International human rights and criminal law

Leading Juniors

Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.

1
Jennifer Robinson
Doughty Street Chambers
'Exceptional advocate, brilliant legal mind, has led important human rights achievements across a range of areas, focus on pro bono work, easy to work with, generous with her time to clients.'
1
Joanna Buckley
Matrix Chambers
'Joanna is a thoughtful and meticulous barrister. She has the ability to be flexible in her approach and be practical in her advice. She is a joy to work with. Her subject knowledge expertise is well recognised and impressive.'  
1
Michelle Butler
Matrix Chambers
‘Michelle shines above her colleagues. She is a league of her own. Full of professionalism and passionate about her work she combines skill with a unique personal care and attention to the cases she’s handling.’
1
Amal Clooney
Doughty Street Chambers
'Amal is a very persuasive advocate for her clients, victims of human rights abuses and mass atrocities; the strength of her advocacy is well recognised. She is passionate for justice and human rights, and empathetic with her clients. Her standing compels the attention of not only of courts but also of governments, which is imperative in cases of human rights abuses committed by state authorities.'
1
Tatyana Eatwell
Doughty Street Chambers
'Very creative at finding solutions to complex human rights issues, using the full range of international remedies.'
1
Gráinne Mellon
Garden Court Chambers
'Focused, clever and committed.'
1
Nina Tavakoli
Red Lion Chambers
‘Nina is very direct; she gets straight to the heart of an issue and doesn’t waste time on bad or insignificant points. She understands complex arguments and communicates them clearly to the court. She reads what the judges are thinking very quickly and adapts her approach to them.’
1
Philippa Webb
Twenty Essex
‘Extremely well-connected with her finger on the pulse. Really easy to work with. Excellent sense of judgement. Cool and calm head.’
1
Can Yeginsu
3 Verulam Buildings
'Can is a phenomenon - his expertise, particularly in the field of free expression, is unmatched.'
2
Aarif Abraham
Doughty Street Chambers
'Among his many strengths is the ability to take complex legal issues and explain them to people who do not have a legal background but who need to understand the nuance and finer detail of international law.'
2
Sarah Bafadhel
9BR Chambers
‘Sarah is a tremendous lawyer with a brilliant legal mind. Her ability to draft complex submissions in international criminal law is astonishing. She is an incredible asset in a legal team as her inputs are always on point and creative when necessary for tricky factual or legal points of discussion.’
2
Sam Blom-Cooper
25 Bedford Row
'He is knowledgeable, quick, extremely hard working, and a fine advocate. He has an attractive manner in court and has learnt restraint when dealing with a vexatious opponent.'
2
Rhys Davies
Temple Garden Chambers
'Rhys' key strengths are a first-rate analytical brain, his ability to absorb a wide range of complex data and distill from it a compelling line of argument, his understanding of the political hinterland of his case, and the invariable fluency of his presentations.  His willingness to undertake complex and time-consuming human rights cases pro-bono marks him out as a truly exceptional lawyer.'
2
Haydee Dijkstal
33 Bedford Row
'Haydee's strengths include extensive knowledge of international and domestic human rights and criminal law. She is well-versed in the necessary legislation and jurisprudence, both for relevant international instruments and mechanisms and for relevant domestic jurisdictions. Haydee's deep expertise also allows her to make novel legal arguments as appropriate—such as by drawing parallels to other situations or by highlighting unique aspects of a case — to best advocate for success.'
2
Iain Edwards
1MCB
 
2
Aidan Ellis
Temple Garden Chambers
‘Aidan is extremely thorough and has great attention to detail. He is a calm and persuasive advocate in court.’
2
Monica Feria-Tinta
Twenty Essex
'Combines superb knowledge of international human rights law with a detailed and meticulous approach to her cases.'
2
Toby Fisher
Matrix Chambers
2
Courtney Grafton
Twenty Essex
‘Absolutely brilliant team player. Fantastic drafter. You can count on her completely. A true pleasure to work with.’
2
Naomi Hart
Essex Court Chambers
‘An absolutely superb junior. Excellent at identifying the key issues. Precise and thoughtful in her oral and written advocacy.’
2
Gillian Higgins
9BR Chambers
2
Joshua Kern
9BR Chambers
'An excellent advocate, unflappable and very good on the details.'
2
Paul Luckhurst
Blackstone Chambers
2
Jennifer MacLeod
Brick Court Chambers
'Admirably knowledgeable, thoughtful and a pleasure to work with.'
2
Anirudh Mathur
Matrix Chambers
'Ani has an obvious interest in an acuity with any dispute with an international element. His cross-border practice leaves him well placed to engage with often knotty issues raised by litigation with a cross-border or international element.'
3
Sareta Ashraph
Garden Court Chambers
She brings an exceptional command of complex legal frameworks, with particular expertise in the gendered dimensions of international crimes and the rights of survivors of mass atrocities. Equally adept in courtroom advocacy, legal drafting and survivor-centred engagement, Sareta combines intellectual rigour with unmatched emotional intelligence. Her clarity of thought and expression enables her to navigate the most technical legal terrain while making complex issues accessible to a range of audiences.’
3
Peta-Louise Bagott
Doughty Street Chambers
‘Excellent drafter, very responsive, easy to work with and a great team player.’
3
Malcolm Birdling
Brick Court Chambers
3
Isabel Buchanan
Blackstone Chambers
‘Isabel is exceptionally bright and is a pleasure to work with. She provides clear advice and thinks through problems diligently.’
3
Paul Kingsley Clark
Garden Court Chambers
‘Paul provides excellent written advice of a strategic nature and has conducted wide-ranging and influential research into comparative criminal and constitutional law. He drafts clear and detailed instructions to expert witnesses and deploys this evidence into trial strategy and legal arguments. His commitment to pro bono work is exceptional.’
3
Piers Gardner
Monckton Chambers
‘Extremely professional with a keen eye to detail. He is very accommodating and easy to communicate with. He is in full command of the applicable law and gives clients high confidence.’
3
Joe Holmes
9BR Chambers
‘Joe is at the top of his game as an international lawyer. He has the perfect mix of intelligence and approachability. He is a pleasure to work with.’
3
Kathryn Howarth
Temple Garden Chambers
‘Kathryn is committed to providing advice to her clients that they can easily put into action. She explains legal concepts extremely clearly and puts them into practical steps in a manner that is rare among similar practitioners. Her advice is extremely helpful and in turn allows her clients to not only have an excellent advocate in her, but also to advocate for themselves.’
3
Jessica Jones
Matrix Chambers
3
Ben Joyes
9BR Chambers
‘Hard working and experienced – regularly appears in the High Court.’
3
Ben Keith
5 St Andrews Hill
‘Highly persuasive advocate with an exceptional ability to distill complex legal arguments into clear, compelling submissions that work in court. Ben has a knack for cutting through legal complexity to present cases in ways that judges find accessible and convincing. Ben manages clients exceptionally well through his straightforward communication style and evident expertise. He has the ability to explain difficult concepts clearly while keeping them informed throughout proceedings.’
3
Jackie McArthur
Essex Court Chambers
3
Ian McDonald
3VB
3
Zacharias Miah
9BR Chambers
‘Very smart and fast in the analysis, and a hard worker too.’
3
George Molyneaux
Blackstone Chambers
3
Harj Narulla
Doughty Street Chambers
‘Harj is exceptional. His advocacy before the International Court of Justice is superb and he has a brilliant grasp of complex issues and how to explain them to a judge.’
3
Kerrie Ann Rowan
25 Bedford Row
‘Sharp as a tack; incisive witness handler with the ultimate goal firmly and throughout in her sights. Written advocacy displays a deep understanding of the relevant law’
3
Amy Sander
Essex Court Chambers
‘An excellent team player and clear, focused advocate.’
3
Amy Sander
Essex Court Chambers
‘Excellent team player and clear, focused advocate.’
3
Kirsty Sutherland
9BR Chambers
‘Excellent research skills and keeps up to date with academic developments.’
3
Alex Tinsley
Doughty Street Chambers
‘His strength is the outstanding quality of his work, the diligence he applies and the broad knowledge he has in particular in the human rights and extradition field.’
3
Jonathan Worboys
4 New Square Chambers
‘Jonathan has extensive experience in international human rights and criminal law.’

Rising stars

Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.

1
Anna Hoffmann
4 Pump Court