David Etherington KC
Call: 1979 | Silk: 1998
Personal profile
David Etherington KC is an established Crime and Regulatory & Professional Disciplinary barrister with over 35 years’ experience.
He was previously Head of Chambers at Red Lion Chambers and his criminal practice focuses on fraud and serious organised crime, he is acknowledged as a leader well known to solicitors who instruct in these areas.
In addition to his criminal practice, David has substantial experience in the regulatory field, having been Chairman of the Professional Conduct Committee and the Professional Practice Committee of the Bar Council, as well as a member of both committees for over ten years.
Additionally, he has also been a legal adviser to the General Optical Council and General Dental Council and has defended in front of the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority.
David has acted as legal adviser to a number of television drama series, such as Kavanagh QC, The Brief, Judge John Deed, Wing and a Prayer and Incognito (film) as well as advising in factual programmes such as Hypotheticals in which he also appeared as a panellist. He was the legal adviser to The Verdict (2006) and The Trial (2017) in which real juries, together with actual barristers and judges, tried two fictional cases to explore the workings of the jury system.
Recommendations
― Legal 500 (2024)David has a huge wealth of experience and is an extremely effective advocate. His charming manner with the jury belies the shrewd tactician that he is.
― Chambers UK (2023)David is one of the most natural advocates you will ever see.
― Chambers UK (2023)A charming and delightful advocate who presents his cases beautifully.
Chambers UK (2021)
Ranked: Crime [Band 1] and Financial Crime [Band 2]
Legal 500 (2021)
Ranked: Fraud: Crime and Crime [Tier 2]
Chambers UK (2020)
Ranked: Crime [Band 1]
Legal 500 (2020)
Ranked: Crime [Tier 2]
― Legal 500 (2023)David is absolutely brilliant with individual clients – he is calm, compassionate and empathetic.
― Legal 500 (2023)David is a supremely talented and experienced criminal silk and a real name at the Bar.
― Legal 500 (2022)David is intellectually outstanding. He combines incisive analytical skill with engaging persuasive charm
― Chambers UK (2022)He has a wealth of experience that enables him to work out exactly how to present the case most effectively.
― Chambers UK (2022)A brilliant jury advocate.
― Chambers UK (2021)A clever, witty advocate who has oodles of confidence, talent and judgement. He has the great skill of being able to inject humour into a case.
― Chambers UK (2021)An exceptionally good advocate – he’s very measured, very persuasive and always on top of his facts.
― Chambers UK (2021)He’s wonderful with clients and has a delightful bedside manner.
― Legal 500 (2021)David is an exceptional barrister in every sense. He has a superb legal mind which distils complex legal issues into simple and concise arguments. He is one of the finest jury advocates that I have seen, expert in all that he does especially in cross-examination as well as in his closing speeches.
― Legal 500 (2021)Presence, presentation, panache, precision and persuasiveness. He is a great cross-examiner.
― Chambers UK (2020)Excellent in terms of his drafting and the quality of his advocacy at appellate level. He is typically the most knowledgeable person in the courtroom.
― Chambers UK (2020)An exceptional jury advocate, who is calmness personified, but who has a steely edge. David is first class in terms of his advocacy, client skills, personality and presence. He ticks all the boxes.
― Chambers UK (2020)Held in extremely high regard, he’s someone who commands authority, and is thorough, fluid and very elegant. He has exceptional technical skills and is extremely approachable.
― Legal 500 (2020)The best closing speech maker at the Bar.
― Legal 500 (2020)A counsel of choice for fraud matters.
― Chambers UK (2018)David is an outstanding and well-reasoned defence advocate whose oral advocacy is clever, concise and delivered with both flair and courtesy.
― Chambers UK (2018)A highly renowned silk lauded by interviewees for being ‘incredibly talented.
― Chambers UK (2018)Market sources highlight him for his ‘persuasively charming’ advocacy style.
― Chambers UK (2017)Highly respected and experienced silk who is considered by commentators to be in a ‘league of his own.’ An ‘elegant wordsmith,’ he possesses in-depth knowledge of all areas of criminal law including fraud. Interviewees praise his jury advocacy in particular.
― Chambers UK (2017)He has real flair and is a very elegant advocate… A class act with a great jury manner who knows how to handle a judge… Good-humoured, succinct and to the point.
― Chambers UK (2017)Well known for his astute and effective counsel across a variety of criminal matters, he regularly defends in high-value investment fraud cases. Interviewees praise him for his attractive advocacy style and diligent case preparation.
― Chambers UK (2017)One of the most well-known and best prepared barristers around, who produces advocacy of the highest standard.
― Legal 500 (2017)He gives a great speech and is able to command the trust and respect of the most difficult clients.
― Chambers UK (2016)Highly praised by instructing solicitors as one of the Financial Crime Bar’s heavy hitters. Has extensive expertise in complex and serious fraud matters including those relating to Ponzi schemes, pensions and property. ‘A superb jury advocate.’
― Chambers UK (2014)Praised for his client care and advocacy skills… A delight to listen to in court.
Murder & Manslaughter
Featured cases
- R v Port (2016) – Instructed to defend in a quadruple murder case involving allegations of drugging young homosexual men.
- Instructed to defend in many London gangland homicides and drug related murders including:
- R v FM and others (2021)
- R v EDW and others (2021) – The Hounslow body-parts murder.
Business Crime & Fraud
- R v Benstead (2017) – Instructed to defend in a major Cornish currency fraud, which was the first fully digital fraud trial.
- Operation Amazon – Instructed to appear for the defence in the alleged carbon trading tax evasion fraud, tried throughout much of 2017 at Southwark Crown Court.
- Privately instructed by defendants in major cross-jurisdictional pre-charge investigations being conducted by the SFO.
Appeals
- Successfully appealed before the Court of Appeal a rape conviction in a fresh evidence rape case featuring psychiatric evidence not available at trial R v B (2017).
- Appeared for the appellant in the Supreme Court examining the law concerning diminished responsibility in murder R v Golds [2017] 1 Cr. App. R. 18.
Education
- Diploma in Public and Social and Public Administration (Distinction), Keble College, Oxford University (1977)
- M.A. (Oxon) Jurisprudence, Keble College, Oxford University (1976)
Professional appointments
- Recorder (2000-present)
- Chancellor of the Diocese of Norwich (2020 -present)
- Chancellor of the Diocese of London (2021 -present)
- Deputy Chancellor of the Diocese of Ely (2012 -present)
- Legal Adviser to the General Dental Council and the General Optical Council
- Former Chairman, Professional Conduct Committee and Professional Practice Committee of the Bar
Memberships
- CBA
- Ecclesiastical Judges’ Association
- Middle Temple (Bencher 2005)
- South Eastern Circuit