Michael Chambers
Criminal
Michael joined McMillan Williams in February 2009.
He retrained as a lawyer in 2001 after a successful career in advertising in the UK and US.
After completing his BVC at BPP Michael developed a keen interest in criminal law and became a criminal barrister where he trained as a pupil at 9 Bedford Row (Chambers of Anthony Berry QC) and Tooks (Chambers of Michael Mansfield QC)., and more recently as a tenant at 1 Mitre Court Buildings (Chambers of Lord Gifford QC).
Michael has represented defendants in the Crown, Magistrates and Youth Courts and is a keen and conscientious barrister with a commitment to aggressively fighting on behalf of his clients. Recent cases have included:-
• R v O (Croydon Crown Court) D arrested at Gatwick Airport waiting to meet someone off a plane with a large quantity of cocaine.
• R v C (Leicester Crown Court) 5 handed fraud in which the defendants were involved in setting up and running a company that defrauded creditors contrary to Companies Act 1985. The case involved in excess of 1,000 pages of evidence.
• R v G (Inner London Crown Court- D charged with possession of indecent images of children and two counts of indecent assault against a 14 year old girl. The trial and retrial involved sensitive and extensive cross examination of the complainant.
• R v D (St Albans Crown Court) 4 handed case in which the defendants were charged with an affray in which one of the complainants, an elderly gentleman sustained injuries.
• R v A (Blackfriars Crown Court). A pre credit crunch case in which D was charged with seven counts of benefit fraud resulting from undeclared assets funded by loans taken out by the defendant.
• R v K (Wood Green) - 6 handed sophisticated fraud against DWP in which stolen and manipulate cheques and separately acquired debit cards were presented at post offices to defraud £350,000+. Case involved in excess of 7,000 pages of evidence.
• R v O (Southwark Crown Court) – represented a prison officer charged with offences related to an allegation of bringing class A and Class C drugs into prison for prisoner.
• R v L (Croydon Crown Court) -large-scale cultivation of cannabis taking place in residential houses using high-powered lights.
• R v R (Snaresbrook Crown Court)- represented youth charged with false imprisonment, blackmail, robbery, theft and assault in which the complainants were vulnerable.
• R v A (Croydon Crown Court) knifepoint robbery in which the complainant was attacked at knifepoint at an ATM and in which the defendant has severe psychological and mental health issues.
In addition at the Court of Appeal Michael has experience in challenging Crown Court sentences imposed and in R v Adenusi arguing that the bad character provisions of CJA2003 cannot be established by a single offence committed after the date of the offences for which the defendant was convicted.
Michael is also a member of the Criminal Bar Association and the South Eastern Circuit.
