Joseph Cheminais

Profil complet

Joseph began his career in a national criminal legal aid firm, completing the Police Station Representative Accreditation Scheme and working as a duty solicitor, where he dealt with serious criminal offences from the earliest stages of investigation. As a Higher Courts Advocate (Criminal & Civil) he conducted trials before the Crown Court, Magistrates' Court and Youth Court. 

For several years, Joseph’s practice has focused on criminal defence work arising from serious road traffic incidents and associated inquest proceedings across England and Wales. He represents companies, professional drivers and private individuals throughout proceedings, from police investigation and interview under caution through to prosecution in the criminal courts and representation at inquests.  He is regularly instructed by insurers, supporting early-stage defence strategy to protect the interests of both insurers and insureds in complex, high-risk claims.

Joseph also advises and represents commercial vehicle operators in regulatory matters, including Public Inquiries by the Office of the Traffic Commissioner. 

Joseph has also previously practised as a Solicitor-Advocate within the in-house civil advocacy team of an international insurance law firm. In that role, Joseph focused on insurance fraud arising from staged and contrived road traffic collisions and exaggerated injury claims, giving him practical insight into complex civil motor and fraud litigation.

Expérience

• Representation of a driver following a fatal road traffic collision on the A66, Cumbria, including the police investigation and prosecution for causing death by careless driving. An acquittal was secured after the CPS offered no evidence, following proof of a medical defence of insane automatism.
• Representation of a professional driver accused of causing serious injury by careless driving after a collision with a pedestrian on the Isle of Wight. Acquitted at trial in Newport Crown Court following a successful technical defence, which included issues of perception-response time and saccadic masking.
• Ongoing representation of a professional HGV driver in relation to a police investigation arising from a fatal road traffic collision, involving complex issues of “looming”.
• Representation of a driver accused of causing serious injury by careless driving following a collision on the A689, Hartlepool. Proceedings were discontinued after submissions to the CPS identifying significant evidential deficiencies.
• Representation of a professional HGV driver in Crown Court proceedings for causing death by dangerous driving arising from a double-fatality collision on the M62, Cheshire.