England - London Bar
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Crime

Crucible Chambers

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Crucible Chambers is an ‘excellent set of chambers that is going places fast’, with several strong barristers handling a wide range of criminal matters. Martin Goudie KC, praised as ’one of the best strategists at the Bar’, is experienced in murder and robbery cases. Roderick James specialises in serious drug trafficking and violence cases. Leila Gaskin has a strong reputation as an ‘articulate and very persuasive advocate’ – she has recently acted in murder, attempted murder, and human trafficking trials. Clea Topolski KC took silk in March 2024.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'The clerks at Crucible Chambers are brilliant, especially James Hall. He is organised, passionate and will do his utmost to ensure that instructed counsel can attend the hearings, to ensure continuity in representation. A rare commodity these days!'
  • 'James Hall and Zach May in particular are amazing. They are always responsive and prioritise any queries.'
  • 'Zach May is fantastic. He is always available to discuss work and makes a real effort to make sure the machine that is defence work is always running smooth.'
  • 'The clerks' room is run brilliantly. Zach and James are always very helpful and go above and beyond!'
  • 'An excellent set of chambers that is going places fast. Recruitment is carefully considered so that calibre is retained. Returns are not an issue as counsel are very able who are appointed for the return hearing. A set that is very much on the rise and expeditious in its current ascendancy.'
  • 'Crucible appears to be a very strong set with good counsel across the board.'
  • 'Crucible Chambers is a very competent set of chambers which will always do their best to provide a first-rate service.'
  • 'Crucible is great at what they do in crime.'

Silks

Leading Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Martin Goudie KC
Crucible Chambers
‘Martin is one of the best strategists at the bar. From the start of a case, his clear-eyed approach gives confidence to solicitors and clients alike, and achieves results that would otherwise have seemed impossible.'
2024 Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.

Juniors

Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
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Oliver Renton
Crucible Chambers
‘Oli is absolutely on top of his brief. He reads every page, knows the unused, and as a result is a go-to barrister for cases involving serious violence. He defends fearlessly and always takes good points. His jury manner is charming.’
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Leila Gaskin
Crucible Chambers
‘Leila is the perfect brief and stands out as an advocate in multi-handed trials. Her advocacy is elegant and she does not waste a single word. She has a brilliant handle on the facts and the law, excellent judgement and is thoroughly professional in and out of court. She will walk into silk seamlessly.'
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Roderick James
Crucible Chambers
'Roderick's strengths include being extremely personable and well liked by clients. He has excellent advocacy skills, is incredibly hard-working and manages to find solutions in cases by carrying out innovative research.'
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Claire Robinson
Crucible Chambers
‘Claire has a real ability to connect with clients. She walks them through evidence at a pace and level that they understand and makes them comfortable when facing challenging evidence. She is diligent in her case preparation and does not miss any tiny details.'
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Libby Anderson
Crucible Chambers
‘Libby is an extremely well-rounded lawyer. She is hard-working, tenacious, and has a great ethic for achieving the best for clients. She is a very persuasive court advocate, and extremely well respected by judges.’
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Julia Flanagan
Crucible Chambers
‘Julia is a star counsel who is inevitably destined to be silk before too long if she so chooses. She is very clever legally and tactically as well as incredibly approachable. Julia is hugely respected by her peers, with silks actively asking to work with her.’

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