Christopher Martin > Chambers of Brian Altman KC & Jim Sturman KC > London, England > Barrister Profile

Christopher Martin

020 7440 8888 cmartin@2befordrow.co.uk

Position

Christopher has a very busy private and legal aid Crown Court practice and has, in the 12 months, appeared in a number of in lengthy and serious trials either as a Junior alone or a Led Junior. He also has significant experience of representing military defendants at Court Martials in the UK and Germany. Additionally, Christopher has developed a regular private practice in the Magistrates’ Court in respect of complicated road traffic matters.  
Christopher is a graded CPS prosecutor and appears regularly for both the CPS and the National Probation Service in the Crown Courts in London and Essex in respect of all manner of hearings and trials. He is also instructed by the CPS to appear in the Court of Appeal and he regularly provides ‘pre-charge’ advice on instruction. Christopher has, over the years, been regularly instructed by the Treasury Solicitors and discrete government departments in relation to complex and confidential public law matters which require the utmost discretion and diligence. Christopher is cetted to Developed Vetting (DV) standard.
Outside of crime, Christopher continues to develop his busy regulatory practice and is regularly instructed by the Association of Optometrists to defend their members appearing before the General Optical Council.  He is also instructed to appear at Coroner Inquests.
Of note, Christopher was instructed as both a barrister and an investigation team leader within a Special Investigation and Prosecution Team (SIPT) for the duration of a three year investigation. The investigation focused on serious allegations of fraud, corruption and bribery and money laundering committed by government officials within the Turks & Caicos Islands. Christopher gained significant experience of compiling complicated production orders and working under the MLAT and LoR processes; in particular with the US Department of Justice.
Christopher is qualified to accept direct access instructions and does so on a regular basis.

Career

Called 2008. Retired British Army Infantry officer (in the rank of Major). Completed pupillage, and accepted tenancy, at 2 Bedford Row in 2009. Predominantly defence Crown Court practice but prosecutes regularly.

Languages

French (conversational).

Memberships

Honourable Society of the Middle Temple (Harms worth Major Scholar 2007); Criminal Bar Association.

Education

Royal military Academy Sandhurst (awarded the Sovereign’s Sword of Honour and the Anson Memonal Pnze); The Open University (LLB (Hons)); BBP Law School (BVC (Very Competent – graded 9th in year)).

Leisure

Downhill skiing, mountaineering, offshore sailing, fine red Bordeaux wine.