Stephen Bailey

Stephen acts for politicians, industrialists, companies and government departments across the full spectrum of sanctions-related matters before domestic courts, arbitral tribunals and the United Nations. He is the co-author (with Rachel Barnes KC) of: ‘Aircraft and Shipping Sanctions’ in Sanctions Law and Practice (Oxford University Press, 2026); ‘UK financial sanctions enforcement’ in The Guide to Sanctions (Global Investigations Review, 2025); and ‘Sanctions: challenging UK, UN and EU designations’ (PLC, 2025).

Stephen’s sanctions practice is complemented by his wider practice in public international law, criminal law and public law. He has been appointed to the Attorney General’s Public International Law Panel and the Serious Fraud Office’s Trial Counsel Panel, and he frequently acts before domestic courts, arbitral tribunals and the European Court of Human Rights in public international law matters involving allegations of wrongdoing.

Stephen is the leading expert on INTERPOL. He acts for States, politically exposed persons and former INTERPOL personnel in INTERPOL matters, including advising on membership of INTERPOL as well as the privileges and immunities of INTERPOL and its officials. Stephen is a co-author of the principal text on INTERPOL, The Legal Foundations of INTERPOL (Hart Publishing, 2020), and he has lectured on INTERPOL at All Souls College, University of Oxford.

Before transferring to the Bar, Stephen practised law at a leading Wall Street firm and a specialist public international law firm. He also taught contract law at the University of Cambridge and public international law, criminal law and public law at the University of Edinburgh.