Jordannah Wood is a Trainee Solicitor in our Reeds Cardiff office, specialising in prison law.
In her current role, Jordannah prepares and opens files to ensure compliance with the prison law contract set by the Legal Services Commission. She manages the day-to-day administrative demands of the department, responds to client queries, providing advice over the phone, and attending clients in prisons and via video link to take detailed instructions. She drafts detailed written representations and will progress to representing clients at Parole Board hearings, including Lifer and IPP panels, as well as prisoner adjudications before the independent adjudicator.
Jordannah also provides essential support to litigators throughout all stages of case preparation. This includes drafting correspondence to clients, courts, and third parties, reviewing case materials and providing summaries to advocates, taking client instructions, preparing statements, applications and legal documents, managing electronic case files, assisting with diary management, and ensuring court orders are complied with.
She will be attending hearings and client meetings, taking accurate attendance notes, and record all work on the case management system. She ensures compliance with Lexcel and internal office standards, conduct legal research, instruct experts when needed, and undertake ongoing professional development.
Before joining Reeds Solicitors, Jordannah gained two years of valuable experience working as an agent in criminal defence, where she was actively involved in cases relating to sexual assault, domestic abuse, and drug offences. She engaged directly with clients, assisted in preparing court documents, and worked alongside solicitors throughout the legal process. She has also undertaken significant voluntary work with the University of South Wales Legal Advice Clinic, supporting clients in family and civil matters and further developing her client-facing skills and practical understanding of these areas of law.
Jordannah’s personal qualities make her particularly well-suited to prison law. She prides herself on being approachable and non-judgmental. This is especially important when working with prisoners, many of whom feel isolated or mistrustful of the legal system. By building rapport and showing genuine respect, she is able to gain their trust, which leads to more open communication and better outcomes.
She is highly organised with excellent time management skills, ensuring she meets tight deadlines while maintaining a large volume of case files and procedural requirements. Her exceptional attention to detail ensures that even the smallest technicalities, which can significantly impact a client’s liberty or sentence progression, are never overlooked.