When Philip first practised as a Criminal Defence Solicitor he worked his way up to partnership level at Saunders Solicitors, a specialist Criminal Defence Solicitor’s firm. Whilst at Saunders, Philip headed the Complex Fraud department which involved not only dealing with complex legal matters but also the management of a team of lawyers. Philip cross-qualified as a barrister in 2004 so that he could focus on advocacy rather than managing a legal practice.

Philip was a member of No.5 Chambers where he practised as a Criminal Defence Barrister from January 2005 before moving to 187 Fleet Street in January 2008 where he continued to work on complex Criminal Cases as well as within the Regulatory Sector. In July 2011 due to the oddities surrounding the payment structure for complex Legal Aid cases, Philip decided to move back to working as a Criminal Defence Solicitor Advocate. Those issues no longer apply and so Philip returned to working as a barrister on 1 November 2015.

Having worked as a Criminal Defence Solicitor at partner level as well as an independent Criminal Defence Barrister, Philip brings the benefit of all that experience to his clients. Not being a partner at a law firm allows Philip to continue to focus on the wholly legal aspect of his Advice and Advocacy work as opposed to the management of an office. Furthermore, having left the working practises of a barrister’s chambers he is able to keep costs low. For details of private fee rates, please contact Philip directly.

Philip is regularly instructed by solicitors in a number of firms to conduct advocacy in the higher courts of England and Wales.  As Philip also works in a dual capacity as an employed barrister with Wells Burcombe LLP, this means Philip is able to conduct litigation on a legal aid basis, through Wells Burcombe LLP, whilst also conducting advocacy on an independent basis through his own chambers. Philip is also authorised to conduct litigation as a barrister through his status as a sole practitioner, however, such work can only be carried out on a private fee paying basis. Costs may be reduced by working this way as it saves some duplication of work in appropriate cases. Please do not hesitate to contact him directly if you require advice about Police Station attendance, Criminal Litigation or Advocacy.

Philip is authorised to undertake Public Access work. Anyone can now go directly to a barrister without having to involve anyone else (e.g. a solicitor). The barrister's role remains essentially the same as when they are approached by a solicitor or another intermediary. Barristers can advise you on your legal status or rights.  Barristers can draft and send documents for you and can represent you in court, tribunals or mediations.  Barristers can also negotiate on your behalf and can attend employment or investigative interviews and hearings where appropriate.

Because in most cases the barrister's role is unchanged, there are usually some limits on the types of work that a barrister can do, there are still some cases and situations in which you will need to instruct a solicitor or another intermediary as well as a barrister. However, for many cases the public access scheme allows you to go directly to the expert barrister for advice, representation and drafting. Please feel free to contact Philip for further information on Public Access. For further information please see http://www.barcouncil.org.uk/using-a-barrister/public-access/

Philip is also authorised to undertake litigation work independently and through Wells Burcombe LLP.

Philip Kazantzis now focuses his practise in the areas of Crime and the Regulatory sector, where he has gained experience conducting both complex and heavyweight proceedings.

He is regularly instructed in criminal cases alleging complex fraud, money laundering, people trafficking, people smuggling, modern slavery, false imprisonment, possession of firearms, murder, robbery, rape, drugs supply, importation and serious assaults such as section 18 Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH) and attempted murder. He has also acted as both leading and led junior advocate in several complex frauds, large-scale drug conspiracies and murder cases. He has acted on behalf of numerous high-profile individuals whose cases have been the subject of extensive international media coverage.

Philip’s experience and his ability to conduct both complex and heavyweight proceedings is well regarded by his peers where he is known for his creative approach combined with an excellent understanding and application of the law. The extensive experience Philip has gained working both as a Criminal Defence Solicitor and a Criminal Defence Barrister means his clients gain an exceptional approach to the work on their case. He is a strong team leader who is capable of providing the requisite analysis of a case, which often gives rise to successful submissions being put before the court both in writing and orally.

Philip is particularly well known for his ability to use his strong computer skills in the preparation and presentation of complex cases. Having worked on a large number of Very High Costs Cases (VHCC), which in some cases have involved the necessity to consider material in excess of 100,000 pages of used evidence, he has proved his ability to digest enormous amounts of material and present cases in a format easily understood by the jury.

Whilst a large focus of Philip’s career has been on heavyweight Criminal Defence Cases, he has also undertaken various cases in the fields of Employment and Regulatory work.

Philip has undertaken a number of Police Disciplinary Hearings, where he has appeared on behalf of police officers at different levels from the disciplinary panel to Chief Constables and thereafter before the Police Appeals Tribunal. He is familiar with the workings of the Police National Computer (PNC) and has dealt with cases relating to data protection issues arising from the alleged misuse of the PNC.

Brunel University – LLB (Hons) 1995

Greek - Fluent spoken

Criminal Bar Association