Forbes Solicitors

Crime

Craig MacKenzie is a leading criminal defence solicitor and Partner at Forbes Solicitors, widely recognised for his expertise in complex, high-profile, and highly sensitive criminal cases.  He leads the High Profile & Private Crime Division, specialising in defending professionals, HNW and UHNW individuals, and businesses facing serious allegations. He is receommended in Spears 500 as one of the UK’s top criminal defence lawyers for HNW individuals.

In the past 12 months he has acted for clients facing the most serious allegations, including terrorism, gross negligence manslaughter, fraud, and serious sexual offences.  For years he has been consistently appointed in cases of national significance and is one of a very small number of solicitors in the UK to be actively sought out in highly specialised areas such as terrorism.

Craig has a leading reputation in the criminal defence sector, and few solicitors in the UK are as visible or consistently recognised in the market. He is routinely sought out not only by high-profile clients, but also by fellow solicitors for his strategic insight and specialist knowledge. His authority in the field is further underlined by his role as a legal trainer, particularly in emerging areas such as financial crime and the intersection of criminal law with artificial intelligence.  He is a well-known thought-leader with a significant following on social media platforms.  He is a respected legal commentator, regularly appearing on the BBC, Channel 5, and Radio to provide expert analysis on criminal law matters. Craig also publishes articles in many magazines and newspapers.

As the firm’s designated AI Champion, Craig is at the forefront of driving innovation in legal practice, leading internal strategy and sector-facing conversations around the application and regulation of AI in law. He is actively shaping how the profession adapts to technological change and is recognised as a thought leader in this space.