Jeremy Dein KC

Jeremy Dein KC is one of the most highly regarded defence counsel in the country. He has an unparalleled reputation for the committed fearless, relentless, and highly professional defence of his clients. Jeremy is uniquely skilful at trial before a jury, on sentence in front of a judge, and in the Court of Appeal. His objective is always the same, the best result for his client humanly possible. 

Band 1 Silk, Crime, Chambers UK and Legal 500

Jeremy is also able to draw from his long experience as a Crown Court Recorder. He is well respected by the judiciary and trusted universally by all in the profession. His outstanding knowledge and application of criminal law and procedure are rooted in his academic grounding.

In November 2023, following national public unrest, Jeremy was instructed by the UK Home Office as lead counsel in advising the Home Secretary on revision of the public order act and related offences. His passion for excellence in criminal defence is also manifested by his close connections with the media. Jeremy is widely sought after as a criminal justice expert. Overall, Jeremy Dein KC is unrivalled in what he can bring to the defence of his client, as manifested by results at trial or on appeal, over almost four decades of practice.

Jeremy has a longstanding special interest in appellate work, believing that the Court of Appeal is a route that must be followed whenever feasible. He is direct access accredited and has huge experience in taking on appeals against conviction and sentence of both a historical and contemporary type. He will always look to appeal with a fresh, open-minded and eager approach, undaunted by the history of the case. He has consistently achieved notable results on a regular basis and continues to regard the appellate process as an underused but vital weapon in the criminal justice defence armoury. He is extremely popular with privately funded clients due to the hands on service he provides, his accessibility, and total dedication to the case in hand.

Pre-Trial

Jeremy’s strategy begins with early efforts to avoid his clients having to confront the trauma of the trial process. He will use any combination of legal or procedural arguments in order to achieve this. Jeremy is only too aware of how shattering criminal proceedings can be for the accused and their family, and he is therefore as proactive as possible from the outset, using his vast experience to bring proceedings to an end as swiftly as possible.  A clear example of such a case is that of R v BR, where a high-net-worth individual was recently accused of domestic assault. Jeremy drew upon all of his experience to draft representations to the CPS, persuading prosecution counsel as a result to advise that the proceedings should be dropped. He is relentless in this respect as demonstrated in his successful application to dismiss in R v D, a high profile, privately funded defence to an allegation of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice at Bristol CC, July 2022. All other defendants in the case were ordered to proceed to trial.

At Trial and Sentence

Jeremy has defended in every type of criminal case imaginable. Having taken Silk in 2003, he has unmatched expertise in homicide, sexual offences, organised crime, and all manner of complex cases. Jeremy has been frequently instructed in high-profile cases, where there is an intense media spotlight, such as that of N-Dubz artist Tulisa Contostavlos, where Jeremy was successful despite facing the combined might of police, media and unparalleled publicity. He has great experience in handling the pressures, and in guiding his client through turbulent times. Whether battling for liberty, reputation, or both, he is renowned for the scrupulousness of his preparation, and the power of his presentation. Notable former clients include BAFTA & MOBO winner Kano (Kane Robinson), Blake Fielder Civil and Eric Joyce, Labour MP.  

Jeremy is renowned for securing acquittals against the odds. A prime, and recent example: He recently succeeded in gaining a double acquittal of FW, charged with double murder. Privately instructed clients, MK and SK, were also respectively acquitted of possession of firearms with intent to endanger life, and death by dangerous driving, at Basildon CC and St Albans CC, respectively. These were unrelated cases, but provide examples of Jeremy’s ongoing, high success rate. In December 2022, following a high profile murder trial involving a Newcastle high net worth businessman of previous good character, the jury was unable to reach verdicts. This was despite the prosecution alleging that the case was a straightforward case of murder, as captured on CCTV. Upon retrial, in July 2023, the defendant was acquitted of murder. Most recently following a 5-month trial, ending in February 2024, Jeremy’s client was acquitted of both murder and manslaughter. This was followed by a further murder acquittal in July 2024 despite the defendant being seen on CCTV to stab the victim forcibly through the neck (J).

Other notable recent results, relating to sentence, are the recent case of G at Lewes CC, February 2024, where the Judge was persuaded to sentence below the guideline for Conspiracy to murder. Also that of R v A, at Bristol CC, where the defendant received a suspended sentence for a serious case of supply of class A drugs despite the guidelines militating strongly in favour of a substantial, immediate prison sentence. In July 2023, in a widely publicised case of death by dangerous driving, D, Jeremy secured a sentence below the sentencing guideline despite the extremely challenging, emotive and tragic circumstances of the case. 

Overall, Jeremy is as comfortable addressing a jury on the facts, as he is making complex submissions of law.  He sees these as twin features of criminal defence. He is renowned for detailed, carefully drafted submissions in mitigation, where necessary, with a strong belief that a sentence can be substantially minimised by the power of high-quality submissions and carefully reasoned, experience-based arguments.  

On Appeal

Jeremy has a professional lifetime of experience in the Court of Appeal, a forum in which he has always flourished. He appears in the Court of Appeal with the confidence of a seasoned appellate advocate. Where he has conducted the trial, his approach is one of fearless complaint. Additionally, he has a unique background in accepting instructions having not appeared at trial (whether via solicitors or by direct access). His strategy is one of comprehensive review, positivity, and creativity. No stone is left unturned, whatever the history, however daunting the challenge and whatever the extent of the work, preparation or research. Prime examples are W, where Jeremy succeeded in a contested murder appeal, and the case of O, where convictions for multiple class A drug offences were quashed despite negative advice from trial counsel and a five year sentence. Jeremy proceeded to secure not guilty verdicts at the retrial in September 2023. Jeremy proceeded to secure not guilty verdicts at the retrial in September 2023. In Ardic, he secured the quashing of an extended sentence, and a dramatic reduction in time to be served, despite leave to appeal having been refused. In July 2023, in the case of M, where Jeremy was instructed post-trial, he was successful on appeal against sentence in a murder case, despite trial counsel having advised negatively on appeal. Likewise in July 2024 in a serious case of domestic violence (AK).

Jeremy’s policy relies upon careful but exhaustive analysis founded in exhaustive preparation, his advice will always be honest, forthright and constructive.  He is currently instructed in numerous murder and other appeals where he did not appear at trial, and in all, cogent and persuasive grounds await consideration by the full court.

Media

Jeremy is one of the country’s leading media experts on Criminal Justice. He appears often on BBC radio, LBC and Talk Radio, as well as on national television. 

He is a joint presenter and defence legal analyst in the BBC’s award-winning documentary series “Murder, Mystery and My Family". His role is to uncover miscarriage of justice in real, historic, UK death penalty cases. Jeremy is a fervent opponent of capital punishment. His passion on this topic, and criminal defence generally, can be gleaned from his input to the 50 programmes made, many available on YouTube. During lockdown he launched “Criminal Justice on Trial”, a series of podcasts focusing upon all aspects of the Criminal Justice System, especially the plight of prisoners at the height of the pandemic.

Jeremy has featured in two documentaries for television arising from his involvement in high-profile, historic, proceedings.

Recent Testimonials

• "Jeremy is a doyen of the Criminal Bar. He rightly enjoys the reputation as one of the very best silks in the country. He is a formidable opponent and a fearsome cross-examiner. He is thorough, tenacious and fights tooth and nail for his clients. He is absolutely top drawer and the go-to barrister for those who wish to defend the most serious and challenging cases." Legal 500 2025, Crime
• "He's very intelligent, very focused and very determined." Chambers UK 2024, Crime
• "Jeremy Dein KC is an incredibly capable defence practitioner who specialises in serious matters including murder, terrorism and organised crime. He is often entrusted with high-profile cases that have attracted significant media attention. Dein has significant appellate experience and is known for his sure touch when dealing with vulnerable defendants with mental illness." Chambers UK 2024, Crime
• "Jeremy is a fearless and highly intelligent barrister who really comes alive in trials. He is always well prepared and is clearly driven to ensure that his clients receive the very best possible representation. He is highly respected by all of those within the criminal justice system." Legal 500 2024, Crime
• "Incredibly capable. He's thorough and doesn't give an inch." Chambers UK 2023, Crime
• "Jeremy Dein KC is an incredibly capable defence practitioner who specialises in serious matters including murder, terrorism and organised crime. He is often entrusted with high-profile cases that have attracted significant media attention. Dein has significant appellate experience and is known for his sure touch when dealing with vulnerable defendants with mental illness." Chambers UK 2023, Crime 
• "Jeremy is a tremendously skilled and experienced silk who is very well-respected by judges and opponents alike." Legal 500 2023
• "A bit of a superstar who is always a pleasure to work with." Chambers UK 2022 
• "Jeremy has the ability to thrive under pressure and will always be prepared no matter what the task is at hand. An outstanding defence advocate who will always provide a first-class service to his clients. As a case unfolds sometimes the law becomes more complex, this is where he will leave others behind. Jeremy is also one of the finest appellant advocates at the criminal Bar. His written submissions are fantastic and his advocacy is tenacious." Legal 500 Crime 2022
• "Uncompromising in his defence of young clients". Legal 500 2021
• "Calm, thorough and a man who takes his cases extremely seriously. Clients end up eating out of the palm of his hand". Chambers UK 2021 
• "A very bright and respected advocate with a growing reputation in the Court of Appeal" Chambers UK 2020
• "He is very diligent and very capable." Chambers UK 2020
• "The more complex and intense the case, the more he thrives" Legal 500 2020
• "He exhausts every possible avenue to move the case forward."  Chambers UK 2019
• "A fantastic silk who is excellent on the legal arguments and extremely hard-working." Chambers UK 2019
• "Incredibly capable and both authoritative and approachable". Chambers UK 2018
• "Committed and client-friendly". Legal 500 2017
• "Highly sought-after to defend, particularly in murder cases. In ten years as silk he has established a busy, high-level crime practice". Chambers UK 2017
• "He is one of the finest advocates and his preparation before the trial is just amazing."  Chambers UK 2017
• "He is very strong, has a very nice manner with the jury, and always gives his clients 100%" Chambers UK 2017
• "He's immensely reassuring when you've got a murder case with a strong forensic element as he's not at all frightened of facing scientific issues and leading them to the advantage of his client. A great jury advocate who is academically very bright." Chambers UK 2017
• "It is clear he cares more about his clients than anything else". Legal 500 2016
• "Very much an advocate you underestimate at your peril." Legal 500 2016 

Career Path

• 2020: Appointed Patron, Queen Mary College, University of London, Criminal Justice Society 
• 2020: Appointed Chair, Criminal Bar Association, Law Reform Committee
• 2015: Shortlisted for Crime Silk of the Year, Chambers UK Bar Awards
• 2014: Elected Joint Head of Chambers (Head of Crime Group), 25 Bedford Row
• 2012: Appointed Course Tutor, Judicial College
• 2004: Appointed Recorder
• 2003: Appointed Queen’s Counsel
• 1982: Called to the Bar, Middle Temple
• 1981: Graduated from Queen Mary College, University of London

Professional

• Has served on education and race relations committees for the CBA and Bar Council.
• Former member of “Homrag”, murder reform committee.
• Former Chair, North London Bar Mess.

Memberships

• The Honourable Society of Middle Temple
• Criminal Bar Association
• South Eastern Circuit