1
Christopher Tehrani KC
Exchange ChambersThe Leeds office of the ‘dynamic’ set Exchange Chambers houses a criminal team with ‘strength in depth’. The group has been kept especially busy handling large-scale drugs conspiracies, murder, complex fraud and terrorism cases. The ‘very thoughtful’ Nicholas Johnson KC ‘is able to instill confidence in juries’, and Andrew Haslam KC‘s ’judgement is excellent‘. Among the juniors, Stephen Grattage successfully prosecuted a man for conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration into the UK, as well as separate violence and firearms offences. In a separate matter, Charlotte Noddings acted as junior counsel in a multi-handed murder trial for one of the defendants, who was charged with the murder of an 18-year-old man by way of joint enterprise; the defendant was acquitted of all charges.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The clerks, led by Ian Spencer, are friendly, helpful and organised. In a nutshell, they get the job done.'
- 'Ian Spencer is unflappable. He directs operations with aplomb.'
- 'Ian Spencer is a joy to deal with.'
- 'An excellent set.'
- 'An impressive set.'
- 'They are exceptional.'
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
Nicholas Johnson KC
Exchange Chambers 'He is the complete package. He speaks and acts with an unstated authority.'
3
Andrew Haslam KC
Exchange Chambers 'Andrew is a devastating prosecutor. He works extremely hard; he knows every detail and is relentless in the best possible way.'
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
Stephen Grattage
Exchange Chambers 'With an incredible eye for detail, his adversarial skills are charming and intellectually persuasive.'
3
Victoria Smith-Swain
Exchange Chambers3
Rising stars
Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.
Charlotte Noddings
Exchange Chambers 'Charlotte is a respectful, persuasive yet forceful and tenacious advocate, and displays very sound judgement and skill.'