Crime (general and fraud) in Regional Bar

Crime (general And Fraud)

Leading Silks

Richard Barraclough QC - Six Pump Court ‘He has huge court presence, commanding both attention and respect.’

Richard Christie QC - 187 Fleet Street Chambers ‘He is diligent, articulate, has an eye for detail and is highly respected by judges and his peers.’

Karim Khalill QC - Drystone Chambers ‘A formidable advocate who is highly intelligent, excellent with paperwork and an engaging personality.’

Christopher Paxton QC - Red Lion Chambers ‘Absolutely a go-to silk at the criminal Bar.’

Oliver Saxby QC - Six Pump Court ‘The quintessential modern advocate: hardworking, unflashy but supremely skilled in his craft - a master communicator.’

Simon Spence QC - Red Lion Chambers ‘His friendly demeanour is utterly disarming and allows him to get the best out of witnesses whether prosecuting or defending.’

Gillian Jones QC - Red Lion Chambers ‘She is exceptional and demonstrates excellence at every turn.’

Kate Lumsdon QC - 23 Essex Street ‘She is a superstar whose friendly personality belies a steely determination and she is unstinting in the representation of her clients, both when prosecuting and defending.’

Eloise Marshall QC - 23 Essex Street ‘She is an impressive advocate, with a real touch of humanity.’

2020 Silks

Allison Summers QC - Drystone Chambers

Leading Juniors

Peter Alcock - Six Pump Court ‘Highly experienced criminal advocate with very good knowledge of the law, which makes him the complete barrister.’

Jane Brady - Cornwall Street Barristers ‘She takes on heavyweight cases in her own right and is a sought-after junior in some of the biggest cases in the Thames Valley.’

Rowan Jenkins - 1 Crown Office Row, Brighton ‘He is without doubt silk material.’

Danny Moore - Six Pump Court ‘Head and shoulders above many of his peers.’

Jane Oldfield - Red Lion Chambers ‘She is an excellent lawyer who has extensive experience in her field, excellent legal knowledge and a strong character that allows her to deal with complex cases and issues.’

Christopher Prior - 1 Crown Office Row, Brighton ‘He is an incredibly safe pair of hands and instils confidence in both clients and the court.’

Edward Renvoize - Red Lion Chambers ‘In court he is simply one of the most impressive juniors currently practising in East Anglia.’

Simon Taylor - Six Pump Court ‘A stand-out junior who has developed a first-class practice, prosecuting and defending the most serious cases.’

Andrew Thompson - Red Lion Chambers ‘Great with clients - patient at explaining things and a very persuasive advocate.’

Matthew Bagnall - 187 Fleet Street Chambers ‘He is extremely adept at all forms of electronic working and able to prepare and analyse cell-site and CCTV in a way that is second to none.’

James Bloomer - 23 Essex Street ‘He is a sharp, meticulous and forceful advocate. He stands out for his diligent preparation, superb presentation and obvious talent.’

William Carter - Drystone Chambers ‘He possesses a calm and reassuring manner with clients and in court and commands a great deal of respect among his peers.’

Catherine Donnelly - Six Pump Court ‘A sound jury advocate who is committed and hardworking.’

Tom Dunn - Six Pump Court ‘An impressive advocate with good client manner: clients appreciate the care he handles each case with.’

Steven Dyble - Red Lion Chambers ‘He inspires instant confidence in conference and backs this up with his performance in court.’

Nina Ellin - Six Pump Court ‘A good communicator with the defendants as well as excellent at cross-examination.’

John Fitzgerald - Six Pump Court ‘He is very meticulous, organised and able to bring a difficult case together.’

Daniel Frier - 1 Crown Office Row, Brighton ‘Clients quickly take to him and he is brilliant in front of a jury helping them to clearly understand the issues to consider in a particular case and leading them to the right verdict.’

Alan Gardner - 23 Essex Street ‘Calm, balanced, industrious. A star.’

Sarah Gaunt - The 36 Group ‘An experienced advocate who is excellent in complex, paper-heavy, serious crime.’

Stephen Shay - 23 Essex Street ‘His real strength is a calm and measured approach when Prosecuting which would make even the most experienced defendant unable to suggest there is anything unfair about the process. ’

Lynne Shirley - Drystone Chambers ‘She has a superb knowledge of the law and is always well-prepared; she is a tenacious advocate and always provides superb client care putting the client at ease during the proceedings.’

Cyrus Shroff - Red Lion Chambers ‘He is an exceptionally able barrister who is extremely hardworking and very effective in court.’

Rebecca Upton - 1 Crown Office Row, Brighton ‘She is a very meticulous advocate with a very thorough preparation process.’

Jonathan Atkinson - 1 Crown Office Row, Brighton ‘Recommended for cases involving serious disclosure issues.’

Sasha Bailey - 187 Fleet Street Chambers ‘She is an excellent all-round advocate.’

Kieran Brand - Six Pump Court ‘He has extensive knowledge, good client care skills, and is highly respected on the circuit.’

Noel Casey - Red Lion Chambers ‘He is well-suited to fraud work as his thorough approach marries with the level of detail it requires.’

Patrick Duffy - 23 Essex Street ‘ He is frequently the junior of choice in murder and serious fraud cases. ’

Neil FitzGibbon - 187 Fleet Street Chambers ‘He combines intellect with an ability to articulate argument in an attractive persuasive manner.’

Simon Gladwell-East Anglian Chambers‘Legally knowledgeable with excellent advocacy skills, and able to converse appropriately with lay clients.’

Peter Guest - 187 Fleet Street Chambers ‘He has long been a leader in his field, with an exclusively defence practice focusing on serious fraud.’

Sally Hobson - Drystone Chambers ‘Expertly skilled at managing clients’ expectations and maintaining their full confidence.’

Rhodri James - 23 Essex Street ‘A great advocate who has the ability to absorb forensically dense cases, the capacity to know what is important, the judgement to know how to deploy it and the confidence of the court in his execution.’

Christopher Kerr - 187 Fleet Street Chambers ‘He has an impressive cross-examination style - courteous, quiet but very effective; a fine advocate in court.’

Donal Lawler - 187 Fleet Street Chambers ‘He has a very good forensic mind and is always accessible to answer or research the answers to difficult questions.’

Claire Matthews - Drystone Chambers ‘Fabulously prepared for ehr cases, she has an extraordinary ability to speak to anyone and everyone on their level.’

Emma Nash - 187 Fleet Street Chambers ‘She is very dogged, determined and always on top of every detail in a case.’

James Onalaja - 187 Fleet Street Chambers ‘Intelligent, meticulously researched, charismatic, and understanding of challenging clients and their needs.’

Matthew Sorel-Cameron - Red Lion Chambers ‘He has superb intellectual ability supported by a real talent for advocacy.’

Stephen Spence - Drystone Chambers ‘He is calmness personified and inspires true confidence.’

Daniel Stevenson - Six Pump Court ‘He is able to distinguish good points from bad and is trusted by the judges he appears before for this reason.’

Ross Talbott - Lamb Building ‘Bright and hardworking, he has excellent judgement and is a pleasure to work with.’

Cornwall Street Chambers

Jane Brady, who 'combines significant experience with an exceptional work ethic, very sound judgement and an impressive court presence' is the key name to note for criminal cases at Cornwall Street Barristers. In addition to her defence practice, she prosecuted a care worker for neglect of three care home residents, all of whom were suffering from dementia at the time and had died prior to the trial.

East Anglian Chambers

Prosecuting and defending across the full spectrum of criminal cases, Simon Gladwell of East Anglian Chambers is particularly adept at handling cases involving allegations of serious sexual assault and abuse, both historical and recent. In particular, solicitors praise him for his ability to 'look outside the box when considering issues'.

Lamb Building (Brighton)

Lamb Building is 'a strong set in crime, with a number of strong juniors working in Sussex and the South East' from its Brighton base, and is particularly praised for being 'good at the lower end and middle order' of seniority - 'there is enough variety to cover almost every type of case and varying degree of complexity'. Ross Talbott specialises in prosecuting and defending in relation to serious sexual offences including child sexual abuse cases, as well as other matters. Both prosecuting and defending, he is praised for 'controlling and dealing with some of the most difficult and demanding defence counsel in London' and 'providing a first-class service to the instructing solicitors and defendants he represents'.

The 36 Group

At The 36 Group, Sarah Gaunt is particularly noted for her expertise in handling serious organised crime cases, with an increased speciality in cyber-crime, and those involving sexual offences. In one of her recent cases, she prosecuted a group of Russian-linked cyber criminals who defrauded banks and laundered the proceeds in Birmingham, and continued to represent the CPS in confiscation proceedings.

Tier 1 firms

Red Lion Chambers

Red Lion Chambers is a heavyweight criminal set in East Anglia, with its barristers frequently instructed in murder, organised crime and sexual offences cases. Christopher Paxton QC led the prosecution in a highly complex murder trial, concerning a man who received over 70 blows before his body was set on fire - there were no witnesses to the offence, and the conviction was based primarily on circumstantial evidence and a partial confession. In another case, Jane Oldfield prosecuted a mother and father who were convicted of causing serious injuries to their twin babies; both defendants blamed each other and denied knowledge of the injuries.

Six Pump Court

Among the leading sets on the circuit, members of Six Pump Court are particularly active in Kent, defending and prosecuting in some of the most prolific and serious criminal cases. By way of example, Richard Barraclough QC achieved prosecuted four defendants, all of whom were convicted of a pre-meditated drug-related murder in Maidstone after a two month trial. Oliver Saxby QC successfully prosecuted the mother of a baby who drowned while unsupervised in a bath for gross negligence manslaughter.

Tier 2 firms

1 Crown Office Row, Brighton

Among the leading sets on the circuit, 1 Crown Office Row, Brighton hosts a number of well-respected criminal practitioners, who appear on behalf of the prosecution and defence in respect of the most serious offences such as rape and other serious sexual offences, but also murder and manslaughter. Christopher Prior prosecuted in a conspiracy case involving a criminal gang supplying drugs, including methamphetamine, to "chemsex" parties in the Brighton area, while Daniel Frier defended in a case concerning allegations of child sexual offences which took place in Vietnam, prosecuted in the English courts under s72 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

23ES

23 Essex Street has a good presence in the South East with members being instructed in Essex, Kent, Surrey and Sussex Crown Courts in cases of a serious nature on both sides. Eloise Marshall QC defended a woman who was convicted of the murder of her husband, who she repeatedly struck a rolling pin, only calling for an ambulance more than 24 hours after his death. Alan Gardner prosecuted unled in the final trial connected to the "Operation Silk" grooming investigation in Oxford; the three defendants were convicted and received sentences totalling 49 years.

187 Fleet Street Chambers

Members of 187 Fleet Street Chambers both prosecute and defend in the full range of criminal matters including murders, large-scale fraud, rape and serious sexual offences involving vulnerable clients and witnesses such as children. Matthew Bagnall and Sasha Bailey defended one of four West African stowaways who attacked the crew of a cargo vessel bound for Tilbury, among other things throwing faeces at the Special Boat Service commandos sent to regain control of the vessel - all four defendants were acquitted of a hijacking offence but convicted of affray.

Drystone Chambers

Enjoying a stellar reputation, Drystone Chambers remains one of the top circuits, with members being instructed in several high profile criminal cases. Karim Khalil QC represented the first defendant in a trial concerning an alleged "boiler room" in which the CPS offered no evidence after it was identified that the key prosecution expert, who had been used in over twenty prior trials, was unqualified.

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