Leading Silks
Patrick Gibbs KC
1
Patrick Gibbs KC
Three Raymond Buildings
 ‘Paddy is quite simply one of the finest advocates of his generation. His insight, judgement, and willingness to delve into the weeds of the evidence make him one of the most reliable and effective advocates around. His trial preparation is second only to his advocacy – his incredibly polite yet disarming style is unstoppable when coupled with his diligence, immense intelligence, and unparalleled ability to think on his feet no matter the pressure.’
1
Sarah Forshaw KC
5KBW
 ‘Sarah is an absolute dream to work with. She is a tactical and strategic genius - every question relayed under cross-examination is skilfully crafted and deployed with pin-point precision and effectiveness. Every client that instructs Sarah trusts her with their life - they are 100% right to do so. She is by far the best silk in the business.'
1
Mark Heywood KC
5KBW
‘Mark is a devastatingly persuasive advocate who is charming and erudite in equal measure. He is so compelling it is often difficult to work out how he could possibly be wrong. Mark has effortless charm and intellectual gravity at the same time. He carries with him a weight of experience and knowledge which is almost impossible to challenge.’
1
Lewis Power KC
Church Court Chambers
2
Tana Adkin KC
15NBS
‘Tana is a brilliant advocate with a powerful presence in court. She presents submissions articulately and persuasively, demonstrating thorough preparation and good insight. She is exceptionally skilled and maintains high standards of integrity and ethics.'
2
Mozammel Hossain KC
187 Chambers
‘Mozammel is one of the great jury advocates operating at the moment. He delivers his account in the most eloquent manner and members of the jury are always engaged in his speeches and cross-examination of witnesses. He has built a formidable reputation defending murder cases and clients love him as he always fights their corner.’
2
Anthony Metzer KC
Goldsmith Chambers
 ‘Anthony's preparation of a case is meticulous and no stone is left unturned. His attention to detail and analysis of the facts means that he is able to identify case strategies which achieve the best possible outcome for clients. He is a fearless defender, charismatic and a genuine gentleman.'
2
Steven Perian KC
2 King's Bench Walk Chambers
'Steven is very meticulous, experienced and articulate. A well-respected advocate.'
2
Brian St Louis KC
15NBS
‘Brian is a first-rate advocate who is flawless on his feet and a joy to watch. A master tactician, Brian is able to master his brief very quickly and his cross-examination of experts is technical and meticulous. Clients absolutely love him. His smile wins over half the jury and his intellect does the rest.'
2
Bernard Tetlow KC
Garden Court Chambers
'Bernard is a huge presence in court and a true jury advocate. He is excellent with clients and a constant source of support to his instructing solicitors. Bernard is at the top of his game.'
2
Kieran Vaughan KC
2 Bedford Row
‘One of Kieran's greatest strengths is his ability to identify and get to the heart of issues very quickly. He communicates well with clients and has the ability to explain things clearly with precision and focus. This translates into his court advocacy where he commands respect and attention from juries, fellow counsel and judges.'
2
John Femi-Ola KC
3TG Barristers
 ‘John is a superb orator who captivates a jury. Eloquence and charm are his trademark. He is now a regular at the Old Bailey due to his reputation as a murder specialist. John is a top ranking silk with an easy manner about him such that it is a pleasure to be in his company.’
3
Jeremy Benson KC
Red Lion Chambers
3
Kerim Fuad KC
Church Court Chambers
3
Dean George KC
2 Bedford Row
‘Dean is quite simply one of the best barristers around. His work rate, dedication and attention to detail is matched only by his unequalled advocacy skills that frequently unravel and dissect apparently strong cases for the prosecution with enviable ability.'
3
Felicity Gerry KC
Libertas Chambers
‘Felicity is a powerful advocate. She has a keen eye for detail and an impressive legal brain. This, combined with her fearless style of advocacy and her assured manner in front of juries, makes her a formidable opponent and an excellent leader.'
3
Jonathan Higgs KC
5KBW
‘Jonathan’s advocacy and preparation is excellent. He is a very good barrister all round.’
3
Adam Kane KC
Libertas Chambers
‘Adam has a beautiful and poetic use of language that paints vivid images. He has an extraordinary knowledge of case law precedent and is extremely hard-working, using every hour of the day to refine and draft arguments to fight his client's corner.’
3
Lee Karu KC
Millennium Chambers
‘Lee is not to be underestimated. He is thoughtful and methodical. He does not waste any time in getting to the heart of the issues or the heart of the case. Lee is not bombastic in robing rooms; he listens, thinks, reflects and then uses the information he receives to his advantage. A very good operator.'
3
Simon Csoka KC
Libertas Chambers
‘Simon's intelligence levels are on another level from everyone else. His ability to retain huge amounts of information and repeat every word back without having to look at it for recall is superhuman. He is a once-in-a-lifetime barrister.'
3
Michael Magarian KC
Drystone Chambers
‘Michael is extremely experienced and skilled. He is hardworking and engaging and his tactical instinct is second to none. He is an excellent jury advocate and phenomenal cross-examiner.'
3
Michael Mather-Lees KC
Church Court Chambers
'Michael is a pleasure to watch in action - he is very calm and persuasive in his submissions to the court and jury. He is incredibly well prepared and just gets to the issues in a case with complete ease and understanding. He is personable both in and outside of court.'
3
Anthony Orchard KC
5KBW
‘Anthony is one of the most respected prosecuting silks at the Old Bailey. His manner is incomparable – the essence of fairness, good judgement and reasonableness. That said, he is a formidable opponent as juries love his manner in court. He is a top practitioner at the highest level.’
3
Stuart Trimmer KC
4BB
 ‘Stuart's ability to marshal evidence is second to none. He is able to take a jury through complex and challenging pieces of material with ease in a way that they can easily follow. His advocacy is firm and effective. He is not one for melodramatics, but is a highly communicative advocate who is able to address a jury in a way they can follow. His cross-examination is also powerful - he is particularly good with experts.'
4
Benjamin Aina KC
Church Court Chambers
4
Charles Bott KC
Mountford Chambers
‘Charles is fantastically quick thinking. He is able to digest a lot of material before offering robust and well-thought-out advice. He really cares about each case at hand as well as his instructing solicitors and clients.'
4
Paul Cavin KC
2 Harcourt Buildings
‘Paul is calm under pressure, able to assimilate vast amounts of information quickly, a smooth communicator, and clever.’
4
Michael Ivers KC
Garden Court Chambers
4
Anya Lewis KC
Garden Court Chambers
'Anya is extremely conscientious and hard-working. She considers all of the material and has a great understanding of the issues in the case at a very early stage and is then very responsive throughout the life of case. She is extremely affable and is good with clients.'
4
Samuel Magee KC
2 Bedford Row
 ‘Sam is an exceptional advocate and always presents the case at its height in the most effective manner. He is also adept at identifying weaknesses in the case and taking action early to address anticipated challenges arising from same. This case building is invaluable.  He is a skilled lead counsel and obtains good results in very difficult cases.'
4
Mark Mulholland KC
Cloth Fair Chambers
‘When Mark is instructed in a case he is wholly committed to it. He has excellent strategic skills and an ability to plan out the approach to be taken in each case with due cognisance of potential contingencies that might arise. He has a microscopic attention to detail and nothing is left to chance. Mark is an excellent advocate. His approach is perfectly balanced and nuanced and always effective.’
4
Charlotte Newell KC
5KBW
 ‘Charlotte is tactically astute, her drafting skills are great and her level of preparation for every hearing is unusually impressive. She cuts to the chase when giving tough advice to vulnerable defendants, but demonstrates compassion at the same time. She fights passionately and gets astonishingly good results.'
4
Danny Robinson KC
5KBW
4
Paul Taylor KC
5KBW
 ‘Paul is a pleasure to discuss a case with – he is always calm and precise and his encyclopaedic knowledge combines powerfully with his smart thinking. His advice and advocacy always meshes important principles with technicalities and details.’
4
Natasha Wong KC
5KBW
 ‘Natasha is best described as cool, calm, collected, thoughtful and measured. She is a delightful opponent, with a light touch. Natasha is a first class silk and a safe pair of hands.'
2023 Silks
Nicola Shannon KC
Nicola Shannon KC
Furnival Chambers
'Nicola has a great ability to assimilate a lot of information and present it to the jury in a way that is easily understood and digested. This is true even of complex and technical information that is usually very dry and difficult to present with any enthusiasm or in a way that generates interest. She is able to overcome those problems and keep the jury concentrating and engaged. She responds very well to legal queries from - sometimes difficult - judges demonstrating an impressive grasp of legal concepts - not all of them easy.'
Maria Karaiskos KC
Church Court Chambers
‘Maria is excellent and has hit the ground running as a new silk. Her judgement is excellent and the tone she sets in court is really just exceptional. Her cross-examination is also excellent. She is measured and reasonable, with a clear and strategic approach to cases.’
2024 Silks
Kate Blumgart KC
2 Harcourt Buildings
‘Kate is charming to have as an opponent but is always thoroughly prepared and completely on top of the case. She is a really persuasive advocate who juries warm to. Her cross-examination of defendants is usually devastating because she is well prepared and extremely sharp.’
Catherine Farrelly KC
5KBW
‘Catherine is excellent in every respect. She is very hard-working and puts a lot of time and effort into preparing her cases thoroughly and making sure, as far as is possible, that any gaps in the evidence are closed off. She is very good at putting witnesses at ease before they give their evidence. Her closing speeches are some of the best to be seen. She is very persuasive both when addressing juries and during legal argument.’
Jonathan Polnay KC
5KBW
‘Jonathan is very well prepared with strong tactical sense and an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law. These qualities made him a formidable junior and will make him a great silk.'