Alex Benn > Red Lion Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile

Alex Benn

Position

Alex appears on behalf of defendants at all stages of criminal proceedings. Alex has represented defendants tried for allegations including armed robbery, witness intimidation, sexual offences, supply of drugs, fraud and computer hacking. Recent cases have seen Alex make an application to the Attorney General for a nolle prosequi, argue matters subject to the special jurisdiction of the Chief Magistrate, and achieve the expungement of a wrongful conviction without the need for an appeal. Alex has also acted in the early stages of proceedings relating to allegations of attempted murder, rape and causing grievous bodily harm.

Before starting to practise, Alex graduated top of the year in law at the University of Oxford. Now a lecturer in law at University College, Oxford, Alex has taught criminal law and discrimination theory for several years. Alex’s academic work focuses on criminal and discrimination law, particularly the issue of classism. It has been cited by the Law Commission and a range of academic journals.

Alex uses ‘they/them’ and ‘he/him’ pronouns and, where necessary, the gender-open title, Mx.

Career

Year of Call: 2021

Wronker Prize (for best overall performance in law), University of Oxford

Gibbs Prize (for best combined performance in contract, land, tort and trusts law), University of Oxford

Slaughter and May Prize in Criminal Law, University of Oxford

Red Lion Chambers Prize in Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Oxford

Planethood Foundation Prize in International Criminal Law, University of Oxford

Law Faculty Prize in Comparative Equality Law, University of Oxford

Wronker Prize in Tort Law, University of Oxford

Wronker Prize in Jurisprudence, University of Oxford

David Blank Scholarship, St Catherine’s College, Oxford

Graduate Scholarship, University College, Oxford

Lord Denning Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn

Publications

Book Chapters and Journal Articles:

‘Besting Monarchy: The Anti-Classism Argument’, The Political Quarterly, 2023

‘The Loss or Destruction of Evidence’ in D Young, Young, Corker and Summers on Abuse of Process in Criminal Proceedings, 2022, 5th edn, pp 80-118, with D Young

‘Classism as Hate Crime: Proposing Class as a Protected Ground in Criminal Law’, 2021, 10 Criminal Law Review 809

‘The Big Gap in Discrimination Law: Class and the Equality Act 2010’, 2020, 3(1) Oxford Human Rights Hub Journal 30

Journal Case Notes:

‘Attorney General’s Reference on a Point of Law (No. 1 of 2022)’, 2023, 1 Criminal Law Review 58

‘The “Colston Four”, Proportionality and the Concerns that Linger’, 2023, 87(1) Journal of Criminal Law 61

‘R (Ngole) v Sheffield University’ 2018, 7(2) Oxford Journal of Law and Religion 351

‘R (A and B) v Secretary of State for Health’ 2017, 6(3) Oxford Journal of Law and Religion 631

‘Re JS (A Child)’ 2017, 6(2) Oxford Journal of Law and Religion 413

Academic and Legal Websites

‘Criminalising Constitutional Debate? Anti-monarchy Protests, Treason and Public Order’, 2023, UK Constitutional Law Association

‘The Coronation, the Public Order Act 2023 and “Free Speech”‘, 2023, Oxford Human Rights Hub

‘The “Colston Four” and the Walls of Criminal Trials’, 2022, Oxford Human Rights Hub

‘Discrimination in Criminal Justice: Four Analytical Steps for Lawyers’, 2021, Legal Lifelines

‘Classism, Hate Crime and the Law Commission’s Consultation Paper 250: Lessons from Discrimination Law’, 2021, Oxford Human Rights Hub blog

‘The Maya Forstater Case and So-Called “Gender Critical” Feminism: What Was Actually Decided and What Does It Reveal about UK Discrimination Law?’, 2020, Oxford Human Rights Hub, with C Devlin

‘The UK Supreme Court and the Gay Marriage Cake: Is “Indissociability” Half-Baked?’, 2019, Oxford Human Rights Hub blog

Other Media

• ‘Is It Time for a Law to Ban Classism?’ (also published as ‘We Prosecute Racists and Sexists. So What about Classists?’), 2023, The Independent

‘Gender Non-Conformity at the Bar’, 2022, Counsel 15

‘“Virginity Testing”, Hymen Surgery and Misogyny: What Should the Law Do?’, 2021, Counsel 38, with R Karmy-Jones QC

‘We Don’t Think John Finnis Should Teach at Oxford University. Here’s Why’, 2019, The Guardian, with D Taylor

Memberships

CBA

Lincoln’s Inn

Grade 2 Advocate Panel (Crown Prosecution Service)

Education

Law (Jurisprudence, BA), St Catherine’s College, Oxford: first-class honours

Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL), University College, Oxford: distinction