When a celebrity finds themselves pulled over to the side of the road by a police car, Nick Freeman is the first man they think of.
Dubbed 'Mr. Loophole' by the press, over the years Freeman has ensured the likes of David Beckham, Katie Price and Ronnie O'Sullivan escape prosecution for driving offenses by using a forensic knowledge of the letter of the law.
Now, the closest thing the UK has to a famous lawyer is releasing a book that outline his methods and reflects on his more high profile court victories.
But, he insists, accusations that he's the man who makes sure it's one rule for the rich and famous and one rule for the rest of us are wide of the mark...
What’s your book about?
It’s a sort of self-help book with lots of interesting anecdotes about cases that I’ve worked on. Knowledge is king, so I thought if I passed some of what I know on to the public, it may register if they’re ever unfortunate enough to be involved on the wrong side of the police.
How did you get the nickname Mr Loophole?
I was labelled it by a chap from The Daily Express who had covered lots of my cases. I have to say I didn’t really like it to begin with because it suggested something sinister or underhand, but it stuck. Then I saw in a local paper one morning that another solicitor was referring to himself as ‘the local Mr Loophole’. I was absolutely horrified at the sort of advice that was being offered under my name, so eventually I sued him for breach of my trademark.
How was writing the book? Did you do it yourself?
No I worked with a ghostwriter. It was enjoyable but difficult. The challenge was trying to make her understand the legal points - which she did incredibly well - but then we had to communicate that to the public. It’s meant to be a very light and easy read. But it was difficult for me because I’m not blessed with patience.
What was it like working with David Beckham?
He was fantastic - articulate, intelligent, straight-forward. Beckham was charged with speeding, and when I got his instructions I was quite excited because what he was saying to me made very interesting potential defence – the defence of duress. In essence what he was saying was: ‘I left my house, there was a papparatzi driving behind me in the most peculiar, dangerous manner. I was frightened, I wanted to stay away, I wanted to distance myself from this car.’ That was the thrust of the legal argument. In the end I got his ban overturned, with no penalty points. He hugged me. I’m sure there were lots of women that were jealous of me at that moment, for that reason alone.
How did you get Katie Price off?
Well, she was driving this rather fancy pink horsebox, and the police stopped her and told her she was going to be prosecuted for using a mobile phone, and for undue care and attention - but that isn’t what she was ultimately prosescuted for. There is a legal requirement that you are given a valid and correct notice within 14 days of the incident, and she wasn’t.
So a technicality then…
Well - a valid legal point.
Do you ever feel guilty about helping people get away with dangerous driving?
I sleep very well at night, thank you. When you say ‘get away with it’, the problem is your argument - and I understand it - is that it is dismissive of the law. If we want to live in a society where we have no law and we extrapolate - in other words, where we say if you’re driving, you’re drunk, you’re on a road, then you’re guilty - then let’s get parliament to change it. But I can tell you it is so much more complex than that, and all I’m doing is saying: ‘look, this is the law that exists, and it hasn’t been followed’. The law is king isn’t it? And we have the law there as a safeguard to protect society from becoming a police state or a dictatorship.
Are you even in awe of the people you represent?
I don’t stand in awe of them so much as an individuals, but I have a very healthy respect for what they’ve achieved and what they do, in the same way you do with a successful heart surgeon. It’s that discipline isn’t it? The talent and the drive that makes people successful. But if I was pushed to say… well, I always wanted to be a professional golfer, so probably Colin Montgomerie.
Nick Freeman's book The Art of the Loophole: Making the Law Work for You is out now published by Coronet, £20.