Simon Csoka KC > Kate Blackwell KC > Manchester, England > Barrister Profile
Lincoln House Chambers Offices
Lincoln House Chambers
TOWER 12, BRIDGE STREET, SPINNINGFIELDS
MANCHESTER
M3 3BZ
England
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Simon Csoka KC
Work Department
Business Crime and Financial Regulation
Criminal Law
Position
Simon specialises in all aspects of criminal law, in particular homicide, serious fraud and
organised crime. He has defended many high profile cases such as Dale Cregan, Arran
Coghlan, and Operation Elveden (the News International cases. He has been widely
praised for his devastating cross-examinations.
He exclusively defends in serious and complex crime. His practice encompasses murder,
gross negligence manslaughter, evasion of duty, MTIC and serious fraud, terrorism,
complex multi-handed drugs cases and corruption.
He has appeared in many high profile cases. He defended John Hardy, a former sergeant
major, in Operation Elveden who was accused of selling stories about Prince William and
Prince Harry to The Sun. He was the only source to be acquitted by a jury in those News
International trials. As well as his skills as a jury advocate, he is well known for his ability
to develop complex legal arguments. He is known for his mastery of detail even in cases
with voluminous quantities of evidence. He has an advanced knowledge of computing
which can assist with the management of large amounts of evidence.
He led for the defence in the first case in which an application for independent special
counsel for disclosure was granted [R v Greaves]. Since then he has made several
successful applications for special counsel which led to the cases collapsing.
He has defended a number of solicitors and professionals in recent years who have
found themselves charged with criminal offences.
He has advised CEOs, such as Julian Wheatland, former Chief Executive of Cambridge
Analytica.
He will provide an extremely comprehensive and involved service together with a robust
defence to those charged with more minor offences who wish to pay privately.
He also appears in Sport Regulatory work and has appeared before the FA Appeal
Committee and the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne. In 2012 he succeeded in
restoring Bradford City FC to the FA cup after they were disqualified.
Career
Called 1991; tenant Lincoln House Chambers 2010 to date.
Memberships
Criminal Bar Association
Education
Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University (MA Law)
Inns of Court School of Law
Lawyer Rankings
Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Crime (general and fraud)
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1Simon Csoka KC – Lincoln House Chambers ‘Simon is exceptionally bright and a fearless barrister at the top of his game. He is one of the most sought after silks in the country due to his immense ability and complete control of the court room.’
Lincoln House Chambers is praised as ‘a set with a deserved reputation as being the elite criminal set in the North West with real quality amongst its members’, who handle a wide variety of criminal law matters, from road traffic offences, sexual offences, violence, and drug offences, to financial crime and fraud. Simon Csoka KC has expertise in defending in organised crime, fraud, and high-profile murder cases, and Kate Blackwell KC and Mark Ford KC are also notable silks; Ford KC represented a female teacher, who was acquitted after being accused of entering into a sexual relationship with a male pupil. Rachel Cooper is often instructed on cases where clients have significant mental health needs, and she represented a defendant charged with attempted murder after the victim was stabbed in the head with a screwdriver. Richard Dawson specialises in road traffic and transport law and represents those accused of driving offences – he represented a paramedic who was prosecuted and acquitted after his ambulance was involved in a head-on collision, killing both occupants of the other vehicle, when he passed the site where the previous day he saw a child die. In 2023 Rebecca Filletti, Clare Ashcroft and David Pojur joined the team, and Katherine Pierpoint and Neil Usher were appointed to the circuit bench.