2022
John Burke
Legis Chambers / 0 Comments /John regularly appears in court in a variety of criminal cases defending as well as prosecuting cases as a CPS Level 1 Panel Advocate. In 2023, John was enlisted as outside counsel for His Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) to review disclosure compliance by the Serious Fraud Office for a report commissioned by the Attorney General, which will be published in 2024.
John’s focus is crime as well as human rights, and he is accepting instructions in immigration and extradition casework. He is a tireless advocate who is described by clients as “exceedingly prepared for trial…highly skilled in advocacy” and “a masterful cross-examiner.” John has secured acquittals for clients in criminal cases as well as convictions for the Crown, including in cases where the Crown’s only witness became hostile by the time of trial.
In addition to being qualified in England and Wales, John is admitted to the Bar in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.
John has amassed significant trial experience. He previously served as an Assistant District Attorney for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for several years before opening his own law practice defending juveniles in delinquency proceedings, adults in criminal proceedings, and families in care and protection cases against the local authority. John was called to the Bar at Middle Temple and is also a member (ad eundem) of Inner Temple where he volunteers as a Pupils’ Advocacy Trainer.
In 2019, John was awarded a Pegasus Scholarship by the American Inns of Court. As one of only two American Attorneys annually selected to travel to the United Kingdom to study the legal systems in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, John became the first Pegasus Scholar in the programme’s 30-year history to join the English Bar as a practicing barrister. He completed his pupillage at Legis Chambers, during which he organised a lecture to legal practitioners and members of the press on the civil case then pending against Prince Andrew in New York and advocated for settlement of the claim. He was interviewed by The Telegraph and by Pakistani Television, and subsequently published an article on the topic in Counsel Magazine.
