Ryan Donoghue is an experienced court and tribunal advocate with a keen eye for detail and a personable nature that enables him to easily engage with clients and ensure the most effective presentation of every case.

Ryan currently has a mixed practice in crime, regulatory law and professional discipline and has quickly adapted his skills gained at the criminal Bar, where he is a member of the CPS Advocates Panel, and applied these to secure admission to the List of Specialist Regulatory Advocates and the General Medical Council’s Approved Counsel Panel.

Ryan has built on this success and is increasingly instructed in high-profile regulatory and professional discipline proceedings, both acting alone and also as a led junior.

Ryan regularly appears for both prosecution and defence in proceedings in the Crown Court and Magistrates’ Court.

In the Crown Court, Ryan has acted in cases involving allegations of serious assault, robbery, burglary, fraud, public disorder, perverting the course of justice and child neglect. Ryan also has experience in dealing with cases involving complex elements of money laundering and has a particular interest in confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Ryan has also represented defendants in the Court of Appeal on multiple occasions, including a complex case involving the effect of a modern slavery referral upon the credit awarded to a defendant for a guilty plea.

Ryan’s practice in the Magistrates’ Court primarily involves defending professional clients charged with a range of motoring offences, where he has significant experience in making submissions of exceptional hardship. Ryan also has experience in the Youth Court and has dealt with cases of robbery, possession with intent to supply class A drugs and causing grievous bodily harm.

Ryan is an accredited CPS Panel Advocate, currently at Level 3, qualifying him to prosecute a range of Crown Court matters.

Notable Cases

  • R v B (Kirklees Magistrates’ Court – June 2021)

    Ryan represented a professional sportsperson charged with several driving offences including driving whilst disqualified, driving without insurance and driving without a licence. Through careful handling of the case, a community disposal was secured.

  • R v Haley (Bradford Crown Court – February 2021)

    Ryan represented a defendant charged with two counts of production of a controlled drug, relating to grows of just under 400 cannabis plants. The case involved drafting written advice on the prospects of an appeal against the sentence imposed and subsequently representing the defendant in the Court of Appeal.

  • R v Gazi (Sheffield Crown Court – November 2020)

    Ryan represented a defendant charged with two counts of robbery. The case involved complex issues of modern slavery and required both written and oral advice to be provided on this matter

  • R v Fitzgerald (Leeds Crown Court – December 2019)

    Ryan prosecuted the trial of a defendant charged with robbery and perverting the course of justice, in a case which involved identification evidence and an application under s.78 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. The defendant was convicted after trial of perverting the course of justice and subsequently pleaded guilty to alternative offences in respect of the alleged robbery.

  • R v Davies (Leeds Crown Court – April 2019):

    Ryan prosecuted the trial of a defendant charged with dwelling burglary and two counts of common assault. The defendant was convicted after trial and sentenced to a total of 5½ years’ imprisonment.

  • R v Hudson (Leeds Crown Court – April 2019)

    Ryan prosecuted the trial of a defendant charged with attempted burglary, common assault and theft. The defendant pleaded guilty on the day of trial and was sentenced to a total of 4½ years’ imprisonment.

  • R v Newsome [2019] EWCA Crim 639 (Court of Appeal – March 2019)

    Ryan appeared in the Court of Appeal to successfully appeal a sentence of 35 months’ imprisonment for three separate sets of offending. The appeal was successful on both grounds argued, with respective reductions of 7 months and 3 months made, reducing the total sentence to 25 months’ imprisonment.

  • R v P (Newcastle Crown Court – May 2018

    Ryan was instructed as junior defence counsel in a case involving multiple allegations of rape and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Ryan is regularly instructed to prosecute cases on behalf of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of health and social care in England and Wales, in proceedings conducted in both the Crown Court and the Magistrates’ Court. Ryan also has significant experience in advising on cases at the pre-charge stage, including in relation to complex matters of causation and expert evidence.

Ryan is a member of the List of Specialist Regulatory Advocates, currently at Level C, qualifying him to prosecute cases on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive, Care Quality Commission, Environment Agency and Office for Nuclear Regulation.

Notable Cases

Ryan is a member of the General Medical Council’s Approved Counsel Panel, enabling him to represent the GMC in Fitness to Practise proceedings in the Medical Practitioners Tribunal. Ryan is regularly instructed to act in proceedings involving allegations of criminal conviction, misconduct (including clinical misconduct, social media misconduct and dishonesty) and adverse health.

 

Ryan also has experience in representing police officers facing misconduct proceedings, including cases involving allegations of sub-standard investigation and improper recording practices.

Notable Cases

Ryan acts for both claimants and defendants in civil matters, most frequently dealing with fast-track trials, small claims and stage 3 disposal hearings, often in claims arising out of road traffic accidents. He is experienced in dealing with claims for damages in respect of both personal injury and credit hire, and also has experience advising on care home negligence claims.

Ryan also has a developing commercial practice with a specific focus on contractual matters and has represented clients at trial in numerous such cases. He also has experience in drafting statements of case in breach of contract matters, as well as advising on the merits of potential claims in restitution. Ryan has a background in commercial organisations, gained through his previous 10-year employment in the financial services sector.

Notable Cases

  • Fair Finance Ltd v Switalskis Solicitors Ltd (Huddersfield County Court – July 2019)

    Ryan successfully represented the defendant in a claim brought by an invoice factoring company, alleging a failure to pay a number of assigned historical debts. The claim was dismissed in its entirety and the defendant recovered over £14,600 in costs.

  • Highways England v Advantage Insurance (Harrogate County Court – April 2019)

    Ryan represented the defendant in a ‘test case’ regarding a claim for damages arising out of damage to a safety barrier on an ‘A’ road. The claim involved expert evidence regarding the level of damages claimed and whether this amounted to the “reasonable cost of repair”.

  • The Design Quarter v Nawaz (Leeds County Court – March 2019)

    Ryan represented the claimant in a claim for damages arising out of non-payment of fees for the production of a wedding dress. The case also involved a counterclaim for distress and inconvenience on the part of the defendant.

  • Melton v MCE Insurance (Newcastle County Court – February 2019):

    Ryan successfully opposed the defendant’s relief from sanctions application in a claim on the Fast Track. The defendant sought relief following a failure to file its Directions Questionnaire, arguing that the intention to raise issues of fundamental dishonesty at trial should support relief being granted. The application was successfully opposed on the basis of the breach being serious and significant, without good reason and that allegations of fundamental dishonesty were destined to fail, as they related to pre-issue conduct.

Recommended in the Legal 500 2024 edition for Business And Regulatory Crime (Including Health And Safety)

A hard working and calm barrister. Ryan is extremely knowledgeable about healthcare law, very efficient and well-liked by judges.
Legal 500 2023

Practice Areas

Appointments & Memberships

  • CPS Panel Advocate Level 3
  • Specialist Regulatory Advocate in Health & Safety and Environmental Law (List C)

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