At New Park Court Chambers, we do things a little differently. With a total of 74 barristers, including 13 King’s Counsel, our reach and influence stretches far beyond the bounds of our Circuit.
As a Tier 1 Set based in Leeds and Newcastle we are home to a number of high profile and nationally and internationally reputable Counsel.
Professor John Cooper KC has been instructed in many of the leading and most sensitive cases of the last 25 years.
They include representing the majority of bereaved families in the Manchester Arena Inquiry and advising the Labour Opposition Group in the Grenfell Inquiry. Professor Cooper also advised 43 Labour MP’s in the Prorogation of Parliament litigation and took the Judicial Review against the Conservative governments deal with the DUP.
His Regulatory and Public Law caseload includes Judicial Reviews into the Dr David Kelly, Government Weapons Inspector Inquest, the Deepcut Barracks Inquest and High Court hearings for two of the four families, a posthumous Judicial Review representing the family of notorious murderer Dr Crippin, Hillsborough Police Complaints advice for the Yorkshire Mayor, advising the London Mayor in the John Warboys Judicial Review, and a string of other high profile inquests including the Jacintha Saldanha, radio hoax death and military deaths as a result of Hercules, Nimrod and Puma aircraft incidents and advising in the Gordon Gentle Snatch Landrover land mine case. Professor Cooper wrote a popular text book on Inquests with a foreword from the late Lord Chief Justice Igor Judge.
Additionally, he has conducted leading Public Protest work, covering representation of the protesters outside St Paul’s Cathedral, known as ‘Occupy’, the HS2 Tunnellers at Euston Station, the Sheffield Tree protesters and the Balcombe anti fracking protests.
He has argued landmark cases in the High Court and Court of Appeal, where he is a regular and trusted presence, including appeals related to Thomas Cashman, convicted of the murder of Olivia Pratt Korbel, who he represented at trial. Other notable joint trial and appellate work include Nicola Edgington who sought arrest and help from mental health facilities and was refused who went on to kill a bystander in the high street, Kai Whitewind an influential baby shaking murder which became central to a subsequent Law Commission Report on the reform of the law of murder and advising Micky Steele on a CCRC submission relating to the Essex Boys murder. Professor Cooper represented the appellant in the so called Twitter Joke Trial which framed the law upon the threshold for prosecutions arising from postings alleged to be malicious, obscene or threatening.
He has a heavy serious crime caseload. As well as the Cashman trial, Professor Cooper achieved the only acquittal in the Ashley Dale murder trial in Liverpool and his serious crime portfolio goes back to his acquittal of the defendant in the Leah Betts ecstasy trial. Some other notable successes include an acquittal for murder in the Tik Tok killings and representing Ryan Cleary, the highly publicised international hacker. He successfully represented the son of Abu Hamza in the Finsbury Park Mosque case and was also instructed in a significant terrorist ricin production case. Two particular notable fraud cases include the BCCI and Northern Rock litigations.
His international work includes the notorious Marrache fraud trial in Gibraltar and work in The Hague in relation to allegations of murder and torture against Iran. Professor Cooper is the author of a leading text book on Article 3 Torture which was referred to with approval in the Supreme Court. Acted as British Counsel to the family of Louise Woodward and British Counsel to the family of Manjit Bassuta, both international baby shaking deaths.
Professor Cooper has been a Special Advisor to the Labour Shadow AG and continues to advise a number of well known politicians.
He was a former lawyer at Clifford Chance solicitors, a past Vice Chair of the Bar Council Public Affairs Committee and is a well known legal commentator and writer, having written a column for The Times for ten years.
Previously Professor Cooper has been appointed as a top accredited Attorney General Prosecutor and a very serious case Prosecutor for the CPS. He has also prosecuted for the Health and Safety Executive and has experience in conducting a range of Private Prosecutions.
His knowledge of prosecuting has provided him with significant experience in Pre Charge advice, some of it ultimately resulting in no further action by the Police/CPS.
He is a Freeman of the City of London and a Bencher at Middle Temple.
