“I have known Mr Jones KC for a number of years now. By definition of Mr Jones KC status, we have worked on the most serious of offences in the criminal calendar. He quickly elevated to become my “first go-to” silk of choice. His dedication, preparation and eye for detail, no matter how paper volumous a case is, is phenomenal and it quickly becomes apparent. He has a down to earth approach to cases and my clients have always been very impressed by his dedication and skill. At what arguably is the lowest point of their lives Mr Jones KC has the knack of immediately putting them at ease from their very first meeting. On a selfish note this is always great for me because it lifts a lot of the pressure.

Mr Jones KC readily engages everyone involved in a case, client, instructing Solicitor and Junior Counsel and welcomes people’s views and comments. He is the first to say all cases are a team effort. He makes himself available any time of day or night if advice or a view is required on something.

In Court he has a very big presence and it is clear the respect Judges and peers alike have for him. He is a great Jury Advocate.

I only have one negative comment to make, I wish I had met the Gentlemen professional much sooner than I did!”
Garry Leaver, Farley’s Solicitors

“John Jones KC is regularly instructed by the Firm because he is an effective and powerful advocate representing our clients in the most serious of cases to be heard throughout England and Wales.

John’s approach to preparation is meticulous, thorough and methodical, identifying evidential weaknesses in our opponent’s case to be pressed home by him to win the trial.

John’s client care is second to none, with regular and meaningful conferences with our clients, proceeding to navigate them through the complexity of the evidence and law in an easy to understand manner but moreover so the client is best prepared when giving evidence at trial.

It is not surprising that John’s caseload in recent years has included representing client’s faced with Murder, Terrorism and high value Money Laundering allegations.

John excels as Queen’s Counsel for all the above reasons but also because his character and personality always shine through. He is naturally committed and hardworking with a genuine interest in working for our client as well as being incredibly easy to work with, being approachable and accessible by phone or in person.

You want Queen’s Counsel and you want the best – choose John Jones KC.”
Nasir Hafezi LLB MA, Solicitor at Robert Lizar Solicitors

“John Jones Q.C. is a tenacious, highly intelligent, accomplished silk who has many years of experience of defending complex and challenging cases. He has particular expertise in defending complex fraud cases and does so with the upmost skill and client care.

Having regularly instructed him over the years (and having recently been involved with him in a multi million pound money laundering case in Manchester, where he and I represented the main Defendant) I am consistently impressed by his exceptionally high levels of preparation, his attention to detail, his overall tactical awareness and his advocacy skills.

He is also a pleasure to work with and a real team player. He also makes the most complex of cases easy to understand for his clients, from whom he regularly receives praise. He involves the client at every stage of their case and always keeps them abreast of developments and legal issues. He seems to thrive on attention to detail.”
David Ryan, Partner, M&A Solicitors, York

“John Jones KC specialises in defending very serious criminal allegations. In addition to his intelligent and thoughtful manner, Mr Jones is a highly motivated and extremely hard working lawyer. He cares deeply to ensure that those he represents obtain the best possible outcome. He is a fearless advocate for his clients. His tenacity, work ethic, incisive tactical thinking and dedication to ensuring the best possible results for his clients have resulted in a thoroughly well-deserved reputation for excellence.”
Correna Platt, Senior Partner, Stephensons

“John scores on every front. His paperwork is absolutely first class; logical, lucid, well presented, well ordered and above all totally to the point. His thorough preparation is evidenced by a relaxed but highly effective courtroom presentation. Be it in forensic cross examination of experts, or chatting things through with the jury, his sheer command of the English language is a joy to witness. All in all a sound choice, but with an added advantage, which any solicitor will understand he is a natural team leader who takes the time to listen.”
Mike Mackey, Senior Partner, Burton Copeland

“John is a superb advocate and his case and trial preparations are exceptional and very thorough. His interest and commitment to the client’s cause always shines through. John is never afraid of giving difficult advice to a client and he doesn’t shy away from issues which need addressing. John thinks strategically from the outset and always ensures that my clients understand any difficulties they may face and they are thus able to make decisions based on the very best advice available.”
Jason Cropper, Partner, Regulatory Investigations and Prosecutions, TLT LLP

“John Richard Jones KC is excellent.”
Chambers and Partners 2025

Tier 1 – Business and Regulatory Crime (Including Health and Safety)

Tier 1 – Crime (General and Fraud)
The Legal 500 2025

Consistently ranked in the legal directories, Chambers UK and the Legal 500, John is described as a “heavy hitting silk” and is praised for his “formidable reputation as an advocate”. Sample references from the directories include:

“John is a superb jury advocate and lawyer. My go-to silk.”

“He’s very thorough and gets good results.”
Chambers and Partners 2024

“He is calm and assured.” Chambers and Partners 2023

“He is hard-working, thorough and excellent with clients and juries alike.”
Chambers and Partners 2022

“He is brilliant – extremely thorough and so clever.”

“John has an excellent manner and builds up a rapport with the client. He is proactive and delivers outstanding closing speeches.” “He is hard-working and gets good results.”
Chambers and Partners 2021

“Has an excellent manner and builds up a rapport with clients. He is proactive and delivers outstanding closing speeches.” “A pugnacious advocate, the proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove.”

“A top-drawer silk with a very strong work ethic.” “He lives and breathes financial crime.” “A meticulous barrister and an excellent jury advocate. He’s very personable and is someone who can bring himself to the jury’s level and explain things in a non-technical way, while getting across some very pertinent and technical points.”
Chambers and Partners 2020

“He’s very thorough, hard-working and gets good results.” “He works tirelessly to achieve the best results for his clients; he’s a very clever advocate.”
Chambers and Partners 2019

“He’s an excellent advocate who has an outstanding command of the courtroom. He’s diligent in his preparation for complex and lengthy trials.”
Chambers and Partners 2018

“Specialises in serious crime and fraud work, with particular expertise in money laundering, drugs and sexual offences. Regularly involved in cases arising out of domestic terrorism.”
Chambers and Partners 2017

“A really powerful trial advocate. His attention to detail is remarkable and he has a very caring approach to the lay clients.”
Chambers and Partners 2016

“Handles serious fraud and money laundering defence work. Solicitors appreciate his meticulous approach” “He is very good on his feet and commands a lot of respect from Barristers and Judges” “He is extremely hardworking and good with clients.”
Chambers and Partners 2014

John is cited as a “leading Silk” in both crime and regulatory work in The Legal 500 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018/19, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Crime:

“John has the ability to put the client at ease from their very first meeting, which is no mean feat bearing in mind the seriousness of the allegations they may face. He has a down-to-earth approach and readily engages everyone present, he is never fearful of asking people their thoughts and views, his preparation of a case does not go without notice, and his eye for detail is phenomenal.”
The Legal 500 2024

“His preparation in cases is meticulous, his client care is impeccable and his advocacy is always forceful and formidable. The go-to KC.”

“John has a stylish, smooth and unflappable demeanour in Court. His advocacy is precise, comprehensive and cogent. As a result of his thorough knowledge of the law and preparation of his cases, John is trusted by the Court and is, as a result, a very persuasive advocate. He is very agile in cross examination and reacting to the unexpected events that occur in a criminal trial. John has a great eye for detail in paper heavy cases.”
The Legal 500 2023

“Attention to detail. Superb with the clients and juries alike. Overall a fantastic lawyer and advocate. My go-to silk.”
The Legal 500, 2022

“A formidable advocate whose attention to detail is second-to-none.”
The Legal 500, 2021

“Very hard-working and always gives good turnaround of instructions.”
The Legal 500, 2020

“A specialist in criminal law.”
The Legal 500, 2018/19

“An iron fist in a velvet glove.”
The Legal 500, 2017

“Experienced in fraud and all other white collar crime.”
The Legal 500, 2016

“His advocacy is calm and precise, and his gravitas with the judge makes him
very persuasive.”
The Legal 500, 2015

Regulatory/Health and Safety/Environment work:

“John is a tenacious, highly intelligent, accomplished silk who has many years of experience in defending complex and challenging cases. His exceptionally high levels of preparation, his attention to detail, his overall tactical awareness, and his advocacy skills are impressive.”
The Legal 500 2024

“John Jones KC has a strong background in handling fraud cases concerning issues including money laundering, corporate fraud and insider dealing.”
The Legal 500, 2022

“Has the ability to lead a team whilst listening to instructions given. Excellent with clients. Extremely hard working, an effective advocate who is also lucid in his written submissions.”
The Legal 500, 2021

“Very hard-working and always turns around work in good time.”
The Legal 500, 2020

“Very experienced across a range of health and safety cases.”
The Legal 500, 2018/19

“A formidable lawyer.”
The Legal 500, 2017

“Defends actions brought by regulators, including the H.S.E and the environment Agency”.
The Legal 500, 2016

“He adopts an utterly fearless and robust approach.”
The Legal 500, 2015