Rupert Bowers KC

Practice Areas

Financial crime, public law challenges to criminal process, extradition, data protection and information rights, terrorist offences and funding, homicide.

Career

Rupert leads the chambers Business Crime team and specialises in financial crime, public law challenges to criminal process, extradition, data protection and information rights, terrorist offences and funding, homicide and is an author of practitioner publications.

He is one of the country’s leading experts in challenging search and seizure operations targeting property and information and in challenging asset freezing orders in the criminal and civil courts. He has experience not just of heavy trial and appellate work in the criminal courts, but also vast experience of judicial review and other civil applications and is renowned for his ability to take unusual and difficult cases at the interface between criminal and civil law.

Over the years he has represented a number of high profile individuals and entities including Harry Redknapp, Jermain Defoe, Lord Hanningfield in the parliamentary expenses scandal, George Galloway before the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (click here)), West Ham Utd, James Tomkins, MC Saatchi Merlin, Ben Thatcher in relation to his FA disciplinary for his tackle on Pedro Mendes, Dr Edward Wojakovski, and he appeared in the lead Encrochat case before the Court of Appeal and upon judicial review of the European investigation order in that same case (click here and here).

Rupert has taken cases before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland and he tends to act for a small number of private clients and companies at any one time which allows him to focus on their particular needs. When involved in criminal cases he tends to act for those who engage him at the investigative stage.

Professional Memberships

Called 1995; Silk 2015.

Fraud Lawyers Association

Criminal Bar Association

Publications

Rupert publishes regular articles on a variety of legal topics which are available on Lexology and Passle. He has also been published in various magazines including the Solicitors Journal, Counsel Magazine and The Law Society Gazette and previously wrote commentary for Lloyds Financial Law Reports. Rupert is the author, or a contributing author, to the following practitioner texts:

• Information Rights: A Practitioner’s Guide to Data Protection, Freedom of Information and other Information Rights (Bloomsbury) (2023)–Rupert contributes the chapter relating to investigations and offences together with Simon McKay of counsel.

• Human Rights in Criminal Law (Bloomsbury) (2023) – Rupert contributes the chapter relating to the interception of communications.

• Blackstone’s Guide to the Terrorism Act 2006 (OUP) (2006) – Rupert co-authored with Alun Jones KC and Hugo Lodge of counsel.

Personal

Rupert enjoys music, acting and many sports including skiing, mountaineering, cycling, golf, squash and tennis.