Northern Circuit
Exchange Chambers‘ team has ’great strength in depth’. ‘A silk at the very top of his game’, Benjamin Myers KC recently acted for Lucy Letby in her appeal to the Court of Appeal following her convictions for murdering babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital. John Jones KC specialises in homicide defence and recently represented a man accused of the murder of his 22-month-old infant. David Toal prosecuted a man who was convicted and sentenced to eighteen years imprisonment after using artificial intelligence to create child sexual abuse pseudo-photographs based on innocuous images of children, and selling them to paedophiles, as well as encouraging the rape of a child under thirteen.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Profile
Work Department
Criminal; Regulatory
Position
John is a highly-acclaimed KC with over 40 years’ experience at the Bar, over 20 of which have been in Silk. He is widely acknowledged as a ‘go-to’ advocate for major heavyweight criminal cases and is recommended year after year in Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500. He is currently ranked for Financial Crime and Crime in Chambers and Partners, and ranked Tier 1 for Crime and also ranked for Business and Regulatory Crime including Health and Safety in The Legal 500.
Highly sought after, he has been involved in some of the most high profile cases in the country.
His practice encompasses:
- Fraud
- Money laundering
- Insider dealing/city-based regulatory crime
- Murder
- Manslaughter
- Historic sex abuse
- Terrorism
John has a well-established Criminal practice with heavy emphasis on all forms of serious fraud and ancillary issues, such as confiscation of proceeds of crime and money laundering.
He has extensive experience of both prosecuting and defending matters of serious crime including manslaughter, historic sex abuse, drugs and terrorism related offences. He is sought after for cases of complexity, and has been instructed on a large number of high profile national cases. From the foundations of a successful criminal practice, John has developed a strong professional disciplinary and regulatory practice, with particular expertise in health and safety and environmental work.
He is highly sought after for his regulatory work, representing employers, directors, individuals and public bodies on all aspects of health and safety and environmental enforcement.
John is an incisive advocate known for his formidable ability in the courtroom. He is equally at home with detailed cross examination as he is in ensuring the jury fully understands with complete clarity, the issue he is raising. He is a calm, yet persuasive presence who, through years of heavyweight, hard-hitting advocacy is widely respected by opponents, juries and judges alike.
Career
Called 1981; QC 2002; Recorder
Memberships
- Criminal Bar Association
- Northern Circuit
Education
- LL.B (University of Liverpool)
- Middle Temple
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'All the clerks are exceptional and will go above and beyond in assisting with administration and contacting the court. Graeme Hipkiss particularly stands out. Nick Buckley is exceptional.'
- 'Andy Leech is great to work with. Very prompt and efficient with his responses and strives to assist in any way he can.'
- 'Nick Buckley is an exceptional senior clerk. He manages a tight ship where things get sorted. Andy Leech provides an excellent service.'
- 'Nick Buckley is always keen to assist and routinely provides a prompt and effective response to all queries.'
- 'Exchange Chambers has a great depth and strength in experience and knowledge.'
- 'Exchange Chambers is a great set with huge strength in depth.'
- 'Exchange Chambers is a very reliable set, offering a wide range of experienced and capable counsel.'
- 'Exchange Chambers is an excellent set.'