A powerfully persuasive advocate and strategist experienced in all areas of criminal law, Adam King is much sought after for trial representation and advice, particularly in cases involving factual or tactical complexity.

Overview

Adam is best known for his compelling written and oral advocacy, rooted in attentive listening to his clients, meticulous preparation, and a detailed knowledge of the law. 

While he occasionally prosecutes – often as leading counsel, having been for many years a highest tier member of the CPS advocates panel – it is defence work that now predominates. Recent criminal clients include doctors, police officers, footballers, a hedge fund executive, an Oxford Fellow, a solicitor, a head teacher, a politician, a computer games designer, and the young adult children of similar professionals. Sexual allegations, privately funded, are currently taking up most of his time. 

Experience 

Adam’s experience encompasses the whole range of criminal allegations – for trial, pre-charge advice, and ancillary matters. As well as individuals, he also defends companies and business people facing allegations of more technical or unusual wrongdoing. 

Adam is committed to the highest standards of advocacy, client care and written work. He is particularly valued for his writing skills (see, for example, his writing for Unherd on legal topics)  and he enjoys taking the time and care required to draft persuasive letters of representation and tight, effective Defence Statements. 

He offers clients clear and well-considered strategic and tactical advice at every stage of proceedings, and above all enjoys fighting – and winning – cases with well-planned cross-examination and carefully organised, persuasive speeches. Throughout his career Adam has sought to constantly improve his advocacy, conducting a vast number of jury trials in order to develop and hone the skills, tactical understanding and confidence required to maximise the chances of a favourable result.

Adam wrote the chapter on Criminal Law in the practitioner’s textbook “The Law of Artificial Intelligence”, published by Sweet & Maxwell.  Amongst other topics, this included a comprehensive analysis of how the relevant law applies to Autonomous Vehicles. Non-autonomous driving cases involving issues of causation, necessity, non-insane automatism, and so on, have also been a specialism.

In recent years Adam has also become a leading practitioner in the area of Free Speech, defending Lucy Connolly in the Court of Appeal, Jamie Michael, and many others. 

In 2009-2010 Adam practised as a defence attorney in the Cayman Islands. 

Adam is strong in tech/STEM areas (see, for example, his two-part guide to Bayes’ Theorem for lawyers), so is well suited to cases that require those skills.  

Notable Cases

R v F (ongoing, 2026)
Defending rape allegation at Southwark Crown Court, privately instructed by Monan Gozzett. 

R v B (ongoing, 2026)
Defending rape allegation, privately instructed by Stevens Defence, with Eleanor Laws KC. Half the case dropped after service of Defence Statement and letter of representations. 

R v X (2026)
Defending a former financial trader accused of spiking drinks, with Eleanor Laws KC. 

R v Sharpe (2025)
Defending six-month VAT fraud at Southwark Crown Court. Sole Counsel. Defendant acquitted. Instructed by BCL solicitors. 

R v Lucy Connolly (2025)
Sole counsel in the appeal against sentence in this notorious case.

R v M (2025)
Successful defence of head teacher falsely accused of assaulting a disabled child. Privately instructed by BCL solicitors. 

R v Jamie Michael (2025)
Successful defence at trial of former Royal Marine accused of stirring up racial hatred. Privately instructed by Murray Hughman solicitors. 

R v Sanders (2024)
Defending - stalking and harassment. Privately instructed by Kingsley Napley. Case dropped on first day of trial. 

R v K (2024)
Defending a false rape allegation made against a foreign student. Crown dropped the case very soon after service of a lengthy and detailed Defence Statement. Instructed by Stokoe Partnership. 

R v F (2024)
Defending advertising executive accused of assaulting police on a drunken night out. Relentless pressure on disclosure led to the Crown dropping the case, after a video of a police officer swearing at the defendant came to light. 

R v Haydon (2024)
At the Central Criminal Court in front of Mr Justice Johnson, and then in the Court of Appeal, sole counsel for the defence of man accused of Causing Explosions Likely to Endanger Life.

R v X (2023)
Successful defence of financier accused of sexual offences. Instructed by David Hardstaff of BCL. 

R v Trowland and Decker (2023)
Prosecution of XR protestors who climbed the Dartford Crossing. 

R v Ali & others (2023)
Eight week murder trial: junior counsel for the Crown – led by Crispin Aylett KC.

R v Brima & others (2022)
Leading counsel for the prosecution in this ten-handed fraud prosecution.

R v AK Ltd (2022)
Defence of a property company accused of planning breaches. Acquitted of all counts after trial. Privately funded.

R v Hands & others (2021)
Sole prosecution counsel in an eleven defendant multi-million-pound cocaine conspiracy to supply, arising from the hacking of the Encrochat network. 

R v Dr A (2021)
Successful defence of GP accused of issuing fraudulent prescriptions. After a highly technical half-time submission of No Case to Answer, based in part on the results of the cross-examination of the client’s former line manager, he was acquitted.

Restraint of Cryptoassets under the the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. (2021)
Advice to national lead police force on the legality of current practices in relation to the seizure of cryptoassets.

R v DC A (2021)
Defence of police officer accused of Causing Serious Injury by Dangerous Driving.

R v L (2020)
Successful defence of man accused of serious sexual offences including rape.

R v Slabej (2019)
Successful defence of lorry driver accused of Causing Death by Dangerous Driving.

R v Sin Beti (2017)
Privately instructed to represent Israeli businessman in Contempt proceedings in the High Court, securing a suspended sentence.

Reviews

Legal 500 2026: Crime - Leading Junior - Tier 2 

Chambers UK 2025: Crime - Band 5

'Unafraid of standing up to judges and prosecutors alike.' Legal 500 Crime (2026) 

'Adam has a fantastic manner in court and he really inspires confidence. He has an authority about him and is very diplomatic and wonderfully articulate.' Chambers UK Crime (2025)

'A great jury advocate. He's great for proper Crown Court 'bare knuckle'-type cases.' Chambers UK Crime (2023)

‘Adam is incredibly effective. He thinks quickly on his feet and relays complex concepts as effectively to lay clients as to the court.’ Legal 500 (2023)

'He identifies problems before they arise and is highly adaptable.' Chambers UK Crime (2022)

'He identifies problems before they arise and is highly adaptable.' Chambers UK Crime (2021)

'Someone who has real charm; he is well liked by juries. He is a very nice advocate to listen to.' 'He gets to grips with the case quickly and always has everything under control.' Chambers UK Crime (2021)

'Adam is an excellent advocate. He is straight-talking and gets to the point, which clients love. He is great on his feet and well known both for his defence and prosecution work, which is a bonus, and he is respected by judges and opposition alike.' Legal 500 Crime (2021)

‘His cross-examinations are forensic and destructive.’ ‘A bright and determined lawyer who relishes a fight.’ Chambers UK Crime (2020)

‘Clients always feel at ease with Adam – he is non-judgemental, irrespective of the alleged facts of the case, and is always approachable. He is also always highly responsive and thorough in his communications.’ Chambers UK Crime (2020)

‘A confident and skilled advocate in court.’ Legal 500 (2020)