The Bar - London Bar

Red Lion Chambers

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Red Lion Chambers is one of the strongest criminal sets in London, with an ‘enormous breadth of talent from top to bottom’. Gillian Jones KC, ’one of the finest barristers practicing in criminal law‘, recently acted as defence counsel in a case involving significant evidential complexity, including in relation to the potential mental health issues of the defendant, who was convicted of murder having stabbed to death a lone woman at a bus stop. Jennifer Dempster KC, ’an eloquent and tenacious advocate‘, represented a man who was acquitted of murder but convicted of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility in the first televised sentencing in England and Wales. Turning to the set's juniors, Edward Renvoize prosecuted two men, who recieved prison sentences of twelve and fifteen years imprisonment for a home invasion robbery of two-time Tour de France green jersey winner Mark Cavendish, in which two Richard Mille watches with a combined value of £700,000 were stolen.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Theresa Feeney is constantly cheerful and helpful, even in the face of totally chaotic court listing.'
  • Lee Young remains a constant thorn in the side of opponents. He is reasonable, efficient, funny.'
  • 'Red Lion is a top criminal set.'
  • 'Red Lion is a top set at the peak of criminal work. Their barristers are leaders in their fields.'
  • 'A very strong chambers with strength and depth at all levels of call, including silks. They also offer high quality in-house training.'
  • 'The clerks' room is second to none. The clerks are friendly, helpful and knowledgeable about their barristers and their practices and those who may want to instruct them.'
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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.

1

Gillian Jones

Hall of fameRed Lion Chambers

‘Gilly is terrific and formidable in equal measure. She leaves no stone unturned in the fearless presentation of her case, whether prosecuting or defending. Undoubtedly one of the Bar’s greatest stars.’

Riel M Karmy-Jones1

Riel M Karmy-Jones

Hall of fameRed Lion Chambers

'Riel is a top-tier silk whose timely trial preparation, combined with pre-eminent advocacy skills, always ensures that every case she conducts is of the highest order.'

Kate Bex3

Kate Bex

Hall of fameRed Lion Chambers

‘She is thoroughly prepared and never misses any thing - her eye for details is unrivalled. In court she is laser sharp and commands attention - her closing speeches are a masterclass in advocacy.' 

3

Jennifer Dempster

Hall of fameRed Lion Chambers

‘Jenni is an eloquent and tenacious advocate. She is meticulous with her preparation of cases and knows them inside-out. Jenni also has an excellent bedside manner with lay clients and is able to immediately put them at ease with her legal knowledge and knowledge of the case.’

3

Michelle Nelson

Hall of fameRed Lion Chambers

'Michelle is a very experienced homicide lawyer. She works incredibly hard for her clients and has a real eye for detail. As for the law in this area, she really knows her stuff and is a highly effective jury barrister.'

3

Edmund Vickers

Hall of fameRed Lion Chambers

'Edmund is very professional even when faced with very high odds. He is a very attractive and effective advocate.'

4

Christopher Paxton

Hall of fameRed Lion Chambers

‘Chris is a brilliant advocate with a tremendous court presence and a phenomenal practice. He has great energy and a very easy manner with witnesses and juries. He is well respected by all who deal with him.' 

2024 Silks

Tom Payne KC

Red Lion Chambers

‘Tom is a very calm, decent and solid barrister. He has a quiet sense of authority, good judgement and is organised and methodical in his approach.’

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.

2

Paul Evans

Red Lion Chambers

‘He is a persuasive advocate both orally and on paper with an eye to detail and the capacity to assimilate large volumes of evidence. He is very experienced in dealing with vulnerable witnesses both in and out of the courtroom. He works well with others and has a keen sense of humour, though it is never misplaced in the court room.'

Joanna Hardy-Susskind2

Joanna Hardy-Susskind

Red Lion Chambers

 ‘Joanna is a force to be reckoned with. She is incredibly well prepared and grasps very complicated and detailed cases from the first conference. She is very personable and her advocacy is excellent, particularly her cross-examination, which is thorough and incredibly effective.'

3

Felicia Davy

Red Lion Chambers

'On her feet, Felicia is a fearless and commanding advocate. She is intense and committed and juries and clients love her. She is focussed on what needs to be done and is excellent at communicating and delegating as necessary.'

Hugh  French3

Hugh French

Red Lion Chambers

  ‘Hugh is a robust and effective prosecutor who sets about his task with determination and confidence. His case preparation is meticulous, and he has a strong command of the law. His advocacy in court is focussed and succinct, in particular his cross-examination which can be tenacious when required.' 

3

Genevieve Reed

Red Lion Chambers

'Geneviève is adept at dealing with troubled and difficult clients, gaining their confidence and putting them at ease. She has confidence and gravitas beyond her call and she is a commanding presence in court.' 

3

Michael Skelley

Red Lion Chambers

 ‘Michael is extremely intelligent and an incredibly deep-thinker. He is very client-friendly and always one or several steps ahead of the prosecution. In advocacy, he is persuasive by being quietly, sensibly, persuasive.’ 

Jack Talbot3

Jack Talbot

Red Lion Chambers

 ‘Jack is a conscientious prosecutor who is always on top of his brief. He is fearless but courteous, and persuasive to a jury. He always approaches prosecuting with the utmost fairness.' 

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.

2

Paul Evans

Red Lion Chambers

‘He is a persuasive advocate both orally and on paper with an eye to detail and the capacity to assimilate large volumes of evidence. He is very experienced in dealing with vulnerable witnesses both in and out of the courtroom. He works well with others and has a keen sense of humour, though it is never misplaced in the court room.'

Joanna Hardy-Susskind2

Joanna Hardy-Susskind

Red Lion Chambers

 ‘Joanna is a force to be reckoned with. She is incredibly well prepared and grasps very complicated and detailed cases from the first conference. She is very personable and her advocacy is excellent, particularly her cross-examination, which is thorough and incredibly effective.'

3

Felicia Davy

Red Lion Chambers

'On her feet, Felicia is a fearless and commanding advocate. She is intense and committed and juries and clients love her. She is focussed on what needs to be done and is excellent at communicating and delegating as necessary.'

Hugh  French3

Hugh French

Red Lion Chambers

  ‘Hugh is a robust and effective prosecutor who sets about his task with determination and confidence. His case preparation is meticulous, and he has a strong command of the law. His advocacy in court is focussed and succinct, in particular his cross-examination which can be tenacious when required.' 

3

Genevieve Reed

Red Lion Chambers

'Geneviève is adept at dealing with troubled and difficult clients, gaining their confidence and putting them at ease. She has confidence and gravitas beyond her call and she is a commanding presence in court.' 

3

Michael Skelley

Red Lion Chambers

 ‘Michael is extremely intelligent and an incredibly deep-thinker. He is very client-friendly and always one or several steps ahead of the prosecution. In advocacy, he is persuasive by being quietly, sensibly, persuasive.’ 

Jack Talbot3

Jack Talbot

Red Lion Chambers

 ‘Jack is a conscientious prosecutor who is always on top of his brief. He is fearless but courteous, and persuasive to a jury. He always approaches prosecuting with the utmost fairness.'