Crime, health and safety; environment; sports law; inquests.
Sam is a specialist advocate who prosecutes and defends a wide variety of the most serious of criminal cases, including murder, serious violence, rape and sexual offences, drugs and fraud.
He was initially recognised in Chambers UK as a 'Rising Star' at the bar and has ranked as a 'Leading Junior' on the Western Circuit year on year since then. He has a proven track record of success in serious cases and has consistently been described in Chambers UK and Legal 500 as 'impressive' and 'unflappable', 'a superb first class-advocate' and as ‘talented beyond his call’.
Sam is also a specialist regulatory lawyer and is an established member of the list of Specialist Regulatory Advocates in Health and Safety and Environmental Law; as a Level A member of that list he undertakes both prosecution and defence work in this field at all levels of seriousness.
He is also a recognised sports law lawyer, with particular skills and experience in appearing before sports tribunals and conducting other advisory work in the sports of rugby, football, athletics and horse racing.
Called 2008, Gray’s Inn.
Consistently ranked in Chambers UK as one of the 'leading juniors' on the Western Circuit in Crime, Sam both prosecutes and defends in a wide variety of the most serious of criminal cases.
As a grade 4 prosecutor on the Crown Prosecution Service Prosecution Panel, Sam prosecutes cases of all types and categories; he has recently been led as junior counsel in a number of high-profile prosecutions and prosecutes cases across the full spectrum of seriousness in his own right.
Sam is also a member of the Crown Prosecution Service Rape and Child Sexual Abuse List of approved prosecutors and routinely prosecutes cases of this sort.
He is also regularly instructed to defend in cases involving offences of all kinds and at all levels of seriousness including murder and serious violence, rape and sexual offences, drugs supply, arson and fraud.
Sam also conducts Courts Martial work and has a proven track record of success when defending in such cases.
Sam has established a loyal client base and is highly rated for his ability to absorb information and identify the key issues in any case, no matter its size or complexity.
Sam is regularly instructed directly by the police as independent counsel to conduct sift and search reviews of seized material for the purposes of identifying legally privileged material.
Sam has a strong background in rugby-related matters, a sport about which he is particularly passionate. Having worked on cases relating to both the WRU and RFU, Sam has also developed a deserved reputation in the conduct of disciplinary hearings for clubs and players at, Domestic, European and International levels. His dedicated and approachable manner, together with his strong team ethic, make him popular with both professional and amateur sportsmen and women.
Sam was instructed by the British Horseracing Authority to be part of a Review Team (led by Christopher Quinlan Q.C.) to review the structure composition and operation of its Disciplinary Panel, Appeal Board and Licensing Committees.
He has also conducted work for and in the context of other sports governing bodies, including the Football Association, the Welsh Football Association, the International Paralympic Committee and others.
Sam is able to accept instructions directly from sports professionals, players, clubs and other sporting bodies.
He is currently involved in a number of ongoing sports-related instructions.