go ahead until you do. On confirmation that they were definitely taking case…as soon as I signed a letter that Marie Hans would not let me date saying she will fill in rest. The very next day they declined. Entrapment & signature under deceit & mental & emotional abuse. Letter being done to Law Society. Darragh Mackin contacted me in 2016 asking to take case. Gavin confirmed to me this year they were going ahead and arranged that meeting for 23rd July.
Teri
I have known the lawyers and staff at KRW for more than 15 years. I have been associated with and observed Kevin Winters for more than 20 years. The lawyers and staff at KRW are
Ethical, experienced and highly competent. They put the interests of the client first. In numerous cases they have achieved justice where others would have taken a pass.
The fact that certain members of the firm
Plan to branch out on their own is not unusual. Lawyers and law firms often separate and pursue new challenges. Most knowledgeable people in Ireland will wish these dedicated individuals well. Ireland has been a better place because of the work of the lawyers and staff at KRW.
Welcome back Ed. I thought I had become one of your untouchables, but apparently not. You must find my writing unmissable/irresistible, which is nice. Basically you are saying nothing to see here, move on. I must say I didn’t realize lawyers were such perfect creatures. As you clearly do. We shall see. Take care.
‘Woe unto you lawyers.’ I can’t remember who said this, but whoever it was they clearly realised that truth goes straight out the window as soon as they get involved.