Rhodri James

Rhodri James is a barrister who is well known in the legal profession for his work defending in the most serious and paper heavy criminal allegations.

He practices as part of a leading set of barristers at 23ES and is routinely involved in high-profile and complex cases. He has a reputation as a sharp and articulate advocate and he has been listed as a Leading Junior in both the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners for over a decade.

In terms of his approach, he clearly identifies the central issues in each case early on through thorough and careful preparation. His client advice is focused and realistic and he works closely with his loyal solicitors to gain the very best results for those he represents.

In court, he uses a combination of rigorous legal analysis, strategic thinking, and persuasive argument. His advocacy is clear, concise and results focused.

Recent instructions include:

representing a 16 year old charged with offences of preparing terrorist acts, said to have involved a plan to launch a widespread attack at the Isle of Wight festival,

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-68817431

defending a 70 year old professional charged by the Financial Conduct Authority with offences said to have occurred over two decades,

https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/larry-barreto-and-tassib-hussain-sentenced-mortgage-fraud

representing a person of good character and in their mid 40s said to have been part of a team defrauding schools between 2011 and 2013,

https://www.lincs.police.uk/news/lincolnshire/news/20252/sep/former-sales-director-jailed-for-fraud/

defending in a prosecution brought by National Trading Standards with allegations of “copy-cat websites”

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/jan/30/tax-return-passport-health-copycat-websites

defending an allegation brought by National Trading Standards accusing secondary ticket sellers of defrauding consumers and manipulating the market price of tickets for major events. The allegations centred around Ed Sheeran’s Stadium Tour 2017 and secondary ticket sales,

https://news.sky.com/story/two-touts-ordered-to-pay-back-more-than-6m-after-reselling-concert-tickets-12768024

defending an attempted murder road rage allegation where the accused deliberately knocked down a traffic warden.

https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/19366223.burgess-hill-road-rage-driver-arthur-mcghie-faces-prison/

Legal 500 says:

“Simply outstanding when it comes to cross examining vulnerable witnesses”

“A great advocate who has the ability to absorb forensically dense cases, the capacity to know what is important, the judgement to know how to deploy it and the confidence of the court in his execution”

“Rhodri is a skilled advocate who combines a friendly and approachable style with focused and persuasive advocacy. He holds a lot of authority in the courtroom, both with judges and juries”

Chambers & Partners says:

“Rhodri is excellent – very good with clients and works hard”

“An excellent advocate. He fights hard for his clients, showing great tactical awareness in achieving the best results”