The Criminal Practice

It is 13 King’s Bench Walk’s policy to offer experience and expertise in criminal work at all levels. To that end, the team has more than doubled in numbers over the last 5 years and currently consists of some 26 members ranging in call dates from July 1967 to October 2006. All members of the team are available for both prosecution and defence work and are criminal law specialists. All practice from both Oxford and London.

13 KBW is an established set of chambers, with a considerable breadth of practice and advocacy experience. It is large enough to attract and retain high calibre practitioners, but sufficiently small to maintain personal contact with professional clients. We have wide and varied experience in all fields of litigation, and have over the last ten years developed and maintained a very successful criminal team.

We take a commercial approach by combining prompt action with practical advice. We recognise the problems facing those involved in criminal work and feel the best way to assist busy solicitors is to provide a team of barristers to cover the full range of criminal work from bail applications before magistrates to complex fraud and murder in the Crown Court.

Our members include Leading Counsel, senior Juniors and Juniors with experience in all fields, which will enable you to work with individuals you know and respect. This helps us to provide you with an efficient and cost effective service.

Many members of our team have appeared in the Court of Appeal, and a number in the House of Lords. We both prosecute and defend, which enables us to take a balanced approach to every case. Senior members try cases as Recorders, and a number have gone on to full tine Judicial appointments. A past head of chambers was the Recorder of Birmingham, the senior Crown Court judge in that city.

Five members of the team are members of the Attorney General list for the south eastern circuit to prosecute in cases brought by HM Revenue & Customs, DTI, and DEFRA. We also have an established team of specialists in Prison Law, having experience before High Court Judges on Judicial Reviews, Adjudicators and the Parole Board.

We are a London set with dedicated Oxford chambers, the largest criminal set in the Thames Valley. We practise predominantly throughout the new South Eastern circuit, but are happy to travel anywhere.

In any given year the criminal team is involved in about three hundred jury trials, including all major crimes such as murder, rape, child abuse, death by dangerous driving, drugs and fraud. We also conduct proceedings which are by their nature quasi-criminal before professional disciplinary tribunals.

You may know some of our Counsel; we understand the importance of selecting the right individual, both for you and your client. If you have queries, the initial points of contact are the senior clerk, Kevin Kelly (kkelly@13kbw.co.uk), or our criminal clerk in Oxford, Jim Leverett (jleverett@13kbw.co.uk). As a team, we aim to provide excellent service to all our clients.

MEMBERS OF THE CRIMINAL TEAM

  • Julian Baughan QC (1967) has considerable experience of all aspects of serious and particularly commercial crime. He has appeared in many substantial fraud cases, involving fraudulent trading, insider dealing etc. From 1982-1990 he was standing Junior Counsel to the Department of Trade & Industry at the Central Criminal Court. He has prosecuted and defended in many murder and other serious trials in the Thames Valley and elsewhere.
  • Adrian Redgrave QC (1967) has 40 years' experience covering all aspects of criminal law. He has conducted numerous murder trials including multiple murders. He has acted for the defence in rape and child sexual abuse cases and certain high-profile cases such as the Hackney vote rigging conspiracy, and the "Who wants to be a Millionaire" coughing trial. He prosecuted the Birmingham Riots trials. He has appeared both for and against the Health and Safetly Executive in fatal cases.
  • Nicholas Syfret QC (1979) has practised exclusively in the criminal courts for over 20 years defending and prosecuting in a full range of serious crime from murder to fraud. In the last year he has led in the successful presentation of a large-scale Ebay fraud, the defence of an immigration officer accused of misconduct, and an alleged participant in a substantial immigration conspiracy. He has come to specialise in the presentation of cases where the material is complex and voluminous.
  • Anthony McGeorge (1969) has extensive experience defending and prosecuting in cases across the whole spectrum of crime. He was recently involved, as a leading junior in a trial, successfully defending a young Irish man for conspiracy to commit armed robbery, which lasted 158 days (including a 43 day voire dire) on the Western Circuit.
  • David Bright (1976) has extensive experience in all fields of criminal law both prosecuting and defending all serious matters, in particular sensitive sexual cases. He recently represented the first of four defendants in a major VAT/company fraud case in which his cross examination of the first two prosecution witnesses was largely responsible for the Crown's decision to abandon the entire case against all defendants.
  • Nigel Daly (1979) prosecutes and defends in many serious criminal cases including drugs, fraud, sexual offences, murder and causing death by dangerous driving. He has recently specialised in white collar and serious fraud cases.
  • Paul Harrison (2006) was admitted as a solicitor in 1980 and called to the Bar in 2006. Paul joined 13 KBW from the CPS in 2010. He has extensive experience as an advocate in both Magistrates and Crown courts and is a well known figure in the Thames Valley courts
  • Andrew Pote (1983) has developed a significant practice, both prosecuting and defending, in specialised areas such as trading standards, food safety, pollution, and secondary legislation. He also prosecutes and defends in general crime, especially privately funded road traffic cases.
  • Jonathan Coode (1984) has specialised in criminal work, both prosecution and defence, throughout his time at the Bar. Latterly he has dealt with areas of crime including murder, rape, tax and other fraud, drugs, armed robbery, child abuse and all manner of other matters involving violence and dishonesty.
  • Hugh Williams (1992) joined us in 2001 from St Phillips, one of the largest chambers in Birmingham, where he had practised since 1992. Previously qualified as a solicitor, Hugh specialises in criminal law and has wide experience in all levels of criminal work, both prosecuting and defending.
  • Arthur Blake (1988) practices mainly in the major London courts where he undertakes Prison Law and immigration work, he has extensive experience in the Divisional Court in the area of Judicial Review.
  • Edmund Walters (1991) has considerable experience, covering a wide range of work, both civil and criminal. He has a particular interest in prosecutions for Statutory Nuisance for a number of Local Authorities and Prison Law.
  • Jennifer Edwards (1992) was called to the Bar in 1992. Her experience covers all aspects of criminal litigation. She appears for both Prosecution and Defence and has conducted a large number of cases involving vulnerable witnesses. She became a Deputy District Judge (Magistrates Court) in March 2003.
  • Peter Coombe (1993) practised from 2 Harcourt Buildings for 8 years working in London and on the Western Circuit. Since moving to 13KBW in 2002, he has continued to prosecute and defend in the full range of criminal cases including the most serious such as fraud, murder and rape.
  • Nikki Duncan (1994) has practised variously in Winchester, Colchester, London and the Thames Valley. She has considerable prosecution experience in all those locations, and her defence work includes trials for robbery, burglary and drug offences.
  • Rachel Drake (1995) has prosecuted and defended in a wide variety of serious criminal cases, demonstrating a sensitive and thorough approach in her advocacy and developing a strong practice within the Thames Valley area. Recent successful defence cases include a GBH Section 18 and robbery trial, rape, arson and sexual assault. She has also been instructed to prosecute in various sexual assault and indecent photograph cases, and a recent case involved large-scale theft from an employer.
  • Alice Robertson (1996) practiced from 6 Pump Court for 7 years, working predominantly in London. Since moving to 13KBW in 2003, she has prosecuted and defended in a wide variety of serious criminal cases.
  • Alistair Grainger (1998) joined Chambers in 2005 following a successful practice as a Solicitor. He has dealt with all aspects of Magistrates' Court work and is currently building up a strong defence Crown Court practice.
  • Henry James (1999) joined 13 KBW in September 2006. His practice is almost exclusively criminal, undertaking a wide variety of cases for both the prosecution and the defence. He is experienced in Proceed
  • Jane Brady (2001) joined chambers in 2005. She practises exclusively in crime, acting for both the defence and prosecution. Her experience includes murder cases, fraud, drugs conspiracies and serious sexual offences.
  • Joanne Sear (2004) joined Chambers in 2005. She practises exclusively in crime, acting for both the defence and prosecution.
  • Timothy Boswell (2004) became a member of Chambers in 2005 following his successful pupillage. He is a criminal specialist building up substantial experience in the Magistrates Court.
  • Jane Malcolm (2005) became a member of Chambers in October 2006, following her successful pupillage. Jane is a criminal specialist building up substantial experience in the Magistrates Court
  • Matthew Corrie (2006) became a member of Chambers in October 2007 following his successful pupillage.
  • Trudi Yeatman [2007] became a member of Chambers in October 2008 following her successful completion of pupillage

DOOR TENANT

  • Paul W Reid (1975) has 30 years' experience, covering all aspects of common law, criminal and civil, including personal injury, contract, sale of goods, matrimonial finance, child care and professional negligence. He now practises entirely in serious crime, with advisory work in Club Law. He has appeared in all division of the High Court, Court of Appeal and the House of Lords.
  • Colin Tapper (1961) is a barrister, a Fellow of Magdalen College and Emeritus Professor of Law in the University of Oxford. He is author of Computers and the Law and Computer Law, and editor of Crime, Proof and Punishment and Handbook of European Software Law. He was a pupil of Sir Rupert Cross, and agreed to co-operate with him in the editing of the sixth edition of Cross on Evidence. He has edited the last four editions of this work.

We operate as a team, covering for each other when listing officers are unable to accommodate counsel’s commitments.  Thorny legal problems receive the benefit of discussion and research by other members of the team, unless, as sometimes happens, we are instructed on the same case on both sides, when no quarter is asked or given.

Our Chambers’ policy is to carry out our daily business without direct or indirect discrimination on grounds of race, ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, religion or political persuasion.

THE CRIMINAL TEAM

Practice Leader: Jennifer Edwards 1992

SILKS

JUNIORS OVER 20 YEARS' CALL

JUNIORS OVER 10 YEARS' CALL 

JUNIORS UNDER 10 YEARS' CALL

DOOR TENANT