Nicola Howard KC
25 Bedford Row ‘Nicola is authoritative yet serene and reassuring. She is pragmatic and garners a client’s trust with great skill. An advocate with a commanding presence.'
25 Bedford Row is ‘an impeccable defence set’ and houses a team with an excellent track record in handling high-profile fraud cases. In recent work for the group, Nathaniel Rudolf KC was instructed to represent one of the defendants in a case where four people were charged with constructing a pan-European pension diversion fraud scheme, resulting in 285 victims losing a total of £24m. In a separate matter, Osman Osman represented the principal defendant in a multi-handed case involving alleged fraudulent trading and money laundering offences, concerning the alleged mis-selling of energy-saving wall coverings. Sonal Dashani garners praise for her ‘great tactical sense’. Key developments for the set in 2024 included Alfie Lee being appointed as Director of Clerking, following Guy Williams’ retirement in December 2023; Chris Jones returning to the set as Senior Practice Clerk; and Dermot Keating KC being appointed to silk. Nathaniel Rudolf KC's appointment as a Circuit Judge was announced in October 2024.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Alfie Lee brings new energy.'
- 'Alfie Lee is an outstanding clerk with a tremendous ability to deal with issues skilfully and sensitively.'
- '25 Bedford Row is home to some of the elite white collar and fraud practitioners.'
- '25 BR is an impeccable defence set with some of the greatest talent at the Bar. For criminal fraud defence work, from junior tenants to silk, there is counsel to suit every case and budget.'
- 'From the KCs down to the junior tenants the quality is outstanding. They never let you down in terms of providing counsel when required.'
- 'A strong chambers with very capable juniors and silks in this area of law.'
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.
Simon Pentol KC
25 Bedford Row ‘Simon embodies charisma and formidable intelligence, retaining the jury’s attention. He also possesses phenomenal intuition and judgement.’
Nigel Sangster KC
25 Bedford Row ‘Nigel is a first-class advocate who has juries eating out of the palm of his hand. A charismatic silk.'
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.
Dermot Keating KC
25 Bedford Row ‘Dermot's advocacy is measured and incisive: exactly what you’d expect of someone at the top of their game. He remains unflappable and courteous under pressure, and thinks strategically to get the best result for his client.'
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.
Duncan Jones
25 Bedford Row ‘Duncan is a very accomplished advocate, with a calm and reassuring yet authoritative presence in court. His forensic attention to detail makes him stand out.’
Sonal Dashani
25 Bedford Row ‘Sonal is very knowledgeable and utterly fearless in court. She has enormous empathy as well as a great legal mind.'
Samantha Riggs
25 Bedford Row ‘Samantha is one of the best barristers in her field. She is extremely knowledgeable and thorough in all aspects of cases.'
Osman Osman
25 Bedford Row ‘Osman is meticulous in his case preparation, a great tactician, and very persuasive on his feet. He is a silk in the making.'
Ben Smitten
25 Bedford Row ‘Ben has a fairly punchy yet effective advocacy style, is always all over the detail and has great tenacity.'
Michael Gomulka
25 Bedford Row ‘Michael approaches a case with ingenuity. In court he is strong, erudite and authoritative.’
Alex Jamieson
25 Bedford Row ‘Alex is a great tactician. He inspires confidence in his clients with his gravitas and reasoned approach.'
3
Ben Summers
25 Bedford Row ‘Ben is an absolute powerhouse. He has understated class and a total command of his brief. He is capable of conjuring results from the least promising cases.’
Helen Valley
25 Bedford Row ‘Helen is incredibly diligent. A good cross-examiner who is very persuasive on her feet.’
Matthew Radstone
25 Bedford Row ‘Matthew is a remarkably brave and gifted advocate, strategic, clever and great on his feet.'