Craig Hassall KC > Park Square Barristers > Leeds, England > Barrister Profile

Craig Hassall KC

0113 2459763

Work Department

Regulatory & Public and Criminal

Position

Regulatory & Public

Head of the Regulatory and Public Law Team at PSQB, and an A-List Specialist Regulatory Advocate, Craig appears for the prosecution or defence in a wide range of regulatory cases. His regulatory practice includes serious health and safety cases, often involving fatalities and substantial environmental crime cases. He has significant experience of fire safety and food safety cases, with a particular interest in allergens.

Craig has represented both regulators and professionals in the disciplinary processes of several different professional bodies and sits as a Legally Qualified Chair in Police Misconduct Hearings. He also regularly appears in Coroners’ Courts.

He is well-known for his ability to conduct highly complex cases and is often retained to appear against Queens Counsel. His depth and breadth of experience of cases involving a wide range of prosecuting authorities enables him to bring a unique perspective to cases that transcend more than one area.

Craig works well as part of a team of counsel as both led and leading junior. He has been involved in many large cases with multiple defendants. He regularly deals with sensitive issues of disclosure and public-interest immunity, including covert human intelligence sources, intercept material and offenders with links to terrorism.

Crime

Craig’s criminal practice predominantly involves fraud and other serious and organised crime. He has extensive experience in all areas of financial offending, including applications for restraint, confiscation, compensation and the disqualification of directors. Many of his cases involve corporate defendants and the interpretation of corporate accounts.

Beyond financial crime, his practice includes murder, manslaughter, rape and serious sexual assaults, people trafficking and large-scale smuggling of drugs and dutiable goods. He is well-known for his ability to conduct highly complex cases, and is often retained to appear against Queens Counsel. His depth and breadth of experience of cases involving a wide range of prosecuting authorities enables him to bring a unique perspective to cases that transcend more than one area.

Craig works well as part of a team of counsel as both led and leading junior. He has been involved in many large cases with multiple defendants. He regularly deals with sensitive issues of disclosure and public-interest immunity, including covert human intelligence sources, intercept material and offenders with links to terrorism.

Craig’s sympathetic approach towards clients has repeatedly been identified by legal directories. He can be relied upon to deal sensitively with clients accused of the most serious offences.

Alongside his advocacy and advisory work Craig is responsible for arranging the North Eastern Circuit’s advocacy training programme. He is an accredited advocacy trainer and a facilitator of vulnerable witness advocacy training.

Career

Call 1999, Silk 2021

Appointments:
2012
Grade 4 Prosecutor and appointed to the Rape Panel
List A of the Panel of Specialist Regulatory Advocates

2013
Panel A of the Prosecution Counsel for the Serious Fraud Office

2015
Head of regulatory & public team

2019
Judicial appointment to the First-Tier Tribunal
Criminal Recorder appointment

2021
Silk

Memberships

North Eastern Circuit
Criminal Bar Association
Health and Safety Lawyers Association
United Kingdom Environmental Law Association

Education

1993
Thomas Sumpter Comprehensive School, Scunthorpe

1995
John Leggott Sixth Form College, Scunthorpe

1998
University College, Oxford, BA Jurisprudence (2:1)

1999
Inns of Court School of Law, BVC (‘very competent’)