18 Red Lion Court is a leading set of chambers specialising in the practice of criminal law. Chamber's members include 20 Queen’s Counsel, Crown Court Recorders, Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office Standing Counsel, and Treasury Counsel. In 2008 we had the highest number of successful applicants for Silk in a criminal set in England and Wales.

The Head of Chambers, David Etherington QC, is widely recognised as a leading advocate in general crime and criminal fraud. Until 2008, he was Chairman of the Bar Council’s Professional Practice Committee. He remains an elected member of the Bar Council.

18 Red Lion Court is a London based set with an expanding and active annexe situated in Chelmsford. We have attractive period properties in both cities from which we service, in particular, London, East Anglia, and the South-East, although members practise anywhere in England and Wales (and, where appropriate, outside the jurisdiction) because a number of clients prefer to instruct a leading London set.

We are able to provide skilled representation in all courts from the magistrates’ court to the House of Lords. This includes the Divisional Court with cases of judicial review. We also specialise in human rights litigation and death row cases, resulting in appearances in the ECHR and the Caribbean as well as the Privy Council.

We are able to provide expert representation in quasi-criminal jurisdictions such as the GMC, the Coroners’ court, all forms of judicial inquiry and civil jury actions involving the Police, such as Malicious Prosecution and False Imprisonment.

Chambers has always involved itself actively in the academic study of the law, in education and training of those involved with the Criminal Law and in assisting the wider media in their presentation of the criminal law through drama and documentary. By way of examples, Professor David Ormerod (the author of Smith & Hogan on Criminal Law) is a full tenant, Chambers recently organised a major conference on Terrorism Law with an associated text book and members of Chambers have assisted in television programmes such as "Kavanagh QC", "Judge John Deed" and "The Verdict".

We understand the importance of IT and members of Chambers are proficient in current IT skills. Chambers has an impressive data and communications infrastructure, which is upgraded periodically to keep pace with state of the art technology, for example, digital telephony makes it even easier to keep in touch with our barristers, whether by single-number calling or through video-conferencing.

Chambers’ holds the BARMARK (Bar Council) and Quality Mark for the Bar (Legal Services Commission) quality standards, and places particular emphasis on its relationships with our wide base of solicitors who instruct our members. We operate vigorous policies to ensure equality of opportunity and diversity and we receive a very large number of applications every year to join our set from those starting out in practice as pupils through to established practitioners from other sets. A number of former tenants have occupied senior positions in the judiciary and criminal justice agencies and continue so to do.

Chambers has a highly organised administrative structure with democratic elections for its General Management Committee and Headship of Chambers and we operate a developed Complaints Procedure under John Black QC in case any solicitor or client is dissatisfied with our service and wishes to complain to us directly.

We are supported by an efficient and experienced clerking team, who are more than happy to discuss your requirements. Please take the opportunity to telephone the Senior Clerk, Ken Darvill, or one of his team, on 020 7520 6000.

If you wish to discuss chambers’ services and facilities more generally, please contact the Chambers Administrator, Adam Key, on 020 7520 6111.