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Leading Silks

Paul Lewis KCFarrar’s Building ‘He is one of the leading criminal silks. He is meticulously prepared and an engaging and formidable advocate with an excellent legal mind.’ 
Caroline Rees KC30 Park Place Chambers ‘She is a superb silk; meticulously prepared and an engaging advocate with an excellent legal mind. She is the go-to silk for cases of gravity and sensitivity.’

Leading Juniors

Julia Cox – 30 Park Place Chambers ‘She masters the details of her brief, which ensures her questioning is focused and forensic. She is a tenacious barrister who leaves no stone unturned.' 
Nigel Fryer30 Park Place Chambers ‘He is an extremely knowledgeable barrister and a formidable advocate who is held in the highest regard. He deals with complex cases expeditiously, robustly and successfully and has a wonderful rapport with victims and witnesses.’
Andrew Jones30 Park Place Chambers ‘He prosecutes cases of silk standard with silk prowess and is surely destined for silk soon. His mastery of the case shines through in advocacy as he nimbly moves through the gears cross-examining defendants.’   
Anna PopeLinenhall Chambers ‘She is very bright, extremely hard-working, personable, and committed to her work. As an advocate she is persuasive and to-the-point. She is very thorough in her preparation of cases and overall is an excellent lawyer.'
Peter Donnison30 Park Place Chambers ‘He is a very eloquent advocate who can meet the client on their level when giving advice. He is very strong with his analysis and preparation of a case and very sound in cross-examination. Moreover, his drafting skills are second-to-none.’
Simon RogersLinenhall Chambers 'He is an excellent all rounder, with experience prosecuting multi-handed drugs conspiracies and difficult sexual offences. His advocacy is second to none and his client care impeccable. A true star.'
James Coutts - Linenhall Chambers 'James has an excellent informal manner with clients, puts them at their ease, and is effortlessly articulate in court. He has a can-do attitude and a pragmatic approach to cases. An outstanding barrister who is first choice for both the prosecution and the defence.'   
Matthew DunfordLinenhall Chambers ‘He has great communication skills and these are invaluable during case preparation and at court.’

Crime (general and fraud) in Regional Bar

30 Park Place Chambers


30 Park Place Chambers‘go-to’ criminal team offers clients expertise in relation to a broad range of matters. Peter Donnison is an ‘outstanding advocate‘ whose reputation continues to grow and in 2022 he was appointed both as a grade 4 CPS prosecutor and Deputy District Judge – he is acting for the defence in the Operation Vermont case, in which Andrew Jones  is prosecuting. Nigel Fryer and Julia Cox both have considerable experience in relation to sexual abuse and fraud and drugs conspiracy cases. With her ‘calm but incredibly effective presence in the courtroomCaroline Rees KC is regularly instructed by both the prosecution and defence in high-profile murder cases and specialises in cases involving vulnerable witnesses or defendants – she prosecuted the mother, stepfather and stepbrother of Logan Mwangi, who were convicted of the murder of the five year old, in a case involving issues of a child defendant (and related reporting restrictions) and complex medical evidence. Eugene Egan is now a Circuit Judge.

Testimonials

‘We have excellent rapport with the Crime clerks, headed by Tony Naylon. The clerks are approachable and accommodating.’

‘A well established set with strength in depth across all call years.’

‘Chambers has a number of very experienced counsel and in my experience I mostly receive the counsel of my choice for matters. If an individual is unavailable they offer counsel with similar levels of experience.’

’30 Park Place has depth in the criminal team. It has grown in strength over the last 18 months and is now the go-to set for those applying to practice criminal law in South Wales.’

‘The clerks are very approachable and helpful. They are very well-organised and very good at keeping you informed throughout a matter.’

‘The clerks are consistently helpful and accommodating when it comes to briefing counsel.’





Apex Chambers


Apex Chambers is well known on the Wales and Chester Circuit for its criminal law expertise. Jonathan Elystan Rees KC represented a former leader of a Kosovo Liberation Army veterans association leader, who was prosecuted for statements during press conferences identifying anonymous witnesses - his initial sentence was reduced on appeal. Lee Reynolds represented Swansea City Council in prosecuting a cinema for breaching COVID-19 regulations by screening a film produced by the son of David Icke, not complying with Welsh Government regulations concerning COVID vaccination passes. Nicholas Gedge represented a woman who avoided immediate custody after being convicted of preventing a lawful burial, after organising a secret pagan funeral for her father.





Linenhall Chambers


The ‘excellent barristers‘ of Chester-based Linenhall Chambers regularly handle serious criminal matters, including murders and other types of homicide, sexual offences, serious fraud, and drugs conspiracies, across Chester and North Wales, the set’s presence in the latter aided by its six fluent Welsh speakers. Matthew Dunford prosecuted a romance fraudster who was convicted of money laundering offences, while Simon Rogers and Ember-Jade Wong prosecuted a twelve-defendant case involving the importation of over 18kg of cocaine and 19kg of amphetamines into North Wales. Anna Pope‘s advocacy is ‘persuasive and to-the-point‘ and she has an excellent reputation for prosecuting serious sexual offences, particularly those involving vulnerable witnesses. Simon Mills is now a circuit judge.

Testimonials

‘Linenhall Chambers in Chester has many excellent barristers who provide a service in Cheshire and North Wales, with some barristers bilingual.’ 

‘Full range of experience within chambers so they can cover the full range of cases.’ 

‘Linnenhall is a very good set. Its members are well-respected barristers, and the clerks are efficient and personable.’

‘Linenhall Chambers is very well run and their clerks are available should any queries or problems arise.’





9 Park Place


Led by David Elias KC, 9 Park Place’s criminal team is regularly involved in high-profile cases. Matthew Cobbe is a well-regarded prosecutor, whose case load includes matters in the Welsh language. Heath Edwards regularly prosecutes and defends in large fraud and drug-trafficking conspiracies, while Owen Williams’ broad practice includes homicide, serious violence, sexual offences, robbery, and drugs conspiracies cases. Matthew Roberts also has a varied practice, often handling sexual offences and drugs conspiracies cases – he defended in the first GLAA prosecution for modern slavery offences in Wales.