Criminal

We are committed to providing excellence in legal advice and advocacy for all our clients and in all areas of the criminal law. There are now 24 members of the Criminal Group including five silks.

We provide a comprehensive service from the earliest stage of proceedings (including pre-charge advice) right through to Appeals in the House of Lords.  Members of chambers appear in all areas of the Northern Circuit and beyond in Magistrates and Crown Courts, at Inquests and Inquiries.

Members of chambers are instructed by most of the major defence solicitors in the North West as well as by the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Revenue and Customs, The Asset Recovery Agency and Serious Organised Crime Agency. We also have members who specialise in such areas as cash seizure and other ancillary orders such as Anti Social Behaviour Orders and Sex Offender Orders.

Two members of the group act as victim advocates in the Crown Court.

We have published defence service standards, which represent the minimum standards which should be met by barristers in the team.

We offer modern IT and video-conferencing facilities in our newly refurbished conference suite. We are able to offer facilities for video-conferences with prisons with the co-operation of the prison service.

We are authorised by the Law Society to give accredited seminars for CPD purposes and provide training for defence solicitors on topics connected with the criminal law.

If you are interested in receiving such training please contact our Director of Finance & Administration, Jo Kelly.

Nicholas Clarke QC
Head of Criminal Group