Andy Lee remains one of the best solicitors in this area I have ever worked with. He is diligent, committed, hardworking, thorough and has an excellent manner with clients both professional and lay.
Legal 500 Leading Associate, 2025
Andy Lee is an exceptional solicitor with a wealth of experience in serious and complex matters.
Legal 500 Rising Star, 2024
Andy Lee has an excellent client base and always shows grand judgement.
Legal 500 Rising Star, 2023
I work almost exclusively with Andy Lee. He is a solicitor who attracts substantial clients nationally. We have worked on large complex frauds together as well as drugs conspiracies. Andy is thorough, intuitive whilst remaining realistic and practical. He is a first class litigator and confident in his negotiating skills.
Legal 500 Rising Star, 2023
Reeds Solicitors is a growing firm that specialises in criminal defence and prison law, and which recently launched specialist teams dealing with private actions against the police, military, corporate crime and regulatory law. It also deals with sexual offences, violent crimes, drug-related crimes and fraud. The firm is ‘exceptional in its approach to the tough world of criminal legal aid work’. Director and solicitor-advocate Stephen Clifford heads the team, he is supported by solicitor-advocate Andy Lee who provides round-the-clock representation at the police station as well as at the Magistrates Court and Crown Court. Recent cases include defending a client arrested under Operation Scottsdale and charged with conspiracy to keep and manage brothels; the client was given a non-custodial sentence. In another key matter, the practice represented a vulnerable woman charged with assisting an offender linked to murder; she was acquitted of all charges
Legal 500, 2018
Andy Lee is a Solicitor and Partner of the firm, based at our Bristol office, and forms part of the firm’s Complex Crime Team.
Andy is a fluent Cantonese speaker and has a significant national and international client base, with particular emphasis on Southeast Asia.
He has a wealth of experience in representing clients accused of money laundering cases offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act, large scale complex frauds and high-level drugs conspiracies.
Andy’s extensive international network means that he is often instructed in investigations being conducted by HMRC relating to VAT fraud and the evasion of duty, including in cases which involve the large-scale importation and distribution of drugs, tobacco and counterfeit goods (alleged to have breached Trade Mark legislation).
He is also regularly instructed in cases throughout the country which relate to the running and management of brothels, the control and management of premises for the purpose of prostitution, and human trafficking for exploitation.
Many of these cases involve what is frequently referred to as the “Chinese Underground Banking System” and “Daigou”, of which he has bespoke knowledge. As such, he is the solicitor of choice for those who have encountered issues with the UK authorities arising from their use of these systems. He is regularly instructed to deal with Unexplained Wealth Orders, Restraint Orders and Account Freezing Orders, as well as the criminal investigations which often run parallel to the making of such Orders.
His practice often involves cases with a multi-jurisdictional element and are the culmination of joint investigations conducted by international law enforcement agencies, including Interpol, the National Crime Agency and the FBI.
Andy’s abilities have led to him being consistently recognised by the Legal 500 as one of the foremost practitioners in his field.
Andy has been named as a “Rising Star” by the Legal 500 since 2021, and since 2024 has been recognised as a Leading Associate.
In accordance with the Solicitors’ Regulatory Transparency Rules for motoring offences we confirm that Andy Lee charges Level A hourly rates.
Recent and notable cases
R v RW (Salisbury Crown Court)
Ongoing proceedings in which Andy represents an Independent Financial Advisor accused of running a Ponzi scheme which defrauded investors of £5 million. The case is being prosecuted by the Serious Economic Organised Crime and International Directorate of the Crown Prosecution Service.
R v HG (Leeds Crown Court)
High profile case in which Andy acted for a defendant accused of being part of a group which defrauded the NHS of over £3 million.
R v HN (Southwark Crown Court)
Andy represented one of 14 defendants accused of being part of a Vietnamese Organised Crime Group involved in large scale money laundering operation stemming from the supply of cannabis and human trafficking.
R v RB (Bristol Crown Court)
Defence of company director accused of a construction fraud to the value of £700,000.
R v MM (Aylesbury Crown Court)
Ongoing proceedings in which Andy represents a former employee of a privately owned international business group. The defendant was employed as the Head of Treasury of the group and is alleged to have siphoned off funds from the company to fund Forex Trading conducted on his own behalf.
R v ZY (Bristol Crown Court)
Ongoing proceedings in which Andy represents a Chinese national accused of human trafficking, management of a brothel, money laundering and conspiring to supply large quantities of cannabis.
R v HZ (Southampton Crown Court)
Ongoing proceedings stemming from Operation Tierdown, a global multi-agency investigation conducted by Interpol with input from the National Crime Agency, the FBI, US Department of Justice, Australian Federal Police and Brazilian Federal Police.
The defendant is a Chinese national accused of being part of a South-East Asian Organised Crime Group responsible for the mass distribution of Child Sexual Abuse material for financial gain.
R v KC (Manchester Crown Court)
Andy represented a Chinese national said to have been part of a nationwide network of people involved in the production and sale of tobacco products that unlawfully displayed registered trademarks and signs. The prosecution was brought by TM Eye Ltd who were authorised by Japan Tobacco International (JTI) to carry out anti-counterfeiting investigations and private prosecutions within the United Kingdom in relation to unauthorised use of their registered trademarks.
R v KYH (Isleworth Crown Court)
Defence of an individual prosecuted for possessing criminal property after she was stopped by Border Force officers at Heathrow airport whilst attempting to travel to Hong Kong. She was found to be in possession of two suitcases which were full of vacuum packed bags containing large quantities of cash.
R v JC (Bristol Crown Court)
Defence of an individual prosecuted for the importation of cannabis to the UK from Thailand as part of an investigation undertaken by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit.
R v DC (Exeter Crown Court)
Ongoing proceedings in which Andy represents a defendant accused of conspiring to supply various types of drugs through the use of the Encrochat encrypted phone network. The cases involves challenges to the admissibility of the material relied upon by the prosecution.
R v CC (Norwich Crown Court)
Ongoing proceedings in which Andy represents a defendant accused of conspiring various types of drugs as part of the “Topsy County Line” in Norfolk. The case involves the use of the Encrochat encrypted phone network.
R v ML (Nottingham Crown Court)
Ongoing proceedings in which Andy represents a Vietnamese defendant alleged to be part of an Organised Crime Group involved in the supply of drugs imported from Thailand.
Multiple kilos of drugs were seized as part of this operation after the interception by Border Force of numerous packages containing drugs.
R v IK (Lincoln Crown Court)
Ongoing proceedings in which Andy represents a defendant accused of running multiple drugs lines in the Lincolnshire/Nottinghamshire area.
R v SR (Basildon Crown Court)
Defence of an individual accused of conspiring to supply over 100kg cocaine through the use of the Encrochat encrypted phone network.
R v WD (Wood Green Crown Court)
Ongoing proceedings in which Andy represents a Chinese national accused of distributing huge quantities of tobacco products imported into the UK from China.
R v JC (Bournemouth Crown Court)
Andy represented a Chinese national accused of being part of an Organised Crime Group which imported and then distributed high quantities of counterfeit tobacco. The alleged loss to HMRC amounted to approximately £30 million.
R v FX (Peterborough Crown Court)
Defence of a Chinese national accused of the illegal importation and distribution of tobacco nationally. Prosecuted by the Specialist Fraud Division of the CPS on behalf of HMRC.
R v HL (Birmingham Crown Court)
Defence of a Chinese national accused of the illegal importation and distribution of tobacco nationally.
R v MS (Birmingham Crown Court)
Defence of a Kurdish national accused of the illegal importation and distribution of tobacco nationally.
R v LX (Kingston Crown Court)
Defence of a Chinese national accused of the illegal importation and distribution of tobacco nationally. The alleged loss to HMRC amounted to approximately £13 million.
R v EM (Bristol Crown Court)
Ongoing proceedings in which Andy represents a defendant accused of assisting offenders in the aftermath of a very high profile double murder in Bristol.
R v LA (Liverpool Crown Court)
Ongoing proceedings in which Andy represents one of three defendants being prosecuted by the Counter Terrorism Division of the CPS for their alleged involvement in an internet based group called “Monkey Mafia”. The prosecution stems from a joint investigation by the FBI and the National Crime Agency into the group’s activities.
R v HX (Winchester Crown Court)
High profile case which attracted national and international media attention in which Andy represented a Chinese national accused of gross negligence manslaughter. The defendant ran “slapping therapy” workshops which were promoted as an alternative treatment method to conventional medicine. A 71 year old female died at a retreat run by the defendant. The defendant had previously been jailed in Australia for his teachings which led to the death of a 6 year old boy.
R v NM (Bristol Crown Court)
Somali “sex gang” case in which Andy represented one of eight defendants accused of the sexual exploitation of multiple females. The case involved a 48-count indictment which
consisted of allegations of drugs supply, human trafficking, sexual assault and 34 allegations of rape.