England - London Bar
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Crime

Red Lion Chambers

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Red Lion Chambers has long been known as a ‘very strong and highly regarded set of criminal law barristers’. Gillian Jones KC recently defended Marius Draghici, charged with 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiring to facilitate a breach of immigration law after a group of Vietnamese migrants died in the back of a lorry trailer on the way to the UK - the case involving novel legal arguments concerning the potential abuse of court process relating to Draghici’s extradition from Romania, as well as the disclosure of case papers to the defendant's Romanian lawyers. Jones KC and Genevieve Reed  also represented a man acquitted of murder but convicted of manslaughter in a five-defendant trial concerning a robbery of a competitor by a group of drug dealers - a co-defendant was convicted of murder. Hugh French , ‘a robust and effective prosecutor’, has a varied practice that encompasses homicide, child sexual abuse, and large-scale drug conspiracy cases. In January 2024 he was lead junior for the Crown in a trial, in which a married couple received matching sentences of 33 years imprisonment for exporting six tonnes of cocaine to Australia.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Lee Young and David Pilkington pay great attention to detail and provide excellent communication with solicitors.'
  • 'The clerks are always live and proactive in terms of any issues arising. They are able to communicate effectively with courts, including courts out of area. They are readily available to discuss matters. Max Bradley consistently provides a service of the very highest level.'
  • 'Ellie Jones is efficient, helpful and professional.'
  • 'Mark Bennett is peerless.'
  • 'Red Lion Chambers is one of the strongest criminal defence sets in the country. The clerking team is excellent at managing diaries and ensuring matters are covered. The set as a whole is approachable and friendly.'
  • 'A very strong and highly regarded set of criminal law barristers.'
  • 'An excellent set of chambers with a breadth of talent across the call range.'
  • 'Red Lion is an excellent set. In terms of training and depth of counsel they are second to none.'

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.
Gillian Jones KC
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Gillian Jones KC
Red Lion Chambers
‘Gilly's abilities cannot be praised highly enough; she is simply the best barrister around. She is phenomenally hardworking, her attention to detail is exceptional, she is tactically very astute and is a formidable advocate. She has the ability to communicate at every level and her care towards clients is the best.'
Riel Karmy-Jones KC
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Riel Karmy-Jones KC
Red Lion Chambers
‘Riel is a class act. She is approachable, impressive and very clever indeed. She commands the attention of the whole courtroom; watching her in court is like being chauffeur driven in a Rolls Royce. Her capacity for hard work and her attention to detail is awe-inspiring. Her judgement is impeccable, her tactics astute, and she is particularly good with vulnerable witnesses.’
David Etherington KC
2
David Etherington KC
Red Lion Chambers
‘David is a smooth operator. He is an exceptional jury advocate.'
Jennifer Dempster KC
2
Jennifer Dempster KC
Red Lion Chambers
‘Jenni has an ability to digest and then explain the very complicated in terms a lay person can understand. Then when she is in court she is an advocate with energy and determination like no other.’
Kate Bex KC
3
Kate Bex KC
Red Lion Chambers
‘Kate is an advocate at the top of her game. She is a commanding and charming presence in court - a difficult feat to pull off - and her closing speeches are a masterclass in advocacy. She has great tactical acumen and remains a very firm but fair prosecutor.'
Christopher Paxton KC
3
Christopher Paxton KC
Red Lion Chambers
‘Chris is a terrific advocate. He has amazing courtroom presence. Judges and juries listen to him. He is brilliant in cross-examination and very good with clients. He is absolutely at the top of the tree.'
Edmund Vickers KC
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Edmund Vickers KC
Red Lion Chambers
‘Edmund has great attention to detail and is forceful and very effective in legal argument. He is a winner.'
Michael Goodwin KC
4
Michael Goodwin KC
Red Lion Chambers
‘Michael is very thorough and incredibly analytical. He is a powerful advocate and highly respected by his peers.’
Tom Forster KC
4
Tom Forster KC
Red Lion Chambers
‘Tom is a master strategist as well as courteous, charming, and very persuasive. Tactics and presentation win cases, and he excels in both. He is legally very astute and demonstrates impeccable judgement. His capacity for hard work is exceptional and his eye for detail is second to none. Tom is very classy and modest and has the most amazing brain. He is frighteningly intelligent.’
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.
Tom Payne KC
Tom Payne KC
Red Lion Chambers
‘Tom is sensible and decent. His attention to detail is second to none, he has good judgement and is a likeable and impressive advocate.’

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.
Paul Evans
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Paul Evans
Red Lion Chambers
‘Paul is tactically astute and produces focused legal arguments and well-thought-out submissions.  He shows sensitivity in cross-examination of witnesses but is nonetheless robust - a difficult balance to strike at the best of times. He demonstrates the very best attributes of professionalism.'
Hugh French
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Hugh French
Red Lion Chambers
‘Hugh is dogged and determined. He always comes armed with a strategy to exploit any weaknesses in the opposing case. His closing speeches are particularly impressive; Hugh has the confidence to pick the best points, and run with them, undiluted. He is a rare example of someone who is genuinely as effective on either side of the courtroom and the outcomes he secures are testament to an advocate of the highest ability.’
Ian McLoughlin
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Ian McLoughlin
Red Lion Chambers
'Ian is always very well prepared. He looks for the best points to take to advance his case and undermine that of his opponent. He is a persuasive advocate with a calm and measured approach which appeals to juries and judges.'
Joanna Hardy-Susskind
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Joanna Hardy-Susskind
Red Lion Chambers
 ‘Joanna is meticulously organised and takes cases by the scruff of the neck at the earliest possible juncture. She is always ahead of the curve and has a winning courtroom manner which charms judges as effectively as it does juries.'
Felicia Davy
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Felicia Davy
Red Lion Chambers
‘Felicia is extremely thorough in her approach and in her analysis of large amounts of evidence. She has an excellent manner with clients and is very good at approaching difficult issues with clients with significant learning difficulties. She is fearless and fights for the best possible outcome for clients.'
Jack Talbot
3
Jack Talbot
Red Lion Chambers
 ‘Jack is very adept at digesting large volumes of information and presenting them to a jury in a manageable, understandable way. He has a very good manner with juries and is skilled at cross-examination. His closing speeches are engaging and persuasive.'
Genevieve Reed
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Genevieve Reed
Red Lion Chambers
‘Genevieve brings a commanding and powerful presence and confidence beyond her year of call. Previously a solicitor, she brings a breadth of experience which makes her comfortable with clients and challenging situations. Genevieve works hard and efficiently and is good natured and a pleasure to instruct.'
Aneurin Brewer
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Aneurin Brewer
Red Lion Chambers
'Aneurin is very hardworking, prepares meticulous written legal arguments and is proactive in doing so. He has a very calm, persuasive and assertive style of advocacy that seems to rapidly bring people round to his way of thinking.'
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Jane Oldfield
Red Lion Chambers
‘Jane is a star whose forensic and legal skills will ensure that she rises to the top of the legal profession. Her knowledge of the law is first class, which she deploys to good effect and very skillfully.’

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