Crucible Chambers > LONDON, England > Set Profile

Crucible Chambers
CENTRAL COURT, 25 SOUTHAMPTON BUILDINGS
LONDON
WC2A 1AL
England

London Bar > Professional disciplinary and regulatory law

Rising stars

Libby Anderson  – Crucible Chambers 'Libby has a fabulous manner with clients and is a highly skilled advocate.'
Ranked: Tier 1

Leading Juniors

Claire Robinson –Crucible Chambers 'A measured and very able advocate.'
Ranked: Tier 3
Ranked: Tier 3
Laura Bayley –Crucible Chambers 'A master of her brief. She is pragmatic and exceptionally good with strategy. Her advocacy is engaging and impactful.'
Ranked: Tier 3
Oliver Renton –Crucible Chambers 'A passionate advocate, who is excellent at communicating with clients.'
Ranked: Tier 4

London Bar > Business and regulatory crime (including global investigations)

Leading Silks

Neil Hawes KC  – Crucible Chambers 'Very client friendly - understands the issues and can explain them in simple terms to a lay client. Quick brain on criminal procedure.'
Ranked: Tier 1

London Bar > Fraud: crime

Leading Silks

Neil Hawes KC – Crucible Chambers 'Neil is an absolute powerhouse in the financial crime world. He is exceptionally hard working, and knows his cases inside and out. Juries like him as much as his clients do.'
Ranked: Tier 2

Leading Juniors

Leila Gaskin – Crucible Chambers 'A methodical and highly focused junior.'
Ranked: Tier 2
Roderick James – Crucible Chambers 'Roddy is highly user friendly - both from the point of view of instructing solicitors and also for lay clients. He has the ability to fillet substantial amounts of evidence down to the essential components that will become the issues in the case and his advocacy style is measured, tactical, always respectful but suitably combative when needed.'
Ranked: Tier 2

London Bar > Crime

Leading Silks

Martin Goudie KC – Crucible Chambers 'Martin is adept at identifying the issues in a case straight away and has a keen eye for detail. He is effective on his feet at getting to the nub of the central issues and is clear and concise in his delivery.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Ranked: Tier 4

2024 Silks

Clea Topolski KC – Crucible Chambers 'Clea is a charming individual and forms great bonds with lay clients. She is thorough and hardworking and quickly and efficiently analyses evidence.'

Leading Juniors

Leila Gaskin – Crucible Chambers 'Leila cannot be faulted as an advocate, a lawyer or a human being. She is truly a class act. She is hard-working and tenacious but utterly charming, elegant and amusing. Her advocacy is elegant and compelling in equal measure.'
Ranked: Tier 2
Oliver Renton – Crucible Chambers 'Oliver is a charming and deadly jury advocate. He is prepared, polite and smooth in his approach. He knows his cases inside out, treats all court users with respect and cross-examines with style and purpose.'
Ranked: Tier 2
Ranked: Tier 4
Claire Robinson – Crucible Chambers ‘Claire has a fabulous bedside manner with clients. She is always reassuringly calm and never gets flustered. She easily puts clients at ease, when they are typically facing serious allegations and at a time of great worry. Her written legal arguments are first-class and always very thorough. She is a cunning advocate and always delivers robust cross-examination in trials.’
Ranked: Tier 4

At Crucible, professional excellence, client care and reliability of service remain central to all that we do. We aim to fuse this with a modern, creative and agile approach that sets us apart in the market. Specialising in: financial crime, serious crime, professional discipline and regulatory law.

Crucible was conceived, designed, structured and opened during the second half of 2020 against the backdrop of the COVID pandemic. We have learned from the challenges the pandemic has posed for businesses, both financially and organisationally.

Serious crime: Barristers at Crucible prosecute and defend cases across the whole criminal spectrum. The cases recently undertaken by members of Crucible range from high profile multi-handed murder cases to more sensitive and complex matters often involving vulnerable defendants and witnesses. Members of Crucible routinely appear at the Central Criminal Court, Crown Courts across the country and at the Court of Appeal.

Members of Crucible advise on complex and lengthy investigations pre-charge for prosecuting authorities, individuals and companies; they maintain a high level of commitment and dedication throughout the proceedings and on to appeal. A number of members of Crucible also specialise in extradition work and are known for their legal acumen and expertise in this field.

Financial crime: We are frequently instructed at the outset during investigations, from the initial discovery of a potential liability through to trials and enforcement proceedings. Our barristers have been instructed to defend in some of the highest profile financial crime cases in recent years, including three of the most recent individuals prosecuted alongside Deferred Prosecution Agreements. We are instructed by prosecutorial, regulatory and investigatory bodies in a wide variety of matters including bribery, tax fraud, pension fraud, money laundering and sanctions matters.

We have acted in the very highest profile fraud cases brought by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), HMRC, FCA, the Pensions Regulator, and the CPS (among others). Our pedigree is illustrated by the cases we have appeared in, from Libor and NHS Price Fixing to Tabenula insider dealer and G4S. Our depth of experience is such that we are often the very first point of contact that clients reach out for.

Professional discipline and regulatory: Members are highly regarded experts within their fields of practice, recommended in The Legal 500 rankings, and include Legal Assessors and Advisors to a number of Fitness to Practice panels. From our silks to our seasoned juniors we act in all stages of proceedings across the healthcare, financial, legal, transport and sporting professional regulators. The team is also able to call upon chambers’ substantial expertise in financial crime.

All of Crucible’s barristers have experience in serious criminal cases, which gives us a solid foundation in advocacy, forensic legal analysis and an ability to act in a wide range of associated proceedings. Several of members of the team have been appointed to the Health and Safety Executive List of Specialist Regulatory Advocates and have experience of Criminal, First Tier Tribunal and High Court appearances on behalf of government regulators.

Crucible’s barristers are frequently instructed to appear on behalf of bereaved families, interested persons and corporate entities at Coroners Inquests, including those engaging Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, requiring juries. We have experience advising and representing individuals on appeals against Disclosure and Barring Service barring decisions, including appearances in the Upper Tribunal.

Department Name Email Telephone
Head of Chambers Neil Hawes KC neil.hawes@crucible.law 0207 031 5310
Senior Clerk James Hall james.hall@crucible.law 0207 031 5310
Photo Name Position Profile
Libby Anderson photo Ms Libby Anderson She has recently acted in several cases involving gang violence, firearms, and…
Laura Bayley photo Mrs Laura Bayley Laura is recognised for her careful case preparation, considered legal submissions and…
Thomas Buxton photo Mr Thomas Buxton He is instructed in complex, sensitive cases on behalf of the Royal…
Julia  Flanagan photo Mrs Julia Flanagan A highly experienced, innovative and hard-working advocate, Julia is a leading London…
Leila Gaskin photo Ms Leila Gaskin Leila Gaskin is a leading barrister in her field. She both prosecutes…
Martin Goudie photo Mr Martin Goudie Member of Attorney General’s Panel of Special Advocates since 2005 dealing with…
Henry Grunwald photo Mr Henry Grunwald Henry is a long-established Queen’s Counsel and dedicated advocate with forty-eight solid…
Neil Hawes photo Mr Neil Hawes Head of Chambers
Laura Herbert photo Mrs Laura Herbert Known for her clear and cogent advice she is a persuasive advocate…
Roderick James photo Mr Roderick James Described by instructing solicitors as “very methodical with evidence and excellent under…
Michael Lavers photo Mr Michael Lavers Michael is a committed barrister with a strong sense of social justice.…
Tasmin Malcolm photo Ms Tasmin Malcolm Examples of instructions include Murder and Serious Violence (such as s.18 GBH,…
Briony Molyneux photo Ms Briony Molyneux
Alexandra Monaghan photo Ms Alexandra Monaghan She is regularly instructed in cases involving vulnerable defendants, including defendants as…
Oliver  Renton photo Mr Oliver Renton Oliver is regularly instructed to defend grave and complex matters, often involving…
Claire Robinson photo Ms Claire Robinson Claire is an experienced barrister who regularly acts as leading junior and…
Ben  Rowe photo Mr Ben Rowe Ben Rowe is a founding member of Crucible and specialises in serious,…
Clea Topolski KC photo Mrs Clea Topolski KC Clea has an exclusive defence practice in serious crime and is regularly…
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English