Harry Laidlaw

Harry Laidlaw specialises in crime, inquests, public inquiries, and health and safety work.

He acts for both prosecution and defence across serious criminal offences, including murder, firearms, drugs, fraud, rape, and child sex offences, often representing vulnerable individuals with mental health difficulties.

Harry also defends in cases brought by enforcement authorities such as the Health and Safety Executive. Recent work includes Reading Borough Council v R P Ltd, a child death health and safety prosecution, and defending a company director charged with Health and Safety at Work Act offences after a workplace fatality.

He has extensive experience representing interested persons at inquests, including medical professionals, care homes, companies, and families of the deceased, particularly in complex medical or health and safety cases.

Harry represents core participants at public inquiries and is currently junior counsel to Post Office Ltd in the Horizon IT Public Inquiry.

Outside court, he advises organisations and individuals at the pre-charge stage and is junior counsel to Peters & Peters in the Post Office ‘Horizon’ Appeals, reviewing convictions linked to Horizon data between 2000 and 2014.

He acts on both private and publicly funded cases.

Harry was ranked a ‘Rising Star’ junior in the 2026 Legal 500 Inquests and Inquiries section and noted ‘Up & Coming’ in Chambers UK Bar 2025 for Crime.

Called 2018

CPS RASSO List

CPS Advocate – Level 3

Government Legal Department “Junior Junior” Counsel Panellist

Criminal Bar Association

Young Fraud Lawyers Association

Youth Practitioner’s Association

Honourable Society of the Inner Temple