Crime (general And Fraud)

Leading Silks

Caroline Rees KC – 30 Park Place Chambers ‘Caroline is an outstanding silk. She commands the respect of police teams, instructing lawyers, opponents and the judiciary. Her advocacy is confident and she is not afraid to firmly set out her position, in a way which is well structured and reasoned. She is an absolute joy to have on a case and lovely to work with.'

Jonathan Elystan Rees KC – Apex Chambers

2023 Silks

Owen Edwards KC – Linenhall Chambers ‘Owen has an excellent grasp of the detail and is an excellent advocate able to put juries at ease in English or Welsh. As importantly, he has a very easy manner with defendants who are going through an incredibly stressful period. He puts them at ease, builds rapport and explains difficult concepts simply.’

2024 Silks

Andrew Jones KC – 30 Park Place Chambers

Leading Juniors

Julia Cox – 30 Park Place Chambers ‘Julia is very well-prepared; she works through all material, combing the evidence for an advantage. She is astute in tactical decision-making, her client care is excellent and her legal submissions are detailed, cogent and persuasive. She is very personable. Undoubtedly among the best juniors to work with.’

Heath Edwards – 9 Park Place 'Heath is an intensely likeable personality and this carries across in court in terms of his advocacy and interactions with juries, judges and opposing counsel. With detailed and complex cases he has the ability to immediately filter through the extraneous down to the nub of the matter, without losing the detail on the way.'

Denise Fitzpatrick - Linenhall Chambers 'Denise is one of a kind. Her knowledge of the law is abundant, her service to clients is spectacular, and is a truly quick thinker in the courtroom. '

Nigel Fryer – 30 Park Place Chambers ‘With a thorough and level-headed approach Nigel is a go-to for more complex cases. His tenacious and robust cross-examination of defendants is in welcome stark contrast to his soft and caring approach to vulnerable victims. Nigel has a real presence in court, commanding both respect and trust in those around him, grabbing, and most importantly, keeping the attention of jurors throughout the trial. Outside of court Nigel's attention to detail in providing written advice and skeleton arguments is exceptional.'

Anna Pope – Linenhall Chambers 'Anna is an excellent barrister. She is extremely bright, has an excellent grasp of the law, is quick to see the issue, and resolves matters in a pragmatic way. She is also very personable and relates to people very easily.'

Lee Reynolds – Apex Chambers

Simon Rogers – Linenhall Chambers ‘Criminal litigators must be quick off the mark to instruct Simon given his great popularity as a defence and prosecution advocate. He is the go-to barrister for serious and heavy weight cases on the circuit. He has a calm, approachable manner with the clients, is methodical and thorough in his preparations, and forceful and persuasive before judge and juries. Among the premier counsel for North Wales and Cheshire.’

John Ryan – Apex Chambers

Owen Williams – 9 Park Place 'Owen is very good with clients and is able to convey his advice in clear and concise language that clients can understand. He has excellent communication skills and is always available to answer any queries that a client or instructing solicitor may have. He has also proven himself to be an excellent trial advocate over the years.'

Matthew Cobbe – 9 Park Place

James Coutts – Linenhall Chambers ‘James has an excellent manner with clients, is very down to earth and personable. That approach is mirrored before juries.’

Peter Donnison – 30 Park Place Chambers 'Peter has a ferocious work ethic and has developed an extensive practice beyond his call. He has a keen eye for detail, which is evident in his case presentation.'

Nicholas Gedge – Apex Chambers

Helen Randall – Iscoed Chambers

Jade Tufail – Linenhall Chambers ‘Jade is always professional, diligent, thorough and exceptionally able. On every occasion, without exception, she completes tasks to a high standard and inspires the utmost faith in her ability. Without doubt she will reach the very top of her profession.’

Matthew Dunford – Linenhall Chambers

Emma Harris – 30 Park Place Chambers ‘Emma is very meticulous and she goes through papers in great detail. Her client care is good, always putting clients at ease. Her advocacy is also first-rate.’

Daniel Jones – 30 Park Place Chambers ‘Dan is excellent in assessing what work is to be done in order to be ready for trial and then co-operating with colleagues and prioritising that work. He is a pleasure to work with.’

Matthew Paul – Civitas Law ‘Matthew has a thorough approach and is a persuasive advocate. His care for his client and professional approach shines through with every word.’

Marian Lewis – Apex Chambers

Matthew Roberts – 9 Park Place

Ryan Rothwell – Linenhall Chambers ‘Ryan is always well-prepared to deal with the cases that he has for that day and trials that are listed within a short time. He has a good rapport with victims and witnesses when they attend court.’

Ruth Smith – Apex Chambers

Ffion Tomos – 30 Park Place Chambers

Frances Willmott – Linenhall Chambers ‘Frances is clearly a barrister with a high intellect who approaches cases with detailed and thorough preparation, maintaining a strong sense of professionalism throughout. She is articulate in her advocacy and grasps the pertinent issues with a no-nonsense approach. Frances is not shy to argue her point vehemently.’

Ember-Jade Wong – Linenhall Chambers ‘Ember is utterly fearless when defending clients. Her grasp of the subject matter and interactions with clients and courts is impeccable. Her advocacy is also skilled and persuasive.’

Rising Stars

William Bebb – 30 Park Place Chambers ‘William is an excellent communicator. He can empathise with those who are in the criminal justice system and he can also communicate eloquently in court so clients feel that their story has been told. Nothing is too much trouble for him and his ability to make those around him feel at ease is a gift that few possess. He is a rising star and his qualities will mean he will go far.’

Crime (general and fraud) in Regional Bar

Tier 1 sets

30 Park Place

Widely praised for its growing strength in depth at all levels of call, the team at 30 Park Place Chambers ‘leads the way for criminal work in Wales’. Caroline Rees KC, ‘a true leader in her field‘, regularly prosecutes and defends in high-profile murder and manslaughter cases, particularly those involving the deaths of children or vulnerable defendants. Andrew Jones KC, well known for prosecuting multi-handed drugs conspiracy matters, took silk in March 2024 - he continues to act for the CPS Complex Casework Unit. Nigel Fryer is a ‘go-to for more complex cases‘, with his broad experience covering murder, drug supply, serious sexual offences, and fraud cases. Julia Cox, a Grade 4 Prosecutor and RASSO panellist, has considerable experience handling complex sexual offences cases involving s. 41 applications. Having joined the set in January 2024 from Iscoed Chambers, Emma Harris brings notable expertise in fraud, sexual offences, and drugs matters. In May 2023 Daniel Jones also joined the set, returning to Wales after a decade spent at 5 St Andrews Hill in London. He is best known as a prosecutor. Rising star William Bebb is noted for his ‘tactical nous’ and ‘steely resolve’.

Referenzen

‘Phil Griffiths the senior clerk is excellent.’

‘Chambers is the go-to set for complex and heavyweight crime. They are first choice to prosecute familial child homicides and multi-defendant, multimillion-pound drug conspiracies. Laura McPherson and Emma Haines are very effective criminal clerks.’

‘The leading criminal set on the Wales and Chester Circuit with an excellent, helpful clerking team. There has been significant expansion of the criminal team in the last 18 months.’

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Linenhall Chambers

Linenhall Chambers is widely praised as an ‘excellent set‘ and is ‘highly regarded for both the quality of its barristers and its clerking team‘. Owen Edwards KC is often instructed by those charged with historic sexual offences and road traffic offences. Moreover, since taking silk last year he has acted in several high-profile murder trials, including for the prosecution in a case concerning a murder committed by an 85-year-old former solder at a sheltered housing complex in Sandbach, Cheshire. Simon Rogers, ‘the go-to barrister for serious and heavyweight cases on the circuit‘, recently defended a father charged with the gross negligence manslaughter of his disabled teenage daughter, who died as a result of long-term neglect during lockdown. Ultimately, the defendant was sentenced to 10 years in prison in the first televised sentencing hearing in Welsh legal history. Anna Pope is well known for her expertise in cases involving rape and other serious sexual offences, particularly those with vulnerable witnesses. Having joined the group in December 2023 from Kenworthy’s Chambers in Manchester, Denise Fitzpatrick brings with her a broad practice covering sexual offences and fraud matters. James Coutts stands out for his ‘approachable manner when addressing juries.’

Referenzen

‘Ryan Turner and Gareth Stickels provide great service. They are efficient and always contactable.’

‘Linenhall Chambers has good counsel for all types of cases.’

‘The most prominent set in North Wales and Chester. They have an excellent reputation and receive the lion’s share of instructions.’

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Tier 2 sets

9 Park Place

David Elias KC leads 9 Park Place’s criminal team, which offers a ‘strong group of barristers with multiple options at all levels of the Bar‘. The ‘reliable, calm and methodical‘ Heath Edwards is regularly instructed by defendants charged with drugs, fraud, and money laundering offences. Owen Williams is ‘an excellent advocate‘ with considerable experience handling homicide and drugs cases – he recently defended a man charged with the murder, but whose guilty plea to manslaughter was accepted, after fatally punching a man, who died several days afterwards, in his home. Fluent Welsh speaker Matthew Cobbe is a Grade 4 CPS prosecutor and RASSO panellist – his practice covers homicide, sexual offences, money laundering, and modern slavery cases.

Referenzen

‘Nigel East and Sam Johnson always provide a sterling service.’

‘The clerks are always on hand to assist. Nigel East is very helpful, communicates well and is always on hand to deal with any issues that may arise.’

‘9 Park Place are a strong chambers with a good mix of counsel.’

Ranking nach PraxisbereichRegional Bar