Professional Disciplinary & Tribunals

Red Lion Court Chambers offers a first class team of barristers, both Silks and Juniors, with a reputation for excellence in the field of professional disciplinary tribunals. All are also criminal practitioners, thus bringing with them outstanding advocacy skills honed in the rigours of criminal litigation, together with a sensitivity toward the serious impact disciplinary proceedings have upon the individuals involved. 

 

Red Lion Court Chambers has unparalleled experience of Bar disciplinary proceedings. Silks with intimate experience of such proceedings, whether as advocates or relevant committee members, include David Etherington QC, who chaired the Bar Council’s and, latterly, the Bar Standards Board’s own Professional Conduct, Legal Services and Professional Practice committees; Jeremy Benson QC who chairs Bar Disciplinary Tribunals and is a member of the Bar Standards Board Qualifications Committee, Mark Lucraft QC and Alex Milne QC who also sits on the Bar Standards Board Committee. 

 

Juniors with substantial recent experience before the BSB tribunals include: Gerard Pounder, Sally-Ann Hales, David Holborn, Tom Forster and Riel Karmy-Jones. Matters range from the straightforward to the lengthy and complex. Recently, Tom Forster acted in an appeal brought against the Bar Standards Board Disciplinary Tribunal on the basis of unwarranted interference with the barrister’s rights to free expression and privacy under the European Convention of Human Rights. Riel Karmy-Jones is currently instructed to represent the BSB in a high profile case against a member of the Crown Prosecution Service who accepted a bribe to abandon a criminal case.

 

Our disciplinary and regulatory work extends beyond the Bar. Members of chambers have appeared either on behalf of solicitors before the Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal, or prosecuting on its behalf. These include silks David Etherington QC and Noel Lucas QC, as well as junior Raj Joshi, who was appointed an Adjudicator for the Solicitors Regulatory Authority in 2009. Noel Lucas QC recently represented a solicitor in a disciplinary matter on appeal to the Administrative Court.

 

Several members of chambers, including former police officer David Holborn, have also represented police officers at Police Disciplinary Tribunals. Alex Milne QC, Sally-Ann Hales and Gerard Pounder have complementary experience advising, or appearing before inquiries by, the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

 

Many members of chambers act as Legal Assessors to disciplinary tribunals in the medical field, including the General Medical Council, the General Dental Council and the General Optical Council. Several members of chambers have also taken instructions to prosecute or defend before the same organisations’ tribunals. Senior members with substantial experience in this field, whether to advise the tribunal or represent parties, include: David Etherington QC, Anthony Arlidge QC, Carey Johnston QC, Mark Lucraft QC and Alex Milne QC. Juniors with substantial medical disciplinary experience include: Gerard Pounder, Sally-Ann Hales, Allison Clare, Tom Forster, Riel Karmy-Jones, Gillian Jones and Victoria Atkins. Many members, such as Patricia Lynch QC, Kim Jenkins and Ruby Hamid are also regularly instructed by the Medical Defence Union. The evidence in all such hearings is either technically detailed or highly sensitive, or both. The skills developed by those of our members undertaking such work include

Of course, such medical disciplinary tribunal work combines successfully with members’ more directly criminal work involving medical or sexual/assault evidence.

 

Red Lion Chambers also has a leading reputation for work in the fields of fraud and wider financial crime. As a corollary to this, certain members, notably Rebecca Chalkley and Ruby Hamid, have developed a working relationship with the Accountancy and Actuarial Discipline Board, advising and prosecuting in respect of investigations under their Accountancy Scheme. The work can involve considerable sums of money and is often highly sensitive. 

 

Chambers also has sound links to Sports Disciplinary work. Anthony Arlidge QC has represented clients before the Sports Disputes Resolution Panel and defended George Graham before the Football Association Panel on charges of corruption. Nigel Peters QC is a Member of the MCC Committee, being involved with Laws and Rule drafting as well as with disciplinary proceedings. In January 2008, in Sydney Australia, he was instructed by the International Cricket Council to advise and assist the Match Referee in the Disciplinary Hearing involving the Indian Test Cricketer Harbajhan Singh – a matter which became known as the “Bollyline Affair”. Other recent work has involved representation by Max Baines before the British Horseracing Authority (formerly the Jockey Club).