Barristers

Appointments

Appointed to the CPS Advocate Panel at Level 1

Practice Areas and Specialisations

Criminal Work

Since joining Chambers, Tom has quickly developed a strong criminal practice, both defending and prosecuting. Recent instructions include the successful prosecution of complex fraud in Lewes Crown Court, lasting two weeks, and successfully defending a week long ABH trial in Cambridge Crown Court. He has also acted in legally complex matters. For example, acting for the TV licensing authority on an appeal to the Birmingham Crown Court challenging the validity of the TV licensing regime as being incompatible with the Human Rights Act and European Court authorities.

Tom has defended the most serious types of cases within the magistrates' and youth court jurisdiction. These include sexual assault of an under 13-year-old, robberies and serious ABH cases. Tom also prosecutes on behalf of the Royal Mail Group, the Crown Prosecution Service, Capita and the Department of Work and Pensions.

Civil Work

Having undertaken a secondment as a hearings advocate at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (‘NMC’), Tom has a wealth of experience appearing in front of regulatory tribunals at interim and substantive hearings. He has worked on several high profile nursing cases, including two nurses accused of sustained physical and racial abuse of colleagues and patients. Tom as also acted in numerous regulatory matters heard in the High Court, both on appeal and extensions to Interim Orders.

Tom has appeared in Judicial Review hearings before the Administrative Division of the High Court. He also acts in Judicial Reviews of immigration decisions and fresh claims. Tom has been instructed by Tsol as a disclosure junior in a number of large-scale Judicial Reviews of the government's policy on detention in Afghanistan and Iraq. Tom has advisory experience in extradition matters and MTIC fraud work. He has also worked in the civil litigation department in one of the South Coast's leading law firms.

Pro Bono work

Tom has worked at the Caribbean Centre for Human Rights working on murder appeals to the Privy Council from prisoners on death row in Trinidad and Tobago. He also worked for the Youth Justice Board as a Referral Order Panel Chairman, drawing up correctional contracts for first time young offenders. Tom has volunteered with the Personal Support Unit, a charity which assists litigants in person having their civil cases heard in the Royal Courts of Justice and the first division of the Family Court

Education and Qualifications