Our ranking acknowledges our eminent and esteemed Silks, our feisty and fresh Members, and our dedicated, devoted, and hardworking Clerks room.
Our ‘Leading Silks’ were reviewed as: “passionate”, “formidable” and “skilful”
Our ‘Leading Juniors’ reviewed as: ‘Fiercely intelligent’, ‘lethal in court’ and ‘gutsy’
Our Clerks room reviewed as providing: “as first class service” who will “bend over backwards to assist”
As a Set we were reviewed as offering: “a depth of excellent counsel”
The following Members of 15 NBS that have been ranked in this year’s Legal 500 (Crime) 2021 are:
Leading Silks:
Martin Rutherford QC – ‘ Martin is a gent. Very calm and unflappable — he had a lovely manner with the Jury but was robust when circumstances required. Above all, Martin has been strong judgement in terms of identifying the correct tactical approach to the issues and challenges in a case and how best to achieve tactical objectives. ’
Ranked: Tier 3
Brian St. Louis QC – ‘ Brian has the exceptional ability to transform hopeless cases into winners, he chips away at the prosecution case in a tenacious and skilful manner, he always ensures the best outcome for his clients. Brian is a brilliant cross-examiner, he prepares meticulously and delivers with aplomb. He has a commanding court room presence and gravitas. Brian’s speeches are captivating and juries love him. An outstanding Silk. ’
Ranked: Tier 3
Tana Adkin QC – ‘Tana impresses through her ability to form a good relationship with lay clients, this includes clients with complex needs. She is a silk who pursues issues that are capable of working to the benefit of her case in a dogged manner and in the face of pressure to desist. Tana puts in a lot of legwork in case preparation and this often reaps reward as she displays a thorough knowledge of her case in argument.’
Ranked: Tier 4
Leading Juniors
Charles Evans – ‘ Charles is a first class advocate who is always on top of his brief. He has a no nonsense approach to cases, and is very personable with clients. Charles will always make himself available for a chat about a case and is very on top of the law. ’
Ranked: Tier 2
Ruby Selva – ‘Ruby did an excellent job with care and sensitivity whilst still robustly defending the client. Ruby is an impressive and skilled advocate. Her closing statements in particular are exceptionally well composed and perfectly presented to the jury.’
Ranked: Tier 2
Justin McClintock – ‘ He has excellent academic ability and an aptitude for applying legal theory to practice in court. Justin has strong presentation and advocacy skills and the ability to present a point of view convincingly. He is very approachable and hard working, and most cases are dealt by him very well and clients speaks highly about his professionalism. ’
Ranked: Tier 2
Patrick Maggs – ‘Patrick’s strengths are that he meticulously considers all of the evidence with the result that he frequently manages to find some evidence overlooked by others that will assist the defence. He also takes the prosecution by surprise in that he has a very polite manner which belies the fact that he is lethal in court. His client care is excellent. He manages to explain complex legal points to clients in a simple manner.’
Rupert Hallowes – ‘Rupert is an outstanding junior barrister, undoubtedly a silk in waiting. Fiercely intelligent, superb communication skills, terrific at establishing rapport with judge and jury alike. He can command both the respect of Judges, fellow counsel and juries when robustly representing his client’s interests.’
Ranked: Tier 3
Sophie Shotton – ‘Fluent, confident and terrifically focused. Her presence, professionalism and extensive preparation for pre-trial hearings immediately impressed; very competent advocacy was demonstrated during the trial alongside a sensible, measured yet thorough approach in this case involving a disadvantaged defendant. She is an advocate who truly assists the court, recognizes when sensible accommodations can be reached, and stands out from the crowd.’
Ranked: Tier 3
Matthew Hardyman – ‘Matthew has a commanding presence in the courtroom. He is authoritative, knowledgeable, and has a reassuring manner with clients. ’
Ranked: Tier 3
Sarah Read – ‘Sarah is very well prepared, effective in cross examination and tenacious in legal arguments. Calm and confident in court, she makes very well-crafted closing speeches.’
Ranked: Tier 3
Dominic Benthall – ‘ A thoughtful advocate with excellent judgement. Each client has been able to form an identifiable bond with Dominic who will explain and advise them cautiously and accurately. Dominic attracts praise from those who co-defend. Dominic oozes charisma. ’
Ranked: Tier 3
Robert Ward – ‘He is a workhorse, always ahead of the prosecution, affable and incisive when he questions a witness. He has the ability to consume large amounts of difficult and complex information; making it easy for clients and juries to understand. He possesses an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law.’
Ranked: Tier 3
Clodaghmuire Callinan – ‘Clodaghmuire has an exceptional intellect and thorough knowledge of law and procedure. This, combined with her meticulous case preparation and gutsy advocacy make her a pleasure to see in any courtroom.’
Ranked: Tier 3
Our thanks go to all our clients who took the time to act as referees in this process.
To read our full review please clink here.
