2 Bedford Row

Head of Chambers: Brian Altman KC and Jim Sturman KC
Senior Clerk: John Grimmer
Tenants: 79

THE CHAMBERS Clients benefit from the knowledge, expertise and support of one of the country’s leading criminal and regulatory sets. Committed to all aspects of criminal and regulatory law, Chambers advises and represents clients in a wide variety of proceedings and investigations, from high profile fraud and murder cases, to health and safety and professional disciplinary proceedings. Members have appeared in International Criminal Courts in The Hague, the ECHR, Privy Council, Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, Administrative Court and all courts and tribunals of first instance, as well as public inquiries and inquests. Chambers has a high volume of international work and members attend hearings around the globe. Chambers serves a variety of clients, spanning national governments, international companies, local authorities and other public bodies, regulators, trade unions, corporations and directors and professional and sporting authorities, and individuals. Chambers calls upon the combined expertise of 17 KC’s and 62 juniors, including a former First Senior Treasury Counsel, standing counsel to the Health and Safety Executive, and a number of recorders. Chambers has provided two Chairs of the Bar Council and two Chairs of the CBA. Supporting them is a clerking team recognised as one of the best in the country.

WORK UNDERTAKEN
Crime:
As one of the acknowledged ‘magic circle’ criminal sets, Chambers has an outstanding track record in high profile trials, including corporate crime, terrorism and war crimes. Examples of high profile cases, in which our members prosecuted or defended, include Wayne Couzens (murder of Sarah Everard), the News International Phone Hacking trial, the MPs expenses prosecutions, Bowes and others (killing of PC Andrew Harper), Michael Stone, Colin Stagg, Levi Bellfield (murders of Milly Dowler and two other women), the Stephen Lawrence murder, Kenneth Noye (M25 murder), Russell Bishop (the ‘Babes in the Wood’ murders), Barry George, Vincent Tabak, Sgt Danny Nightingale, Rolf Harris, Kevin Spacey, Ched Evans, and Corporal Lee Clegg.

Fraud:
With an exceptional record for fraud and financial crime (including bribery and corruption), representing both corporate clients and individuals, members of Chambers have advised on or appeared in many of the highest profile cases, such as the Post Office ‘Horizon’ cases, HBOS, Libor, Euribor, Rolls Royce, Barclay’s Bank, BAE, Innospec, iSpoof, Imperial Consolidated, Pharmaceuticals, JJB Sports, Op. Condor, the Jubilee line fraud, Asil Nadir, Torex, Brent Walker, Butte Mining, WSTC, Cheney Pensions, Izodia pic,iSoft, Robinsons, Glaxo, and Unaoil. Members advise on investigations globally and have vast experience in multi-jurisdictional investigations. Members have advised all over the world on sanctions issues and have experience of all current and historic sanctions regimes.

Health and safety:
Members of this team offer an unparalleled combination of experience in the field of Health & Safety law and practice together with a formidable reputation for first-class criminal advocacy. Chambers’ health and safety team offers expertise across an ever-expanding range of sectors including the leisure, residential, retail, construction, manufacturing, agricultural, real estate, hospitality, healthcare, aviation, transport, recycling, entertainment, tech, oil and gas and nuclear industries.The team has been involved in all the UK’s major health and safety cases of the past few years, acting for both the defence and prosecution, and for interested parties in inquests, and inquiries. Recent cases in which members have appeared include the Hillsborough Football Stadium disaster, the Hatfield and Potters Bar rail disasters, Buncefield, and Grenfell.

Our specialist barristers advise employers, companies, company directors, individuals and public bodies including Local Authorities on all aspects of health and safety enforcement, and at every stage of proceedings.

Professional and disciplinary tribunals:
Over the years members have developed an intuitive understanding of how professional bodies think, which allows them to tailor their advocacy for the greatest effect. 2 Bedford Row represents professionals before the GMC, GDC, GOC, NMC and SDT among others, as well as acting for professional bodies themselves.

Financial services regulation:
The team has considerable experience in SFO, FCA, and Revenue & Customs investigations, VAT Tribunals, prosecutions and appeals.

Inquests and public inquiries:
The regulatory group assists clients (corporates and individuals) before coroners’ inquests and in public inquiries, providing high quality advice and representation. Examples of public inquiries include: Grenfell Tower; the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA); Mark Duggan; The Turks and Caicos Corruption Inquiry; De Menezes; Lakanal fire; Shipman; Post Office Horizon IT; Climbié; Lawrence; Ashwood Hospital; Brook House and the Covid Inquiry. Members are also involved in non-statutory reviews.

Sports law:
Members also frequently appear before professional sporting tribunals including The Court of Arbitration for Sport, they appear in all sports in the full range of disciplinary matters including doping, but particularly in football, rugby and cricket, and represent many Premiership clubs, Regulators and individual players both in the UK and abroad.

International work:
Members have undertaken work in the US, West Indies, Middle East, Russia, Africa, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Turks and Caicos and most of mainland Europe. Members can work in Arabic, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Krio (Sierra Leone), Russian and Serbo-Croat.For more details please see the website.