Crime (general And Fraud)

Leading Silks

Christopher Paxton KC – Red Lion Chambers 'Christopher is a fabulous advocate who dominates the court room. His cross-examination is brilliant. He is assiduous and very hardworking.'

Richard Barraclough KC – Six Pump Court 'Richard is meticulous in his preparation and leaves no stone unturned in his pursuit of the truth. He commands respect because he is a careful thinker who plans his cases in detail from the outset. His witness care skills are excellent: a balance of calm authority with human empathy.'

Richard Christie KC –187 Chambers 'Richard has an amazing ability to absorb a huge amount of material. He has real skill at getting to the crux of a case and marshalling the relevant facts. His attention to detail is outstanding. His advocacy skills are first rate, and approache witnesses with great skill and care.'

Karim Khalil KC –Drystone Chambers

Simon Spence KC –Red Lion Chambers ‘Simon is a very experienced advocate and fights hard for his clients. He has good tactical judgment in trials, steering deftly through difficult areas to secure the best outcome.’

Alan Gardner KC – 23ES 'Alan is a master tactician and skillful advocate. He is always thoroughly prepared and hits every point. A masterful trial advocate.'

Kate Lumsdon KC –23ES 'Kate's skill is an understated advocacy, which is highly persuasive with judges and juries. She has a sharp and incisive mind.'

Eloise Marshall KC –23ES 'Eloise is a very effective advocate and excellent with clients.'

Allison Summers KC –Drystone Chambers 'Allison's preparation is exceptional. She goes above and beyond anyone else. Her ability to seek out and identify experts are perfect.'

2023 Silks

Nina Ellin KC –Six Pump Court 'Nina is a hardworking and committed advocate who has a way of putting clients at ease. Her legal arguments are robust and she leaves no stone unturned in her preparation.'

Leading Juniors

Peter Alcock –Six Pump Court 'Peter is an excellent and widely respected advocate.'

Danny Moore –Six Pump Court ‘Danny is well-liked by colleagues and the judiciary alike. He is tenacious and hard-working, with a tactician’s talent for identifying the issues that matter in a case. His written advocacy is focused and effective. His oral advocacy, delivered with his trademark charm, is nonetheless powerful and highly persuasive.’

Jane Oldfield –Red Lion Chambers 'Jane is tactical, thorough and kind. She puts the client's interests first and is always ahead of the game. She is very supportive of clients whilst also respected by judges and opponents.'

Christopher Prior – Lamb Building (Brighton)

Edward Renvoize –Red Lion Chambers 'Edward's strengths are dealing with clients when they are in a time of need and facing serious offences. His advocacy is persuasive and to the point. He is great with a jury and very good at handling difficult witnesses.'

Cyrus Shroff –Red Lion Chambers

Andrew Thompson –Red Lion Chambers 'Andrew has great communication skills and provides clear representation.'

Matthew Bagnall –187 Fleet Street Chambers 'Matthew has a brilliant eye for detail and is always prepared to put the work in. He is always quick with a spreadsheet to collate and analyse evidence. He always makes himself available to offer advice and discuss cases. He is robust in his advice and advocacy.'

James Bloomer –23ES ‘James is thorough barrister. His written arguments are comprehensive and compelling in the most complex and detailed cases. His advocacy is clear, well-planned, fastidiously researched and persuasive. He is a first-choice counsel for matters of complexity and seriousness.’

William Carter –Drystone Chambers ‘William is an outstanding advocate and always well-prepared. His submissions are thoughtful, to the point, and gets the law right. He has excellent judgement in trials.’

John FitzGerald –Six Pump Court 'John is an outstanding barrister. He combines legal proficiency with a practical approach to secure the best possible outcome for his cases.'

Daniel Frier –Mountford Chambers ‘Daniel is an eloquent advocate. His grasp of the facts allows him to make his points clearly and concisely. He understands the law and how it applies to his case. He has good judgement and combines this with a friendly manner.’

Sarah Gaunt - 2 Harcourt Buildings

Rowan Jenkins – Colleton Chambers

Amy Packham – Lamb Building (Brighton)

Lynne Shirley –Drystone Chambers ‘Lynne has a clinical eye for detail and a very disarming manner with clients. She is fearsome and meticulous in cross-examination.’

Daniel Taylor – Red Lion Chambers

Rebecca Upton – Mountford Chambers ‘Rebecca is an exceptional defence barrister. She is fearless in her approach and will go the extra mile on her client’s behalf.’

Jonathan Atkinson – Lamb Building (Brighton)

Kieran Brand –Six Pump Court 'Kieran is an exceptional barrister. He is concise with his cross-examination technique whilst maintaining professionalism and compassion throughout.'

Patrick Duffy –23ES ‘Patrick is a highly experienced and effective criminal law advocate.’

Tom Dunn – Six Pump Court

Neil FitzGibbon –187 Fleet Street Chambers 'Neil has tremendous attention to detail and the practical nature of evidence. He is an excellent advocate.'

Peter Guest –187 Fleet Street Chambers 'Peter is a phenomenal cross-examiner. He is a great trial strategist. He is very experienced and unflappable.'

Sally Hobson –The 36 Group 'Sally handles clients with professionalism and compassion. She has the ability to build a powerful rapport with clients and is definitely someone you want on your side.'

Rhodri James –23ES 'Rhodri is a skilled advocate who combines a friendly and approachable style with focused and persuasive advocacy. He holds a lot of authority in the courtroom, both with judges and juries.'

Donal Lawler –187 Fleet Street Chambers 'Donal is always quick to respond, provides sound advice and thinks quickly on his feet. He manages clients well and is able to appreciate wider commercial outlook.'

Claire Matthews –Drystone Chambers 'Claire is meticulous in everything she does. She is an exceptionally well-prepared barrister, and her organisation skills are scarily efficient.'

James McCrindell – 23ES

Emma Nash –187 Fleet Street Chambers 'Emma is a hardworking and diligent barrister. She is forceful in court and persuasive.'

James Onalaja –187 Fleet Street Chambers 'James is a consummate professional and excels in all areas. He is an excellent and tenacious advocate. He is a great tactician, with an excellent rapport with the clients, whatever their background or circumstances.'

Stephen Shay –23ES 'Stephen's advocacy is highly focused and clear. He is an exceptionally effective and impressive prosecutor.'

Matthew Sorel-Cameron –Red Lion Chambers ‘Matthew is excellent on the law, and his written work is immaculate. He has a good tactical awareness in cases and is able to exercise superb judgement. He is hard-working and always has complete commitment to his work.’

Stephen Spence –Drystone Chambers

Daniel Stevenson –Six Pump Court

Rachel Beckett - Lamb Building (Brighton)

Azza Brown – Drystone Chambers 'Azza is extremely capable advocate. She works well under pressure. She has a good manner with the client, always provides strong and reassuring leadership, and always works constructively with her opponent counsel.'

James Bruce - The 36 Group 'James is a tenacious and confident advocate. He has an eye for detail and a forensic approach to preparation for his cases.'

Edward Culver - 4 King's Bench Walk 'Edward is a very good advocate, has a calm head and can deal with complex cases involving voluminous material.'

David Dainty – 23ES ‘David is a well-prepared and persuasive advocate. He is a formidable opponent who is confident in the court room.’

Steven Dyble –Red Lion Chambers

Liam Edwards – 187 Chambers 'Liam is a strong and persuasive barrister who can build a strong rapport with a range of different types of clients and personalities.'

Sophie Evans – Mountford Chambers 'Sophie is technically strong. Her advice, drafting and advocacy is strong and assured.'

James Hay – Lamb Building (Brighton)

Gavin Holme –4 King’s Bench Walk ‘Gavin is an incredibly talented advocate. He has excellent judgement and fights hard for his clients.’

Claire Howell – Drystone Chambers

Ben Irwin – Six Pump Court

Katherine Kelleher - The 36 Group 'Katherine is reassuring in con and on paper. Her knowledge of criminal law is outstanding.'

Daniel Kersh – 187 Chambers ‘Daniel is a tenacious and an all-rounder advocate.’

Emin Kandola –Six Pump Court

Jo Morris – Drystone Chambers ‘Jo is a fearless advocate. She is pro-active and determined, always willing to go the extra yard for what is best for the client.’

Amy Nicholson – Six Pump Court 'Amy has a great witness handling skills. She handles a particularly difficult and vulnerable defendant with great patience and skill.'

Tanya Robinson – Six Pump Court 'Tanya is a robust advocate who will leave no stone unturned. Her advocacy is assured and powerful.'

Kenniesha Stephens –Drystone Chambers ‘Kenniesha has super judgement and a forensic mind.’

Adam Williams -4 King's Bench Walk 'Adam is very considerate of vulnerable defendants and witnesses and is able to put his case in a way that all involved can understand.'

Rising Stars

Michael Haggar – The 36 Group 'Michael is a fantastic advocate, and his drafting is second to none. He is engaged, pragmatic and always at hand to strategise. He is a credit to the profession.'

Georgia Luscombe – Drystone Chambers

Catherine Rose -The 36 Group 'Catherine is an extremely knowledgeable and capable advocate.'

Sean Summerfield – Doughty Street Chambers 'Sean is extremely thorough in his preparation and is excellent in his client care. He can make difficult arguments in court and challenge the prosecution. He deals particularly well with family members who are distraught at the proceedings and is meticulous in his legal arguments and attention to detail.'

Sebastian Walker – The 36 Group 'Sebastian is an absolute star. He is go-to person for complicated points of law, calm and collected under pressure. He is always one step ahead of the opposition.'

Tom Worden – 187 Fleet Street Chambers 'Tom is able to identify the difficulties in any cases and how to overcome them and provide sound advice to the client. He has a very good way with clients and is able to put them at ease.'

Crime (general and fraud) in Regional Bar

Tier 1 sets

Red Lion Chambers

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.

Les références

‘Mark Bennett runs a fantastic clerks’ room.’

‘Mark Bennett is always on hand to deal with serious or sensitive issues.’

‘Red Lion Chambers is a good set with a range of advocates with various levels of experience. The team is great at serious and complex cases.’

Six Pump Court

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.

Les références

‘Six Pump Court is a brilliant set of chambers, always willing to assist firms at the drop of a hat. Graham Collof is a friendly, helpful and extremely experienced clerk and a credit to the set.’

‘Six Pump Court is a strong Kent and Sussex practice with some excellent counsel at all levels.’

‘Six Pump Court is a leading set providing expert advice and advocacy in many common law disciplines.’

Principaux dossiers

Tier 2 sets

187 Chambers

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.

Les références

‘The clerking team is brilliant. In particular, Theresa Tyler and Stephanie Shaylor.’

‘John Pyne and Theresa Tyler – two of the best out there. They are always available on the end of a phone and with powers to arrange court hearings and counsel are incredible.’

‘John Pyne is amazing.’

Principaux dossiers

23ES

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.

Les références

‘Adam Chapman is a brilliant clerk.’

‘Wayne King is very well-organised and always does his best to help.’

‘Adam Chapman and Wayne King are very good at what they do. They understand the cases and the expertise of their barristers and are able to offer recommendations of counsel where required.’

Principaux dossiers

Drystone Chambers

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.

Les références

‘Steve McCarthy is the best clerk.’

‘Steve McCarthy is extremely helpful and approachable, as is David Cox. The clerks’ room is excellent on the whole. They are always willing to help and assist clients.’

‘Ryan Bartlett is excellent and always willing to help.’

Classements par PratiqueRegional Bar