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Paul Taylor and Katy Thorne to be appointed Queen’s Counsel

Doughty Street Chambers is thrilled and proud to announce that Paul Taylor and Katy Thorne will be appointed Queen’s Counsel in a ceremony at Westminster Hall on 26 February 2018, when the Lord Chancellor will present them with their Letters Patent on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen.

 

Called in 1989, Paul Taylor specialises in criminal appeals and is Head of the Doughty Street Appeals Unit.  He has particular specialism in cases involving fresh evidence, homicide, and offenders with mental disorders.  He is the author of leading practitioner textbook, Taylor on Criminal Appeals, and edits our monthly appeals bulletin (which can be viewed via our website).  Paul appears regularly before the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division), as well as in applications to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, and he has appeared before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.  The most recent edition of Chambers & Partners says of him that he is, "A fantastic, hard-working advocate who is highly regarded for his specialism and expertise in appellate work. He attracts plaudits for his preparation and intellect, and has been instructed in some of the most complex and challenging appeals of recent years, including those relating to fresh evidence, murders and historic sexual offences.  He's meticulous in his directions to instructing solicitors, he brings great energy to the legal team and he goes the extra mile when preparing for cases."  The Legal 500 comments that Paul is “the leading junior authority on criminal appeals”, and as having “an unrivalled encyclopaedic knowledge of appeal issues".

 

Katy Thorne has defended since her call to the Bar in 1994, and her specialisms now include sexual allegations and abuse, child abuse and financial crime.  She is also instructed in the most serious criminal cases including murder, manslaughter, and high level drug trafficking.  Comments from legal directories include that “she is always thorough and well-prepared” (The Legal 500) and she is particularly singled out in feedback for her client care skills, being easy to work with, and for her good judgement.  Katy has particular expertise in challenging experts, from medical to cell site, and is often sought by professionals who face concurrent proceedings brought by their regulatory body (befoire which she also appears), particularly where those arise as a result of criminal allegations. In 2015, she published Mason’s Forensic Medicine for Lawyers with Professor Helen Whitwell and others.

 

Paul and Katy join our market leading team of 32 Silks who practise across all areas of crime, criminal appeals, fraud, public and administrative law, and civil and international law.

 

For more information on Paul and Katy’s work, please call our criminal senior practice team leader Tom Street on 020 7400 9088 or send an e-mail.   

 

A list of all those appointed Queen's Counsel in 2018 can be found here.