Jonathan Barnard KC

Practice Areas

“A true superstar of his generation”, Jonathan garners accolades as an "elegant" and "charismatic" advocate.

Noted for his "supreme" judgment and “superb analytical skills”, Jonathan is routinely instructed to represent professionals and corporate clients in high-profile, financial, and heavyweight criminal matters. Whether at trial or providing strategic counsel during investigation, he is recognised as a "class act,”, “incredibly intelligent”, “extremely industrious” and “a pleasure to work with”.

Winner of Chambers and Partners Crime Junior of the Year, 2016, he represented Victor Dahdaleh, the billionaire “power broker” acquitted on all counts re corruption of the Prime Minister of Bahrain [2014] 1 W.L.R. 1857, and secured acquittals in high-profile cases involving rape charges for Eddy Shah, the former media magnate, and Dr. Falkowski, a renowned consultant psychiatrist, (upon which the film "U B Dead" is based)

More recently, Jonathan appeared in:

• R v M, B & O: representing a former hedge fund director/owner facing charges of defrauding the Libyan Sovereign Wealth Fund across multiple jurisdictions (2020-23)

• ENRC v Dechert LLP (Top 20 Cases 2022, The Lawyer): representing a major US law firm re multi-million-pound civil claim, co-defending with the SFO [2021] 7 WLUK 680.

• SFO v Barclays (winner - Most Important Court Case 2020, GIR): for first defendant, acquitted of all charges re Qatar multi-billion-pound capital raise in 2008 [2019] 6 WLUK 873; [2020] Lloyd's Rep. R.C. 331.

• SFO v Tesco: for first defendant (former CFO) acquitted of all charges re alleged fraud of over £300m [2019] 1WLUK 176.

• SFO v Alstom: for a former director, acquitted of all charges re overseas corruption [2016] Q.B. 763.

• R v Robinson: for first defendant (former senior partner of an international firm of accountants), acquitted of all fraud charges before the Supreme Court of Gibraltar. Leading Authority on stay [2015] Gib LR 216 and prosecutorial misconduct [2015] Gib LR 410.

• R v Sivaraman: High Court upheld stay (with costs) against high-profile private prosecution of gynaecologist [2015] 12 WLUK 619.

• R v Evans: representing former CEO, successfully resisted the SFO's High Court application for a voluntary bill of indictment [2015] 1 W.L.R. 3526, [2015] 1 W.L.R. 3595, [1025] Lloyd's Rep, F.C. 496.

and advised:

• Rio Tinto Plc in a six-year investigation by the SFO, SEC and AFP into overseas corruption (case closed by the SFO without charge) (2016-2023)

• A multinational, LSE-listed company facing an SFO probe (2023)

• Property tycoon Raymond Kwok, the only defendant to be acquitted in Hong Kong’s largest ever graft trial (2012-14)

• The last editor of The News of the World in his long running contempt proceedings before Parliament (2012-16)

• A former high-ranking official at the Bank of England in relation to the SFO probe into LIBOR fixing.