Patrick Hill
“… a complete superstar”. Legal 500 2025: Crime
“… just incredibly talented. He has excellent advocacy and his paperwork is on a different level.” Chambers UK 2025: Crime
“… one of the most gifted juniors at the criminal Bar … incredibly bright, very hard-working and a complete pleasure to work with.” Legal 500 2025: Crime
“… a brilliant barrister with a great mind.” Chambers UK 2024: Crime
“… one of the leading criminal juniors: intelligent and hard working with great judgement.” Legal 500 2024: Crime
“…hard-working, intelligent and committed…one of the best of the junior Bar.” Legal 500 2023: Crime
Patrick is regularly instructed to act in high profile and complex criminal and regulatory cases, including those with an international dimension.
His practice encompasses fraud, money laundering, bribery and corruption, and the full array of general criminal allegations. Patrick’s advice is frequently sought pre-charge to advise private individuals and companies in relation to the legality of investigative powers; in relation to potential criminal, civil, and public law challenges and remedies; and in relation to representations in relation to charge, where he has frequently acted for high profile individuals whose cases have not resulted in charge.
Patrick is also experienced in private prosecutions, where he defends and prosecutes; civil and criminal contempt cases, where he is brought in as specialist counsel; in professional disciplinary cases, representing professionals before a wide variety of disciplinary tribunals; and in inquests, inquiries and investigations.
In relation to international work, Patrick’s experience incudes extradition, international law, and immigration. He has acted on behalf of requesting states and requested persons in extradition cases, and advises on cross-border evidence gathering, mutual legal assistance, Interpol red notices, and the repatriation of prisoners. Patrick is also experienced in EU and asylum law, and the interplay with criminal law, and sanctions. He is the co-author of the terrorist financing and enforcement chapter of Smith, Owen and Bodnar on Asset Recovery, Criminal Confiscation, and Civil Recovery, and the UK sanctions enforcement chapter of the Global Investigations Review’ Guide to Sanctions.
Recent and current instructions in these areas include:
Bribery, Corruption and Fraud
- Represented the first defendant in the SFO’s cross-jurisdictional Unaoil prosecution alleging corruption of Iraqi government ministers and others to secure oil contracts in the aftermath of Saddam Hussein’s rule;
- Appeared for the defence in the £245m HBOS corruption and fraudulent trading prosecution;
- Acted for a security company director on charges or bribing a serving MPS licensing officer;
- Acted for The Sun’s Chief Reporter, and its Chief Foreign Correspondent in relation to allegations of making payments to public officials as part of Operation Elveden;
- Represented a film producer and ex-accountant in relation to privately prosecuted fraud allegations;
- Acted for the defence in complex £97m confiscation proceedings;
- Acted for the defence in relation to complex £60m money laundering arrangements;
- Represented a security company director in relation to allegations of insolvency offending;
- Advised a company in arbitration proceedings in relation to criminal fraud allegations.
Computer misuse/hacking
- Acted for the defence in relation to phone hacking at News of the World as part of Operation Weeting;
- Represented the first defendant in relation to allegations of hacking a Member of Parliament’s stolen mobile phone as part of Operation Tuleta;
- Acted for the defence in the prosecution of hacking the IT systems of a well-known restauranteur/chef;
- Represented the first defendant in the lead prosecution arising from the compromise of the encrypted mobile telephone system EncroChat.
Private prosecutions
- Acted for the private prosecutor in relation to allegations of fraud made by the CEO of a multinational brewery chain;
- Acted for the defence in a privately prosecuted allegation of perverting the course of justice, and in relation to subsequent judicial review proceedings;
- Acted for the private prosecutor in relation to allegations of fraud made in relation to an investment scheme;
- Represented a film producer and ex-accountant in relation to privately prosecuted fraud allegations;
- Advised on a private prosecution for perverting the course of justice, perjury, theft, data protection and computer misuse offences, and in relation to a linked allegation of contempt arising from civil proceedings;
- Acted for the defence in response to judicial review of a refusal to issue a summons.
General crime
- Instructed for the defence of a prominent activist prosecuted under terrorism legislation;
- Represented a high profile UK corporation in one of the largest ever international criminal regulatory prosecutions, raising complex issues of EU/public law;
- Acted for a Member of Parliament in his appeal against conviction in relation to an allegation of racially aggravated public order offending;
- Represented a serving MPS police officer in relation to serious sexual offences against multiple complainants, in what has been described as unprecedented offending by a police officer;
- Acted for a serving MPS police officer in anonymity proceedings in relation to an allegation of murder;
- Represented a well-known publicist in relation to charges of historic sexual offences, as part of Operation Yewtree;
- Acted for a Roman Catholic priest in relation to historic sexual offences;
- Represented the first defendant in the Hatton Garden jewellery burglary.
Contempt
- Represented a Ukrainian businessman in an application for permission to bring committal proceedings for contempt of court against the claimant in a $2 billion Commercial Court action;
- Represented a contemnor on an application to purge contempt following his committal for breaches of court orders directed at preventing the harassment of a firm of solicitors;
- Represented a football manager’s independent financial adviser for 81 alleged breaches of a freezing order.
Civil, public, and quasi-criminal law
- Acted for the respondent to one of the first Unexplained Wealth Order cases;
- Acted for the MPS and NPCC in human rights proceedings before the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, arising from undercover policing;
- Acted for Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation in judicial review proceedings;
- Instructed on behalf of a Russian businessperson in a series of judicial review claims (and related challenges) to account freezing orders, forfeiture, production orders, and restraint;
- Advised the subject of civil/asset recovery proceedings;
- Acted for the MPS in a civil claim which raised allegations of misfeasance, malicious procurement of a search warrant, trespass, and breaches of data protection and human rights;
- Acted in a civil claim against a well-known members’ club;
- Represented an acquitted defendant in proceedings in the Upper Tribunal in relation to a decision of the Disclosure and Barring Service;
- Acted in cash forfeiture and condemnation proceedings resisting the forfeiture of vehicles and excise goods to HMRC;
- Advised on the effect of settlement agreements/Tomlin orders in criminal proceedings;
- Advised and making representations in UKBF restoration cases;
- Advised the subject of civil/asset recovery proceedings;
- Advised and acts in account freezing order cases;
- Advised in relation to lawfulness of arrest in relation to a civil claim;
- Advised in relation to lawfulness of decision to grant search warrant and lawfulness of conduct of search;
- Represented a watch company in relation to applications to deliver up, and subsequent restraint proceedings, in an NCA investigation.
Investigations, inquests and inquiries
- In investigations, acted as sole junior counsel in the independent investigation established by the Home Secretary to examine the circumstances in which a trial of 13 police officers collapsed on disclosure grounds (the officers were alleged to have perverted the course of justice in the investigation into the murder of Lynette White in the 1980s which led to the prosecution of the “Cardiff Five” and the Court of Appeal judgment in R v Paris);
- In inquests, has represented witnesses, families, organisations and other interested persons. Recent instructions include for the family following a death in hospital; for a school following a death of an excluded pupil; for the MPS in the inquest into the death of a man who went missing from extra care housing; for a housing association in the inquest into the death of a resident; and for a senior police officer following the death of a more junior officer;
Extradition, international, immigration
- Advised on challenges to an Interpol red notice arising from a politically-motivated prosecution;
- Acted in a judicial review claim in relation to the Secretary of State’s decision to deport;
- Acted in relation to immigration, EU, and human rights appeals brought in the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber);
- Acted pro bono in applications for delisting to (i) the European Commission, and (ii) the United Nations Security Council (application for removal from the UN Al-Qaida sanctions list established under Security Council Resolution 1267 (1999) for Tunisian citizens resident in Italy);
- Advised pro bono in a sanctions case for Reprieve;
- Advised on, and acted in, claims to the European Court of Human Rights;
- Advised a UK citizen overseas on repatriation.
Professional discipline
- Acted for an architect in proceedings before the Architects Registration Board (ARB);
- Acted for a barrister in proceedings before the Bar Standards Board (BSB);
- Represented police officers in relation to allegations of police misconduct.