SILK PROFILE

Clare Montgomery KC

UK Bar 2026

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Ranked in 9 practice areas

About

Provided by Matrix Chambers

UK Bar

Practice Areas

Clare Montgomery KC is a specialist in criminal, regulatory and fraud law, perhaps best known for her work on legally and factually complex cases involving cross border challenges. For the past decade she has dealt with the most demanding and difficult legal cases particularly those that involved heavily contested trial or appellate challenges. She works collaboratively in a team setting and is renowned for her skill in cross examination.

She has featured in the starred category of KC’s recommended for crime and fraud for the whole of that period, winning a number of professional accolades. She has also been concerned in a wide range of public law and due process cases both for and against Governments in the UK and in Strasbourg and other apex courts. Her appellate work has spanned the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal, the UK Supreme Court and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

She has sat as a Recorder since 2000, a Deputy High Court Judge in the Administrative Court since 2003, in the Courts of Appeal of Guernsey and Jersey since 2007 and in the Court of Appeal for the Cayman Islands from 2023.

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

UK Bar

Extradition - London (Bar)

Star Individual
Star Individuals

Individual Editorial

Clare Montgomery KC is known for her involvement in incredibly high-profile cases. She is particularly well versed in assisting individuals who are being sought for extradition by international governments as a result of alleged criminal offences.

Financial Crime: Corporates - London (Bar)

Star Individual
Star Individuals

Individual Editorial

Clare Montgomery KC is a widely acclaimed, top-drawer silk whose talents are in considerable demand both at home and abroad. She acts for individuals and corporations, and is an elite practitioner whose advocacy skills are employed to great effect in appellate cases. Her practice has an international range and she has particular expertise in handling Hong Kong's most high-profile financial crime matters. She is routinely called upon for her ability to handle the most complex fraud cases.

Financial Crime - London (Bar)

Star Individual
Star Individuals

Individual Editorial

Clare Montgomery KC is a widely acclaimed, top-drawer silk whose talents are in considerable demand both at home and abroad. She acts for individuals and corporations, and is an elite practitioner whose advocacy skills are employed to great effect in appellate cases. Her practice has an international range and she has particular expertise in handling Hong Kong's most high-profile financial crime matters. She is routinely called upon for her ability to handle the most complex fraud cases.

Crime - London (Bar)

Star Individual
Star Individuals

Individual Editorial

Clare Montgomery KC is an immensely respected barrister with an international reputation for her work on crime and extradition cases. She regularly handles complex matters, and also appears in public law and due process cases, acting both for and against the government.

POCA Work & Asset Forfeiture - All Circuits

Star Individual
Star Individuals

Individual Editorial

Clare Montgomery KC is a major name at the Criminal Bar with a stellar financial crime practice strengthened by her expertise in asset forfeiture. She is skilled at advising clients on money laundering regulations and regularly acts on complex domestic and international POCA matters.

Civil Liberties & Human Rights - London (Bar)

Band 1
Band 1

Individual Editorial

Clare Montgomery KC is particularly highly regarded for her adroit handling of public law and due process matters. She regularly acts both for and against the government in significant, high-profile cases, and is active at the intersection of human rights, criminal regulatory and fraud law. Montgomery is admitted in Northern Ireland and a number of international jurisdictions, including Hong Kong.

Administrative & Public Law - London (Bar)

Band 1
Band 1

Individual Editorial

Clare Montgomery KC is a renowned advocate whose public law work spans a number of areas, including challenges to the scope and legality of criminal and regulatory decisions. She has a particular emphasis on administrative and public law claims that rely on human rights grounds.

Fraud: Civil - London (Bar)

Band 1
Band 1

Individual Editorial

Clare Montgomery KC of Matrix Chambers is a well-known advocate with a multi-jurisdictional criminal and civil practice who is used to dealing with difficult disputes. Much of her work is international in nature.

Protest Law - All Circuits

Band 2
Band 2

Individual Editorial

Clare Montgomery KC is widely recognised for her knowledge of criminal, public and fraud law. She is a popular choice for defendants in cases of high legal complexity as well as matters that have caught the public imagination.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • Clare is a very good advocate and a walking law encyclopaedia.

    ExtraditionUK Bar
  • Clare is a phenomenal practitioner.

    Financial Crime: CorporatesUK Bar
  • Clare is brilliant in all respects.

    Financial Crime: CorporatesUK Bar
  • Clare is absolutely stellar and continues to be right at the top of the practice.

    Financial Crime: CorporatesUK Bar
  • As mightily impressive as her formidable reputation would suggest.

    CrimeUK Bar
  • She's one of the best in white-collar crime and is in all the big cases. She has a huge practice, is very smart and works very fast. Judges love her.

    POCA Work & Asset ForfeitureUK Bar

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