March 16, 2026
March 2026
The Government’s Courts and Tribunals Bill proposes allowing judge‑only trials for certain complex or lengthy fraud cases, marking a significant shift in criminal procedure.
In this edition of FOCUS, Andrew Herd and Ed Vickers KC examine the proposal in Part 6A of the Bill, which would permit a Crown Court judge sitting alone to try fraud and financial crime offences listed in Schedule 1. The Government argues, without evidence, that this could shorten trials and ease pressure on the courts.
The reforms have prompted strong opposition. More than 3,200 legal professionals, including over 300 KCs, and retired judges have warned that the wider reforms introducing judge-alone trials risk undermining a core constitutional safeguard for minimal efficiency gains.
The authors also consider the Government’s new Fraud Strategy, published alongside the Bill, which focuses on investment and collaboration but offers no substantive legal reforms.
Read FOCUS here
Andrew Herd specialises in business and financial crime cases. His practice includes representing clients in relation to allegations of fraud, money laundering, Insolvency and Companies Act offences, as well as regulatory enforcement
Ed Vickers KC has a mixed practice of fraud and serious and complex crime. He is the editor of Red Lion Chambers’ Focus on Fraud blog
