Claudia-Lauren Williams
Call: 2019
“Red Lion Chambers is a great set of chambers to work with. They are well respected and have an array of very talented counsel.”
Legal 500, 2022
Personal profile
Claudia-Lauren appears as both a junior alone and led junior across the spectrum of criminal offences for the prosecution and defence. Claudia-Lauren prosecutes at CPS Grade 2.
Claudia-Lauren has represented clients accused of serious offences at trial and acted in the early stages of proceedings relating to allegations of attempted murder, robbery, drug supply conspiracy and serious violent assaults. Claudia-Lauren has also represented clients in contested Stalking Protection Order proceedings.
Claudia Lauren also accepts instructions in Regulatory & Professional Disciplinary proceedings, with a particular focus in Sport Regulation. In conjunction with her criminal practice, Claudia-Lauren is currently seconded to UK Athletics.
Claudia-Lauren is also on the panel of listed advocates for the Government Legal Department.
Before coming to the Bar, Claudia-Lauren spent time as a paralegal in the Crown Court Team of a solicitors firm and previously volunteered as a legal assistant in the Citizens’ Advice Bureau at the Royal Courts of Justice.
Crime
Claudia-Lauren is instructed to prosecute and defend in all areas of crime. Claudia-Lauren has secured acquittals for clients charged with serious offences at trial has appeared before the Court of Appeal of numerous occasions.
Recent success includes an appeal against sentence, where the Court of Appeal reduced the sentence from 18 months’ custody to 10 months’ custody, resulting in her client’s immediate release.
Featured Cases:
• R v LG (2025) – Secured the acquittal of a client charged with sexual assault after a 5-day trial
• R v HC (2025) – Secured an acquittal of a client alleged to have engaged in a serious assault by stamping on the face of a complainant
• R v SF (2024) – Led junior in multi-handed OCG drug conspiracy trial
• R v GB (2024) – Successfully argued appeal against sentence at the Court of Appeal, sentence reduced from 18 months to 10 months custody.
• R v JG (2024) – Successfully argued for a suspended sentence where late pleas were entered by a client charged with PWITS A, possession of a disguised firearm and other various weapons including a knuckle duster and extendable baton
• R v JD (2024) – Secured a suspended sentence without any requirements for perverting the course of justice, to run alongside an incomplete community order that had recently been subject to breach proceedings.
• R v R (a child) (2024) – Represented a child accused of robbery against a vulnerable complainant. On the day of trial successfully opposed an application by the prosecution to adjourn, resulting in the prosecution offering no evidence.
• R v D (a child) (2023) – Secured a referral order for child sentenced for two offences of being concerned in the supply of class A (cocaine and heroin).
• R v MB (2023) – Successfully argued for a suspended sentence order to continue in the second of two breach proceedings within a short timeframe.
• R v KW (2023) – Appeared for the prosecution in a sensitive case of causing serious injury by dangerous driving that resulted in catastrophic injury to the victim. The defendant received 20 months’ immediate custody.
• R v A (2023) – Appeared for the prosecution in a matter where the defendant accepted stealing a taxi from Gatwick Airport before fleeing from police, resulting in a high-speed car chase lasting multiple hours. [Report]
• R v G (2023) – Appeared for the prosecution in a matter where the defendant was charged with GBH s.18 in an unprompted attack on a stranger.
• R v MC (2023) – Appeared for the prosecution in a case involving the supply of class A and B drugs where the street value of drugs seized exceeded £246,000. The defendant received 8 years imprisonment.
• R v CF (2023) – Represented a defendant accused of operating a professional cannabis factory and producing cannabis on a commercial scale.
• R v RF (2023) – Appeared for the prosecution in a case involving a prolific burglar in the Brighton and Hove area, who received 27 months’ imprisonment. [Report]
Regulatory & Professional Disciplinary
Claudia-Lauren is currently seconded counsel at UK Athletics where she assists with the diverse legal workload of the regulator, including disciplinary matters and safeguarding.
Claudia-Lauren accepts instructions across Regulatory & Professional Disciplinary and Sport Regulation.
Education
• University of Cambridge (2020-2021) – MPhil in Criminology
• BPP Law School (2018-2019) – BPTC LLM
• University of Bristol (2014-2017) – LLB
Awards
- BPP Law School – Career Commitment Scholarship
Memberships
- Criminal Bar Association
- Women in Criminal Law
- The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn