‘A solid criminal set with a number of excellent counsel’, 2 Harcourt Buildings continues to offer services in defence and prosecution. Sam Barker prosecuted a man who was convicted of attempted murder after pushing a total strange in front of a train at Oxford Circus tube station, and received a discretionary life sentence.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Keith Poynter is personable and approachable.'
  • 'Keith Poynter has a real eye for developing strong relationships.'
  • 'The clerks are incredibly helpful and attentive to the needs of solicitors.'
  • 'Very responsive clerking.'
  • '2 Harcourt Buildings are a quality set.'
  • 'A great set of impeccable pedigree.'

Lawyers

Leading Silks

KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.

3
Jane Osborne KC
‘She’s very polished. Jane exudes authority, is hard-working, very classy and modest.'
4
Paul Cavin KC
‘Calmness personified. A go to KC for prosecution cases.'  
4
James Dawes KC
‘James is a great lawyer and a very strong advocate. He is charming and incredibly engaging.'

2024 Silks

KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.

1
Kate Blumgart KC
Kate is able to assimilate large volumes of evidence and data at short notice and holds a keen eye for detail. She is an incredibly strong jury advocate who has the ability to cast doubt on even the strongest of cases.’

Leading Juniors

Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.

2
Tom Nicholson
‘Tom is very calm in his approach, putting clients at ease. He constantly display professionalism and great attention to detail.'
3
Sam Barker
‘Sam Barker consistently demonstrates exceptional professionalism and a deep commitment to his practice. The best advocate in London.'
3
Catherine Donnelly
‘Catherine demonstrates clear, strong, and consistent advocacy, while remaining deeply compassionate toward her clients.’
3
Sarah Gaunt
4
Jenny Burgess
‘She is well-prepared, thorough, reliable, and thoroughly in command of her brief. She is a confident advocate.'
4
Charles Drinnan
‘Charles is the full-package; he is extremely knowledgeable, diligent, and leaves no stone unturned, and his advocacy is always of the highest quality.’
4
Natalia Constantine
‘Natalia is an excellent barrister. She keeps a cool head under pressure and yet has a steely determination when challenged in situations where she knows that she is right.'
4
Toby Fitzgerald
'He is a calm and measured presence in Court. He is meticulously prepared and has great presentational skills in a complex case.'
4
Edward Franklin

Rising stars

Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.

1
William Goss
Juries, judges, and opponents all trust and like him, and he is an extremely fair but firm prosecutor. He is able to get through a huge amount of work in a short time, and produces punchy arguments which cut straight to the heart of the issues.’