A leading national law firm headquartered in Oxford, Reeds Solicitors LLP, has today announced the promotion of three partners to its growing Partnership.
Emma Ćojder, Andy Lee, and Lucy Tapper have been promoted to the firm’s partnership, bringing the total number of Partners across all offices to 18, with a third of Partners now comprising women. Emma and Lucy are the first CILEX and barrister, respectively, to join the Partnership.
At the same time, Andy’s promotion marks an important milestone in the firm’s ongoing commitment to fostering greater diversity and inclusion within its leadership team, reflecting the evolving makeup of both the profession and the communities it serves.
Based in the firm’s head office in Oxford, Lucy Tapper is the first barrister to be made a Partner at Reeds. With more than 23 years of experience, as well as a background working in the Criminal Justice System that spans 30 years, Lucy first joined Reeds, in-house, in 2010 as a Director and Head of the Crown Court Department before returning to the Independent Bar in 2018.
She then re-joined Reeds in 2022, whilst retaining her Door Tenancy at Furnival Chambers in London. Lucy is bringing a level of dedication and passion to her work that is evident to every one of her clients, truly an advocate willing to leave no stone unturned.
While renowned for her work in sexual offences, where her results speak for themselves, Lucy’s extensive experience covers the full range of criminal defence work including murder, serious violence, firearms, terrorism, conspiracies, organised crime, drugs, kidnap, and dishonesty.
With 25 years’ experience litigating serious criminal cases, Emma brought her expertise and substantial organisational skills to bear in her role as Team Manager and lynchpin for the firm’s national Complex Crime team. It is not an understatement to say that Emma is critical to the continued growth and success of her team, and as such, richly deserves this promotion.
Based in Reeds’ Bristol office, Partner Andy Lee brings to the Partnership a wealth of experience. Andy has a varied workload and is often instructed in cases involving money laundering and related offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act, large-scale complex frauds conducted by the HMRC and high-level drugs importation and distribution conspiracies.
In addition, many of his cases involve complex, multi-jurisdictional investigations, including matters conducted in collaboration with international law enforcement agencies such as Interpol, the FBI and National Crime Agency. A fluent Cantonese speaker, his practice includes an extensive international network with a particular emphasis on Southeast Asia.
As such, he is regularly instructed in cases throughout the country. Many of these cases involve what is frequently referred to as the “Chinese Underground Banking System” and “Daigou”, of which he has bespoke knowledge. A significant aspect of Andy’s practice has been the establishment of a strong and trusted client base within the Chinese community, which has played a pivotal role in his success, reflecting both cultural insight and professional credibility.
Commenting on the latest round of promotions, managing partner Jan Matthews said: “Speaking on behalf of the entire firm, we would like to congratulate Emma, Andy and Lucy on their promotion to the partnership. We are especially pleased to see a member of the Bar and of CILEX joining the partnership – demonstrating that there is no barrier to success and career progression within the firm.
“This is only the second round of promotions since we implemented our successful career progression framework in 2024. This pathway provides clear objectives to those who wish to progress at the firm, and we are pleased to see it working effectively. It works alongside our Reeds Academy, which provides training in pursuit of these goals, and a more general professional development, for which we are very proud.”
