Mr Sean Smith > Exchange Chambers > Leeds, England > Barrister Profile

Mr Sean Smith

Work Department

Criminal

Position

Sean has a strong criminal and regulatory practice. As a former managing partner of a leading criminal law firm in Yorkshire, Sean has amassed significant experience in high level criminal cases. A former solicitor advocate, Sean appreciates the needs and demands of solicitors from his first-hand experience. He understands the importance of early contact in order to establish a strong working relationship, and has excellent practical knowledge of all stages of a case. Sean is instructed in cases nationwide, and is happy to travel to where he is needed.

Sean has experience of the full range of criminal matters including:

• Fraud
• Money laundering
• Human trafficking
• Sexual offences
• Murder and manslaughter
• Drug conspiracies and importation
• Armed robbery, kidnap and all levels of serious assault
• Health and safety

Sean has particular experience dealing with all types of serious sexual offences including historic abuse and offences involving vulnerable witnesses. He has extensive expertise in the field of complex fraud and regularly undertakes lengthy trials in this area. He was sole junior in the largest cheque fraud investigation case in the UK. As a consequence of his work in this area, Sean has sound knowledge of POCA proceedings.

He has vast experience defending health and safety prosecutions involving deaths or accidents in the workplace and other breaches of regulations.

Sean also has experience of defending in high profile Environment Agency prosecutions involving water pollution, waste transfer sites and permit cases. He has also defended Food Standards Agency cases on behalf of restaurants and fast food outlets and cases involving death at work brought by Health and Safety Executive.

He is recognised nationally for defence work against the RSPCA and Dangerous Dog cases up to High Court level.

Sean also has significant experience of liquor licensing matters.

He has experience of road traffic matters, not only of exceptional hardship and special reasons cases but also appearing in front of the traffic commissioner due to his knowledge of the road haulage industry, having previously held a HGV licence.

In 2018, Sean was one of the speakers at our annual flagship Local Government and Social Housing Seminar. His talk covered disclosure in criminal proceedings, and tactics therein.

Career

Called, 1994; Managing Partner at O’Garras Solicitors since 1999.

Education

Nottingham Trent University (1989-1993), Bachelor of Laws (LLB), 2:1.

The College of Law, London (1993-1994)

Postgraduate Diploma, Bar Vocational Studies (BVC)