Red Lion Chambers remains a ‘top-tier criminal set’ ‘with versatile counsel’ for providing quality representation in high-profile criminal cases, spanning murders, drug conspiracies and serious sexual offences. An ‘exceptional barrister’, Christopher Paxton KC is highly adept at handling serious crime and multi-handed murder matters, garnering praise for his ‘precise, focused and thereby highly effective cross-examination’. Simon Spence KC is ‘an excellent in-court communicator’ known for his ‘very sound grasp of the facts and legal issues’ and has recently acted for the defendant in a complex murder case related to the robbery of drugs from a flat. ‘Highly persuasive in written work and advocacy’ Jane Oldfield was prosecuted a man who was sentenced to 28 years for sexually assaulting his niece and his friend's daughter, as well as raping his own daughter.

Six Pump Court is a ‘solid set with a wealth of experience’ in all areas of criminal practice, with particular expertise in cases involving sexual offences and homicide. Experienced practitioner Richard Barraclough KC recently secured acquittal of a man being tried for murder and manslaughter in a case related to murder of a drug supplier by a competitor, and jointly heads the team with Nina Ellin KC, who is renowned for her ‘calm, confident and reassuring manner’ and successfully defended a young man, aged eighteen at the time of the alleged offence, accused of manslaughter after punching a man who was subsequently punched again by a co-defendant. Peter Alcock has extensive experience of acting for both the defence and the prosecution in criminal cases and acted as prosecutor in a two-handed corporate manslaughter case that involved a fatality at a waste management site (R v FDS Waste Limited & Phillip Pidgely). Danny Moore is a ‘first class defence barrister’ who also prosecutes. ‘Tenacious defender’ John Fitzgerald is known for ‘his meticulous preparation and written applications’ - he and Ellin KC represented a man who was charged with murder and only convicted of lesser offences after a homeless unregistered barrister was beaten to death with, among other objects, a gavel in a car park in Canterbury; a co-defendant was convicted of murder.

187 Chambers is ‘a great set of chambers that offers a good quality of counsel at all levels’ and advises on the full range of high-profile and large-scale criminal law matters. Richard Christie KC is ‘an exceptional advocate who leaves no stone unturned in the pursuit of his client’s interests’ - he successfully represented an extremely mentally disabled child defendant in an appeal against sentence for attempted murder, in one of the first cases relying on expert evidence to categorise a case's harm level in the sentencing guidelines. Matthew Bagnall is often described as ‘an outstanding barrister’ with a brilliant legal mind and knowledge of the law’ and acted for the HMRC in the prosecution of a tobacco smuggling ring which imported over 6.5m cigarettes illegally. Donal Lawler provides ‘sound advice and thinks quickly on his feet’ and acted for the defendant charged with a series of robberies and knife-point attacks on commuters in a case involving significant evidential issues related to the mental health of the defendant, joint enterprise and intention. James Onalaja has ‘strong advocacy and analytical skills’ and prosecuted Jelani Jones, a self-representing defendant who was convicted of malicious communications and witness intimidation after sending threats to police officers, solicitors and local business - Onalaja also continued in the case, representing the CPS in an appeal against sentence concerning the sentencing court's discretion to consider time spent on remand awaiting trial for other charges.

23ES is ‘a superb set with great strength in depth and a wide choice of proactive counsel’ who handle some of the most complex, high-profile and serious criminal cases. Kate Lumsdon KC is known for her ‘calm, controlled and thoughtful approach’ and successfully represented one of the defendants charged with the murder of a taxi driver, while ‘highly intelligent’ Eloise Marshall KC led the successful prosecution of Lawrence Jones, founder of technology company UKFast, who was convicted of drugging, raping and assaulting several women. Alan Gardner KC is a ‘calm and measured advocate praised for his strategy and questioning’ and successfully prosecuted two men who were convicted of sexual offences committed as part of a grooming gang in the early 2000s. James Bloomer represented a man who was acquitted of the most serious charges and avoided a custodial sentenced after being accused of involvement in the running of a gun factory - the case involved issues of the defendant, who was blind and unable to read braille, being able to participate in a trial with significant amounts of cell site evidence.

Drystone Chambers is ‘a very good set with a variety of strong barristers’ that handles the full spectrum of criminal law matters, including homicide, armed robbery, gang crime, and sexual offences. Karim Khalil KC specialises in gross negligence manslaughter cases and recently secured acquittal of a pilot after a RIB collided with a buoy in the Solent, killing a passenger. Allison Summers KC is known for ‘her meticulous case preparation and attention to detail’ and is currently acting for a defendant in a joint enterprise murder case after a stabbing in Sudbury. William Carter defended a senior solicitor who defrauded his firm's client account of £2m after falling victim to an advance fee fraud. Lynne Shirley is praised for ‘her fine detail in preparing cases and drafting statements’, while Claire Matthews has extensive experience of acting for both defence and prosecution in criminal cases - she prosecuted alone in a case of a defendant who pleaded guilty the day before trial to human trafficking, brothel-keeping and money laundering offences.