Church Court Chambers boasts a number of ‘talented’ criminal barristers at both the senior and junior end. Maria Karaiskos KC regularly defends and prosecutes in homicide cases and has ‘hit the ground running as silk’ – she recently prosecuted a young man who killed his mother whilst under the influence of various drugs, having been filmed displaying symptoms of drug-induced psychosis shortly before the attack. He ultimately pleaded guilty to manslaughter following examination of expert witnesses concerning issues such as diminished responsibility, intoxication, and intention. Colin Witcher, widely praised as a ’brilliant junior’, recently defended a former teacher and school child protection officer ultimately convicted of over forty counts of historic sexual offences committed against over twenty students.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'David Selsdon and Rod McGurk in particular are stars! They are always very helpful and positive.'
- 'The service provided by clerks is excellent. It is a feature of the profession that solicitors firms come in all shapes and sizes and have a diversity of different and sometimes complex professional requirements. The clerks in chambers excel in catering for these needs. On a more personal level, the individual members of the clerking team are very approachable, user friendly and professional. Rod McGurk is the senior clerk and a great deal of credit is owed to him as the 'line manager' in ensuring that these high levels of service provision are maintained and consolidated.'
- 'The clerks very dependable, particularly David Selsden.'
- 'The set is incredibly helpful and try to accommodate any requests made by solicitors. They really go above and beyond. Rod McGurk in particular is outstanding. He is knowledgeable in all areas and able to communicate with clients/courts/solictors with such ease.'
- 'The set is very diverse and talented from the young to the senior. They also provide a lot of seminars to help solicitors which is commendable given how much work they have.'
- 'A reliable set with very good crime specialists.'
- 'Church Court Chambers is a boutique set that regularly hosts in-house training, lecture nights, and social events.'
- 'Church Court Chambers is progressive and has strength in depth.'
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.
3
Michael Mather-Lees KC
Church Court Chambers 'Michael is a pleasure to watch in action - he is very calm and persuasive in his submissions to the court and jury. He is incredibly well prepared and just gets to the issues in a case with complete ease and understanding. He is personable both in and outside of court.'
2023 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.
Maria Karaiskos KC
Church Court Chambers ‘Maria is excellent and has hit the ground running as a new silk. Her judgement is excellent and the tone she sets in court is really just exceptional. Her cross-examination is also excellent. She is measured and reasonable, with a clear and strategic approach to cases.’
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.
1
Colin Witcher
Church Court Chambers ‘Colin is a completely brilliant junior. He is always on top of the facts, excellent with both solicitors and lay clients, and has an ability to command the attention of his audience. He is a formidable opponent and certainly a KC in waiting.'
3
Yasin Patel
Church Court Chambers ‘Yasin is thorough with his work, able to quickly identify weaknesses in evidence, address legal arguments that might be applicable and provide written advice when sought. He will always go over and above to help clients. His advocacy is best described as elegant. He is persuasive in his legal arguments where he is calm and collected and charms the jury with his wit.'
4
Islam Khan
Church Court Chambers ‘Islam is a very competent advocate with the requisite qualities that cause him to be an outstanding criminal lawyer. He is always extremely well-prepared and presents submissions with great eloquence and focus. He also possesses sound judgement, and knows which battles to fight, which is an important, but-all-too-frequently absent, skill in many advocates.’