John Kelsey-Fry KC > Cloth Fair Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile
Cloth Fair Chambers Offices
39-40 CLOTH FAIR
LONDON
EC1A 7NT
England
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John Kelsey-Fry KC
Position
John Kelsey-Fry KC is Head of Cloth Fair Chambers. He is widely recognised as one of the leading silks at the Criminal Bar. He is outstanding in front of a jury, has exceptional advocacy skills and his wealth of experience is almost unparalleled. As one commentator says, “There is rarely a high-profile criminal case where he is not instructed, and his level of commitment and can-do approach is inspirational”.
John is particularly sought after in areas of business and financial crime where his criminal expertise is matched by his commercial understanding and his strategic vision. He is exemplary at advising boards and individuals alike.
He is also known for high-profile general crime and is often cited for his work involving defamation where his cross-examination skills have proved game-changing. Further, he is commended for his work in the sports sector, having a wide range of experience of sporting and regulatory tribunals.
Career
John represented Natwest in the first ever criminal prosecution by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) of a financial institution under anti-money laundering laws in the UK.
SFO v Barclays (winner – Most Important Court Case 2020, GIR). For the former head of investment banking in the Middle-East, acquitted of all charges re multi-billion pound capital raise in 2008 following a five-month trial at the Central Criminal Court.
Advised individuals in relation to a number of SFO investigations including ENRC, Balli and Unaoil as well as advising a Premier League Football Club in relation to an ongoing HMRC investigation.
Other notable instructions in recent years include:
- HKSAR – v – Kwok: Successfully defended the property tycoon, the only defendant to be acquitted in Hong Kong’s largest ever graft case.
- R -v- Olympus Corporation: acted for the company in securing a full acquittal regarding Companies Act charges brought by the SFO
- R -v- W: Successfully defended the CEO of a raw materials company charged by the SFO with conspiracy to defraud
- R -v- Huhne: Represented the former Energy Secretary charged with perverting the course of justice
- R -v- C: Successfully represented the former Director of iSoft in criminal and regulatory proceedings
Memberships
Called to the Bar – 1978
QC – 2000 | KC – 2022
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Fraud: crime
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1John Kelsey-Fry KC – Cloth Fair Chambers ‘John is all-round first-rate. He is a fantastic advocate – compelling, cogent and loved by juries. He is incredibly clever, but also practical and user-friendly. Additionally, he is first-rate on advisory work.’
Cloth Fair Chambers is a ‘leading set for white-collar defence work’, hosting both silks and juniors ‘at the top of the game’. John Kelsey-Fry KC has recently been involved in several high-profile cases, including for a defendant in the SFO’s case against the Balli Group for alleged fraud offences committed by its steel trading platform. Alison Pople KC, ‘excellent at navigating tricky legal and ethical issues’, has recently represented an entrepreneur in relation to a charge of eight counts of cheating the public revenue by way of VAT fraud. Rhys Meggy brings his considerable experience in complex international fraud cases to chambers from QEB Hollis Whiteman.
London Bar > Business and regulatory crime (including global investigations)
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1John Kelsey-Fry KC – Cloth Fair Chambers ‘John is a master of the details, with a very strong strategic approach.’
Cloth Fair Chambers maintains a strong position in the market, with the set’s workload including fraud, corporate and financial crime, and members of the set being ‘consistently involved in the high profile and notable cases involving corporations, senior executives and high-profile individuals‘. For example, ‘brilliant, much-in-demand, silk‘ Alison Pople KC is instructed by a high net-worth individual charged with eight counts of cheating the public revenue to the tune of £22m, and in SFO v Balli Group, an SFO prosecution for fraud offences in connection with Balli Group’s steel trading platform, John Kelsey-Fry KC led Rachel Kapila in representing the chairman of the group. Tom Allen KC is instructed to represent the former managing director of an Airbus subsidiary accused of corruption relating to work for carried out for the Saudi national guard. In November 2022, Stuart Biggs joined from Three Raymond Buildings. Rhys Meggy joined from QEB Hollis Whiteman in May 2023. Ben Sundborg joined as head of practice management from 39 Essex Chambers in April 2023.