Profiles
John Lloyd‑Jones QC
<p><strong>Job title: Silk and head of the criminal team at 36 Bedford Row</strong> </p><p><em>36 Bedford Row is a leading set of chambers with members practicing in six specialist areas of serious and complex crime, family law, employment law, civil litigation, public law and consumer law. </em> </p><p><strong>Many congratulations on attaining silk this year. What do you hope the future holds for a silk at the Criminal Bar?</strong><br />Success. I wouldn’t have applied for silk if I did not think that I could make it pay. If you’re good, well organised and prepared to put yourself about then there is still work out there to be had. As he handed me my Letters Patent last Wednesday, I asked the Lord Chancellor whether there would still be any publicly funded work for me to do after my appointment. He said that there would be and I intend to take him at his word. Given the further cuts to fees proposed in the most recent consultation paper, I wonder whether I should have actually asked the Lord Chancellor whether there would be any financially viable publicly funded work available for me to do in silk? </p>
read more
Mark Warwick QC
<p>Job title: Silk, Selborne Chambers </p>
<p><em>Selborne Chambers is a Chancery/Commercial set with particular emphasis on property, professional negligence, company and financial services, civil fraud and international work. </em> </p>
<p><strong>Congratulations on attaining Silk this year, a fine achievement. What made you apply for it this year?</strong><br />The short answer is that the feedback from my informal soundings of potential consultees was encouraging. The longer answer is that, having unsuccessfully applied several years ago, I decided to work on my practice. I only re-applied when I had attained top ranking in the guides and had written a legal textbook. </p>
read more
Lexa Hilliard QC
<p><strong>Job title: Silk, 11 Stone Buildings</strong> </p>
<p><em>11SB is a leading commercial/chancery set with multi-disciplinary expertise. Areas in which 11SB specialises include civil fraud, financial services and banking, insolvency, company and professional negligence. </em> </p>
<p><strong>What do you credit your success to?<br /></strong>You might find this odd, but the answer to your question is: training with Vidal Sassoon. I was unruly, undisciplined and disorganised at school and left after my ‘O’ levels. I fell into training to be a hairdresser with Vidal Sassoon and I just loved it. </p>
read more
Rebecca Wilkie & Chris Broom
<p><strong>Rebecca Wilkie's job title: Chief Executive, BPBU<br />Chris Broom's job title: Senior Clerk, Gray’s Inn Tax Chambers Management Committee member, BPBU</strong> </p>
<p><em>The Bar Pro Bono Unit is a charity which facilitates pro bono work from volunteer barristers for those who cannot afford to pay and who cannot obtain public funding. </em> </p>
<p><strong>What do you credit the success of the Bar Pro Bono Unit (BPBU) to?</strong><br /><strong>RW: </strong>The people who work with us. 75% of our cases are placed through clerks so their commitment makes a huge difference in enabling our requests for help to spread as far as possible across the Bar. </p>
read more
Ronald DeKoven
<p><strong>Job title: Barrister, DeKoven Chambers</strong> </p>
<p><em>DeKoven Chambers specialises in commercial disputes arising out of complex international transactions. </em> </p>
<p><strong>What have been some of the highlights of your career?<br /></strong>Several matters that I was instructed on in the ‘90s (acting for the liquidators of BBCI, acting for the administrators of KWELM, acting for Equitas and the Society of Lloyd’s of London, and acting for the administrators of Barings) were very important to my career at Shearman & Sterling and in creating expertise in cross border insolvency. </p>
read more
Ali Malek QC
<p><strong>Job title: Silk, 3 Verulam Buildings</strong> </p>
<p><em>3 Verulam Buildings is a leading set of Chambers specialising in domestic and international commercial and business law, arbitration, banking, insolvency, fraud, professional negligence, energy, IT and insurance/reinsurance. </em> </p>
<p><strong>You are widely regarded as an international commercial litigation heavyweight. To what do you credit your success?</strong><br /> I have always taken the view that my work is about achieving the best result for my client rather than fighting for the sake of it. I think clients appreciate that commercial approach. I also bring an international perspective – I think it helps I am half Iranian married to a Jamaican (of Lebanese origin). I have always been someone who travels a lot and international work really appeals to me. I am lucky to have a very understanding and supportive family who give me the freedom to travel as extensively as I do. I think I have benefitted from not focusing on a narrow area of commercial law and from sitting as an arbitrator as well as acting as an advocate. I have also been fortunate to work in a set that is forward thinking and dynamic. </p>
read more
Paul Bowen QC
<p><strong>Job title: Silk, Doughty Street Chambers</strong> </p>
<p><em>Doughty Street Chambers is a human rights and civil liberties practice with a national and international profile in criminal, civil, administrative, public and international law. </em> </p>
<p><strong>You represented Tony Nicklinson – who suffered ‘locked-in’ syndrome - in his landmark case challenging the law on assisted dying. How did you become involved in that case?</strong><br />Tony’s case is a progression of the work I have done throughout my career around autonomy and choice. I have a public law and human rights practice which emphasises, among others, the rights of persons with disabilities. Autonomy links the right to make end of life decisions with, for example, the right of disabled persons to live independently in the community, and both are features of my practice. I represented Debbie Purdy in her successful appeal to the House of Lords which resulted in the DPP issuing his guidelines on prosecution in assisted suicide cases. The solicitor in Debbie Purdy’s case, Saimo Chahal, and I have worked together for many years so it was a natural fit for us to do so again for Tony and his family, who are carrying on the case now Tony has died. </p>
read more
Jonathan Fisher QC
<p>Job title - Silk. Devereux Chambers<br /><br />
Devereux Chambers, a civil and commercial set, specialises in insurance and reinsurance, professional negligence, tax, employment law, telecommunications, finance, energy, sport, education, personal injury, clinical negligence and health and safety law<br /><br /><strong>You have been chosen to advise the Treasury Committee in an investigation surrounding the Libor scandal. What exactly is your role?</strong><br /><br />
I have been advising the Treasury Committee on the existing regulatory framework, and in particular, the civil and criminal enforcement aspects. Also, I have been offering some assistance on the handling of evidence presented to the Committee. I had better not say anymore – it would breach legal privilege! </p>
read more
Naomi Ellenbogen QC
Job title<br />Silk, Littleton Chambers<br /><br />Littleton’s 52 barristers specialise in employment law and commercial litigation with additional expertise in commercial fraud, banking litigation, disciplinary and regulatory law, professional negligence, sports law and mediation.<br /><br /><strong>What do you credit your success to?</strong><br /><br />Undoubtedly it would be having an extremely supportive family, a husband who understands the demands and pressures of the Bar and hard work. I have found that working with and against other barristers has been invaluable in understanding what works well and what perhaps doesn’t.
read more
Restoring the Brand
<p><em>In April of this year David Green CB QC became Director of the Serious Fraud Office.<strong> Shane Collery </strong>interviewed him for Counsel </em><br /><br />David Green took up his appointment as Director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) on 23 April 2012.<br /><br /> After 25 years in criminal practice at 18 Red Lion Court, he was appointed Director of the newly-established Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO) in December 2004. A report by HMCPSI in July 2009 concluded that RCPO had succeeded in its key task of restoring public and judicial confidence in Customs prosecutions. When RCPO was merged with CPS in 2010, David became Director of the CPS Central Fraud Group, before returning to the Bar at 6 Kings Bench Walk in April 2011.
</p>
read more
