9BR Chambers

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Abbas Lakha KC is widely regarded as one of the UK’s most successful and respected leading silks, with a heavyweight practice which encompasses a broad range of specialist areas. He is regularly instructed to advise upon and defend in the most challenging and high profile cases. He is particularly sought after to advise in International financial crime cases, representing clients both in the UK and around the world. He is retained as a Consultant to the Sabra Defence team in the Hague, who are defending an accused alleged to have been complicit in the assassination of the Lebanese Prime Minister, Mr. Rafik Hariri. Abbas has experience in all forms of Civil and Criminal Fraud and asset forfeiture work, including restraint and confiscation, and appears before the Tax Tribunals (First Tier and Upper Tier) in respect of VAT and Tax cases. He is highly respected for his advocacy, his attention to detail and his negotiating skills. Regularly instructed to advise at the pre-investigative stages of cases, Abbas has extensive experience of representing high profile individuals for whom reputation management is a significant concern. Rated in Chambers UK and Legal 500 directories as a leader in the fields of international crime, murder, terrorism, financial crime and asset forfeiture, Abbas Lakha KC is noted for his detailed preparation, incisive examination and strong jury advocacy. He is particularly skilled in handling international money laundering cases, bribery and corruption prosecutions, VAT frauds, missing trader frauds and insider dealing cases.

Adam Kirke

Adam has a busy practice prosecuting and defending in the Crown Court. He has been described by clients as “absolutely brilliant” and “extremely professional and knowledgeable”. Equally, his submissions have been described by the court as “skilfully structured and carefully crafted”. Background and Expertise Adam has appeared in various trials across the criminal spectrum including offences of kidnap; drugs supply; robbery; GBH; domestic violence and burglary. He has also appeared in various ancillary order applications (in both Criminal and Civil contexts) such as Criminal Behaviour Orders; Sexual Harm Prevention Orders; Football Banning Orders and restraining orders. Having previously worked as an Investigator for the Serious Fraud Office, Adam also maintains a keen interest to develop his financial and white-collar crime practice. At the SFO, Adam investigated a number of cases of domestic and international complex fraud, bribery and corruption. This included interviewing suspects and witnesses under PACE 1984 and S2 CJA 1987, reviewing financial records and attending property searches with the police. Whilst at the SFO he was awarded an official commendation from the Director of the SFO for his outstanding contribution. In 2022, Adam was also seconded to a top-tier law firm in their business crime department predominantly advising on financial sanctions. Adam achieved a first-class honours Law degree from Bournemouth University in 2015. During his university placement he acted as a Crown Court paralegal for the Crown Prosecution Service where he managed a monthly case load and attended court daily. In this role he was nominated for Placement of the Year for outstanding achievement by exceeding expectations. Adam is currently a Grade 2 Prosecutor and regularly accepts both prosecution and defence work. He also regularly appears as a case presenter on behalf of Social Work England, and the General Medical Council. Adam is also the Lead Legal Consultant for Training For Success.

Alex Matthews

Alex has a strong practice prosecuting and defending. She performs deftly in cases involving vulnerable clients and has experience of running both insanity defences and dealing with fitness to plead procedures. Alex is well versed in dealing with multi-handed instructions both for the prosecution and defence having extensively advised on charging many such cases while seconded at the CPS. Alex is confident when dealing with sexual offences both for the prosecution and when defending. She has recently been instructed to defend in a five handed conspiracy trial at St Albans Crown Court involving a number of youth defendants. This trial has featured complex tactical decisions, issues of law and bad character. Client care is always at the heart of Alex’s work and her diligent work assisting a young defendant of good character through a difficult trial has been a prime example of her excellent client care skills. She has strong experience assisting children and young people through both the youth and crown Courts. This was drawn on when she presented the recent 9BR webinar with Emma Heath entitled Youths: Simplifying the Sentencing Regime. Alex has experience of defending military personnel both in civilian courts and at Court Martial. She is familiar with the particular difficulties in such cases, especially as regards sentencing serving servicemen/women. She has particular experience defending Deaf/deaf defendants and is a personable advocate who excels when it comes to helping clients understand trial procedures and processes. Prosecution In 2019 Alex was seconded to CPS London South Central Crown Court Unit. She took the lead on prosecuting drugs and kidnap conspiracies, attempted murder and aggravated burglaries, amongst lower level offences such as possession of blades and assaults. This experience has lent her unique insight into the operations of the CPS as a body, and has employed her keen analytical skills to good effect. Alex is regularly instructed in high profile protest prosecution work. Her growing expertise in this area of law (and robust disclosure experience) render her an ideal candidate for both defence and prosecution instructions in this field. Alex has also undertaken work as a prosecution junior on a number of multi-handed cases (including insurance and car-ringing frauds) and has run the resulting POCA proceedings. Alex has also undertaken disclosure secondments with the both the SFO and on the Grenfell Tower inquiry, and as a result is familiar with Autonomy and other document platforms, thus cementing her experience working both as independent counsel and as a productive team player. Defence From drugs indictments, through to GBH and robbery, Alex defends across the gamut of offences in the Crown Court, regularly in multi-handed matters. Before coming to the bar Alex worked as a paralegal at a high-street legal aid firm and within the criminal department at Kingsley Napley LLP. She is therefore intimately familiar with the work those instructing her are undertaking, and the ways she can best assist. Alex was awarded the Jules Thorne Scholarship in 2012, an award granted for academic achievement by Middle Temple Inn of Court.

Alex Krikler

Alex has been instructed in a number of high profile cases, both as leading and junior counsel, and has developed a reputation as a skilled, dedicated, and successful advocate. He is of the view that by both prosecuting and defending, he has gained an enhanced understanding and appreciation of trial advocacy, to the advantage of his clients. He is an experienced defence barrister, which accounts for the majority of his practice. He has been instructed in the following areas: murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, false imprisonment, cases involving torture, firearms offences, robbery, sexual offences, non-recent and recent cases, including gun-point rape and offences committed by and against children, cases involving indecent images. He has been instructed in numerous cases involving the supply of drugs, fraud and financial crime at all levels. He has successfully appealed to the Court of Appeal on a number of occasions. He is a grade 3 prosecutor, and prosecutes rapes and other sexual offences, crimes of violence, fraud, drugs cases. He has attended vulnerable witness courses.

Andrew Judge

Andrew has a busy practice prosecuting and defending in the Crown Court. Andrew has developed a criminal practice spanning a wide range of offences. He has prosecuted and defended in cases involving serious violence, domestic abuse, drug supply, dishonesty, sexual offences and fraud. Andrew is currently a Grade 2 CPS General Crime Panel Advocate, and he is also on the Serious Crime CPS Panel at Grade 2. Andrew is thorough in his preparation for cases and a determined advocate on his feet. He has experience in dealing with vulnerable defendants with mental health issues and has acted in matters involving intermediaries, ground rules hearings and section 28 hearings.

Ben Joyes

Ben specialises in international criminal law, extradition, international human rights and complex financial crime. Ben has acted in some of the most high profile international criminal cases of the last decade, in particular before the International Criminal Court. He also regularly represents individuals and requesting States in extradition proceedings before Westminster Magistrates’ Court and the Administrative Court. Ben has significant expertise in complex cases involving international fraud, bribery and corruption. Thanks to his expertise in diverse but complementary areas of law, Ben brings a unique perspective to all of his cases. He has extensive experience drafting incisive arguments concerning legally and factually complex issues, and is highly regarded for the quality of his written work. Having worked on the ground with legal and investigative teams in Africa, South East Asia and Europe, Ben prides himself on his collaborative approach to complex, document-heavy cases. International Crime Ben represents and conducts advisory work on behalf of governments, organisations and individuals. The international nature of his practice demands that he is comfortable operating in adversarial and inquisitorial systems. Similarly, he acts in cases before tribunals that adhere to both the civil and common law traditions. Ben is comfortable dealing with the vast volumes of evidence that are commonplace in international litigation. Experienced operating in hostile conditions, he conducts sensitive defence investigations with care and precision. In both Kenya and Cambodia, Ben interviewed sensitive witnesses and provided legal assistance to police, military and communications experts. He has worked closely with intelligence professionals on the collection and analysis of complex financial and communications evidence. Ben has been appointed to the lists of counsel of both the International Criminal Court and the Kosovo Specialist Chambers. He also appears on the List of Legal Consultants of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. Extradition Ben is a specialist extradition practitioner. He regularly represents individuals and requesting States in contested extradition hearings before Westminster Magistrates’ Court and on appeal before the High Court. Ben also advises on import extradition cases. Between 2017-2018, Ben undertook an 18-month secondment with the CPS Extradition Unit, during which he conducted hearings and carried out casework on a substantial number of complex cases under both Parts 1 and 2 of the Extradition Act 2003. Ben has been appointed to the CPS Specialist Extradition Advocate Panel (Level 3) International Human Rights & Capacity Building Ben represents individuals and organisations in cases involving violations of international human rights law. He has developed particular expertise in respect of a number of regional tribunals, including the European Court of Human Rights, Court of Justice of the European Union, African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Southern African Development Community Tribunal. Ben is able to assist clients prior to the issuance of proceedings until the conclusion of the case. He is comfortable providing practical advice on investigations, as he has significant experience managing projects concerned with the documentation and analysis of potential breaches of international human rights law. Once proceedings have commenced, Ben is able to draw upon his considerable experience before the international tribunals to ensure that all applications – whether oral or written – are prepared and delivered with forensic precision. Ben has significant experience conducting capacity building projects overseas. He recently designed and delivered training courses on human rights, fair trial standards and ethics for the benefit of judges and lawyers based in the Middle East. Ben also spent time at a human rights organisation in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where he helped to develop a nation-wide trial monitoring project and conducted advocacy concerning land rights and land-grabbing. Complex Financial Crime Ben has substantial experience in large-scale international fraud, bribery and corruption cases. Ben has particular expertise as concerns disclosure in complex fraud and bribery cases. He is currently instructed by the Serious Fraud Office to manage the disclosure process in a prosecution being brought under the Bribery Act 2010. He also has significant experience in cases involving Deferred Prosecution Agreements and the agent/principle distinction as set out under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906. Ben has been appointed to the SFO Advocate Panel (C Panel).

Caroline Macpherson

Caroline specialises in international criminal law, and British fraud and financial regulation. She has worked on highly sensitive and classified cases, both internationally and for the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Caroline also advises organisations and governments on legal reform – and frequently drafts applications to international bodies such as the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Human Rights Council. Throughout her work, Caroline has demonstrated her ability to condense large amounts of evidence and complex issues into clear, concise pleadings. She has worked on a number of cases before international tribunals in the Hague and in Bangladesh, both as part of defence teams and in the judges’ chambers – and was also judicial assistant in the French-speaking Chamber III of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). At home, Caroline appears in British criminal courts, including court martial. She has worked on large-scale matters with the FCA and the SFO, such as the recent allegations of abuse of the Forex market, and a classified bribery case. Caroline has experience working on inquests, notably the Hillsborough inquests, where she was part of a team of junior counsel who reviewed documents for disclosure to the 24 interested parties. Out of court, Caroline drafts opinions and applications on legal issues and constitutional reform, such as a review of the 1964 Police Act and related constitutional provisions in Sierra Leone for the American Bar Association (ABA) and UN Development Programme (UNDP); individual communications to the OHCHR; or a report for the Sri Lankan Young Lawyers Association on the impeachment of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Dr Shirani Bandaranyake. Caroline accepts instructions in English and French.

Colleen Rohan

Colleen Rohan is an expert in criminal defence litigation in both domestic and international courts. She has represented members of the military and private clients in complex cases involving charges of genocide, murder, terrorism, war crimes and crimes against humanity. In her domestic practice she specialised in death penalty cases, gang-related cases, international extradition and post-conviction remedies.

Corinne Bramwell

Corinne has practised at the Bar for almost 20 years. She has extensive experience defending and prosecuting, and is in high demand for her expertise in cases of the utmost gravity and sensitivity, including homicide, serious sexual offences, and complex financial crime. Previous professional commentary has described Corinne as an excellent communicator, tactically astute with a measured style and gravitas in court; universally respected by judges and opponents. Corinne is an appointed SFO (panel B), and CPS (grade 4) advocate. She is a specialist CPS panel advocate for counter terrorism, fraud, serious crime, rape and serious sexual offences and extradition. In addition to criminal law, Corinne has a successful practice in regulatory and professional disciplinary law. She represents professionals and regulators including the General Medical Council, General Dental Council, and Nursing and Midwifery Council. Corinne is qualified under the Bar Council's direct access scheme, allowing her, in appropriate cases, to accept instructions directly from the public.

Dan Plesch

Dr Plesch is currently Director and Reader at the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy, SOAS University of London. Dr Plesch’s work over a decade has brought to light and analysed the work of states in the 1943-1948 United Nations War Crimes Commission. This overlooked diplomatic institution gave advisory opinion on international law; recommended constitutions for international military tribunals and an International Criminal Court and made pre-trial judgement as to whether some 36,000 individuals should be listed as accused or suspected war criminals in cases brought to it by its sixteen member states. These activities contain a wealth of state practice and legal precedent providing a far wider paradigm of ICL than is conventionally understood. Dr Plesch’s work continues to develop the integration of the achievements of the UNWCC in the 1940s with contemporary policy and practice. In parallel, his research has changed understanding of the Allied response to Axis atrocities and to the Holocaust in particular. For example, intra-war indictments supported by sixteen nations were made in 1944 against numerous Nazis for crimes in the death camp system in Poland a full year before the supposed revelation at their liberation, and the Nazi Head of State, Adolf Hitler was indicted in secret by these same nations in 1944. These findings have attracted widespread attention including a Netflix documentary on Buchenwald. The research is detailed in his book Human Rights After Hitler�� His previous publications include: America Hitler and the UN, Wartime Origins and the future UN with Thomas G. Weiss, A Case to Answer with Glen Rangwala, and the Beauty Queen's Guide to World Peace. Dr Plesch read history at Nottingham University in 1976 and social work and public administration at Bristol University in 1979 and 1980. He was awarded a PhD in Political Science by Keele University in 2006. In 1986 he founded the British American Security Information Council (BASIC) and directed it from Washington DC, being called on to provide expert evidence to the Senate and House of Representatives of the US Congress. In 2001 he became the Senior Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies in London consulting with the BBC and CNN. Academic posts since 1988 include Honorary Visiting Research Fellow at the Department of Peace Studies at Bradford University, Research Associate at Birkbeck College, University of London and Senior Visiting Research Fellow at Keele University.

Daniel Higgins

Daniel is a criminal barrister with a formidable reputation, whether he's defending or prosecuting serious offences. Daniel’s analytical approach to cases, along with his approachable manner, together instil confidence in his clients. He has an engaging courtroom style – and his handling of witnesses, particularly experts or those with vulnerabilities, is exceptional. When defending, Daniel appears in the most serious of cases, instructed in his own right in allegations of attempted murder, rape and other serious sexual offences (often committed against children), large scale drugs conspiracies and financial crimes. He is also led in allegations of murder and other serious offences. Daniel is a Level 4 prosecutor on the CPS General Crime and Serious Crime Panels. He is regularly instructed by the Special Casework Unit, and prosecutes multi-handed cases concerning financial crime, wide-ranging and complex drugs conspiracies, serious violence and sexual offences. Daniel often appears in cases concerning allegations of serious and complex fraud, money laundering and other financial crimes. The evidence in these cases is often voluminous, but he is able to focus on issues and present evidence and arguments clearly and concisely. Before coming to the Bar, Daniel worked for a large financial organisation, developing guidelines for investment funds and operating compliance programmes. This gives him an insight into how such organisations work. Daniel undertakes appeal work, often when instructed by people who have been represented by others at first instance. In the Court of Appeal, his success has resulted in convictions being quashed, and sentences reduced. Although Daniel is most often engaged in serious and complex cases in the Crown Court, he understands the importance of every allegation to the client – and that has brought him considerable success in allegations of road traffic offences. These allegations are often a client’s only experience of the court system, so it is vital that they have someone who understands their needs and can present their case in the best way.

David Burgess

David has 40 years’ experience defending cases of serious crime including homicide, kidnapping, ﬁrearms, drug and people traﬃcking, slavery, sexual oﬀences, complex fraud and confiscation. He also represents medical professionals in regulatory matters.

David Hughes

A widely experienced leading junior, specialising in the defence of serious crime. Recently instructed on substantial cases of murder, serious fraud, importation and supply of drugs, computer fraud, terrorism and confiscation. In the past he has been involved in cases with substantial matters of law, in relation to witness anonymity, anonymous hearsay, special measures, vulnerable defendants, co-operation agreements under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, and the human rights implications of the funding levels in confiscation proceedings. He also has extensive experience of health and safety, food safety, environment, trade description and director disqualification proceedings. In recent times he has acquired a detailed knowledge and expertise, on behalf of both prosecution and defence, in relation to computer fraud (at common law, under the Fraud Act 2006 and the Computer Misuse Act 1990) including phishing, vishing, pharming, the use of Trojans (i.e. keystroke loggers) and other malware including SpyEye and Zeus programmes. In addition, he has extensive experience of related money laundering offences and confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, including the obtaining and use of financial evidence from foreign jurisdictions.

Douglas Wotherspoon

Douglas specialises in extradition, inquiries, and investigations. He has experience advising and representing individuals, companies, and governments. Douglas offers well-thought-out, focused advice and serves as a composed and determined advocate in court. Background and Expertise Douglas frequently receives instructions to advise and represent individuals facing extradition under both Part 1 and Part 2 of the Extradition Act. He has represented and advised requested persons in extradition proceedings at both initial stages and on appeal. Douglas is experienced with requests for surrender from Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United States of America. Before specialising in extradition, inquiries, and investigations Douglas prosecuted and defended domestic crime. Douglas has experience as a junior alone in single defendant and multi handed trials, handling cases involving offences of violence, blackmail, offensive weapons, and firearms and ammunition. Prior to joining chambers Douglas gained experience at a leading criminal litigation practice known for representing high net worth and high-profile individuals, specialising in fraud and financial crime and complex crime. Douglas has advised a company concerned in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, advised HMRC in relation to Legal Professional Privilege in relation to offenses arising from an Employee Benefit Trust Scheme, assisted a company in relation to the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, acted as junior counsel to the Undercover Policing Inquiry, and assisted in the provision of advice to the Government of South Sudan.

Dov Jacobs

Dr. Dov Jacobs has been working in the field of international law and international criminal law for nearly 15 years. He provides strategic advice to States, communities affected by human rights violations and various organisations and he is on the List of Counsel at the International Criminal Court and the MICT. Currently, at the ICC, he is co-Counsel for Mahamat Said and on the Defence team of Laurent Gbagbo; at the MICT, he is a member of the Defense team of Félicien Kabuga and Duty Counsel in the Jojic case. He has also been involved as an Amicus Curiae in both the Afghanistan and Palestine Situations at the ICC, along with Josh Kern from 9BR Chambers. Having completed his studies at Sciences Po in Paris, Paris I - La Sorbonne (comparative law) and Paris II- Pantheon Assas (Public International Law), Dov Jacobs completed his PhD at the European University Institute in Florence on Hybrid Tribunals. He joined the University of Amsterdam in 2010 as a researcher on the SHARES project, which explores concepts and practices of shared responsibility in international law and joined Leiden University in 2011 as an Assistant Professor in International Law. He taught numerous topics, including public international law, transitional justice and international criminal law and participated in a number of research projects. In 2012, he joined the Defence team of Laurent Gbagbo at the International Criminal Court, led by Emmanuel Altit. As a Legal Assistant and Trial Lawyer, Dov Jacobs participated in all relevant proceedings from the confirmation of charges to the trial, which led to the acquittal of Laurent Gbagbo in January 2019 following a ‘no case to answer’ procedure, an acquittal confirmed on appeal in March 2021.He specialises in international criminal procedure, transitional justice and legal theory. His extensive published work has covered a diversity of issues, from shared responsibility in international law, immunities, criminal procedure and the rights of the defence, as well as transitional justice. He regularly comments on issues of international law on his blog, ‘Spreading the Jam’.

Dréa Becker

Dréa defends in serious and complex cases. She is experienced in handling cases across the spectrum of criminal offences including serious violence, drugs, robbery, fraud and sexual offences. When defending, she is often instructed to represent young and vulnerable defendants. Dréa was previously instructed by a leading international law firm on a bribery and fraud investigation, and was also previously instructed by an offshore firm in a confidential financial services regulatory investigation. This involved a detailed understanding and application of the anti-money laundering and counter terrorist-financing regulatory framework. Before coming to the Bar, Dréa had a career working in humanitarian aid and human rights. She has extensive practical experience and knowledge of the Middle East, specifically Lebanon, Palestine, and Israel. She has experience living in the refugee camps in Lebanon, where she worked as country director for a non-governmental organisation between 1998 – 2001. Following her work in Lebanon, Dréa worked with Oxfam between 2001 – 2003 and lived in the occupied Palestinian territory at the height of the re-invasion of the West Bank, managing refugee-related programming in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Between 2004 – 2005, she managed Christian Aid’s programme in Israel and Palestine. Between 2007 – 2011, Dréa was the Director of Advocacy at Medical Aid for Palestinians, leading the organisation’s advocacy, policy and media work in Europe and the Middle East. Dréa was a lecturer on the LL.M in International Criminal and Human Rights Law at London South Bank University between 2013-2017. She taught the masters’ level module on the Law of Armed Conflict, an international law course focusing on the conduct of hostilities, means and methods of warfare, the legality of weapons, and the law of occupation. Dréa was awarded the Lord Mansfield Scholarship in 2011 by Lincoln’s Inn, the top grant awarded to prospective barristers. She is a Commonwealth Scholar.

Elise Groulx Diggs

Elise Groulx Diggs practices international human rights law and international criminal law, with wide experience in litigation. She is also an accredited mediator in France and with IMI (The International Mediation Institute) in The Hague. Elise is a true entrepreneur having created two international NGOs that she led while continuing to practice. Elise is a recognized expert in business and human rights where she has focused, amongst others, in assessing the legal risks of operating in fragile states and conflict zones. She advises corporations on human rights risks in their strategic and big footprint projects and global supply chains. She also works with law firms, consulting groups, trade unions and international NGOs in the United States, Canada, France and the United Kingdom with a focus on the UNGPs, the OECD guidelines for Multinational, the Equator principles and the SDGs. Background She is licensed to practice law as a barrister and solicitor in Québec (Canada), a lawyer in Paris (France). She is also a licensed legal consultant in the State of New York. She has a track record of convening and mobilizing the international legal profession, dating from 1996 when she first entered the field of International Criminal Law (ICL). She has been a respected voice for the defence and an advocate for the international legal profession at the International Criminal Court (ICC), leading to the creation of the International Criminal Bar (ICB) in 2003. She spent much of her career as a criminal defence attorney in Montréal, litigating complex court cases and engaging in plea-bargaining and negotiations. As a public defender, she represented thousands of indigent clients. Areas of Expertise She is one of a small group of lawyers who have specialized, for over a decade, in the fast-developing practice area of business and human rights. Elise focuses on international human rights, labour rights and getting involved in projects about environmental justice. Increasingly, we see how human rights and environmental sustainability In her work both as a lawyer and a mediator, Elise favours an approach that promotes stakeholder engagement, building dialogue and consensus to avoid and prevent conflict with focus on mitigation and reparation. My practice as an international mediator has expanded to include complex multi-stakeholder mediation in the field of international labour rights where my understanding of the UNGPs and the OECD guidelines as interpretative tools have been keys to my successful intervention in this environment. In 2021-2022 I conducted a long mediation (6 months) involving nearly 800 textile workers in Myanmar, Chinese employers, European brands, and International Union representatives.

Elizabeth Marsh KC

Elizabeth is a leading criminal silk specialising in murder, serious violence, financial crime, sex and drugs offences. While enjoying the unique aspects of every case and client, the challenges of the new bring out the best in Elizabeth. For instance, in the high profile case of EC she had to develop a detailed knowledge of parachute jumping and the construction of parachutes and gas valves. Her client care is considered exceptional. Elizabeth was a pupil and then tenant, in the same Chambers, which at the time was resident in 4 Brick Court, before the set moved to 9BR Chambers in 2000. A transformation for which she co-ordinated the funding and moved the entire business into premises while acting as Chambers Treasurer. As a leading criminal barrister, she has covered the complete range of serious criminal allegations: with experience of Police; Homicide; Contract killing; Human trafficking – including the death of 58 Chinese migrants and modern slavery; every complexion of sexual offences – recent and historic; drugs and fraud. Elizabeth has considerable experience of dealing with young defendants and those suffering mental health issues and has extensive experience of cross-examining witnesses of all ages and presentations.

Emma Heath

Emma defends and prosecutes in all aspects of criminal law in the Crown Courts in serious violent crimes, sexual offences, firearms and financial crimes. Emma has developed a specialist practice in defending youth clients charged with serious offences and representing in the Youth Court and Crown Court. Emma has a strong grounding in all aspects of criminal work, which greatly assists instructing solicitors who have described her as "hardworking, tenacious, knowledgeable and meticulous". Emma has been a lead junior in a number of cases involving single and multi-handed defendants on cases alleging historic sexual allegations, conspiracy to produce over 10 million pounds of counterfeit currency and human trafficking. Emma has a busy Crown Court practice (both prosecuting and defending) and is a grade 2 prosecutor on the CPS General Crime Panel. Emma's experience in dealing with vulnerable witnesses and defendants often sees her regularly instructed in cases involving individuals with mental health disorders and complex needs. Emma has been appointed as Chair of the Youth Practitioners Association. She has been involved with the YPA for the last 3 years which encourages and maintains the highest standards of advocacy and practice from police station representatives, solicitors, barristers, members of the judiciary and YOT. In October 2020, Emma was elected to the Bar Council. This is for a three-year period commencing on 1 January 2021.

Gary Summers

Gary is a highly respected UK and/or Irish and/or DIFC (UAE) barrister with 40 years' experience and is highly regarded in the fields of International Law, Extradition, mutual legal assistance, private prosecutions, financial and business crime, medical defence and Investigations. Presently he focuses on directing worldwide litigation for ultra-high net-worth individuals and/or companies and/or family offices (UHNW’s) and the challenges faced by them, alongside dispute resolution, financial investigations and mediation and crisis management - he also has other specialisms in medical and/or criminal defence. Dispute Resolution Gary has advised on countless cases in the UK Court of Appeal and High Court. In the past 15 years he has advised claimants and defendant in multi-million loss cases in High Court, arbitration and insolvency proceedings involving marine insurance; construction; metal trading; receivables finance and investment fraud. Since 2016 using his licence to litigate, Gary has been directly instructed in several civil fraud cases in the Commercial Court for claimants and defendants; insolvency cases in the High Court; contentious probate cases in the Chancery Divisions and Central London County Court, cases in the Family Division and Central Family Court and Judicial review cases in the Administrative Court. Private prosecution In private prosecution cases, Gary seeks to identify crimes, perpetrators and backers – including those perverting the course of justice. He files information, procures summonses and prosecutes individuals in UK courts. Financial investigations In financial investigations, Gary seeks to identify crimes, perpetrators and backers, and provides evidence to authorities and/or private clients. He may also cause a recovery process to be instituted here and abroad, to recover the fruits of frauds. Gary is an acknowledged expert in asset confiscation – and ranked as a leading junior in fraud in the Legal 500 (2006–14 edition). In 2007, Gary set up an international forensic investigation capability – tested in 2007–08 during a substantial investigation in Dubai. Read more Criminal defence In criminal defence cases, Gary aims to clears the names of those unjustly accused of serious crimes here and abroad. In 2011 Gary was retained as special investigation counsel on behalf of Uhuru Kenyatta in the International Criminal Court (ICC). In mid-2012 he was appointed lead investigation counsel for Kenyatta, in relation to his impending trial. All charges against Kenyatta were withdrawn in 2014. Medical defence Gary represents those accused of disciplinary offences by the General Medical Council (GMC), Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) and Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Mediation and Crisis Management Gary is a qualified Mediator. Combining his skill sets Gary represents those in crisis. He has been instructed to intervene quickly on diverse matters. Areas in which advice has been provided in the last few years include parents of a group of kidnapped children; parents affected by a natural disaster; company directors threatened with SFO intervention; several victims of multi-million pound frauds; several insolvency situations; a group of companies where one of the companies had become contaminated by mtic fraud; a professional man falsely accused of downloading pornography; a solicitors practice whose professional indemnity insurance (PII) claim was declined in the face of a multi-million pound negligence claim. Gary reinstated the PII within 4 weeks of being instructed and ultimately the insurers paid the claim and all the legal costs

Gillian Higgins

Gillian is a senior international criminal lawyer and Head of the International Practice Group with extensive experience at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the UN international tribunals. She has been instructed in some of the leading cases in international criminal law including the first trial of a former Head of State (former President of Serbia, Slobodan Milosevic) and the first case at the ICC of an incumbent Head of State (President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya). Before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, she represented Ivan Cermak in a case that has been described as the most important trial in the history of Croatia. Before the Rwanda Tribunal (ICTR), she acted for the defence in the trials of Alfred Musema (the first trial of a civilian alleging command responsibility for genocide) and Ferdinand Namhimana (a trial concerning the responsibility of the media for genocide in Rwanda in 1994). In 2019, she was appointed as an independent commissioner to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. She is also a founding member of the International Criminal Law Bureau. In recent years, Gillian’s advisory practice has involved assisting states to investigate allegations of corruption and human rights abuses. Her work also includes capacity building, advising on transitional justice, sanctions, improving relations between governmental institutions and assisting states to fulfil their human rights obligations under the auspices of the UN Human Rights Council. Her recent work has resulted in a number of significant reports set out below: South Sudan: An investigation and report on the causes of the 2013 and 2016 conflicts in South Sudan. Read report here. Sudan: Preparation of a report on the Lundin case concerning universal jurisdiction proceedings in Sweden alleging war crimes committed in Sudan from 1997-2003 against Lundin Oil company, its chairman and its CEO. This report was commissioned by the Board of Directors for Lundin Energy. Read report here. Algeria: A Human Rights Abuse Alert report on Algeria, July 2019. This alert was submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Read report here. Egypt: Reports on the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt commissioned by the State Lawsuit (Litigation) Authority of Egypt, 2015. Read all four reports here. Sri Lanka: Submissions to the OHCHR investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL) relating to the 30-year conflict between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE (Tamil Tigers). Read one of the reports here. Gillian’s practice areas also include UK and international fraud, sanctions, transitional justice, and extradition. In 2019, Gillian and Steven Kay QC established the Interpol Red Notice Desk at 9BR Chambers. She has also served as a member of the steering committee for Oxfam’s Lawyers Against Poverty programme and provided advice and legal services to a range of organisations including the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, the State Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Kurdish Human Rights Project. As an accredited civil and commercial mediator, Gillian employs this skillset throughout her legal practice, assisting clients with ‘difficult conversations’, brokering agreements and empowering institutions and government agencies to facilitate better communication. She is faculty member of the London School of Mediation. Gillian is currently developing a practice in international criminal heritage and art law and is registered to accept instructions under Direct Public Access and is licensed to litigate in the courts of England and Wales. In addition to her legal practice, Gillian is a recognised pioneer of wellbeing at the Bar as an accredited mindfulness teacher. For the past 6 years, she has designed and developed presentations, workshops, and courses for a broad range of legal institutions and bodies including The International Criminal Court, Gray’s Inn, Women in Criminal Law, The Criminal Bar Association, The South-Eastern Circuit, civil and commercial chambers, Barclays Bank and JPM Chase. Gillian is the author of Mindfulness at Work and Home, published in 2019.

Graeme Logan

Graeme is a highly experienced and skilful advocate who has both prosecuted and defended over his 20 years at the independent bar. His calm and approachable style makes him very popular with clients and solicitors alike. He is always prepared to go out of his way to assist and advise priding himself on a 24/7 approach. He specialises in defending cases of serious and organised crime. He has successfully built a nationwide client base, which sees him appearing in some of the most serious cases across most circuits. He is very much accustomed to dealing with large volumes of material and has a good understanding of digital evidence and cell-site material. Throughout his time at the bar he has been instructed to defend in many high-profile and complex cases, from fraud and money laundering to serious violence and drugs cases. He has a particular expertise in representing those charged with criminal conspiracy. He has extensive knowledge of POCA and forfeiture proceedings, having prosecuted for HMRC for many years prior to specialising in defence work. Graeme also has an interest in, and experience of, military law and courts martial. He was appointed junior legal adviser to the deputy commander of London District during an Army Board of Enquiry investigating an internal allegation involving certain military units operating in Northern Ireland.

Gregor Guy-Smith

Gregor Guy-Smith is a is a recognised international criminal lawyer with a global reputation undertaking international legal cases providing advice, consultancy and training services to governments, international organisations, and private clients.

Ignatius Hughes KC

Ignatius Hughes is a specialist crime and regulatory practitioner. Ignatius’s practice has covered a spectrum of the most serious and complex cases whilst in silk: multi-handed murders; rape; drugs and firearm conspiracies and fraud. He has longstanding experience of Court Martial in the UK and abroad. His down-to-earth attitude and fearless and purposeful advocacy, underpinned by his excellent judgement, precision of thought and tactical subtlety, win favour with clients and juries. Ignatius has particular expertise in the issues which arise in missing body murders, and cases of non-accidental head injury (the ‘baby shaking’ Triad). He is recognised for his mastery of the complex medical evidence involved in the latter, and a corresponding ability to cross examine experts to devastating effect. As a result, Ignatius has also been retained as a leading counsel in Family Division cases involving these issues. Read more He also has particular experience of the issues arising in cases involving waste management and control, financial services regulation and the FSA, European subsidy regulatory interplay with criminal fraud and industrial/workplace injuries. Ignatius practised in London for 15 years before moving to the West Country and becoming a member at Albion Chambers. He returned to 9BR Chambers in the summer of 2020.

James Earle

James is a practitioner with over twenty years’ experience at the Bar and a particular interest in all aspects of military law and the law of armed conflict. Background and Expertise His early career included service in the regular Army (Royal Artillery and Royal Army Educational Corps) from RMA Sandhurst to the rank of Major. He holds a Masters degree in War Studies from King’s College, London, and is a committee member of the Association of Military Court Advocates. In the latter capacity, he contributed a paper for a Parliamentary Select Committee on the legal and ethical use of military unmanned aerial vehicles. In 2019 he was appointed as a civilian expert adviser to the United States Air Force in a matter concerning jurisdiction, double-jeopardy and the court-martial of a young American airman. James has defended British and Gurkha service personnel in a range of court-martial matters including ill-treatment of subordinates; absence without leave; offences of violence; and conduct prejudicial to good order. He has also applied his wide experience as a criminal barrister in the Service Civilian Court, defending on charges of theft. James is a qualified private pilot and keen sailor. He retains his connection with the Armed Forces through membership of the Honourable Artillery Company in London. James also practises from Fenners Chambers, Cambridge.

Jane Bickerstaff KC

Jane is a first-class advocate who prosecutes and defends in all areas of serious crime. She has been instructed in complex fraud and financial crime, and has particular expertise in sexual offences. As a criminal barrister, Jane owes her reputation to her abilities in cross-examination, particularly of children and vulnerable witnesses; to the way she builds trust with clients, the judiciary and juries; her methodical preparation; and her feel for the tactics of a case. Prosecuting, she is regularly instructed by the Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Major Crime Unit, to prosecute murders and complex crime on the borders of the Metropolitan area. Defending, she is regularly instructed privately by both professional and high-profile defendants. Her expertise in sexual offences has seen her appear for the defence in a number of high-profile and complex historical allegations. She regularly appears at the Central Criminal Court in cases of homicide. Beyond her criminal practice, Jane has for many years appeared before police disciplinary boards, acting for regulated individuals – and continues this work as a QC. She sits for the FA and Sport resolutions as well as RFU and England Boxing. In 2021 Jane was appointed to the Safeguarding Appeal Tribunal of the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation.

Jens Dieckmann

Jens Dieckmann is a German Lawyer. He is Founding and Senior Partner of Becher & Dieckmann in Bonn. The practice was established in 1997. Jens Dieckmann can offer clients more than 20 years of high level international litigation and negotiation practice in high profile, complex cases, combined with highly developed advocacy skills. He has worked in and lead international teams of lawyers at various international criminal tribunals.

Jessica Clarke

Jessica specialises in criminal and military law. Jessica’s practice has always been a mixture of both prosecution and defence as she is of the firm belief that the experience this brings, is advantageous to her clients. She is highly experienced in the handling of expert witnesses – particularly in the fields of pathology, injury inflicted as a result of sexual offences, firearms, and drugs. Her defence work is predominantly the most serious sexual allegations, often involving vulnerable adults and children. She is enormously experienced in handling cases of the upmost sensitivity and clients know that she will work tirelessly to achieve the right result. Jessica also has a strong defence practice in the cases concerning the supply and trafficking of class A drugs. Finding holes in apparently strong case, often resulting in the Crown offering no evidence. She regularly defends those accused of financial crime ranging from allegations of defrauding the elderly to frauds perpetrated by bank employees against customers. Jessica was selected as a CPS grade four panel advocate in 2021. Since then, she has frequently led on complex and serious multi handed cases. The range of offences in Jessica’s practice is diverse – Firearms, serious violence , supply of drugs, high value conspiracies. Jessica is a specialist Military Court advocate. She regularly defends members of the Armed Forces accused of sexual and violent offences.

Joe Holmes

Joe is an international lawyer who operates in diverse national and international jurisdictions, including fragile and conflict-affected regions. He is dual-qualified before the Bars of England and Wales and New York. He speaks Spanish and some French. Joe offers expertise in international criminal law, public international law, international humanitarian law, strategic litigation, counter-terrorism and human rights law. He is a recognised subject matter expert in rule of law capacity-building, deployable to conflict-affected countries. His clients have included the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the Egyptian government, the African Centre for Rights and Governance and the former préfet of Butare, Rwanda. Joe has represented high-profile individuals in international criminal law for more than 10 years – appearing before courts and tribunals for Rwanda and Sierra Leone, along with the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT), arguing long and complex cases at trial and appellate levels.

Joey Kwong

Joey was called to the Bar in 2005 and has a busy criminal practice for both prosecution and defence across a broad spectrum of crime. He has successfully prosecuted and defended Crown Court trials for offences of section 18, arson with intent to endanger life, possession of firearms with intent, causing serious injury by dangerous driving, supply of controlled drugs, child cruelty, tax frauds, commercial frauds and money laundering offences, as well as contested confiscation proceedings. Joey is an appointed member of the CPS Advocate Panel for General Crime at Level 3, and the CPS Specialist Panel for Fraud and Proceeds of Crime at level 2. Originally from Hong Kong and fluent in Cantonese Chinese, Joey studied Law at the University of Cambridge and is a Jules Worth and Benefactors Scholar and a Harmsworth Scholar of the Middle Temple. Joey is passionate about social mobility and access to the independent Bar, and has been an active member of the Midlands Circuit Social Mobility Committee since 2019.

John King

Delivering consistent results over thirty odd years, John represents and assists clients in both civil and criminal matters. Numerous testimonials attest to his unrivalled legal and procedural insights and meticulous preparation. John himself credits his success as an advocate to ‘putting the client and their interests first’ as well as being ‘scrupulously factual and realistic’ about the actual strength of the cases brought before him. His approach in securing the best possible outcome for his clients relies on his ability to accurately formulate the spectrum of likely judicial outcomes. The latter are then used to devise an effective negotiation and advocacy strategy. Having successfully handled a large number of high-profile and high-value cases, John believes in treating each case, irrespective of its size, with the same forensic precision and painstakingly gathered and expertly analysed detail. He is one of a small minority of advocates to have taken cases through the entire court system of England as well as the European court structures. John has recently become a member of the Worshipful Company of Arbitrators. He specialises in Sports Arbitration, cross border trade disputes and alleged breaches of contract in the financial/asset management sectors.

John Traversi

John Traversi is an established criminal law practitioner, defending and prosecuting in a wide range of cases. He has defended in high level drugs conspiracies, human trafficking cases, fraud and revenue cases, murders and serious violence and sexual offending. His cases have often involved a transnational element, where his language skills have been of particular use. In March 2021 he was co-author with Steven Kay QC of “Kazakhstan: Questions About Government, Justice & International Arbitrations”, which also examines the response of the Republic of Kazakhstan to adverse decisions made against it in international arbitral proceedings. In May 2021 he was part of the 9BR international team that produced A Report on the Lundin Case commissioned by the Board of Directors for Lundin Energy. He has often been asked to advise on proceedings abroad by UK nationals who have found themselves in trouble in other civil law jurisdictions. He is a grade 4 prosecutor, on the serious crime and fraud panels.

Jollyon Robertson

Jollyon Robertson is an experienced Leading Junior, appearing on a regular basis in serious criminal cases, including multi-handed cases. Jollyon both Prosecutes and Defends. He has substantial experience at the criminal bar, with over 30 years’ experience in trials in Crown courts across the country, both as a Leading Junior (for 20 years) and as Junior alone. His cases have included murder, large-scale importation of drugs, kidnapping, false imprisonment, blackmail, recent and historic rape, fraud, money laundering, corruption and armed robbery. He is highly regarded for his thorough preparation, for his tactical appreciation of case, and for his advocacy skills in court. He is experienced in handling cases which involve vulnerable and young defendants and witnesses. Jollyon is a Grade 3 prosecutor and on the CPS rape list. He is also a Registered Pupil Supervisor. In addition to regularly appearing in the Crown Court he has appeared in the Court of Appeal on many occasions. He regularly defends in the Court Martial in the UK (and abroad).

Jonathan Akinsanya

Jonathan is a defence specialist who is dual-qualified in England & Wales and Nigeria – making him suited to criminal matters with an international dimension, including cases of corruption or fraud. In England and Wales, Jonathan has experience defending a wide range of criminal matters – from fraud, corruption and money laundering to murder and common assaults. His second qualification in Nigeria makes him suitable for joining large fraud or corruption cases with an international angle – involving, for example, asset recovery or restraint of assets. He works well as part of a larger team, takes a meticulous approach and has strong research skills. Before coming to the bar, Jonathan worked as a psychiatric nurse – experience which has given him insight in dealing with vulnerable witnesses and defendants, or those with mental health problems. He is a partner in Charles Anthony LLP, a Nigerian firm regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in England & Wales. He divides his time between Nigeria and London.

Jonathan Swain

Jonathan is a specialist extradition barrister, who is listed in the Legal500 and Chambers and Partners for his work in this area. He regularly appears at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, and on appeal at the High Court, and he represents both Requested Persons and Judicial Authorities. He is a regular contributor to CrimeLine’s Extradition Hub and has written extensively about the changes to extradition following Brexit. He also undertakes work for the GLD as part of the Attorney General’s civil panel, including advising on unlawful detention cases and matters arising out of Covid19 regulations. Jonathan is Grade 3 on the CPS specialist extradition panel, Grade 2 on the CPS advocate panel for general criminal work, and a member of the Attorney General's list of civil panel counsel (C panel). Jonathan spent 18 months in the Extradition Unit at the CPS where he gained considerable expertise in extradition proceedings. After leaving the Unit, he quickly developed a busy practice both prosecuting and defending in extradition cases. He has been involved in a number of leading cases, including appearing in the Supreme Court. Jonathan also has considerable experience of mutual legal assistance, including the European Investigation Order, and transfer of sentences. Prior to starting in extradition work, Jonathan was a Senior Crown Prosecutor for the CPS, where his diligent preparation and robust advocacy meant that he was instructed to act in difficult and serious cases. He gained extensive experience in all types of cases in the Magistrates’ and Youth courts, encompassing work from theft to sexual offences. Since moving to chambers, he has been instructed in a range of cases, both prosecuting and defending. He has also been instructed by various local authorities.

Jordan Santos-Sindes

Jordan has a rapidly growing criminal practice. His experience encompasses both prosecuting and defending cases in the Crown Court, covering a wide range of criminal matters, including violent offences, sexual offences, and drug offences of varying seriousness. Jordan strives to provide exceptional legal representation and support to individuals facing criminal charges ensuring that their needs and interests are protected. Jordan prioritises the needs and interests of his clients, providing personalised attention, clear communication, and strategic legal guidance throughout the legal process. Further he is committed to protecting the rights and interests of young people facing criminal charges. With a compassionate approach and a focus on fair treatment and positive outcomes for juvenile clients navigating the legal system. Jordan is renown for his tenacious approach and hard work, which accompanies his broad legal knowledge and advocacy skills.

Joshua Kern

Joshua Kern is instructed in matters at the cutting edge of international criminal law and European extradition practice. His background is in landmark cases of historical importance, including: the trial of the Foreign Minister of the Khmer Rouge (Ieng Sary); the trial of the former Prime Minister of the Croat entity established in Bosnia-Herzegovina during the war in the former Yugoslavia (Jadranko Prlić); the first trial at the ICC of an incumbent Head of State (President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya); the extradition of the former Defence Minister of the Republic of Georgia (David Kezerashvili). He is currently instructed by both individuals as well as government and civil society organisations to represent them upon international criminal law and transnational criminal law matters. Joshua is a participant in a range of pro bono activities and sits on the International Practice Committee of the Inner Temple. He lectures on international criminal law and has done so on ICC jurisdiction through 2020/2021

Justin Rouse KC

Justin is a silk with a strong record in defending grave and high-profile criminal matters including murder, serious and historic sexual offences, multi-million pound drug importation, armed robbery and other firearms related offences. Described as “devastating in defending complex fraud and acquisitive crime” having defended in one of the largest VAT frauds. In 2024, prosecuted one of Britain’s most wanted fugitives for an assassination and defended in a series of high-profile murders and privately instructed sex cases. Defends in Courts Martial cases. He has represented forces personnel across the UK and in Germany on serious offences including rape and grievous bodily harm. Expert in wildlife crime and press-sensitive case management. He has lectured on sexual offences, insanity and advised on the drafting of legislation for Parliament on both wildlife crime and cheating the public revenue (2022). As a prosecution junior counsel, he was promoted to Grade 4, served as London RASSO rape accredited counsel and trained whilst a KC at CPS HQ in extradition work.

Kabir Sondhi

Kabir has built a strong practice prosecuting and defending across a full range of criminal offences, with a growing specialism in fraud, white-collar, corporate, and other financial crime work. He is regularly instructed in cases (both alone and as a led junior) alleging serious and complex offending. As well as being an experienced trial advocate, Kabir is instructed to advise individuals, corporates, and prosecutorial bodies in relation to investigations into offences such as fraud, money laundering, and bribery & corruption. He also undertakes work in relation to asset seizure and recovery, including restraint and confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Kabir is on the SFO Prosecution Advocates B Panel, the CPS General Crime Panel (Level 3), the CPS Specialist Fraud Panel (Level 3), the CPS Serious Crime Panel (Level 3), and the CPS POCA Panel (Level 2). He is qualified to accept instructions directly from clients through the Bar Council’s Public Access Scheme and is authorised to conduct litigation. General Crime Kabir prosecutes and defends in a diverse range of criminal matters, including those involving allegations of serious and organised offending, complicated legal and factual issues, and sensitive subject matter. Highlights include: Defending in cases of murder, kidnapping, false imprisonment, and blackmail involving gangs and “county lines” offending. Prosecuting terror suspects in cases involving consideration of PII and other sensitive material. Prosecuting and defending in large-scale drugs importation cases involving large amounts of communications evidence. Prosecuting protest cases involving novel law and detailed submissions on defendants’ rights under Articles 10 and 11 ECHR. Prosecuting and defending in cases involving vulnerable witnesses and defendants, including trials for sexual offences. Advising defendants on issues surrounding entrapment in drugs and child sex cases. Defending in cases involving high-value money laundering and handling stolen goods. Fraud, White-Collar, Corporate and Other Financial Crime Kabir has particular experience in the prosecution and defence of complex and paper-heavy cases involving allegations of fraud, white-collar, and other financial offences committed by both corporates and individuals – most significantly bribery & corruption offences. His experience includes the provision of advice during the investigation and pre-charge stage. Highlights include: Acting for the Serious Fraud Office in a large-scale, multi-jurisdictional investigation / prosecution of a major British company for bribery & corruption offences, culminating in a Deferred Prosecution Agreement. Undertaking an internal investigation of a company accused of misconduct in relation to a high-value public contract. Advising foreign lawyers with regard to the potential criminal liability of their client for cross-frontier offending arising from international business dealings. Prosecuting in a multi-handed case involving conspiracies to commit fraud and associated conspiracies to launder the proceeds, committed by an Organised Crime Group. Defending in multi-handed cases of complex fraud, cheating the revenue, fraudulent trading, and associated money laundering (prosecuted variously by the Crown Prosecution Service, Trading Standards, and HMRC). Advising suspects at pre-charge stage in relation to investigations for fraud and other offences, including advice on Restraint Orders, Production Orders, and RIPA notices. Prosecuting and defending high-value Confiscation Order proceedings (and variations) involving nuanced issues relating to the calculation of benefit and the realisation of assets. Multiple years’ experience working with SFO case teams on large-scale investigations into complex, multi-jurisdictional fraud, and bribery & corruption offences. Civil and Judicial Review In addition to criminal work, Kabir has experience in discrete areas of civil law and judicial review, including applications for injunctions before the High Court and actions for breach of privacy / misuse of confidential information. Other Prior to practice, Kabir worked in the judicial division of the International Criminal Court as intern to Lord Justice Fulford, during which he assisted in the preparation of the final judgment in the case of Prosecutor v. Lubanga (the first ever completed trial at the ICC). He maintains an interest in international criminal law. As a first six pupil, Kabir assisted the prosecution in the case of R v. Dobson and Norris (the murder of Stephen Lawrence) and as a third six pupil he was part of the defence team in R v. Adebolajo and Adebowale (the murder of Lee Rigby outside Woolwich Barracks).

Katie Mustard

Katie prosecutes and defends in the Crown Court and Youth Courts. In 2018, she was seconded to CPS London where she litigated all cases across the criminal spectrum including sexual offences, gang-related offences and fraud. She is a CPS panel Advocate at Level 3. Katie also has a regulatory practice, primarily focusing on health care and education regulation. She frequently receives briefs to appear as a case presenter for both Social Work England (SWE) and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Katie has dealt with a range of cases including cases of misconduct, lack of competence and health. As well as representing the regulators Katie has experience of representing individuals appearing before their regulator. She has advised and represented clients before the General Medical Council (GMC), the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and Social Work England (SWE). Additionally, Katie has experience of investigatory work and public inquiry work. She successfully completed an ‘Investigative Interview’ course with Intersol Global in 2017 – this has assisted her with undertaking the early stages of investigation in respect of private prosecutions. She has also appeared in cases prosecuted by charitable organisations, including the RSPCA. Katie is on the CPS Extradition Panel at Level 2. She has represented Issuing Judicial Authorities (IJA’s) at extradition hearings and at the High Court. Prior to joining chambers, Katie worked within the regulatory department at Kingsley Napley. She undertook work for both regulators and individual registrants. Katie has completed the vulnerable witness training course through Lincoln’s Inn. She is regularly instructed in matters involving both vulnerable witnesses and vulnerable defendants

Katrina Charles

Katrina has an established defence and prosecution practice. A persuasive criminal advocate who regularly leads in multi-defendant complex cases. A fraud specialist with a background in accountancy. She has extensive experience in the conduct of trials involving serious crime which include novel and complex points of law and fact. She is included on the rape and serious sexual offences panel and deals with highly sensitive sexual offences involving vulnerable complainants.

Kirsty Sutherland

Kirsty specialises in international criminal law and military law. She is particularly interested in international humanitarian law and continues to develop her academic expertise and practical experience, both in the international criminal tribunals and before UK Courts Martial. Kirsty is frequently instructed to provide advice on highly sensitive and strictly classified matters of public international law. Comfortable dealing with the most complex issues, Kirsty is adept at drafting incisive arguments and working with the vast volumes of evidence that are typical of international and cross-border cases. Kirsty is also experienced in conducting in-country investigations in hostile conditions, and can be relied on to produce work of the highest standard under the most difficult circumstances. Away from work, Kirsty can often be found roaming with history books in hand, and maintains a keen interest in modern art, literature and poetry. Her academic background is in Philosophy, during which she particularly focused on philosophical logic and the work of Ludwig Wittgenstein, and she holds a Masters in Social Anthropology, in which she concentrated on the plausibility of a universal ethic. Her current academic interest is in modern conflict dynamics.

Lawrence Selby

Lawrence is an experienced barrister who specialises in defending high profile and complex cases, especially those of homicide, fraud and significant drugs offences. Able to accept work via Public Access and actively seeking to develop this part of his practice in the specific areas of ADR, Regulatory and Sports Law. ADR: Lawrence has advised and appeared in ADR and successfully completed an internship at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre. Regulatory: Lawrence has advised doctors and pharmacists, in relation to disciplinary matters, and private hire drivers and operators, in relation to licensing matters. Sports Law: An ever-present member of the Millfield School XI that won the English Schools Football Association Championship in 1987-88. The pitfalls of a career in professional football were eschewed for University, where the transition to Rugby was made. This culminated in a season in Italy with appearances for Rugby Livorno. On his return to the UK he started training in Karate under the auspices of Yamazaki Sensei and the Japan Karate-Do Ryobu-Kai. Sport and Law have now combined and Lawrence is appropriately placed to be able to advise and represent, either individuals or bodies, in relation to regulatory or disciplinary matters, that may concern them. Chair of investigation panel into allegations concerning British Canoeing.

Lennart Poulsen

Introduction Lennart is an international criminal barrister with an excellent reputation and over 15 years’ experience. He is recognised in the legal directories as a Leading Junior. Lennart is regularly instructed to consult on some of the most high-profile matters and has extensive experience advising governments, international institutions and high-profile individuals. Recent instructions have involved advising Middle Eastern and African Heads of State and government ministers on matters of international criminal law and transitional justice. Lennart was the principal drafter of the underlying legal mandates, adopted by the Government of South Sudan in August 2023, for the establishment of its Commission on Truth, Reconciliation and Healing and Compensation and Reparations Authority. He has defended in high-profile international cases including Prosecutor v Zupljanin at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and acted for several senior figures of the Jamaat opposition party in their defence for capital crimes before the Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal. Lennart is regularly sought after to lecture, speak at or chair panels at international conferences by the International Bar Association. He recently chaired an expert panel at a conference for the United Nations War Crimes Commission on the topic of universal jurisdiction. A recording of the panel discussion can be found here. He has authored numerous articles for professional publications and for mainstream media on international law and recently featured in Counsel Magazine (the monthly journal of the General Council of the Bar of England and Wales) setting out his views on leadership in law. Background and Expertise Lennart has represented clients before various international criminal tribunals. He also has extensive experience in preparing legal submissions before the ICTY, ICC, the United Nation Human Rights Council and various United Nations Commissions and Working Groups. Further, Lennart has prepared legal submissions on behalf of non-governmental organisations, high-ranking military commanders and senior government figures on matters relating to international criminal law and human rights, often within the context of a complex domestic and geopolitical backdrop and/or conflict area. Lennart specialises in drafting complex legal documents and legislation including constitutional drafting and the legal mandate underpinning the establishment of truth and reconciliation committees as adopted in several African, Asian and South American countries. Lennart is also highly regarded for his trial advocacy and has represented clients in criminal trials in the senior courts of England & Wales in matters involving major drugs conspiracies and serious violent and sexual offences. He is a qualified and accredited Vulnerable Witness Advocate. Lennart was selected in 2021 as one of a small group of successful applicants from across the Bar to take part in the Bar Council’s inaugural Leadership Programme – a landmark project requiring a 9-month commitment that resulted in a range of new leadership initiatives adopted and/or supported by the Bar Council. In addition to his core international practice, Lennart was instructed as a junior for one of the Core Participants in the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry on which he was instructed by DWF. Prior to coming to the Bar, Lennart qualified as a solicitor at Clifford Chance.

Lucy Kinder

Lucy has developed a broad prosecution and defence practice. She acts in a range of criminal matters including sexual offences, money-laundering, fraud and dishonesty, offensive weapons, drugs, domestic violence and motoring offences. Her submissions have been described by the court as “exceptionally able”. Lucy is currently instructed by the FCA in an investigation into a multi-million pound fraud. She has undertaken a review of extensive digital evidence, which she has been advising on as the matter proceeds to charge. She is also instructed as junior counsel in the prosecution of individuals for fraud offences and breach of the provisions of FSMA. In 2022 Lucy was seconded to Peters & Peters Solicitors LLP to work in their business crime and investigations department. Lucy is a Grade 3 CPS Prosecutor. She is also instructed in regulatory matters, presenting on behalf of Social Work England. Lucy comes to the Bar with considerable experience in Government policy and journalism. Prior to pupillage, Lucy was Head of Economic Crime and Criminal Law Reform at the Ministry of Justice. In this capacity, she advised the Secretary of State for Justice on financial crime, including the Bribery Act and corporate liability. Before joining the civil service, Lucy worked on a Government-commissioned review of prison education reform. She was also part of a small team that established a highly-successful scheme to recruit university graduates as prison officers, to improve prison conditions and reduce reoffending. Lucy began her career as a journalist. She wrote for The Daily Telegraph for three years, covering domestic and foreign affairs, politics and sport.

Margaret Owen OBE

Margaret Owen is a human rights lawyer focusing on women's and children's rights, mainly in developing countries and those afflicted by conflict and post conflict violence.

Matthew Simpson

Matthew practises in criminal law and the complementary areas of police law, private prosecutions, licensing, financial crime, professional discipline and court martial. Matthew also has a developing public law practice accepting instructions on behalf of government bodies. Since he started practising Matthew has rapidly earned a reputation for building solid client rapport and delivering excellent results. Matthew became a tenant at 9BR Chambers upon completion of pupillage. He has since moved back to his family home in the North East, but maintains an interest in London based work through his 9BR door tenancy. Areas of Expertise Crime & Police Law Matthew has a busy defence and prosecution practice in the Crown Court and Magistrates’ Court. He has experience across a range of offences including: fraud, proceeds of crime, firearms, drugs, violence, motoring and sexual offences. Matthew has experience as both prosecution and defence counsel in a variety of single and multi-defendant Crown Court trials and has handled demanding cases involving considerations as to dangerousness, fitness to plead and young and vulnerable witnesses. Matthew has experience in dealing with Criminal Behaviour Orders, Sexual Harm Prevention Orders, and Proceeds of Crime related proceedings and associated orders. As a CPS Grade two prosecutor Matthew frequently advises on issues relating to disclosure. Additionally, Matthew accepts instructions on behalf of police forces making civil applications relating to domestic violence, sexual offending and applications under the Proceeds of Crime Act, including contested applications for forfeiture of cash. Utilising his broader criminal experience, Matthew offers well-reasoned and timely advice to police forces on operational queries and on issues arising out of disclosure and LPP. Public Law As a member of the Government Legal Department’s ‘Junior Junior’ scheme, Matthew accepts instructions on behalf of government bodies. Currently, Matthew is instructed in the defence of a high value malicious prosecution and misfeasance in public office claim, on behalf of a central government department. Recently, Matthew has also acted on behalf of the Cabinet Office on the Covid-19 Inquiry. Private Prosecutions & Local Authorities Matthew represents local authorities in private prosecutions, including prosecuting individuals for fraud and trademark breaches and well as breaches under consumer regulations. Matthew is currently instructed as sole prosecution counsel prosecuting a high-value fraud and regulatory case on behalf of a local authority. Matthew also defends private prosecutions brought by local authorities. Professional Discipline & Court Martial As a Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) Case Presenter, Matthew has experience of presenting cases relating to interim measures and substantive order reviews. Prior to being called to the Bar, Matthew served as an army infantry officer for over 5 years up to the rank of Captain; leading combat troops on overseas deployments, including multiple active operational tours. Aside from tactical command, he was also involved in overseeing soldiers engaged with internal disciplinary procedures gaining an early insight into military justice often attending court martial as an Assisting Officer. Accordingly, Matthew is well placed to understand military systems and quickly build quality client relationships with servicemen and women. Firearms & Firearms Licensing Matthew maintains a keen interest in firearms law, utilising his understanding of firearms from his time in military. Matthew appreciates that firearms law is often a challenging area of practice and enjoys bringing his knowledge and expertise to bear to deliver solid and well-reasoned advice and advocacy. In addition to firearms within a general criminal context, Matthew also represents private clients at the Crown Court appealing police decisions relating to their certification and licensing. Financial and White-Collar Crime Having been selected from a veterans’ programme, Matthew spent time working in the front office of an investment bank whilst converting to law. Consequently, he is well positioned to advance a financial criminal practice. Previous instructions include, working for a band 1 US white-collar law firm on a multi-jurisdictional and multi-enforcement agency internal investigation into allegations of bribery and corruption. Matthew has also been instructed to assist an international law firm defending two company executives accused of fraud, following the insolvency of a multi-billion dollar publicly listed healthcare company. Beyond white-collar and financial criminal defence, Matthew has gained prosecution experience through instructions for the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). Matthew spent over 24 months working for the SFO advising on disclosure, relevance and LPP on a fraud and money laundering case in the energy sector.

Matthew Bolt

Matthew is an experienced Service Courts practitioner who has successfully represented defendants charged with a wide variety of criminal offences. Recent instructions have included a long-term conspiracy to evade duty, fraud and sexual assaults. He also has experience across the whole gamut of service offences. Matthew also regularly prosecutes and defends in the Crown Court and has conducted trials in cases involving a wide range of criminal offences including regulatory matters and military law. Described as hands on, easy to work with, and someone who quickly gets to the heart of a case and adds value. He is a high calibre advocate who has a keen understanding of the commercial reality of his cases. Matthew also practises from Cornwall Street, Birmingham.

Maximilian Hardy

Specialising in criminal and regulatory law, Max is a persuasive and experienced advocate who is dauntless in pursuit of a successful outcome for clients. He is ready to advise at any time, in person or in writing, on cases great or small, whether privately funded or legally aided. Max has been a tenant at 9BR Chambers since 2007. He maintains a mixed practice, defending and prosecuting a range of criminal offences. Having appeared in hundreds of trials, he has learnt from long experience the hard work and preparation that is required to win in court. In 2018 he was seconded to CPS London in the Homicide Unit assuming responsibility for murder and fatal road traffic prosecutions, Max has a busy homicide practice including trials at the Central Criminal Court. In 2015 he undertook a secondment with the Nursing & Midwifery Council presenting cases, providing advice and progressing investigations. In 2014 he spent six months on secondment to the Financial Conduct Authority working on Operation Dovercourt, the multinational investigation into foreign exchange manipulation. Max has acquired an in-depth knowledge of this area of financial services. In 2010 he was seconded to the fraud prosecution division of the CPS as a senior crown prosecutor. He assumed a serious and heavy caseload – providing pre-charge advice to investigators, making charging decisions, and drafting letters of request for international assistance. Max also has plenty of experience of defending young people or vulnerable clients – including people battling addictions – and is sensitive to their needs. He has defended immigration and identify offences and has an interest in art crime, having worked at Sotheby’s before coming to the Bar.

Michael Brady KC

Since taking Silk in March 2020 Michael has been instructed to both prosecute and defend in a number of high-profile murder cases, including R v Skana a case that concerned the killing of a 7-year old girl in a park in Bolton. This case, as with a number of other cases in which Michael has been instructed, involved complex considerations of the defendant’s mental illness. Other cases such as R v Rowen, a case where the defendant decapitated his cousin with an axe, have caused Michael’s reputation in Silk to become quickly established. Michael accepts private work and has successfully represented a number of defendants on this basis. Equally comfortable defending or prosecuting, Michael has an approachable and down to earth manner enabling him to communicate with clients and juries alike such that the real issues are identified with concision and clarity. Away from the court room Michael has been asked to, and is in the process of establishing the Northern Circuit Chapter of the Kalisher Trust. This well-renowned Trust aims to help bright youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds achieve their potential through advocacy and to help those with the requisite ability and ambition to develop careers as barristers at the criminal bar. Michael also practises from 18 St. John Street Chambers, Manchester and looks forward to expanding his practice nationwide.

Michael Hartman

Michael Hartman practices in the civil bar mainly in Chancery matters involving contracts, trusts, and fraud. Michael’s strengths lie in his analysis of legal concepts and his determination to get a favourable result for his clients. In Court he represents his client’s lawful rights as forcefully as the law allows and puts the arguments of his client in even stronger terms. As a long-established practitioner, he is now frequently called upon to represent clients facing or bringing difficult and complex claims. The value of these claims range from thousands to many millions of pounds. Some examples include cases where the client felt he must claim: A client had made some mortgage arrangements with a bank, worth about £1m in borrowings. He later realised the repayments were unfair to him. The bank eventually offered a settlement agreement but when he came to work out the details, the bank did not disclose what were to be the actual dates for maturity and repayment. The settlement somehow concealed that he still could not repay the loans within the time periods claimed by the bank. One real problem is that Courts do not willingly overturn settlement agreements. But there was an issue on which he could fight to the Court of Appeal; it turned on the interpretation of the Property Act which required, in complex terms, every term of his mortgage to be in writing and here the dates for repayment of the mortgages had not been formally agreed. The bank is still having problems complying with its terms. 2. Counsel was asked what happens when a Liechtenstein trustee of a trust decides after the death of the benefactor that it will not pay out the trust monies and assets, say nearly $1billion held on discretionary trusts, to any of the beneficiaries. At the same time, the trust monies were being depleted at an alarming rate by the trustees. Once again counsel was asked to advise on the interpretation of contracts, statutes and trusts. Not easy when, as in Liechtenstein, the law is that a discretionary beneficiary has no right to make any claims on the trust. After establishing the true meaning of the trust, the battle became one of nailing down the missing money and the missing trustees. Even Liechtenstein Trusts can be challenged Internationally.

Mustapha Hakme

Mustapha is a leading junior barrister with a successful criminal defence practice. He specialises mainly in serious violence, fraud, drugs and evasion of duty cases as well as road traffic cases. A barrister with a welcoming manner, Mustapha has extensive experience in dealing with complex and sensitive work. He has appeared as junior counsel in murder and rape cases – and has conducted serious cases without the assistance of a QC. Mustapha has accumulated particular experience over the years in relation to driving offences, and frequently argues ‘special reasons’ and ‘exceptional hardship’ in the magistrates’ courts. Mustapha also has a keen interest in advisory work and will draft comprehensive advices upon request. These are not limited to criminal opinions. He is standing counsel to several embassies in London and has appeared as counsel for major department stores and hotels across the country.

Nicholas Truelove

Having completed pupillage at 9 Bedford Row, Nicholas has pursued a practice predominantly based in civil law. He is ranked in the legal 500 (2019) as a leading junior for personal injury work, and specialises in clinical negligence work. He does however maintain a criminal and regulatory practice and recently (October 2019) secured the first criminal convictions nationally under the new Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations. 2018. Prior to pupillage, Nicholas worked in the advocacy department of an international law firm. During and following his pupillage, Nicholas was led by Abbas Lakha KC on several criminal, regulatory, and public law matters. More recently, he has worked as a disclosure junior on the Grenfell Tower Public Enquiry. During his second-six, Nicholas acted in a wide-range of hearings and trials, principally defending. His trial practice was wide-ranging, involving offences ranging from robbery (including with the use of weapons as an aggravating feature) to sexual assault. Nicholas also has successfully represented Defendants facing driving bans. Drawing on both his civil and criminal law experience, Nicholas regularly advises and appears before the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority on behalf of victims of crime. He is happy to take instructions to assist those who find themselves in this unfortunate situation on potential avenues of redress. Nicholas also practises from Kings Chambers, Birmingham.

Nick Worsley KC

Nick defends and prosecutes all areas of criminal law with particular experience in violent and sexual offences; drugs, fraud and money laundering. He also practises from St. Paul's Chambers in Leeds. He has represented police officers, medical staff and members of the armed forces in criminal proceedings, misconduct cases and disciplinary hearings. Nick has considerable experience in cases involving children – whether as defendants or witnesses. He has completed training in The Hague as one of panel of co-counsel for the defence to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

Nigel Power KC

Nigel is a specialist criminal barrister who also practises in family and regulatory work. Since taking silk in 2010, the majority of his work has been in murder cases, but he has also been instructed in cases involving fraud, confiscation, drugs and guns conspiracies and has considerable experience in cases of gross negligence manslaughter cases representing carers. In 2020 he appeared in a number of murder trials and recently successfully resisted a prosecution appeal against a successful submission of no case in a murder trial in Preston. In 2019 he secured the acquittal of Lee Blowes, who was alleged to have conspired to kill Blake Brown in a gangland execution and represented Lorraine Khan, who was acquitted of gross negligence manslaughter. In 2018 he appeared in two high-profile murder trials in Liverpool and successfully prosecuted Darren McKie, an inspector in the Greater Manchester Police, for the murder of his wife, also a police officer. In family work in 2018 he appeared for the maternal grandmother who was completely exonerated in the two week "finding of fact" baby-shaking hearing in Medway CC v K. More recently he appeared in December 2020 for an Albanian mother in a finding of fact hearing involving allegations of modern slavery and forced prostitution. Nigel is licensed to accept public access instructions directly from the public and regularly accepts privately paid as well as legally aided instructions. He also practises from 7 Harrington Street Chambers in Liverpool.

Nutan Fatania

Nutan predominantly specialises in crime and has conducted cases in the Crown Court involving firearms, violence, controlled drugs, sexual offences and offences of dishonesty. She has prosecuted and defended in Crown Court trials and also taken conduct of a full range of hearings in the Magistrates' and Youth Court. Nutan completed her pupillage with the Crown Prosecution Service (‘CPS’) and continues to build a strong prosecution practice. She is a CPS Panel Advocate at Level 3. Nutan’s training and varied experience has enabled her to become a robust and thorough advocate. Nutan’s ability to build a rapport with a variety of people has assisted her in building a criminal defence practice. Nutan has completed the vulnerable witness training. She has represented vulnerable adult and youth defendants and has experience of cross-examining young witnesses that have required intermediaries and a ground rules hearing. With respect to a regulatory practice, Nutan has presented on behalf of Social Work England and the General Optical Council. In addition, prior to pupillage, Nutan was a Legal Assistant in the Regulatory department at Kingsley Napley Solicitors investigating fitness to practise matters for the Health and Care Professions Council. Nutan was also a Civil Litigation Paralegal at Hickman and Rose Solicitors where she assisted in actions against the police, judicial reviews and inquests (acting for the bereaved families), namely that of Darren Neville who died a few months after being restrained by the police as well as the In Amenas Inquest which investigated the deaths that occurred during the terrorist attack on a BP gas plant in Algeria.

Patricia May

Patricia May is renowned for her expertise in the criminal field, as both a prosecutor and defence counsel. Patricia specialises in sexual offences and is in particular demand in cases involving vulnerable people , both defendants and witnesses, where her communication skills stand her in very good stead. She is a Grade 4 Prosecutor and is on the CPS Specialist rape list. Her experience has been augmented by her having sat as a Crown Court Recorder, with authority to try rape and other cases concerning serious sexual offences.

Peter Glenser KC

Peter both prosecutes and defends very serious offences, in particular murder, serious violence, gang-related offending, serious sexual offences and firearms cases. Peter also has a specialist knowledge of, and expertise in, firearms and firearms legislation, animal welfare, environmental offences and wildlife crime. In 2020 he successfully prosecuted a major CITES case involving the smuggling of European eels with an eventual retail value of £53m. Peter is frequently instructed for the appellant in firearms licensing matters throughout England and Wales and is ranked in the legal directories in both crime and licensing. In addition to a busy and heavy general criminal workload Peter specialises in military law. He has been involved in many if not most of the more serious and high-profile court martial of recent years – including cases of murder, manslaughter, rape, serious sexual assault, other violence and dishonesty, as well as cases arising from alleged ill-treatment of enemy combatants, non-combatants and subordinates on operations. He has experience of inquests with a jury and is licensed to receive instructions directly from members of the public. Peter also practises from Cornwall Street Chambers Birmingham, 7 Harrington St Liverpool and KBW Chambers Leeds.

Professor William Schabas OC

Professor William A. Schabas is professor of international law at Middlesex University in London. He is also emeritus professor of international human law and human rights at Leiden University, emeritus professor of human rights law at the National University of Ireland Galway and honorary chairman of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, invited visiting scholar at the Paris School of International Affairs (Sciences Politiques), and visiting fellow of Northumbria University.

Rebecca Steels

Rebecca is building a busy criminal practice, both prosecuting and defending in the Crown Court. She also acts in regulatory proceedings. Background and Expertise Rebecca completed pupillage with Chambers in April 2021 and since then has cultivated a predominantly criminal practice, appearing regularly in trials, including those involving domestic violence, drug supply and dishonesty offences of burglary and robbery. Rebecca is a Grade 2 CPS Panel Advocate and is frequently instructed from advising at the pre-charge stage all the way through to trial. Rebecca is a thorough, conscientious practitioner and aims to quickly establish a rapport with those involved at each stage of a criminal trial, both professional and lay clients. She has completed the vulnerable witness training and has experience acting in matters involving intermediaries, ground rules hearings and section 28 hearings. Rebecca also regularly acts to present cases for Social Work England in fitness to practice proceedings. Her practice spans advising pre-hearing, drafting submissions and the oral advocacy at substantive hearings. As such, she is developing a regulatory element in her practice. In Chambers, Rebecca has an active role within the Pupillage Committee and is committed to the recruitment of successful new pupils.

Rhiannon Sadler

Rhiannon is a dynamic advocate with broad experience in criminal, court martial and regulatory law. A persuasive negotiator with exceptional communication skills, she is analytical, pragmatic and personable – and puts her heart and soul into cases. Rhiannon is a Grade 4 prosecutor, regularly appearing at Crown courts to prosecute complex cases including conspiracies, serious violent and sexual offences, and fraud. Her defence practice has taken Rhiannon all over the country. She has successfully defended in a succession of ‘multi-handed’ drugs cases (including conspiracy to supply cocaine; an international plot to import drugs from the Caribbean; and conspiracy to cultivate cannabis). Other notable successful defence instructions have included trials relating to honour-based kidnap and false imprisonment; cigarette smuggling; and firearms. Rhiannon is adept at dealing with cases with vast amounts of documentation (including VHCC) and is regularly instructed in matters that involve highly technical evidential, legal, or jurisdictional angles. Rhiannon is a highly skilled junior and has been led in cases at both the Court of Appeal and Crown Court – including murder, conspiracy to defraud, conspiracy to steal and handle, conspiracy to reverse people traffic, conspiracy to import (drugs and firearms) and wholesale theft to order of military weapons. She conducts her practice with enthusiasm, professionalism and skill – irrespective of case, client or location.

Richard Paton-Philip

Richard Paton-Philip is a criminal and regulatory barrister acting for both the defence and prosecution. Richard represents parties in cases covering the full spectrum of criminal matters but with a focus on financial crime, serious violence, drug supply  and sexual offending. Over the years Richard has successfully defended a number of professional people charged with serious financial crimes. In 2015 - 2016 Richard  joined a team of barristers assisting a leading global bank to fulfil its regulatory obligations. Richard  has also worked on  financial crime investigations within the financial services sector (money laundering, corruption, insider trading and fraud). In August 2020, in response to growing demand from clients for advice upon the impact of the UK Bribery Act on International companies with subsidiaries or related organisations in the UK, Richard, together with Steven Kay QC, set up the UK Bribery Act International Advisory Service. In a prosecution capacity  Richard was recently seconded to the FCA's Criminal Prosecutions Team providing pre-charge advice in respect of specific criminal matters under FCA investigation. In  the wake of the global financial crisis Richard was part of an SFO team that prosecuted a prominent hedge fund manager for fraud and related offences. Richard is frequently instructed in cases involving serious violence, firearms, the supply or importation of drugs and  sexual offending. He  is also an experienced Court Martial practitioner regularly defending military personnel charged with criminal and military discipline offences. In the regulatory sphere Richard represents parties appearing before a range of disciplinary tribunals including those concerning the alleged misconduct of police officers, nurses, and sports people (boxing in particular). If you are a member of the public seeking to instruct a barrister directly under the Direct Access Scheme, in relation to a road traffic matter for example, Richard can be contacted through the clerking team at 9BR Chambers.

Ruth Jones

Ruth is a defence barrister with a great deal of experience in all aspects of criminal law. She defends in cases ranging from murder to complex fraud. She frequently represents defendants charged with serious sexual offences involving adults and children and historic allegations. Ruth has represented clients in very serious and high profile cases as a leading junior, alone and led by Queen’s counsel. She is a tenacious advocate who always puts her clients’ best interests at the centre of every decision in a case. Whether defending allegations of multi million pound fraud, organised crime or sexual offences, Ruth prides herself on being an approachable barrister who takes time to build rapport with clients and support them through the challenging process of facing a criminal allegation. She has a strong reputation for dealing with vulnerable clients in a sensitive way. Ruth has a lot of experience in cases involving large amounts of data including telephone evidence, financial evidence and scientific evidence. She has a knack for presenting evidence to the jury in an interesting and succinct way. She has defended in many cases involving conspiracy to import and or supply drugs of Class A and B worth millions of pounds which often involve large amounts of cell site and surveillance evidence. Her attention to detail coupled with a down to earth approach makes her a strong and engaging jury advocate who has won a great deal of praise for her closing speeches.

Sarah Magill

Counter terror prosecutor and defence Barrister, Sarah appears in the most serious criminal cases including murder and complex fatalities. Sarah appears regularly both in Courts Martial and the civilian courts. She transferred to the Bar in 2016 with an existing practice. Sarah has particular expertise in fraud and blackmail cases involving victims who lack capacity, abuse of trust, Wills, probate and property. She also receives specialist instructions in regulatory matters and electoral cases involving attempts to compromise elections, brought by the counter terror division. Instructed in regulatory cases including health and safety, and licensing matters including firearms and license appeals brought by commercial animal breeders, Sarah acts for and against licensing and prosecutorial authorities and on behalf of insured and private parties. Sarah acts in cases in Wales and England and is conversant with devolved Welsh licensing legislation. Described as “knowledgeable, warm but assertive when needed” with clients and “articulate and fearless” in court, she impresses “with her command of detail and with her obviously high level of skill at deciding the really important points to go at. She is also clearly someone who knows what is right and is prepared to stand her ground.”

Sarah Bafadhel

Sarah specialises in international criminal law, public international law and human rights law. She has represented clients in high-profile and complex cases before international and regional courts and tribunals, resulting in landmark decisions which have developed international law. Sarah provides direct advice to individual clients, as well as governmental and non-governmental actors, on implementing international law and standards. Sarah provides tailored advice and representation to clients across various stages of investigation and judicial proceedings. She has been instructed to provide consultation to governments and NGOs in Europe, the Middle East and Central America on implementing international criminal law and public international law. She has prepared legal submissions on behalf of individual clients before the UN Human Rights Council; UN working groups and special rapporteurs; the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights; the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights; and in alien tort proceedings before US district courts. Sarah has also assisted clients in challenging Interpol Red Notices, as well as submissions regarding the delisting of individuals from various sanction regimes – including proceedings before the General Court of the EU. She has also appeared in criminal proceedings before the courts of England and Wales – and advises on judicial review proceedings, extradition proceedings and immigration cases. Sarah is fluent in Arabic and can provide advice in either English or Arabic.

Sean Sullivan

Sean is a calm and focused barrister who both prosecutes and defends allegations of serious crime –and has acted across a wide range of cases. Sean has handled allegations of murder, rape, historic sexual abuse, drugs conspiracies and financial offences.

Simon Stirling

As a committed criminal law practitioner for more than 30 years Simon has both the experience and expertise to ensure effective and persuasive representation in the whole range of criminal offences. Simon is a highly regarded and well-respected senior leading junior, specializing in serious criminal offences in particular murder and other serious violent offences, major drug trafficking and importations, multi-national frauds, confiscation of proceeds of crime and serious sexual offences, in particular rape, child abuse and people trafficking. He is often commended for his advocacy, legal argument and case presentation and is highly regarded by bench, bar and by lay and professional clients. He is renowned for his careful and sensitive approach to client care and constantly strives to achieve the best outcome for his clients Simon has extensive Appellate Court experience and frequently provides fresh advice, insight and representation post-conviction. He is qualified to represent members of the public directly in accordance with the Bar Council’s Direct Access Scheme.

Stefan Hyman

Stefan’s practice comprises extradition, human rights, international criminal cooperation, and English criminal law. He is an expert in post-Brexit law enforcement and security cooperation. As a practitioner, he is well-liked by solicitors and clients who value his direct approach, easy manner, and pragmatic insight. Extradition: Stefan represents requested persons (defendants) and requesting states at first instance and on appeal to the High Court and the UK Supreme Court. He is an expert on the fast-moving litigation on prison conditions in Europe and the US (Article 3 ECHR), the rule of law and judicial independence in central and eastern Europe (Article 6 ECHR) and the disproportionate impact of extradition on family/private life rights (Article 8 ECHR). He has particular experience of Belgian, Cypriot, Dutch, Greek, Irish, Lithuanian, Polish, North Macedonian, Romanian, Spanish, Swiss and US requests. Stefan has written on the new criminal cooperation measures in Part III of the UK/EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement 2020, including surrender, mutual legal assistance, joint investigation teams, criminal record exchange and Prüm. He sits on the Bar Council’s European Committee where he provides input on criminal law and security cooperation with the EU following Brexit. He is a UK delegate to the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe’s (CCBE) Criminal Law Committee. He is also a member of the European Criminal Bar Association (ECBA) and the Bar European Group (BEG). Given these links, Stefan often works together with lawyers and other specialists across the continent. Stefan advises on ancillary matters to extradition, including sentence transfer to/from the UK, instructing a lawyer in the requesting state and procuring alternatives to surrender (e.g., interview/participation in foreign proceedings over video-link), recognition of time spent on bail in the UK, and withdrawal of requests following a successful challenge in the UK. Stefan is a frequent contributor to Crimeline’s Extradition Hub (see links to articles, below). Crime: Stefan maintains a busy practice in the Crown Court, where he both prosecutes and defends, with a specific focus on (dis)honesty, drugs, violence, fraud, and money laundering offences. Throughout 2019, Stefan was instructed as disclosure junior on a five-month multi-defendant missing trader intra-community fraud involving a VAT loss of £34m. He is particularly knowledgeable on the disclosure regime under the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996. Public: Stefan has assisted the Government Legal Department (GLD) in sensitive disclosure work regarding applications for judicial review against the Ministry of Defence. Stefan has advised foreign governments about the English criminal process and provided external training on extradition law and practice. Stefan is qualified to represent members of the public directly in accordance with the Bar Council’s Direct Access Scheme. He is on the CPS General Crime and Specialist Fraud Panels at Level 2 and the Extradition Panel at Level 3. Prior to joining Chambers, Stefan worked for a law firm specialising in public law. In 2015, he was involved in litigation against the Iraq Inquiry in relation to the unreasonable delay in publication of the Inquiry’s report. Following periods living and working in South America, Stefan is fluent in written and oral Spanish.

Steven Kay KC

Steven Kay KC is a leading international criminal lawyer with a global reputation who has been in the landmark cases that have established modern international criminal law, including: the first UN trial at the Yugoslavia Tribunal (Dusko Tadic); the first trial of a former Head of State (ex-President of Serbia, Slobodan Milosevic); the first trial at the ICC of an incumbent Head of State (President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya). Steven is experienced in advising clients at the crisis stage of an international situation by setting out their options and guiding their responses, whilst also making the preparations necessary for future litigation. As a leading trial lawyer, Steven’s career has involved cases in the international courts, but he is also engaged by individuals, governments and organisations to advise and represent them when they face a crisis and need to challenge matters of national and international concern. This has included drafting reports to challenge the prevailing narrative against them. Below are some examples - the 30 years conflict in Sri Lanka between the Tamils and the State; Egypt and the Muslim Brotherhood; Montenegro Corruption and Conflicts of Interest; Human rights abuse alert Algeria; Armenia – Azerbaijan conflict; A Report on the Lundin Case commissioned by the Board of Lundin Energy; Libya: The Voice of the Tribes. For the causes of the 2013 and 2016 conflicts in South Sudan that discredited the narratives of the UN and AU - South Sudan Report Steven’s international fraud, bribery and corruption practice has included cases of global interest and are often multijurisdictional. The fraud cases often arise in complex international commercial transactions where he may be engaged to work with multi-national and multi-disciplinary teams. The bribery and corruption cases have involved international commodities traded at high value on the world markets. Other international areas of practice include International Human Rights, Sanctions and Interpol Red Notices. These cases often involve politically or financially motivated attacks upon individuals in states where the Rule of Law has been subverted, particularly in so-called totalitarian democracies. National and international strategies may be needed to defend the rights of those attacked. Steven is registered to accept instructions under Direct Public Access and is licensed to litigate in the courts of England and Wales.

Tessa Shroff

Tessa has a successful practice, prosecuting and defending at all levels. She is instructed in cases of a serious, complex and often multi-handed nature, has undertaken vulnerable witness training, and is deliberately maintaining specialism in representing vulnerable defendants, such as youths and those requiring intermediaries. She prepares her cases with meticulous attention to detail, whilst maintaining a focus on client care. She will always make time for conferences, to ensure that her clients receive consistent and professional representation throughout. Her attention to detail at the outset of cases and experience of disclosure regime from both sides enables her to regularly act as junior counsel defending against historic sexual allegations, which require applications for disclosure in relation to third party material in particular. She is a member of the CPS Advocates General Panel (Grade 3) and the Serious Crime Panel (Grade 2) and often prosecutes as a led junior and junior alone. When prosecuting, she is often instructed early in proceedings, in order to advise on further investigation and to play an active role in the disclosure exercise and shaping of the case. Acted in various murder trials including death of a baby, domestic killings in the context of diminished responsibility and loss of control, killing for hire and multi-handed gang murders.

Tim Higginson

Tim specialises in the fields of civil and commercial law, professional negligence and insolvency. He is also qualified as an arbitrator and mediator. He is registered to accept instructions under Direct Public Access and is licensed to litigate. His commercial work has covered a number of areas including contractual disputes, sale of goods, passing off and bills of exchange, and, particularly, interim applications including Search and Freezing orders. Tim has built up an extensive practice over a number of years, the main areas of which concern disputes in: Commercial and Chancery Civil Fraud and Asset Tracing Insolvency Professional Negligence (principally, solicitors, barristers, auditors/accountants and bankers) Banking and Securities Equity and Trusts Sports Claims Partnership and LLP Regulatory Mediation He qualified as an accredited mediator through ADR Chambers in the mid-1990’s. He has extensive experience in mediating all types of dispute, principally commercial and sports-related. He has received many plaudits for his patient but firm handling of these. Tim is also admitted to the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (Territory of the British Virgin Islands), where he has appeared regularly. He has been a regular contributor on a variety of sports-related matters on commercial and BBC radio.

Will Noble

Will is a well regarded barrister with extensive experience defending and prosecuting serious crime throughout the south-east. Defending, he is a tenacious advocate with a proven track record. He is also a Level 4 prosecutor accustomed to managing large complex cases with multiple defendants. Will’s recent instructions include murder, manslaughter and other serious violence; rape and other sexual offences; child abuse; kidnappings; large-scale drug cases; firearms; fraud; deception; regulatory offences; and proceeds of crime proceedings. He has an approachable and personable style, which enables him to establish rapport with both professional and lay clients. Will is a pupil supervisor and an advocacy trainer.

Zacharias Miah

Zacharias is a leading international and UK criminal lawyer. He is regularly instructed by high profile clients around the world and has been instructed in the UK in many of the leading cases involving criminal law and commercial fraud. He is known for having an incredible eye for detail, superb technical ability and litigation instinct. He is fearless however he is approachable with excellent interpersonal skills to bring the best out of his clients. He is authorised to conduct litigation in relation to all areas of practice and direct access authorised. He started practice at the bar as a commercial and criminal/ civil intellectual property lawyer and in his early years practised in both civil and criminal law. Zacharias has developed a specialist area which sits at the junction of criminal law and commercial fraud. Having been in practice for over 25 years, he has acquired great experience in many areas of law and is now taking on national and international fraud/ bribery cases with multi-disciplinary teams. He has a wealth of experience in advising clients particularly in the early stages and in crisis, setting out their options and guiding their responses, whilst also making the preparations necessary for future litigation. Recent instructions include representing Vincent Tchenguiz in both the criminal SFO proceedings and in the commercial actions against the SFO for misfeasance and damages. Instructions included the commercial fraud actions arising in the complex commercial fraud case of Vincent Tchenguiz and Rawlinson & Hunter in claims in the BVI and London against Grant Thornton (UK) and Kaupthing Bank (Iceland) for damages amounting to £2.2bn; acting on behalf of a family in relation to a worldwide £800m fraud against their trust; allegations against international clients of insider dealing and market manipulation in France; allegations of fraud/corruption by an international property company in a European investigation of £1.6bn; actions for misconduct by trustees; commercial actions for libor and banking fraud; blackmail, bribery and corruption. He works closely with global company heads and international family offices providing strategic solutions to complex litigation and leading multi-disciplinary and multi-jurisdictional teams. Directing and deploying effective strategies to deal with complex situations and cases.

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