Expertise

No other area of the criminal law has developed so rapidly and in such a complex way in the last 20 years. Members of chambers understand that the confiscation proceedings, which necessarily follow conviction for any financial wrongdoing, are now as important to the prosecutor and the defendant as the substantive trial proceedings, and that early expert advice on the same must be provided. Chambers excellent reputation for serious crime, drugs, terrorism, fraud, corruption and bribery extends to the ability...

Large companies and organisations frequently avoided prosecution and conviction arising out of fatal accidents even in situations where their own failures had been responsible. Prosecutions required proof of gross negligence manslaughter together with proof of the individual being a controlling mind of the company. In many cases, the larger the company, the greater the failings yet the harder it was to prove a case against a single individual said to be controlling the corporate mind such that there could be...

We have a specialist Courts Martial team with extensive experience in dealing with military cases. We accept instructions privately, via solicitors or via the Armed Forces Criminal Legal Aid Authority (AFCLAA). Our team understands the unique challenges which face servicemen and servicewomen accused of offences arising within a military or civilian setting. Furnival Chambers can provide advocacy and advice in the following cases: Courts Martial in the UK or abroad; Appeals to the Courts Martial Appeal Court; Service summary dealing;...

Furnival Chambers offers expertise in acting in whistleblowing cases, especially where the whistleblowing disclosures (the Public Interest Disclosures) involve information about criminal offences, or other serious misconduct.  Whistleblowing is a technically difficult area of employment law in which Furnival Chambers are well placed to advise, and provide the advocacy for the most difficult of trials – using the advocacy skills of prosecuting and defending serious crime.  Whistleblowing claims often involve a greater degree of investigation than other civil claims, seeking...

Furnival Chambers boasts a team of highly regarded, specialist extradition counsel. The calibre and expertise of the extradition team is demonstrated by Chambers’ frequent instructions in significant extradition cases at all levels. Members are repeatedly instructed to represent Requesting States and Requested Persons in Part 1 and Part 2 cases and have featured in many leading authorities on a variety of issues. In addition to representing individuals and states in contentious litigation before the courts, members of the team are...

The ability of the Financial Regulation & Compliance team is founded upon each member’s expertise in the technical aspects of financial crime, asset forfeiture, confiscation and civil fraud. The Financial Regulatory & Compliance Team at Furnival Chambers has extensive experience in a breadth of FCA issues, ranging from Financial Crime and Market Abuse through to providing advice on Market Conduct, Senior Management Arrangement, Systems and Controls, Authorisation and Codes of Practice for Approved Persons. The team, which includes members with first...

Members of chambers prosecute for the Serious Fraud Office, the CPS Specialist Fraud Division and the Financial Conduct Authority. Defence practitioners are regularly instructed to represent high profile defendants. Members of chambers provide a full service; expertise includes pre charge advice, criminal trials, confiscation (and related asset forfeiture applications); and related civil recovery and insolvency investigations. We also provide specialist advice to corporations and individuals who wish to bring private prosecutions, including mechanisms for the recovery of losses through the...

Members of Chambers have a wealth of trusted expertise in the field of inquests and inquiries. Inquests We are regularly instructed to undertake Coronial work, representing police officers involved in fatal shootings and cell deaths; companies charged with breaching health and safety regulations which include a train crash and a railway bridge collapse; the medical profession, insurers and public authorities. Nick Mather and Richard Hearnden frequently undertake inquests in which Article 2 is engaged, Nick represented the Gold Commander of the operation...

Chambers has a specialist team, both silks and juniors that deals with police matters throughout the country, acting on behalf of officers charged with crime or misconduct. We have acted in relation to all types of cases from wide scale alleged corruption and serious misconduct in public office to internal misconduct proceedings.   Advice and representation is provided in respect of all alleged offences, both serious and minor.   As a result, we understand the particular pressures involved in this type of...

In an age when cut backs to the CPS and Police are a standing order, Private Prosecutions are becoming a much more popular, successful and affordable means of securing justice for the individual or company. So many times one hears how the police were called and nothing was done, often due to lack of resources. A decision not to prosecute by the authorities does nothing to relieve the stress and trauma of being a victim of crime, whether it be...

As the number of regulatory bodies in the UK continues to rise, there is a growing need to ensure they act lawfully and proportionately – and that individuals or organisations, in their turn, receive sound and expert legal advice. At Furnival Chambers we act for bodies, individuals or organisations in areas such as health and social care, sport, firearms and licensing - aiming to provide clear and practical advice, reflecting an often complex web of rules and legislation. We understand...

Chambers has a strong and well-developed practice in this field. Members of chambers are regularly instructed on behalf of both the prosecution and the defence in relation to Health and Safety Act offences and a wide range of regulatory/disciplinary work. Many members of the team are actively involved in the work of both the Health and Safety Lawyers Association (HSLA) and the Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers (ARDL). Members of chambers regularly represent clients such as Local Authorities and...

Furnival Chambers’ members regularly appear in high-profile criminal cases, acting for both the Defence and the Prosecution. By way of example, members appeared in: The Stephen Lawrence murder trial The prosecution of Rolf Harris The prosecution of the UBS ‘rogue-trader’ The murder of Sarah Payne “Baby P” The Millennium Dome conspiracy The Mardi-Gras bombing conspiracy The prosecution of Princess Diana’s butler The murder of DC Stephen Oake The murder of PC Sharon Beshenivsky Deep Cut R v Mohammed Dica The...

Furnival Chambers is dedicated to providing the finest quality of defence and prosecution of serious sexual offences. Members of chambers can demonstrate the requisite skills including: sensitivity in dealing with vulnerable witnesses (particularly children), incisiveness, brevity in presentation, and thoroughness, care and consideration in defending. Chambers' team is headed by Sally O'Neill QC, who has considerable expertise in serious sexual cases. As Chairman of the CBA in 2008 she organised the series of training lectures with the NSPCC including regarding...

Craig Harris is our specialist sports law barrister.  Please revert to his personal profile, by clicking here.

Chambers’ pre-eminence in terrorism cases is demonstrated by the fact that Furnival, unlike any other set, is able to lay claim to having fielded teams, often both prosecuting and defending, in all of the significant post-9/11 terrorism trials, including: The 21/7 trials The Gloucester shoe bomber The first Al Qa’eda funding prosecution post-9/11 The “Ricin” conspiracy The ‘Fertiliser’ conspiracy The ‘terrorist007’ Al Qa’eda cyber-terrorism conspiracy The plotting of simultaneous bombings of US-bound aircraft out of Heathrow conspiracy. Funding terrorists in...