‘The clerks are excellent, keep you updated and informed throughout, and they are always on hand.’
‘The clerks never fail to provide excellent service, being especially helpful and flexible, appearing to make the impossible happen at times.’
‘Excellent clerking.’
‘Brilliant set with an excellent range of barristers. They are brilliant in ensuring continuity of counsel. They ensure that if your instructed barrister is not available they will move the hearing to ensure that the barrister is available.’
– Legal 500 2025
‘The clerks will always assist.’
‘St John’s Buildings has an excellent clerking team who are efficient and always keeping us updated.’
– Chambers UK Bar 2025
Our Criminal Law team comprises more than 80 junior counsel and six King’s Counsel, operating nationally out of Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool and Chester. We provide specialist advisory and advocacy services in every aspect of criminal law, including:
- Murder and manslaughter
- Serious violent and sexual offences
- Child abduction and sexual exploitation
- Drug trafficking
- Human trafficking
- Serious and organised crime
- Fraud and financial crime
- Road traffic offences
- Regulatory offences
- Courts Martial
Members of Chambers regularly appear in some of the most serious and complex cases in the Crown Court, whether prosecuting on behalf of the CPS, HM Revenue and Customs or other prosecuting authorities, as well as undertaking similarly high profile and complex defence work. Examples include:
- Lucy Letby (Countess of Chester Hospital murders)
- Levi Bellfield (murder of Milly Dowler)
- Mark Bridger (murder of April Jones)
- Ian Watkins and others (child abuse involving former Lostprophets singer)
The range of expertise and wealth of experience we offer is, in our view, unrivalled in the North of England. Whether the case is being heard in the Magistrates’ Court, Crown Court or Court of Appeal, members of our criminal team will combine thorough preparation with the very highest standards of oral and written advocacy to provide both instructing solicitors and clients with an exceptional service. In order to assist you in finding the right specialist, we have identified those members of our team who have particular expertise in fraud & financial crime, Magistrates Court Work, Crown Court & Appeals and Courts Martial & Service law and you can view those teams through the navigation bar on this page. If you are unsure which expert is best for your case you can call your local chambers at the telephone numbers below or you can email clerk@stjohnsbuildings.co.uk and we will call you back.
We have an extremely high standard of conferencing facilities within Chambers, including telephone and video-conferencing facilities and, but we are happy to travel to the offices of those instructing us for conferences. Our modern facilities and our business standards are tailored to delivering a high quality, friendly, and flexible service to meet the demands of all our clients.
