Mr Imran Shafi KC > Exchange Chambers > Manchester, England > Barrister Profile
Exchange Chambers Offices
201 DEANSGATE
MANCHESTER
M3 3NW
England
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Mr Imran Shafi KC
Work Department
Criminal
Position
Imran is widely regarded as one of the leading criminal barristers on circuit, if not nationwide. He is instructed in the most serious criminal matters and has appeared in numerous groundbreaking cases. A dozen or so of his Court of Appeal cases are reported in the leading criminal textbooks.
In recognition of his ability and experience, he was appointed King’s Counsel and a Recorder of the Crown Court.
Solicitors and clients seek him out for his legal knowledge, his performance in court and his incredible work ethic. He strives to do his utmost to represent his clients to the best of his ability and achieves great results. Unsurprisingly, he is very much in demand, client’s securing his services at the earliest opportunity, often pre-charge.
He is renowned for his track record of having cases discontinued, dismissed and successfully applying to exclude evidence.
He has a great rapport with everyone from clients to solicitors through to Judges. Treating everyone with courtesy and respect.
In recent years, his practice has increasingly featured ‘paper heavy’ fraud and complex money laundering allegations. His meticulous preparation, logical approach and ease with accounting and financial evidence lends itself well to defending in this specialist area.
In addition to his recognised strength in fraud, he is frequently retained to defend in, murder, terrorism, serious drugs conspiracies, gang violence and large-scale immigration facilitation cases.
Imran’s instructions are increasingly private, however he does still accept instructions in serious publicly-funded work.
Career
Called 1996; Silk 2021
Memberships
- Criminal Bar Association
Lawyer Rankings
Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Crime (general and fraud)
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2Exchange Chambers is praised as a ‘veritable Northern powerhouse’ with an ‘array of highly-respected practitioners’. The crime team in chambers defends and prosecutes at all levels, covering the entire spectrum of serious crime, including murder, financial crime, alleged serious sexual offending and drug offences. The set is home to John Jones KC, who has a thriving practice working exclusively for the defence in serious crime, fraud, money laundering, and insider trading cases; he acted for the defendant in a gangland murder case concerning the execution-style murder of a rival drug dealer in a public street in broad daylight in Liverpool. Gordon Cole KC has a well-established and varied practice, having acted in murder and manslaughter cases, and Ben Myers KC has substantial expertise in high-value fraud and money laundering cases. The set also houses Richard Littler KC, who has significant experience in cases concerning terrorism, fraud, and organised crime – he is acting for a defendant in a drug importation case stemming from the interception of 350kg of cocaine, 90kg of heroin and 150kg of cannabis. Mark Rhind KC is strong in high-value MTIC and tax fraud cases. Imran Shafi KC also primarily defends in serious and high-profile cases regarding murder, terrorism, and drug conspiracies – he represented a woman who was acquitted on charges concerning her alleged membership of an extreme-right group planning violence using, among others, 3D-printed firearms. Turning to the set’s juniors, David Birrell was sole counsel for a defendant who played a leading role in a case concerning the supply of 180kg of Class A drugs, involving a significant amount of Encrochat evidence. James MacAdam was appointed to the circuit bench in September 2023 as was Ian Harris in October 2023.