187 Chambers are delighted to have been recognised, once again, in the Legal 500 2025 rankings. Please see rankings below and via the Legal 500 website here.
We would like to say a huge thank our clients for their continuing support and congratulations to all our members who have been ranked.
London Bar: Crime
187 Chambers is seen by many as ‘an excellent set with counsel ranging from the junior to very senior.’ Widely praised as ’one of the great jury advocates operating at the moment’, Mozammel Hossain KC regularly handles high-profile cases concerning terrorism, murder, and organised crime. Rebecca Lee stands out for her experience in ‘factually complex’ sexual offences cases, including those involving historic allegations. ’Formidable advocate’ Jason Bartfeld KC specialises in organised crime cases involving homicide, modern slavery, and large-scale drug conspiracies.
Silks: Leading Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Mozammel Hossain KC
‘Mozammel is one of the great jury advocates operating at the moment. He delivers his account in the most eloquent manner and members of the jury are always engaged in his speeches and cross-examination of witnesses. He has built a formidable reputation defending murder cases and clients love him as he always fights their corner.’
Jason Bartfeld KC
‘Jason is a true gladiator in court. He is confident, fearless and ready to fight all the way for his clients.’
Richard Christie KC
‘Richard is skilful, his attention to detail is second to none and above all he has a unique ability to bring out the best in clients in the most difficult of situations. He is very energetic and has a very good understanding of complex areas common in murder cases such as identification, cell site analysis and forensics. He is simply one of the best silks in the profession.’
Juniors: Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
Greg Unwin
‘Greg has a superb way with judges and jurors – he is measured, calm, authoritative, and commands respect. He has a very keen attention to detail and is very hard-working.’
Rebecca Lee
‘Rebecca is able to extract key materials from factually complex cases involving historic allegations and voluminous evidence dating back decades. She is tenacious and energetic and her attention to detail is second to none. Rebecca is an exceptional lawyer and very skilful in dealing with cases of a highly sensitive nature.’
Daniel Kersh
‘Daniel is a tenacious and an all-rounder advocate.’
Neil Fitzgibbon
Avirup Chaudhuri
‘Avirup’s client care skills stand out. He treats all clients with equal respect and care and dedicates the same level of commitment to their case. As well as his excellent client care skills, Avirup’s efficiency and attention to detail consistently impress.’
Rising Stars
Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.
Tom Worden
‘Tom has a very calm and methodical approach to his work, and great attention to detail. He creates a great rapport with all his clients, who wholeheartedly trust him in his advocacy and preparatory skills, and this completely shows when he conducts his cases in court with great professionalism. Tom is a skilled advocate who will no doubt go on to achieve much in his career.’
Regional Bar: South Eastern Circuit
Crime (general and fraud)
187 Chambers is ‘a great set of chambers that offers a good quality of counsel at all levels’ and advises on the full range of high-profile and large-scale criminal law matters. Richard Christie KC is ’an exceptional advocate who leaves no stone unturned in the pursuit of his client’s interests’ – he successfully represented an extremely mentally disabled child defendant in an appeal against sentence for attempted murder, in one of the first cases relying on expert evidence to categorise a case’s harm level in the sentencing guidelines. Matthew Bagnall is often described as ‘an outstanding barrister’ with a brilliant legal mind and knowledge of the law’ and acted for the HMRC in the prosecution of a tobacco smuggling ring which imported over 6.5m cigarettes illegally. Donal Lawler provides ’sound advice and thinks quickly on his feet’ and acted for the defendant charged with a series of robberies and knife-point attacks on commuters in a case involving significant evidential issues related to the mental health of the defendant, joint enterprise and intention. James Onalaja has ‘strong advocacy and analytical skills’ and prosecuted Jelani Jones, a self-representing defendant who was convicted of malicious communications and witness intimidation after sending threats to police officers, solicitors and local business – Onalaja also continued in the case, representing the CPS in an appeal against sentence concerning the sentencing court’s discretion to consider time spent on remand awaiting trial for other charges.
Silks: Leading Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Richard Christie KC
‘Richard has an amazing ability to absorb a huge amount of material. He has real skill at getting to the crux of a case and marshalling the relevant facts. His attention to detail is outstanding. His advocacy skills are first rate, and approaches witnesses with great skill and care.’
Juniors: Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
Matthew Bagnall
‘Matthew has a brilliant eye for detail and is always prepared to put the work in. He is always quick with a spreadsheet to collate and analyse evidence. He always makes himself available to offer advice and discuss cases. He is robust in his advice and advocacy.’
Neil FitzGibbon
‘Neil has tremendous attention to detail and the practical nature of evidence. He is an excellent advocate.’
James Onalaja
‘James is a consummate professional and excels in all areas. He is an excellent and tenacious advocate. He is a great tactician, with an excellent rapport with the clients, whatever their background or circumstances.’
Donal Lawler
‘Donal is always quick to respond, provides sound advice and thinks quickly on his feet. He manages clients well and is able to appreciate wider commercial outlook.’
Emma Nash
‘Emma is a hardworking and diligent barrister. She is forceful in court and persuasive.’
Peter Guest
‘Peter is a phenomenal cross-examiner. He is a great trial strategist. He is very experienced and unflappable.’
Daniel Kersh
‘Daniel is a tenacious and an all-rounder advocate.’
Liam Edwards
‘Liam is a strong and persuasive barrister who can build a strong rapport with a range of different types of clients and personalities.’
Rising Stars
Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.
Tom Worden
‘Tom is able to identify the difficulties in any cases and how to overcome them and provide sound advice to the client. He has a very good way with clients and is able to put them at ease.’
London Bar:
Business and regulatory crime (including global investigations)
Silks: Leading Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Gideon Cammerman KC
‘Gideon quickly gets to the essence of the case and presents complex financial information to a jury in an easily understandable manner, so as to give life to the case. He is a skilled and persuasive advocate who quickly gains the trust and confidence of the court.’
London Bar
Fraud: crime
Silks
Leading Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Richard Christie KC
‘Richard is determined, and will not be pushed off course by a hostile judge. He is fearless in sticking to his task.’
Gideon Cammerman KC
‘Gideon is unbelievably committed. Clients love him for his practical advice. He is hugely respected and understands exactly how to present fraud cases to a jury.’
Andrew Trollope KC
‘A silk who will fight for his clients.’
Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
Henry Hughes
‘Henry’s work ethic is off the charts. He quickly gets to grips with complex financial fraud cases and is particularly astute at reading a court room.’
Greg Unwin
‘Greg is hard-working, thorough, and patient, with a level-headed analytical approach.’
Proceeds of crime (POCA) and asset forfeiture
Juniors
Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
Anna Keighley
‘Anna has an encyclopaedic knowledge of confiscation and proceeds of crime matters. She is thoughtful, fair and assertive.’
Testimonials
‘John Pyne leads a good team of clerks.’
‘Theresa Tyler and Steph Shaylor are amazing. They always goes above and beyond to help.’
‘The clerks are brilliant. Theresa Tyler and Steph Shaylor build good rapport with clients and provide them with quality advocates at all times.’
‘They have supportive clerks who always ensure that they provide suitable counsel, often at short notice and on occasions where private funding needs to be discussed, they are very realistic and reasonable in the fees they quote. There are out-of-office contacts should an emergency arise, which is very helpful.’
‘Chambers are always excellent and able to provide quality advocates at all times.’
‘A strong set that is well staffed in terms of range of experience.
”An excellent set with counsel ranging from the junior to very senior.’
‘The clerking team is brilliant. In particular, Theresa Tyler and Stephanie Shaylor.‘
‘John Pyne and Theresa Tyler – two of the best out there. They are always available on the end of a phone and with powers to arrange court hearings and counsel are incredible.’
‘John Pyne is amazing.’
‘187 Chambers is a strong and reliable set of chambers. The clerking team is always available to assist.’
‘187 Chambers have some fantastic barristers. The senior barristers have a wealth of experience and knowledge required for cases and often obtain exceptional results.’