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2 Hare Court, Temple, London, EC4Y 7BH
Tel: 020 7353 5324
Fax: 020 7353 0667
2 Hare Court, Temple, London, EC4Y 7BH
Tel: 020 7353 5324
Fax: 020 7353 0667
Jonathan Laidlaw QC
The 'tip-top' Jonathan Laidlaw QC has advocacy skills right out of the top drawer. He is as adept at defending as he is prosecuting. 
Chambers UK, 2011
The Chambers & Partners UK Guide for 2012 rates Jonathan Laidlaw QC as one of the eight "Star silks" practising at the Criminal Bar in this country, and he is described as "an extraordinarily able advocate with great style who can deal with the most difficult of cases with the greatest of ease". Previous editorial from similar publications speaks of "lethal cross-examination skills and a mean way with closing speeches", and of him being "quite outstanding in his conduct of a case". Since his appointment as Queen's Counsel he has been described as "one of country's leading silks", with "advocacy skills right out of the top drawer", and as "adept at defending as he is prosecuting".
Jonathan Laidlaw QC's practice is now predominantly in commercial and while collar crime, in defending directors and companies facing charges brought by the Health and Safety Executive ("the HSE") and in professional and disciplinary matters. Much of his work, both for individuals and companies here and abroad, is pre-charge and advisory in nature. He has also recently appeared in major inquests and in sporting tribunals.
Current instructions include acting for the Director of a company facing fraud charges; for the American companies Fluor and Merck in prosecutions brought by the HSE; for one of the Directors in the Lion Steel case (a major corproate manslaughter prosecution); and acting for the Football Association in its investigation against John Terry.
Jonathan Laidlaw QC will also accept pro bono instructions.
During his time as Treasury Counsel, Jonathan Laidlaw QC gained an almost unrivalled experience in prosecuting the most demanding and serious cases brought in this country during the last 15 years: from the first war crimes prosecution, the PIRA bombing of Canary Wharf trial, the Official Secrets Act prosecutions of both Tomlinson and David Shayler, the Jill Dando murder trials, the CCRC reference to the Court of Appeal in the case of Jeremy Bamber, the prosecution of corrupt Metropolitan police officers, the prosecution of Barot and others (the al Qa’eda cell who had planned pre 9/11 attacks in the US and then bombings in this country), the al Qa’eda attack in London and on Glasgow Airport through to and including, the prosecuting of allegations of corruption against a CPS lawyer, a Saudi Prince for murder, a former BA employee charged with terrorist offences and Delroy Grant (the so-called ‘Night Stalker’). He also appeared in the House of Lords and frequently represented the Attorney General in the Court of Appeal.
Jonathan Laidlaw QC’s involvement in prosecution work extended to advising various Government departments, the intelligence agencies and the police and he is still one of the few "developed vetted" and security-cleared counsel. He is highly experienced in the pre-charge preparation of long-running investigations, developing the strategy and in managing and running teams of investigators and lawyers. Such cases frequently involve highly sensitive work and enquiries with consequent PII issues.
Throughout his career Jonathan Laidlaw QC has maintained and developed a health and safety practice appearing for a large number of corporate clients which include Texaco and Gulf, BOC, Ford, Southern Cross, Esso, BHP Billiton, Fluor, Marwood and Merck. In recent years he has: successfully defended BHP Billiton in a series of cases brought by the DTI, the MCA and the HSE arising from incidents at the Liverpool Bay field; acted for Southern Cross in cases involving fatalities in their care homes; successfully defended Fluor in a prosecution arising from the construction of the Inoes Chlor plant in Warrington; and successfully defended Marwood Limited in a case which was to have been tried in Bradford.
Apart from advisory and trial advocacy work, Jonathan Laidlaw QC has also appeared for a number of these companies in inquests. Most recently he has represented Fluor in the Greater Gabbard Wind Farm Inquest. He also has experience in military inquests and coronial inquisitions arising from deaths overseas.
As a junior Jonathan Laidlaw QC acted for Marconi in the unsuccessful prosecution brought against the company by the SFO and appeared for the Schreiber brothers in the Hatton Garden gold fraud. Now in silk he has returned to his fraud practice, much of it advisory and pre-charge in nature.
Recent cases and instructions include acting for Kevin Burrage, the under-bond dealer, in one of the largest diversion frauds prosecuted in this country, and for a director of a highly successful building and maintenance company in proceedings brought by the Central Fraud Group. He has also advised a major bank in FSA and other compliance matters.
Jonathan Laidlaw QC has considerable experience of professional disciplinary matters, particularly in the sporting field. For a number of years he has acted for the Football Association haveing been instructed in crowd control cases brought against Liverpool FC, Chelsea FC, West Ham FC, and others, and in the proceedings brought against Wayne Rooney’s agent Paul Stretford. He is presently instructed in the FA’s investigation into the alleged racist remarks made by John Terry.
