James Hines KC

Practice Areas

James Hines KC acts in major international fraud, crime and extradition cases, both prosecuting and defending. His experience, versatility and judgement are highly sought after.

James has acted in numerous SFO, FCA, and CMA cases. He is the Chair of the Fraud Lawyers’ Association. In 2024 he appeared in Operation Barbados, a £20+ million offset VAT fraud. He is currently defending in SFO v London Mining Plc (bribery of government officials in Sierra Leone) due to be heard in spring 2026, and, on the prosecution side, he is instructed by the SFO in the Axiom Ince trial, he is also instructed in the Libor appeal in the Supreme Court.

In crime he has acted in all areas particularly corruption, murder, and drugs. Recent cases include two significant bribery and corruption trials and a number of murder cases including Operation Rockrose, a contract killing, an EncroChat case.

James has appeared in Extradition and MLA cases at every level. In 2023 he was Chair of the Extradition Lawyers’ Association.

He has advised and acted in private prosecutions and for some years was outside criminal counsel for the Microsoft Corporation.

Notable clients include Silvio Berlusconi, a suspect in the 1MDB trial in Malaysia, Glenn Mulcaire (News of the World phone hacking) and ‘the Nat West Three’.

Career

Called 1982, Silk 2015. James is Co-Chair of the Ethics Committee of the General Council of the Bar and is a visiting professor at BPP University Law School.