We recognise that clients demand specialist knowledge from barristers who are technically astute, excellent in court and aware of wider commercial issues and personable.
The St Philips Chambers Criminal Group is one of the leading criminal barrister teams in the country for criminal law. We boast a team of 7 King’s Counsel and 36 juniors allowing us to provide both strength and depth of representation and, of course, the highest levels of advocacy.
Our members appear in all types of criminal Courts in the Country from the Magistrates’ Court to the Supreme Court (formerly the House of Lords). The cases in which members of the group are instructed regularly feature in the law reports and in the press. Members of the team are also regularly listed in the Legal 500 and Chambers Directories as being “leaders in their field.”
We are both criminal defence barristers and prosecution barristers. Our caseload includes cases of murder, manslaughter (including corporate manslaughter), terrorism, serious sexual offences, fraud, business crime and large-scale drug conspiracies. Members of the group also appear in many matters of lesser criminality which nevertheless have devastating consequences for those facing such charges. Our sub-group headings give more detail about the cases we deal with and the services we offer.
Many members of the Group are listed as preferred counsel by key national defence firms as well as the Attorney General, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Serious Fraud Office.
The team is well represented in the judiciary with a significant number of members sitting part-time as either Recorders in the Crown Court or Deputy District Judges in the Magistrates’ Court.
We are committed to the profession and the development of necessary skills. Individual members of the group have roles on the Bar Council and within the Criminal Bar Association. The group also has a substantial number of advocacy trainers for the Midland Circuit and the Inns of Court.
We deal with publicly funded and privately funded cases. Many of our group are Public Access and Direct Access trained. This allows for direct instruction by members of the public in appropriate cases without the need for the instruction of a solicitor as well, or direct instruction from another professional.
“St Philips chambers have a comprehensive set of criminal defence barristers able to cover all aspects of defence work.” Legal 500 2024
“St Philips Chambers are excellent. It will go above and beyond to assist clients with covering work.” Legal 500 2024
‘The strongest spread of counsel at all levels in criminal work, including the best selection of silks in the Midlands.’ Legal 500 2023
“The premier set for crime in Birmingham. Many of its members go to the bench or take silk. It is a breeding ground for high-quality advocates.” Legal 500 2023
“The clerking is brilliant. They are absolutely on top of their game.” Chambers & Partners 2022
“St. Philips Chambers is a large set of chambers, offering enormous depth in the criminal department. Their training programmes are well presented, informative and hugely popular.” Legal 500 2022
“Strength in depth in all areas of practice. Strongest criminal team in the Midlands.” Legal 500 2022
Andrew Rourke, Dan Shriane, Su Turner Gilbert, Dan Zouch, Hannah Rae and Freya Snipe.
Chris Millington KC, leading Ben Gow of KCH Garden Square Chambers secures an acquittal for his client following a 5-week murder trial at Leicester Crown Court. Instructed by Tuckers Solicitors...
Ben Close and Kiran Pourawal led by William Boyce KC, with Tom Phillips of QEB Hillis Whiteman as disclosure junior, prosecute the first case concerning disguised political donations, pursuant to...
Kiran Pourawal, instructed by Qasim Khan of Q&A Legal, represented a client (SI) charged with assisting an offender, who had been convicted of murder. The Crown alleged assistance was provided...
Rebecca Wade KC led William Douglas-Jones in a murder re-trial in the Crown Court at Wolverhampton concerning a drive-by shooting in Dudley. Their client was acquitted unanimously of murder and...
We are delighted to announce the further strengthening of our criminal and regulatory groups through the successful recruitment of five high-calibre new members. New tenants Rebecca Wade KC, Will Smout,...
We would like to offer a warm welcome to Vithyah Chelvam who has joined Chambers’ Criminal and Regulatory Groups as a Probationary Tenant. Vithyah joins Chambers after completing pupillage at the Crown...
In R. v H [2023] EWCA Crim 850 the Court of Appeal held in the context of a rape conviction that alleged prosecution disclosure failings in respect of the complainant’s...
The jury has returned verdicts in the “TikTok murder trial” where Christopher Millington KC and Jonathan Barker represented Mahek Bukhari. Find out more: BBC News Sky News
Jonathan Barker secures suspended sentence for businessman involved in the international sale of unauthorised covid-19 test kits during the global coronavirus pandemic. The prosecution agreed not to proceed with an...
Ben Douglas-Jones KC, leading James Rowbottom of Matrix, instructed by Philippa Southwell of Southwell and Partners, acted for the Appellant in Henkoma [2023] EWCA Crim 808. H had been a...
St Philips Barristers are regulated by the Bar Standards Board.
55 Temple Row
Birmingham
B2 5LS
0121 246 7000
DX 723240 Birmingham 56
29 Park Square
Leeds
LS1 2PQ
© 2023 St Philips Chambers. All Rights Reserved.
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