Owen Beattie Solicitors (24/7 Criminal Defence Solicitors | Litigation | Belfast )

Owen Beattie Solicitors was founded in September 2022 by Owen Beattie, a graduate of Queen's University, Belfast. Owen Beattie is a qualified Solicitor Advocate, having completed the Solicitor Advocacy course organised by the Law Society of Northern Ireland in conjunction with the National Institute of Trial Advocates. He is a tutor and lecturer in criminal law at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies (IPLS), a co-opted member of the Law Society Access to Justice Committee, and an elected member of the Belfast Solicitors Association. The firm provides 24/7 legal representation to individuals, organisations and businesses subject to criminal investigation. It offers specialist legal advice and representation in complex criminal matters including murder, drug offences, terrorism, possession of firearms, assault, domestic allegations, and motoring offences.

The firm has extensive experience and specialism in representing individuals under investigation for or charged with sexual offences, including rape, sexual assault, historical sexual abuse, indecent images, and sexual offences involving children/minors. It defends individuals and businesses in respect of alleged high-value fraud offences, tax evasion, money-laundering, financial wrong-doing, white collar crime, and proceeds of crime offences. The firm has extensive experience and specialism in representing the families and loved ones of individuals who have passed away in custody, prison, hospital, mental health facilities, or whilst in the care of other state bodies. It provides strategic legal support to individuals and businesses facing regulatory or criminal investigations, compliance issues, or enforcement actions.

The firm offers support to professionals including solicitors facing Law Society investigations, healthcare professionals referred to the General Medical Council (GMC) and Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC), and professionals under investigation by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI). It provides expert legal advice to individuals and businesses whose rights have been infringed by state bodies, covering breaches of the Human Rights Act 1998 and the European Convention on Human Rights, access to justice, data protection principles, discrimination, liberty issues, privacy rights and unlawful detention. The firm has initiated landmark judicial review proceedings and human rights challenges against a variety of state bodies on behalf of clients.

Criminal defence and litigation work in Belfast forms the core of the practice's instructions, with several reviewers describing representation at police stations and the handling of ongoing cases. Something that features in review after review is the reassurance clients felt from the outset, with Owen Beattie named repeatedly for his patient explanations, diligence and thorough preparation. Office colleagues are also singled out as welcoming and professional, and clients describe being kept informed at every stage of unfamiliar proceedings. The advocacy provided is characterised as careful and effective, with matters brought to successful conclusions and outcomes that exceeded expectations.

Communication is praised for being consistent and consistent in tone, options set out in plain language and progress reported promptly. Families as well as individuals note the support extended to them during difficult periods, and the same standard of care is described across first and subsequent instructions. Reviewers frequently point to the personal manner in which enquiries are handled, with questions answered at length and clients left feeling that their interests were genuinely represented. The themes that emerge most clearly are reliability, expertise and a calm, steady approach to criminal defence and litigation matters.