Foundry Chambers

Head of Chambers: Alexandra Healy KC

Senior Clerk: Angela May

Number of tenants: 62 in full time practice (12 Silks and 50 Juniors)

The Chambers was founded in 1970 in Inner Temple by Sir Arthur Irvine KC PC, former Solicitor General, and moved in 1994 to 9-12 Bell Yard, the address from which it took its name. It operated successfully there until June 2017 when the set moved to its present premises and used the opportunity to re-launch with a new identity.

The present premises in Quality Court are situated in the middle of Chancery Lane at the heart of London’s legal district and provide Chambers with modern facilities and an ideal working environment. Client conferences can be conducted in person in Chambers and/or via video-link.

The range of work undertaken and its specialist teams of barristers make Foundry Chambers a single port of call for clients looking for solutions to matters crossing different legal disciplines. Members of Chambers act in the most challenging and high-profile cases within its areas of practice. Ranked for many years as a leading set in the legal directories, Chambers has been praised in guides to the profession as “a superior criminal set” and “a powerhouse for serious crime”.

Foundry provides advice and advocacy for individual and corporate clients and all prosecution agencies, local authorities and regulators across the full spectrum of the criminal law and in civil and regulatory matters involving allegations of financial wrongdoing, professional misconduct and tax litigation.

Its membership also includes established practitioners in the fields of extradition, public law, confiscation and asset recovery and professional misconduct.

Many members of chambers are able to act on a direct access basis in appropriate cases.

Criminal Defence & Prosecution: For individuals and corporates accused of criminal offences, the set offers advice and representation from the early stages of the investigation through to appeal. Its members are often instructed in serious and complex cases. The set also regularly acts in cases where there is a risk of reputational or economic damage, such as where a conviction for a relatively minor offence may lead to the loss of a job or a licence.

For public prosecutors, the set offers advice and advocacy from the pre-charge stage onwards. It has members qualified at all levels of the Crown Prosecution Service Advocate Panel, as specialist rape prosecutors, and on the Serious Fraud Office counsel lists. The set acts for a number of London boroughs and other local authorities in prosecutions for criminal and regulatory offences. It has a long history of work in cases of evasion of tax or duty. Its strength in asset recovery and confiscation work complements its prosecution expertise.

The set also has extensive experience of private prosecution work, having been regularly instructed in these cases for over 20 years. Members of chambers are well placed to advise businesses or individuals considering bringing private prosecutions.

Fraud and Financial Regulation: Members of Chambers advise and represent businesses and individuals at all stages of this often complex process. It assists businesses in developing anti-corruption policies, and in conducting internal investigations. It advises individuals and businesses who are under investigation. The set represents corporate and individual defendants in criminal prosecutions and in all other tribunals dealing with financial regulation. The set has particular expertise in handling the restraint, confiscation and asset recovery aspect of cases centring on financial misconduct.

Many of the set's members have long-standing experience acting for the government departments and agencies charged with countering fraud and financial misconduct. Almost one in five of Foundry’s members are on the SFO counsel list, as well as members who are regularly instructed by the FCA, BIS and HMRC.

Foundry Chambers also has experience in acting for corporates seeking to combat corruption, protect intellectual property rights, or inhibit anti-competitive practices by bringing their own criminal or civil proceedings.

INTERNATIONAL: Chambers was delighted to take on two associate tenants during 2020 with international criminal and compliance law expertise. Languages spoken include Hindi, Punjabi and Swahili.

CLERKING: Chambers is supported by an award-nominated dedicated team of six clerks, a Chambers Manager and Librarian.

RECRUITMENT: Chambers will always welcome enquiries and applications from skilled practitioners at all levels of call who can show that they could complement or expand Chambers’ lines of work with the support of a dedicated clerking team.