General Overview

International criminal law came into being in modern times when Dusko Tadic was tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in 1996. This was the first international war crimes case since Nuremberg and Tokyo. At 9BR Chambers, Steven Kay QC was defence counsel in that trial. There is now a team which has many further firsts to its credit, including: the first trial of a Head of State, Slobodan Milosevic; the first Head of the Criminal Defence Office in the Bosnian War Crimes Chamber; the first war crimes media trial; the first UK defence counsel at the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone, and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon; and the first legal team to challenge the legitimacy of the Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal.

9BR Chambers handles issues of an international nature and criminal cases for clients that are private individuals, states, governments and organisations from the start of a crisis as it develops on the international stage, to investigations and the court proceedings that may follow. We have expert international barristers to advise and represent those faced with legal, factual and political situations that may have far-reaching consequences to their reputations and interests. Barristers in foreign jurisdictions call upon us when faced with problems outside their experience and they require an extra level of expertise to supplement their national knowledge, or international leverage to make their case heard. 9BR Chambers can assemble a complete team to cover the range of positions necessary to deal with the complex issues arising from international litigation. Our long experience in this field has enabled us to build relationships with leading academics as a further resource for our work and also to secure the services of leading political, military and police experts.

Our Counsel have won the respect of clients, the judiciary and observers for their courtroom advocacy, professionalism and skill. They are renowned for their dedication, judgment and ability to confront and solve problems in a complex international legal world. Individuals, states and organisations come to 9BR Chambers because of its well-earned international reputation as a centre of excellence.

At 9BR Chambers, we recognise the demand for barristers to deliver a streamlined service at competitive rates. We may be engaged directly by clients upon our international work, thus by-passing the traditional requirement in the UK for the instruction of a solicitor to obtain the services of counsel.

For further information about our services, please contact our Senior Clerk, Paul Outen or the Chamber’s Director, Martin Secrett, on +44 207 489 2727 or clerks@9brchambers.co.uk

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