About us
This About Us page features the legal team supporting many of the women who have experienced abuse by Mohamed Al Fayed at Fulham Football Club, Harrods and in other locations around the world.
Please note that the clients are retained by the barristers on a Public Access Basis and we are regulated by the Bar Council of England and Wales. Further information about the Public Access Scheme is set out on the FAQs page.
Dean Armstrong KC
King's Counsel Barrister
Date of Call: July 1985
Dean Armstrong KC is an accomplished silk who is well known for his persuasive advocacy and strong negotiation skills. He has extensive experience in all types of law, including criminal, civil and family disputes. He may be unique in being nominated twice as Junior of the Year in Crime by Chambers and Partners and twice as Silk of the Year for work in the commercial sphere.
His cases in the world of sexual assaults, rape and indecent assaults are many, varied and sensitive. Dean has appeared in a number of high-profile cases, including the murder of Joanna Yeates in Bristol, and many rape and historic sexual allegation cases.
Reviews of Dean in the two premier UK Law directories have described him as “A master tactician who can identify key issues quickly” and “…a practical man who sees the wider picture”. One reviewer asserted that “Dean Armstrong is fast reaching the point where there will be no one above him at all”. Others have commented: “He is fantastic; very knowledgeable on the law and very, very good on the detail. He is also really down-to-earth with clients” and “Solicitors identify him as an impressive presence in court.”
Maria Mulla
Barrister
Date of Call: March 2005
Maria is a barrister at Maitland Chambers and has nearly 20 years’ experience, having been called to the Bar in 2005. In Maria’s earlier career she had a mixed practice which enabled her to have extensive experience in personal injury cases which included complex psychiatric damages cases and future loss of earnings claims.
Maria’s practice now specialises in company and commercial law, focusing on the liabilities and obligations of directors, companies, and civil fraud. These are important elements for this case.
Maria has always had a personal and professional interest in human rights and women’s rights and has an LLM in International Law with a focus on International Human Rights law.
Maria also advises corporations on their corporate due diligence and the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights which builds on her academic and practical experience obtained in this area prior to coming to the Bar. She also advises individual directors on their duties in this area.
When Maria first spoke to some of the women involved in abuse by Mohamed Al Fayed, she felt compelled to help them have a voice and to support them in achieving some accountability and justice. Now both sportswomen and others at Fulham FC are coming forward to give their accounts of the abuse that they suffered.
Maria feels that the sheer courage of these brave women each speaking out and reliving their experiences will enable others to come forward, not just for this case, but for other grave injustices across the world.
Bruce Drummond
Barrister
Date of Call: October 1992
Bruce’s practice covers a broad range of areas, from Commercial litigation, to Intellectual Property, media, and entertainment. He has both prosecuted and defended in serious sex abuse cases and represented families in care proceedings involving abuse.
He is well known for his good business sense and his ability to clarify highly complex cases. As an advocate, he is robust and effective, always maintaining the interests of his client.
Bruce is engaged in the well-publicised “Hendrix” case, in which he co-represents the families of Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell in a claim for infringement and historic royalty recovery. He has also worked on a complex and substantial commercial claim against Universal Music and was lead Counsel in Lloyd v Kruger [2018] EWHC 2011 where he successfully defended a claim for £2.3m concerning allegations of misrepresentation and fraud. He was Lead Counsel in the successful handling of a £40m banking claim arising from fraudulent practices.
He is a previous member of the International Bar Association, Anguilla Bar Association, and an Associate member of the Connecticut Bar Association. Bruce was Winner of the SME News ‘Media Lawyer of the Year 2023’.