Crime (general and fraud)

Leading Juniors
Rising stars

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.

Jonathan Barker

St Philips Chambers

‘Jonathan has a technical mind which allows him to assimilate material very quickly. He focuses on the issues and the intricacies of each case in order to represent his clients to the very best of his ability, which is indeed outstanding. He is extremely good with lay clients and their families and in legal arguments he can think on his feet and address all issues eloquently and with meaning.’

Ian Bridge

No5 Barristers’ Chambers

'Ian has excellent analytical skills and his level of accuracy and attention to detail is outstanding. He has a real command of the courtroom when representing clients; his communication and presentation skills are phenomenal.'

Ben Close

St Philips Chambers

‘Ben has a sound, analytical approach to work. His strength is in analysing a complex case and getting on top of the details; he is a junior for particularly difficult and demanding cases. His advocacy is also sound. Ben is a silk of the future.’

William Douglas-Jones

St Philips Chambers

‘William's key strength is his meticulous approach to case preparation. He is comfortable liaising with all parties and is a keen negotiator. He has an eye for detail and is a superb advocate. He is a stand-out barrister on the circuit.'

Justin Jarmola

Citadel Chambers

Jennifer Josephs

St Philips Chambers

‘Jennifer is a talented advocate with a persuasive manner. She is intellectually able, diligent, and astute in terms of the strategy and tactics of a case. She is highly respected by the judiciary and by her colleagues at the Bar.’

Sarah Knight

The 36 Group

‘Sarah is an exceptional advocate with a clear and persuasive approach to advocacy. She takes the most complicated of cases and carves a clear channel through the evidence with her understanding. She is calm and methodical and oozes good judgement and presence in a court room. She is quite exceptional all round.’

John O’Higgins

No5 Barristers’ Chambers

‘John has excellent communication skills with clients, with the ability to reassure clients who are anxious about proceedings. His performances in court are masterclasses. He is the most powerful advocate around and his cross-examination of witnesses is strategically brilliant and phenomenal.'

Tim Pole

No5 Barristers’ Chambers

'Good communication skills and a very commercial outlook makes Tim an ideal choice for clients. He is good when it comes to paperwork as well as as a courtroom advocate.'

Ben Williams

St Philips Chambers

'Ben is a superb barrister. He has a very approachable manner, both with instructing solicitors and lay clients. He approaches all cases with a thoroughness and attention to detail. In court, his representations are persuasive and concise, whereas with juries he is personable and provides great clarity to seemingly complex issues.'

Sharon Bahia

No5 Barristers’ Chambers

‘Sharon’s strength lies in her intuition. Her reaction to the unanticipated displays a real-world understanding of the exigencies of criminal litigation. She has a down-to-earth manner which inspires confidence in her clients. She has a perfectly-balanced approach of tenacity and realism.’

Claire Fraser

The 36 Group

‘Claire is an exceptionally able advocate who has demonstrated over a significant period that she can be trusted with very serious and complex criminal work. Her advocacy skills, both written and oral, are of a very high standard. Claire is in a class of her own, a true leader and a real team player whether leading or junioring.’

'Rajinder has all the assets needed to be a highly-skilled barrister. His quiet, self-effacing manner belies his extremely sharp, perceptive mind. His attention to detail is second to none and his bedside manner with clients is to be much admired. A definite must on anyone's short list.'

‘As an advocate Nadeem comes across as thoughtful, calm and authoritative when on his feet in court. He puts his lay clients at ease with his approachable manner. He is a very fine advocate.'

Amy Jackson

St Philips Chambers

‘Amy is a no-nonsense, hard working junior who is fearless and excellent with clients.'

Andrew Jackson

St Philips Chambers

‘Andrew is very good at charming a jury. He is calm under pressure, extremely experienced, and develops excellent working relationships with other professionals. He is a safe pair of hands and always tries hard for the client and provides a consistently high standard of service.'

‘Sophie is quick to focus on the strengths and weaknesses of a case. She is a good advocate and has the ability to keep things clear and simple for a jury.'

James Armstrong-Holmes

Castle Gate Chambers

‘James is a confident advocate who deals sensitively with the most difficult cases whilst putting his case robustly when necessary. His client care is exceptional and he always makes time for his client, his instructing solicitors, court staff and barrister colleagues. He is well liked and respected amongst his peers.’

Matthew Iain Bolt

Cornwall Street Barristers

Matthew is a superb barrister who possess a first-class knowledge of criminal black-letter law and procedure and an impressive set of 'soft skills' that immediately put the lay client at ease.'

Simon Burch

St Ives Chambers

Stefan Fox

Castle Gate Chambers

‘Stefan is a pleasure to work with. His knowledge on the law is phenomenal. He is also very good in court and advocates in such a way that juries understand and connect with him.'

Lisa Hardy

The 36 Group

'Lisa has a very good eye to detail; she is very thorough and provides advice on the evidence well in advance of hearings. She has excellent client care skills and creates a rapport with clients within seconds.'

Laura Hocknell

Castle Gate Chambers

‘Laura is an excellent orator and her cross-examination is devastatingly good. She is very personable and promotes confidence in clients.'

Laura Pitman

Castle Gate Chambers

Laura is a tenacious and fearless advocate. Her focus is the best interests of her client and she will work tirelessly to achieve a just outcome. She has real steel and is a devastating cross-examiner.’

Michael Tanney

St Ives Chambers

‘Tom has always shown an excellent ability to analyse and assimilate the evidence in order to identify the issues in the case. He is able to identify very quickly those matters which are of importance and which require further scrutiny. He is an intuitive trial advocate, with the ability to deal with issues as they arise throughout trials calmly and appropriately.'

Karen Walton

Drystone Chambers

'Karen is a skilled and exceptional advocate. She consistently demonstrates wise and sound judgement in difficult and sometimes unexpected circumstances. She is scrupulously well-prepared, with a firm grasp of all the evidential and legal aspects of a case. She also has a lovely manner with both juries and opponents alike.'

Darron Whitehead

St Philips Chambers

Lucinda Wilmott-Lascelles

St Philips Chambers

Oliver Woolhouse

Cornwall Street Barristers

Sara Wyeth

St Philips Chambers

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.

Chloe Ashley

No5 Barristers’ Chambers

‘Chloe is an outstanding junior barrister. She is hard-working, tenacious and has excellent judgement.’

Callum Church

St Philips Chambers

‘Callum is an energetic and positive advocate who always demonstrates commitment to his cases with admirable enthusiasm.'

Matthew Cullen

St Philips Chambers

Matthew is an exceptionally well-prepared advocate. He is thorough and extremely competent. His advocacy is well structured, well presented and well received. He is a young man who has the potential for greatness.’

Queenie Djan

St Ives Chambers

‘Queenie is a confident and exceptionally capable advocate. She prepares cases in great detail and together with her knowledge of the criminal procedure rules, she is often able to persuade the judge with her arguments.’

Thomas Duggan

St Ives Chambers

'Thomas is an exceptionally talented barrister. He is both a confident and capable advocate, and has a great knowledge of the criminal procedure rules.'