Melinka Berridge

Melinka is a regulatory and criminal lawyer specialising in the field of private prosecutions. Her practice encompasses all areas of regulatory enforcement and she is highly ranked in the UK’s leading legal directories in the field of professional discipline.

Private Prosecutions

Melinka leads the team at Kingsley Napley responsible for bringing regulatory and private prosecutions.  She works with individuals, businesses, charities and public bodies helping them to understand whether a case is suitable for criminal prosecution. Where a case is suitable she helps her clients navigate the complex criminal justice system to ensure their rights are protected and advanced.  

Melinka is a founding member and the Executive Secretary of the Private Prosecutors’ Association. She sits as a panellist on the RSPCA Prosecutions Oversight Panel. She is also a member of the Advisory Board to the Victims of Crime Association of Lawyers

Health and Safety

Melinka represents those facing health and safety investigations and prosecutions.  She acts for directors and senior officers when they are being held personally liable for offences committed by or in connection with their companies. She has specialist expertise in the leisure, catering and hospitality sectors.

Leisure and Gambling

Prior to joining Kingsley Napley, Melinka was the Head of Licensing for one of the UK’s leading pub companies. She continues to act for operators and individuals across the licensed trade, leisure and gambling sectors. She helps clients to respond to the threat of enforcement and where required, defend against action taken by local authorities, independent regulators and the state enforcement agencies. 

Professional Discipline and Regulatory Enforcement

In the field of professional discipline and regulatory enforcement Melinka represents some of the UK’s leading national regulators. Her expertise is in helping regulators to take proportionate enforcement action against those who fall short of their standards or break the law.  She represents and has worked with the following bodies:

• The Health and Care Professions Council
• The Teaching Regulation Agency
• The Education Workforce Council
• The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries
• The Architects Registration Board
• The General Optical Council
• The General Dental Council
• The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem)
• The Electoral Commission
• The Security Industry Authority

Melinka has also successfully defended professionals who have been investigated for misconduct by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the General Chiropractic Council.

Melinka is a dual-qualified practitioner.  She was initially admitted as barrister and solicitor to the High Court of New Zealand where she worked as a Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Solicitor of Wellington. Melinka is a Solicitor Advocate (Criminal) in England and Wales.

Melinka is a founding member of firm’s Diversity and Inclusion group as well as their LGBTQ* & Allies network .

What clients and directories say

 "Her knowledge of the regulatory process and issues is excellent and her attention to detail is second to none."

Chambers UK, A Clients Guide to the UK Legal Profession, 2018

"…Astute, inventive and clever.”

Legal 500 UK, 2017

“… talented, very intelligent and very well thought of in the space.”

Chambers UK, A Clients Guide to the UK Legal Profession, 2016

“…Outstanding in terms of preparation and presentation.”

Chambers UK, A Clients Guide to the UK Legal Profession, 2015

“… is considered ‘exceptionally well-prepared, concise, articulate, responsive and unfailingly courteous’.”

Legal 500 UK, 2014

“…has total command, meticulous preparation and I think she’s outstanding in all respects…”

Chambers UK,  A Clients Guide to the UK Legal Profession, 2013

Recent cases

• Advising a client on various matters arising out of the Grenfell Tower fire.
• Advising a corporate and its directors on a private prosecution against a number of competitor businesses regarding a conspiracy to defraud.
• Representing an individual who conducted a private prosecution against a former business partner for forgery in respect of a planning agreement.
• Advising a national charity on the merits of commencing a private prosecution in circumstances where the local authority had failed to prosecute.  
• Advising two national industry regulators on the use of criminal investigation and enforcement powers in conjunction with their civil enforcement regime.
• Representing witnesses in state run criminal proceedings to ensure that their interests and reputation were protected throughout the proceedings.
• Advising a Chief Executive of a Fitness Club of his personal liability in respect of regulatory and criminal offences committed within his business.
• Defending an individual who was facing allegations of illegal or unregistered practice by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
• Acting for a several London-based private members’ clubs in respect of their licensing matters. 
• Representing an individual subject to a review of their personal management licence by the Gambling Commission.
• Appearing as a presenting officer in various high profile and complex cases on behalf the regulators responsible for regulating the teaching profession in both England and Wales.

Professional societies and memberships

• Private Prosecutors’ Association
• Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers (ARDL)
• Solicitors’ Association of Higher Court Advocates (SAHCA)
• International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) 
• Health and Safety Lawyers’ Association
• Victims of Crime Association of Lawyers
• Whitehall and Industry Group Lawyers’ Network

• Anglo-Australasian Lawyers’ Society (AALS)

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recent publications

• New code for private prosecutions will embed their place in criminal justice, published in Law Society Gazette, 23 July 2019
• Identity Fraud, published in ICSA, 14 June 2019
• New Sentencing Guidelines Mean Reduced Sentences, published in Tomorrow’s Health and Safety, 8 June 2019
• Private prosecutions and the shape of things to come, published in Solicitor’s Journal, 10 May 2017
• Private prosecutions: best practice for organisations such as the RSPCA, published in Times Law, 26 May 2016