187 is thrilled to announce that we have, once again, been ranked in the Legal 500. Further we are delighted to say that numerous members of Chambers have been highly ranked individually. For full details of those rankings please see below and also on the Legal 500 website – https://www.legal500.com/firms/9480-chambers-of-andrew-trollope-qc-and-richard-christie-qc/9480-london-england/
CRIME – TIER 4
187 Chambers Chambers is ‘an excellent set’, housing ‘extremely able criminal barristers’. Chambers prosecute and defend across a broad range of matters; recent examples include Mozammel Hossain QC representing Haroon Akram in a multi-defendant trial for the murder of a bouncer – Akram was convicted of manslaughter. On the junior end, Brian Reece defended a transgender man who was acquitted on allegations of two cases of sexual misconduct that allegedly took place 15 years apart, following a successful application for the severance of the indictment.
Leading Silk – Tier 3 – Jason Bartfeld QC – ‘A proactive, persuasive, and tactful negotiator.’
Leading Silk – Tier 3 – Richard Christie QC – ‘He leaves no stone unturned. Very calm and collected in presentation and an excellent communicator with varying audiences. Works well and is inclusive of others ensuring thorough explanations, sharing of knowledge and forsees issues to deal with them effectively.’
Leading Silk – Tier 3 – Simon Mayo QC – ‘An excellent handler of witnesses in chief and cross-examination.’
New Silk – Mozammel Hossain QC – ‘Mozammel is a powerful, passionate and flamboyant advocate. He has a uniquely engaging style that captures the attention of the jury. Excellent judgement about what constitute the real issues in the case. A determined fighter with a charming jury manner.’
Leading Junior – Tier 3 – Neil FitzGibbon – ‘A fearless tactician, he will take necessary points even if doing so will be unpopular with the court. He combines intellect with industry.’
Leading Junior – Tier 3 – Rebecca Lee – ‘She both defends and prosecutes serious cases.’
Leading Junior – Tier 3 – Brian Reece
Leading Junior – Tier 3 – Greg Unwin – ‘He has a very quick mind which means that he is normally a step ahead of the rest. He is a very effective and well-rounded advocate. Notwithstanding his no-nonsense style he is equally capable of sensitive cross-examination of a vulnerable witness. He is extremely hard working and when being led he is adept at anticipating those tasks that need to be done without having to be asked.’
Leading Junior – Tier 3 – Avirup Chaudhuri – ‘He works with an air of calm reassurance.’
REGIONAL BAR CRIME (GENERAL AND FRAUD) – TIER 2
Members of 187 Chambers Chambers both prosecute and defend in the full range of criminal matters including murders, large-scale fraud, rape and serious sexual offences involving vulnerable clients and witnesses such as children. Matthew Bagnall defended one of four West African stowaways who attacked the crew of a cargo vessel bound for Tilbury, among other things throwing faeces at the Special Boat Service commandos sent to regain control of the vessel – all four defendants were acquitted of a hijacking offence but convicted of affray.
Leading Silks – Tier 1 – Richard Christie QC – ‘He is diligent, articulate, has an eye for detail and is highly respected by judges and his peers.’
Leading Junior – Tier 2 – Matthew Bagnall – ‘He is extremely adept at all forms of electronic working and able to prepare and analyse cell-site and CCTV in a way that is second to none.’
Leading Junior – Tier 3 – Neil FitzGibbon – ‘He combines intellect with an ability to articulate argument in an attractive persuasive manner.’
Leading Junior – Tier 3 – Peter Guest – ‘He has long been a leader in his field, with an exclusively defence practice focusing on serious fraud.’
Leading Junior – Tier 3 – Christopher Kerr – ‘He has an impressive cross-examination style – courteous, quiet but very effective; a fine advocate in court.’
Leading Junior – Tier 3 – Donal Lawler – ‘He has a very good forensic mind and is always accessible to answer or research the answers to difficult questions.’
Leading Junior – Tier 3 – Emma Nash – ‘She is very dogged, determined and always on top of every detail in a case.’
Leading Junior – Tier 3 – James Onalaja – ‘Intelligent, meticulously researched, charismatic, and understanding of challenging clients and their needs.’
BUSINESS AND REGULATORY CRIME (INCLUDING GLOBAL INVESTIGATIONS)
Leading Silks – Tier 2 – Gideon Cammerman QC – ‘A silk who is fierce in the defence of his clients. Gideon is one of the stars of his chambers.’
FRAUD: CRIME
Leading Silks – Tier 3 – Simon Mayo QC – ‘A class operator. Simon is a superlatively sure-footed, insightful and conscientious leading counsel. He is highly tactically astute and is capable of leading large teams effectively by being able to see many steps ahead and to identify the potential advantages and pitfalls of each available course. He is wonderfully responsive with clients and hugely sympathetic to their needs.’
Leading Junior – Tier 3 – Peter Guest – ‘Peter is a class act with tremendous authority and presence in the courtroom. He has a wealth of experience defending in the most serious fraud and organised crime trials. It is extraordinary how much detail he can keep in his head, allowing him to conduct skilful cross-examination in complex cases.’
Leading Junior – Tier 4 – Greg Unwin – ‘He is very clever. His knowledge of the law is first class and he is able to apply it to any problem that I have thrown at him. Very bright, and thinks outside the box.’