[photo] James Murray-Smith (1990)James Murray-Smith (1990)

Education

Polytechnic of the South Bank

Practice

James has wide experience of practice at the Bar. For many years he combined a civil practice with crime. His civil experience covered many fields but concentrated on housing and landlord and tenant. No Housing practitioner ventures into a warrant for possession case unarmed with LBHaringey v Powell, one of James' civil Court of Appeal cases.

Although James continues to practice in civil law, he now mainly concentrates on criminal cases. He conducts a wide variety of criminal cases in the Crown Court involving such matters as supplying drugs, serious violence, robbery, and multi handed cases generally for both Defence and Prosecution.

 

James is a keen musician and has recently learnt to play the drums.

Examples of recent work

Defence Cases

R v Y - Robbery case at Hove Crown Court

R v Nieddu - Successful acquittal for a client who faced a very serious GBH charge where the victim lost the sight in one eye at Portsmouth Crown Court

R v S - Car ringing case at Isleworth Crown Court

R v F & Others - Multi handed affray case at St Albans Crown Court

R v G - Possession with intent to supply class A at Reading Crown Court

R v J - Conspiracy to supply large amounts of class A at Blackfriars Crown Court

Prosecution Cases

R v O & Others - 2 week multi handed cases where the defendants were charged with Possession with intent to supply class A & B at Inner London Crown Court

R v S - Possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life at Inner London Crown Court

R v G - Large scale robbery case which run for 3 weeks at Inner London Crown Court

R v H - Arson with intent to endanger life at Wood Green Crown  Court

R v A - Kidnapping case at Southwark Crown Court

R v H & Others - 2 week multi handed possession with intent to supply class A at Southwark Crown Court

R v L - Sexaul Assault case at Isleworth Crown Court

R v D - GBH case at Woolwich Crown Court

R v G - Sexaul Assault case at Blackfriars Crown Court

R v S - Threats to kill at Inner London Crown Court

R v M & Others - 2 week multi handed conspiracy to rob at Snaresbrook Crown Court

R v M - Complex case where the defendant was charged with tampering with an aircraft at Blackfriars Crown Court

R v N - Serious sexaul assault case at Inner London Crown Court

James Murray-Smith is a grade 3 prosecutor.