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Leading Silks

John Elvidge KC - Dere Street Barristers ‘An extremely thorough silk, who is fantastic with clients.’
Abdul Iqbal KC - Park Square Barristers Ltd. ‘A very experienced silk who is tactically very astute. ’
Christopher Tehrani KC – Exchange Chambers ‘A silk with the ability to deploy evidence in a logical but tactically astute manner. He has great presentational skills and is accomplished in dealing with vulnerable witnesses in a calm and compassionate way.'
Richard Wright KC - Park Square Barristers Ltd. ‘An exceptional silk.'
Caroline Goodwin KC - Trinity Chambers 'She is the fighter that anyone facing grave allegations would want in their corner.'
John Harrison KC - St Paul's Chambers ‘John is a silk who commands respect. It is extremely easy for lay clients to like him.’
Gul Nawaz Hussain KC – 33 Bedford Row North 'A hardworking and fearless yet thoroughly grounded lawyer. He is terrific with juries, whom he engages with alacrity. He carefully identifies the issues that matter to his case, and is not distracted by the storm around him.'
Peter Makepeace KC - Dere Street Barristers ‘A high calibre advocate who is exceptionally persuasive. ’
Andrew Haslam KC - Exchange Chambers 'Andrew makes it his business to master the detail of every case, and no nuance passes him by. Juries quickly learn to trust him, following every word.'
Stephen Wood KC - Broadway House Chambers ‘He is a fluent advocate and has great ability at enabling juries to understand complex issues. A tactically astute silk who is great with clients.'

2021 Silks

Craig Hassall KC – Park Square Barristers Ltd. 'Incredibly quick, very technical and fearless - an excellent silk.'
Mark McKone KC - Park Square Barristers Ltd. 'Attention to detail, robust advocacy, extensive legal knowledge and ability to communicate strongly with the client.'

2022 Silks

David Lamb KC - Dere Street Barristers ‘His knowledge of the law is tremendous and his court manner very reassuring.'
Richard Thyne KC - St John's Buildings 'Very thorough, exceptional work ethic and excellent with clients. His ability to make complicated legal issues seem straight forward is truly outstanding.'

Leading Juniors

Gillian Batts - Park Square Barristers Ltd. 'Gillian possesses astute tactical awareness and takes only good points. Those represented by her could not be better served.'
Denise Breen-Lawton - St Paul's Chambers ‘Denise is tenacious, fearless, meticulous in her preparation and has the brief at her fingertips. She is courteous and calm, even under extreme pressure. ’
Peter Hampton - Broadway House Chambers ‘His judgement and legal knowledge are first class. He is tactically astute and always on top of the case. He is unflappable in court. Destined for silk in the near future.'
Anne Richardson - Dere Street Barristers 'Anne is the go-to barrister for serious prosecution cases, particularly those involving vulnerable witnesses. She is unflappable, extremely well-prepared, and always able to put clients and witnesses at their ease in the most difficult circumstances.'
Catherine Silverton - Park Square Barristers Ltd. ‘Catherine has a razor-sharp intellect and combines natural ability with relentless endeavour to devastating effect.'
Robert Stevenson - Park Square Barristers Ltd. ‘He is able to identify and focus on the important issues in a case so that his legal and jury submissions are precise and persuasive. A definite future silk. ’
Taryn Turner - Park Square Barristers Ltd. ‘Taryn is a very eloquent and powerful advocate. She has a wonderful legal brain coupled with real grit and determination.'
Helen Chapman - St Paul's Chambers 'Helen is a highly capable and eloquent advocate. She is persuasive and engaging with courts and juries. She consistently provides a top drawer performance.'
Julia Baggs - Wilberforce Chambers ‘A class act. She is conscientious, remains calm under serious pressure and  is brilliant at building a rapport with clients.'
Charlotte Baines - Wilberforce Chambers 'Charlotte is a robust, fearsome and talented barrister. She is intellectually astute, confident and engaging, and will stand her ground in court. Her sense of judgement with a jury is excellent.’
Kate Batty - Park Square Barristers Ltd. 'She is very jury friendly and always well prepared, yet makes advocacy appear effortless. An incisive cross-examiner.'
Daniel Cordey - Dere Street Barristers ‘An imperturbable junior.'
Anthony Davis - Dere Street Barristers 'Anthony is an exceptional trial barrister. He has the respect of the judiciary.'
Ayesha Smart  - 33 Bedford Row North 'Ayesha is confident and has a steadfast approach to court advocacy, with fierce determination and tenacity exhibited in equal measure. She remains unflappable in even the most difficult cases.'
Dale Brook - Wilberforce Chambers 'His calmness under pressure is something to behold. His advocacy is a pleasure to hear. He has an enviable ability to put clients, many of whom are of course under considerable stress and pressure, at their ease in the most difficult of circumstances.'
Richard Herrmann  - Dere Street Barristers 'A junior with an incredible eye for detail and committed to any given case.'
Victoria Smith-Swain  - Exchange Chambers 'She is erudite and extremely hard working. She recognises difficult points that most would miss, and has the tenacity to pursue them.'
Holly Clegg  - Park Square Barristers Ltd. 'Holly is an excellent junior, combining skilled advocacy, intellectual prowess and an engaging manner that wins over clients and judges. She has a natural, engaging manner in court.'
James Bourne-Arton - St Paul's Chambers ‘A junior who is charismatic and persuasive in court. He has a meticulous eye. ’
Tony Cornberg – Trinity Chambers 'Tony is very personable, and is able to develop an immediate rapport with any client, even very difficult or demanding ones. He has good way of cutting to the heart of a matter and explaining things in a client-friendly manner.'
Julian Jones - Park Square Barristers Ltd. 'Julian has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law and an unrivalled commitment to preparation - a barrister anyone would want in their corner.'
Angus MacDonald - St Paul's Chambers ‘Angus has an astute mind and a warm, engaging advocacy style that puts juries at ease. He is tenacious and determined.'
Glenn Parsons - Park Square Barristers Ltd. ‘A sound and solid practitioner who has the ability to be empathetic but also robust when it is required. ’
Andrew Petterson - Exchange Chambers 'A very reliable barrister. He creates a good impression with clients and is quick to identify the issues in a case. He is a very safe pair of hands.'
Michele Stuart-Lofthouse - Wilberforce Chambers ‘A junior who is brilliant at building a rapport with clients. She is very empathetic.'
Eddison Flint  - Exchange Chambers 'Eddison is extremely enthusiastic. He is always very well prepared.'
Zaiban Alam - KBW 
Charles Blatchford - St Philips Chambers 'Charles is very proactive and has a great work ethic. He builds fantastic rapport with clients and is a well-respected advocate.'
Soheil Khan - Park Square Barristers Ltd. ‘He is a devastating cross-examiner and particularly effective in cut-throat cases.'
Nick Worsley - St Paul's Chambers 'He is brilliant with clients and has an assured presence in court.'

Rising Stars

Lydia Pearce - Broadway House Chambers 'Lydia has a strong court room presence, and is meticulous in her delivery. Always impressive and is a safe pair of hands. She is always prepared.'

Crime (general and fraud) in Regional Bar

New Park Court Chambers

New Park Court Chambers carries an excellent reputation for criminal work, with members instructed for the defence and prosecution in high-profile cases of serious violence, terrorism, murder, sexual offences and large-scale drugs conspiracies, among others. In recent work for the set, Alistair MacDonald KC led James Gelsthorpe in the successful prosecution of a man for the murder of Najeebullah Nekzad, who was found strangled in his car on the moors above Huddersfield in 2019. In a separate matter, MacDonald appeared for the prosecution in a case involving the death of a 16-month-old baby after sustaining catastrophic injuries; the mother’s partner was convicted of murder, while the mother was convicted of causing or allowing the baby’s death. Turning to the juniors, Tom Storey, unled, prosecuted a woman who was convicted of sending malicious communications to her MP and perverting the course of justice.

Park Square Barristers Ltd.

Park Square Barristers Ltd. is ‘a very strong criminal set‘. The team has considerable experience defending and prosecuting in a range of high-profile cases, including serious sexual offences, large-scale fraud, multi-handed drugs conspiracies, murder and serious violence. In recent instructions of note, Craig Hassall KC appeared for the defendants in R v Yasutake, Yasutake & Yasutake, where the three defendants were charged with preventing the lawful and decent burial of a body without lawful excuse after a family member’s body was discovered in their house in a state of advanced decomposition. The court ruled that the charge would lie on file but the case was dropped on the grounds that the defendants suffered from a rare psychiatric disorder and had they been convicted, the sentence would have been an absolute discharge or a supervision order. Turning to the juniors, Taryn Turner garners praise for her ‘very persuasive tenor before a judge and jury‘.

Testimonials

Set

‘An outstanding set.’

‘A very strong set.’

‘Very well-run and highly professional.’

‘Park Square Barristers is a set from which you can expect exceptional quality and talent from both the barristers and clerks.’

Clerking

‘All the criminal clerks are fantastic. Andrew Thornton is a great asset. He will always go out of his way to help.’

‘The clerks complement the excellent counsel.’

‘The clerks are always willing to go the extra mile to help where ever possible.’

Dere Street Barristers

Dere Street Barristers is ‘a strong criminal set‘, with an excellent reputation for prosecuting and defending in a broad range of serious criminal work. John Elvidge KC successfully prosecuted an anaesthetist for using potentially lethal clinical drugs to sedate his partner in order to perform exorcism rituals upon her. The ‘extremely hard working and knowledgeable‘ Anthony Davis leads the team, and is highly regarded for his expertise in handling large-scale drugs conspiracies. Anne Richardson is ‘an exceptionally able advocate whose preparation is meticulous‘. Strengthening the team at the senior end, David Lamb KC was elevated to silk in March 2022.

Testimonials

Set

‘A strong chambers with plenty of strength in depth.’

‘An excellent set.’

Clerking

‘Craig Mead heads a very experienced and friendly criminal clerking team who can be relied upon to provide a first class service. Nick Peto and Andrea Eccleston do everything they can to get barristers to their cases.’

Park Row House, 19-20 Park Row

St Paul’s Chambers ‘provides strength in depth regarding criminal law‘ and houses a team comprising ‘counsel of the highest calibre‘. In recent cases of note, John Harrison KC prosecuted a woman who was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter following the death of her disabled daughter from neglect in 2019. The ‘diligent and no-nonsense‘ Denise Breen-Lawton has extensive expertise in high-value fraud, murder and serious sexual offences cases. Helen Chapman and James Bourne-Arton are both sought after for their experience in handling complex fraud and financial crime cases.

Testimonials

Set

‘An excellent and professional set with considerable depth of talent.’

‘A well-respected set.’

‘A great set.’

‘Good depth of barristers.’

‘Top counsel.’

Clerking

‘Jayne Drake is extremely approachable, knowledgeable and will help with any case. Kelly Staniforth is very efficient.’

‘Kelly Staniforth is exceptional.’

‘The clerks are exceptional. Friendly, efficient and pragmatic.’

‘Phenomenal clerking led by the excellent Jayne Drake.’

‘The clerks are always helpful and clearly support counsel well.’

Trinity Chambers

Led by Caroline Goodwin KC, the team at Trinity Chambers is active across the spectrum of serious criminal cases. High-profile murder cases have been prominent in Toby Hedworth KC‘s recent workload, and Tony Cornberg is regularly instructed in cases involving serious sexual offences and allegations of historic sexual abuse. Christopher Knox is well known for his expertise in prosecuting and defending in financial crime, serious sexual offences and terrorism cases. Recent instructions for the set include Glenn Gatland successfully defending a schoolteacher against allegations of sexual assault upon two teenage pupils.

Testimonials

Set

‘Trinity Chambers is a good and well-organised set.’

Clerking

‘Clerks are attentive and quick to get back to you. Liam Gorman can sort any problem out quickly.’

Broadway House Chambers

Broadway House Chambers stands out as ‘an experienced criminal set with good advocates‘. Stephen Wood KC garners praise as ‘a hugely effective prosecutor‘. In a recent highlight, Wood acted for the CPS in a case involving the online purchase of an Airbow weapon, which was found to be classified as a firearm as defined under the Firearms Act 1968. At the junior end of chambers, Peter Hampton is ‘a truly impressive advocate‘ and has been kept busy prosecuting and defending in terrorism, drugs and sexual offences cases. Lydia Pearce is ‘a rising star‘, with experience in acting in sexual offences and assault cases.

Testimonials

Set

‘A strong set, with good strength in depth.’

‘A strong criminal set.’

‘Broadway House Chambers has a strong criminal team.’

‘A solid set.’

Clerking

‘The clerks’ room is efficient and thorough.’

‘The clerks are great, always helpful and very polite and friendly.’

‘Very helpful and very accommodating.’

Exchange Chambers

Exchange Chambers in Leeds has ‘expertise in all areas of criminal law‘. In recent instructions of note, the ‘incredibly hardworking‘ Christopher Tehrani KC prosecuted a man who was convicted simultaneously of the murder of Susan Waring, who disappeared in January 2019, and of 19 offences of historic violence against other females over a 24-year period. In a separate matter, Nicholas Johnson KC acted for the defence in a case involving the death of a 3-month-old baby; the defendant was acquitted of murder but was convicted of and received a 9-year sentence for manslaughter. At the junior end, Victoria Smith-Swain has established strength in handling defence work, and Andrew Petterson ‘s recent caseload involves high-value fraud and serious sexual offences.

Testimonials

Set

‘Good depth of junior counsel.’

Clerking

‘The clerks are personable and are able to quickly provide you with resolutions to any listing issues or if you require counsel urgently.’