Roderick James.
What others say:
- 'Roddy has amazing reserves of confidence, and is always calm and assured. You will believe every word he says'. Chambers & Partners - Crime 2023
- Legal 500 - Crime, Leading Juniors 2023
- Legal 500 - Fraud: Crime, Leading Juniors 2023
- 'A meticulous advocate whom you can rely on to know the papers well.' Chambers & Partners - Crime, Leading Junior 2022
- ‘A junior who remains calm under fire, has an extremely meticulous eye, and possesses exact legal judgement. His extensive experience and confident persona sits well with clients.’ Legal 500 – Crime, Leading Juniors 2022
- ‘A junior who maintains a calm demeanour under pressure. He is also extremely meticulous and has excellent legal judgement. His significant experience and confident persona sit well with clients.’ Legal 500 – Fraud, Leading Juniors 2022
- Legal 500 – Professional Disciplinary and Regulatory Law, Leading Juniors 2022
- ‘He works very hard and is very driven.’ Legal 500 – Crime, Leading Juniors 2021
- ‘Very dedicated’ Legal 500 – Fraud, Leading Juniors 2021
- ‘He is personable, very astute and knows the UK Medical Professional regimes inside out…..Panels love him as do clients.’ Legal 500 – Professional Disciplinary and Regulatory Law, Leading Juniors 2021
Practice Profile:
Roderick is a leading London junior with a strong Fraud and Serious Crime practice. His areas of specialism include defending clients facing multi-handed fraud, corruption and money laundering trials as well as cases involving allegations of serious and organised crime, homicide and serious drug-trafficking.
Described by instructing solicitors as “very methodical with evidence and excellent under pressure”, he is adept in making complicated issues comprehensible. Skilled in mastering large volumes of evidence and displaying clear tactical judgement he regularly conducts cases at all court levels as either leading or led counsel.

Practice Areas:
Roderick is regularly instructed in serious or high profile cases, usually as the leading barrister or led junior. His caseload typically involves allegations of homicide or Organized Crime Group activities.
‘Able to dissect very complex evidence’ (Legal 500 – 2020)
‘His friendly and easy-going manner belies the sheer preparation he puts in’ (Legal 500 – 2018)
‘His ability to think of solutions to problems quickly is a real strength’ (Legal 500 – 2017)
Roderick has extensive experience in high level, multi-handed white collar fraud cases conducted as both leading and led junior.
‘A very safe pair of hands but can argue innovative points where appropriate’ (Legal 500 – 2020)
‘A lawyer’s lawyer with a careful and considered approach to all the issues’ (Legal 500 – 2019)
‘He is extremely hardworking, incredibly well-prepared and a forceful advocate’ (Legal 500 – 2017)
Roderick regularly appears on behalf of medical and other professionals in regulatory proceedings, inquests and related criminal matters.
‘A personable and very astute advocate’ – Professional Disciplinary and Regulatory Law – Leading Juniors (Legal 500 – 2020)
Notable cases:
Homicide Cases
Operation Roachdale [2020]
Central Criminal Court. Instructed as led junior counsel in a trial involving a shooting alleged to have been a gang revenge killing.
Operation Pietown [2019]
Central Criminal Court. Acted as junior counsel defending one of 4 young men accused of murder, alleged to have been committed as the result of a drugs dispute.
Operation Parkston [2019]
Central Criminal Court. Instructed as led junior counsel to defend one of 6 young men charged with two murders in a series of reprisal attacks following an earlier killing. A series of stabbings and other offences took place over the course of a single evening, leading to 2 deaths and numerous injuries to other victims.
R v. GG and others [2017/18]
Central Criminal Court. Instructed as led junior counsel to defend one of 3 Polish men charged with murder in an alleged drug dispute. The 3 defendants all ran mutually problematical cut-throat defences, blaming each other for the multiple stab and slash wounds inflicted upon the deceased. At the first trial, all other defendants were convicted. The defendant was acquitted following a re-trial.
R v. AG [2016]
Sheffield Crown Court. Instructed as junior counsel to defend a man charged with murder in an alleged vigilante attack.
R v. DS [2016]
Central Criminal Court. Instructed to defend a client charged with the attempted murder of rival gang member, involving a shooting in a public restaurant.
R v. SW [2015]
Teesside Crown Court. Instructed as junior counsel to defend a man charged with the murder of a work colleague.
Drugs offences and organised crime
R v. AM [2019]
Snaresbrook Crown Court. Instructed, alone, to represent one of 6 defendants charged with kidnap, false imprisonment, robbery, bribery and assault of Bangladeshi males in East London.
R v. K [2018]
Kingston Crown Court. Instructed as junior counsel to represent teenage defendant charged with 8 counts of disseminating terrorist publications with intent to encourage others to commit terrorist acts. The defendant had disseminated ISIS-produced videos of graphic violence via secure chat platforms.
R v. S and others [2016]
Woolwich Crown Court. Instructed to defend a man implicated in a multi-handed conspiracy to supply class A drugs from London to Southampton.
R v. DL and others [2015]
Bristol Crown Court. Instructed as junior counsel to defend the central figure in a conspiracy to supply cocaine from London to Wiltshire.
R v. BW and others [2015]
Cambridge Crown Court. Instructed to defend a one of several family members all charged with conspiracy to supply multiple kilogram quantities of class A drugs between the north of England and Cambridgeshire.
R v. WB and others [2015]
Croydon Crown Court. Instructed alone to represent the central figure in a sophisticated car-ringing conspiracy.
R v. DS & Others [2014]
Woolwich Crown Court. Instructed to act alone, defending in a multi-handed blackmail, kidnapping and serious assault trial involving automatic firearms and multiple victims. Successfully defended client on all counts through, in part, legal argument to exclude mixed-profile DNA evidence.
Project V [2020]
Instructed pre-charge as junior prosecution counsel in a £multi-million pensions fraud prosecution.
R v. R [2020]
Instructed to advise on behalf of a company director charged with tax offences in respect of an alleged Phoenix company set up to avoid unpaid VAT and PAYE. Case discontinued by prosecution as the result of representations made.
Operation Reconverge [2020]
Croydon Crown Court. Instructed as leading junior counsel in a conspiracy to transfer over £17m in cash out of the country.
R v. SS and others [2018]
Isleworth Crown Court. Instructed as junior counsel to represent the director of a London money transfer businesses charged with laundering a total of £28 million in criminal property in less than 2 years by transferring it overseas and then via various layers of international business entities.
R v. SK [2018]
Hove Crown Court. Represented the sole director of a company offering Gatwick-based “meet and greet” parking charged with fraudulent trading after Trading Standards exposed that vehicles were being parked unsecure in open fields and public car parks. The company website was alleged to have contained falsified testimonials and fraudulent claims as to the services provided.
R v. JW and others [2017]
Basildon Crown Court. Instructed, alone, to defend the director of a city commodities trading house specialising in rare earth metals accused of defrauding the company’s customers through involvement in the wider fraudulent “Denver Trading” scheme.
R v. KT [2016/2017]
Norwich Crown Court. Instructed to defend one of 3 company directors prosecuted by Trading Standards for conspiracy to defraud worth in excess of £10m relating to the deliberate mis-selling of satellite system insurance and anti-spam telephone services.
Operation Mulgrave [2016]
Southwark CC. Instructed to act for a former executive of a major insurance broker charged with defrauding the company of £millions by means of payments to sham introducing agents in overseas territories.
Operation Silenius [2015]
Isleworth Crown Court. Instructed as leading junior counsel representing an HMRC Vat Inspector charged with tax evasion and multiple charges of mortgage fraud spanning more than a decade.
Operation Callaghan [2014]
Southwark Crown Court. Instructed as leading junior counsel, prosecuted by Queen’s Counsel, for defendant charged with conspiracy to defraud in connection with unlawful GSM (mobile telephone) gateway provision and industrial scale usage of cloned credit