Lisa Wilson

"Tenacious, talented and fizzing with a crusading spirit." Legal 500.

Lisa is a specialist defence practitioner, instructed in cases covering all aspects of criminal law. Recognised as a leading individual in crime, she is sought-after to defend in cases involving serious violent crime, including murders, armed robberies, kidnaps and serious sexual offences. She has developed particular expertise in baby shaking cases. She is also frequently instructed in complex frauds and multi-laundering offences and major drug trafficking offences.

Lisa has experience of advising and representing individuals in a range of professions in specialist regulatory and professional discipline proceedings, including on behalf of medical and other healthcare professionals and sports professionals. Lisa has regularly appeared before The General Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council, Health and Care Professions Council in a broad range of matters and has been instructed directly by the Football Association.

Lisa is an Advanced Advocacy Trainer of the Inner Temple. She is a skilled and sensitive court advocate and cross examiner and is highly adept at dealing with both complex legal challenges and difficult witnesses. With a background in medical ethics and having received training from the National Autistic Society, Lisa is regularly instructed to defend those who are suffering from mental health difficulties. She is recognised for her skilful handling of cases involving young and vulnerable defendants and is experienced in examining Consultant psychiatrists and working with intermediaries. Consequently, she is regularly instructed in high-profile cases, including the David Beckham and Keira Knightly ‘stalker cases’.

Lisa is highly committed to the defence of those she represents, which has resulted in numerous successful appearances at all levels including in the Court of Criminal Appeal. She has a busy Court of Appeal post-conviction referral practice, including advising on appeal against convictions and sentences.

In August 2023, Lisa was appointed a Governing Master of the Bench of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple.

Recent Case Highlights

R v Robert Shorter, Central Criminal Court – Perverting the Course of Justice arising from the disposal of a body following a homicide. Junior alone prosecuted by two silks.
R v Nicholas Ward – Murder – Loss of Control defence after defendant admitted stabbing his best friend 51 times in an argument about a computer. Widely reported by the press. Led by Laurie-Anne Power KC.
R v DDH – Father accused of historic child sexual offences against his two daughters. Acquitted of 16 counts.
R v Patterson – Attempted Murder and Firearms – Junior alone. Acquitted of all counts.
R v JE – Junior alone defending mentally unfit grandmother in one of the largest child sex grooming gang cases. 21 defendants convicted. Contested unfitness hearing, involving the calling and cross examination of consultant psychiatrists and dementia experts. Client found unfit and received a supervision order.
R v Nguyen (Op Unveil) - £850,000 Money Laundering Conspiracy involving people smuggling, drug trafficking and sham marriages. Instructed to take over role as leading counsel during trial at request of lay client.
R v Kirkman – ‘Baby-Shaking’ case representing mother. Avoided imprisonment.
R v Bell – ‘David Beckham’ stalker case. Avoided conviction.

Associated Work

Bernard Sunley Award (Knights of the Round Table)
Advanced Advocacy Trainer, Honourable Society of Inner Temple
Lead Scholarship Interview, Honourable Society of Inner Temple
Criminal Bar Association Working Group on Court Capacity
Policy Committee, Women in Criminal Law
Vice President of the Association of Women Barrister
Lectures on regulatory law and procedure.
Pegasus Scholar, 2015-16 (Meredith Connell, Auckland, NZ; Crown Law, Wellington, NZ)
Judicial Assistant at Southwark Crown Court, 2008 (R v Rastogi & Others - £340 million metal fraud)

Appointments

Fee-paid Judge of the Employment Tribunal (England and Wales) (July 2024).
Fee-paid Judge of the First-Tier Tribunal, assigned to the Health, Education and Social Care Chamber (July 2024).

Recent Testimonials

"She is dedicated and committed to advocating her clients' interests to the fullest extent." Chambers UK 2025, Crime
"She is a great barrister and her representation of clients is exceptional." Chambers UK 2025, Crime
"Lisa is an incredibly bright lawyer and a highly skilled advocate who is formidable in court." Chambers UK 2025, Crime
"She exudes confidence and knowledge whenever she walks into a courtroom and gets to the crux of a matter incredibly quickly." Chambers UK 2025, Crime
"Lisa is an unbelievable advocate." Chambers UK 2025, Crime
"Lisa is the go-to counsel for complex and serious offences now. Her advocacy is more than persuasive and not only do juries love her she has a stellar reputation with court staff, juges and her opponents. She is calm yet persistent and wll notice the tiniest of details that in reality could win a case. Her cross-examination is also phenomenal." Legal 500 2025, Crime
"Lisa is committed to achieving the best outcome and ensures that all avenues are covered in the preparation of her cases." Chambers UK 2024, Crime
"Lisa has a charming and commanding presence in the court room. She is fearless in the representation of her lay clients and juries love her and her calm, persistent, and persuasive manner. A quite formidable advocate and a real star of the bar." Legal 500 2024, Crime
"Lisa is a consummate professional and a fearsome courtroom advocate." Legal 500 2023, Crime
"She is a brilliant advocate who is always willing to go the extra mile." Chambers UK 2022
"Forever effervescent, able and prodigiously hard-working, Lisa is a hugely capable lawyer, persuasive advocate and masters all aspects of complex cases in an organised and timely fashion. She is a pleasure to lead and a delight to be in a case with" Legal 500 2022, Crime
"The complete package of the industry, charm, talent, dedication and fearlessness." Chambers UK 2021
"She has a tireless work ethic and sound judgement." Legal 500 2021
"A good battler." Legal 500 2020

Articles

'Lady Hale makes her own luck’, The Times, The Brief, 24 July 2017
‘DNA in the Courtroom’ (Stuart Miller)
‘Would you rather be a Bitch or a Bimbo?’ (Counsel magazine)
‘An Overview of Previous Working Party Reports’; Appendix to the Bar Working Party Final Report (Lord Neuberger).

Professional Memberships

Association of Women Barristers (Vice President)
South Eastern Circuit
Criminal Bar Association
Women in Criminal Law

Recent Notable Appellate Work

R v CA – Successful appeal against sentence after sentencing judge refused to give full credit for mentally unwell defendant unable to give any indication to plea at earlier stage in proceedings.
R v Kapil Dogra [2019] 2 Cr App R (S) 9 - Fresh counsel sentencing appeal in a stranger rape. Full Court granted leave, agreeing that whether conduct amounts to "a significant degree of planning" within the terminology of the Sentencing Council Definitive Guidelines on Sexual Offences “cannot be regarded as a mere matter of semantics”.
R v Anwar & Others [2016] 2 Cr App R 23/ Archbold [19-30] - Attempted Murder. Victim shot twice at point blank range by a shotgun during the course of a robbery. Trial Judge agreed there was no case to answer following the decision of the Supreme Court in R v Jogee [2016] UKSC 8. Crown successfully appealed the terminatory ruling: Sir Brian Leveson held that the Jogee decision was unlikely to make any difference to the outcome of a submission of no case to answer. What would be different would be the directions to the jury, and, therefore, possibly the verdict. The defendants went on to be acquitted of Attempted Murder after trial.
R v Marlon Dixon [2016] EWCA Crim 755 - Successful appeal against sentence after the appellant was sentenced to 10 years for a robbery and attempted robbery on transsexual and transgender sex workers. Lady Justice Hallett DBE agreed that the sentence should have reflected that although the offences took place inside the victim’s homes, the ‘services’ offered by them meant their homes were also places of business.
R v Kirk Cooke & Others [2014] EWCA Crim 1681 - Appeal against convictions arising from Operation Gemini, a highly sophisticated police surveillance operation in which undercover officers posed as pawn brokers in a ‘trading shop’ for over a year. The appeal centered on the alleged “entrapment” by undercover officers and the failure by the Crown to disclose the surveillance authorisations under RIPA.
R v Kevin Marlon Dillon [2013] EWCA Crim 122 - Conviction for affray overturned due to defective good character direction by trial Judge.

Homicide and Serious Violence

R v Robert Shorter (Central Criminal Court) – Perverting the Course of Justice arising from the disposal of a body following a homicide. Junior alone prosecuted by two silks.
R v Nicholas Ward (Lincoln Crown Court) – Murder – Loss of Control defence after defendant admitted stabbing his best friend 51 times in an argument about a computer. Widely reported by the press. Led by Laurie-Anne Power KC.
R v Ife & Others (Central Criminal Court) - Defendant acquitted of manslaughter and false imprisonment in highly publicised “exorcism” trial; the defendant’s brother died after being restrained by his family in the belief that he was possessed by evil spirits. Led by Adrian Eissa KC
R v D Benitez (Central Criminal Court) - Junior alone defending in attempted murder. Brutal knife-point attack upon partner’s parents, following a custody dispute. Injuries so severe the first victim was left in a medically-induced coma. Complex case involving consideration of family proceedings, complicated medical evidence and dangerousness provisions. After detailed assessment of the limitations of the medical evidence, Crown persuaded to accept pleas to grievous and actual bodily harm and not to proceed with the attempted murder charge.
R v H Patterson - Historic murder by machine gun shooting, of leaders of a drug dealer gang. Defendant fled to America using a stolen identity. He was extradited 20 years later. Complex issues surrounding the historic nature of the offences, including telecommunications, the different disclosure regimes, policing and forensic tactics and voice recognition. Ballistics and trajectory expert evidence called at trial.
R v DV & Others - Defendant charged with torturing and falsely imprisoning her autistic boyfriend in the presence of their children over several days, including sexually assaulting him with a broom after he revealed he was homosexual.
R v Afrah & Others - (Central Criminal Court): A “small army” of men fatally stabbed a 17-year old in the heart at a 16th birthday party and repeatedly stabbed another after rival groups found out about the party after it was advertised on social media. Defendant was unanimously acquitted of Murder, Manslaughter, Grievous Bodily Harm with Intent and Conspiracy to cause Grievous Bodily Harm with Intent, after a 2-month trial in the Old Bailey.
Operation Jabrun - Central Criminal Court and Court of Appeal: Novel ‘manslaughter by flight’ trial, in which the deceased jumped to his death from an upstairs window following a violent assault downstairs. Case involved complex blood spatter analysis and pathology experts.
R v UM - Unanimously acquitted after trial of grievous bodily harm with intent after being accused of a machete attack whilst shouting ‘Jihad’ because the victim “went to the wrong Mosque”.
R v BK & Others: Successfully defended in a multi handed conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm with intent & violent disorder, a case involving a fatal stabbing between rival religious gangs at a funfair in Southall.
R v Mark Weston - Double jeopardy murder retrial. Lisa appeared on behalf of the defendant in lengthy legal arguments on media restrictions and successful bail application.

Drugs and Organised Crime

R v Geoffrey Allen & Others (Operation Hendaid, Inner London CC) - Tulse Hill County Lines Drug Gang. Crown agreed to drop count alleging that the defendant was ‘Participating in Operating in Organised Crime Group’ against him alone following defence representations.
R v Danish Khan (Maidstone CC) - Unanimously acquitted of all counts - Heroin and Crack cocaine County Lines and money laundering enterprise.
R v JH (Wood Green CC) - North London Class A Drug dealing operation. Defendant acquitted after calling well known Drill Artist as a defence witness to rebut Prosecution Expert evidence.
R v NT & Others - Defended in a multi-handed drug conspiracy in which cocaine and heroin had been transported from London to Hampshire in kinder eggs. Unanimously acquitted after trial, in the face of overwhelming evidence.
R v Amie Lynn & Others - Large-scale drugs and money laundering offences. Described in the press as a “prison drug-smuggling scheme”. Sophisticated undercover police operation in which “coded” telephone calls between Lynn and her incarcerated boyfriend were monitored for months by police.
R v Lee Jackson & Others - Represented the ringleader in a conspiracy to commit a number of ‘smash and grab’ robberies of high end jewellery stores. After months of covert surveillance, the police arrested them and found them with stolen mopeds, cloned number plates, metal baseball bats, sledgehammers, axes, power tools and a machete to carry out the robberies.

Serious Sexual Offences

R v DDH – Father accused of historic child sexual offences against his two daughters. Acquitted of 16 counts.
R v Patterson – Attempted Murder and Firearms – Junior alone. Acquitted of all counts.
R v JE – Junior alone defending mentally unfit grandmother in one of the largest child sex grooming gang cases. 21 defendants convicted. Contested unfitness hearing, involving the calling and cross examination of consultant psychiatrists and dementia experts. Client found unfit and received a supervision order.
R v SN (Basildon CC) - Represented a man charged with several counts of sexual assault against child under 13 (the daughter of the defendant’s best friend). Child was cross examined on the basis that her father (who had subsequently committed suicide) was the culprit.
R v JN (Wood Green CC) - Multiple historic indecent assaults of younger sister spanning the 1970’s and 1980’s, beginning when she was aged 11. Parents and siblings split between prosecution and defence as witnesses. ‘False Memory’ experts called on behalf of the defence and Crown.
R v EC - Led junior in a “black taxi rape” retrial.

Mental Health Cases

R v DP – Defendant charged with stabbing his sister in a frenzied attack during a psychotic breakdown. Expert evidence obtained from Consultant psychiatrists, resulting in the prosecution agreeing they could not prove specific intent. Hospital order received.
R v LE - Mentally unwell youth defendant charged with armed robbery and GBH. Lengthy negotiation and legal argument, eventually resulting in limited basis of plea to an affray. Defendant avoided prison – sentenced to a hospital order.
R v ZV - Young defendant suffering from autism charged after running around the streets in full combat gear armed with imitation firearms. Found unfit after lengthy fitness to plead hearings involving several consultant psychologists and psychiatrists, and eventually had the charges thrown out at half time in the trial of the act.
R v JH - Defendant charged with assault with intent to rob after repeatedly smashing the cashier’s head against the till in an unprovoked attack. Jury unanimously acquitted defendant on the basis that he could not have formed the intent due to his illness at the time of the offence. Psychiatric evidence called at trial.

Miscellaneous Cases

R v Ryan Harvey (Inner London CC) - Defendant acquitted of Dangerous Driving after relying upon ‘Modern Slavery / Human Trafficking’s. 45 defence.
R v Gardyneck - ‘Sham Marriage’ conspiracy involving Indian husbands for polish brides. Case thrown out at half-time after two day argument concerning the legal intricacies of umbrella conspiracies and wheel conspiracies. Prosecution application to amend the indictment also unsuccessful following submissions on the proper interpretation of s.5 Indictments Act 1915.

R v Misba Ilyas & Others (St Albans CC) - Leading counsel in £1.2 million ‘crash for cash’ conspiracy. Defence included duress and Stockholm’s Syndrome.
R v Shayad Miah & Others (Southwark CC) - Defendant acquitted of £34 million cheat on the public revenue. Led Junior.
R v Lambert - Led Junior in 18-handed case involving multiple mortgage frauds amounting to millions of pounds. Represented facilitating broker with issues involving mobile phone evidence, fraudulent document and money laundering. Also instructed in the resulting confiscation proceedings which involved an initial benefit figure of over half a million pounds.
R v Aweys, Banks & Another - Represented the lead defendant in what was described by police as one of the countries’ largest ever false identity document factories. Complex case running to thousands of pages of exhibits. Case made more complicated by fitness to plead issues, involving a battle between 4 psychiatrists.
R v Bates (Operation Spike) - Defendants were charged with Network Rail theft conspiracy and money laundering. Trial collapsed after 3 days of legal argument regarding deficiencies in evidence and anonymous hearsay provisions.
R v Daniel - Led junior for the defence in a complex confiscation and forfeiture of assets (including hidden assets) resulting from a significant conspiracy to defraud and use of false ID docs in a sophisticated international crime enterprise. The offence was described as a “sustained and sophisticated attack on the UK benefits systems”. The evidence included covert surveillance and substantial quantities of financial and mortgage papers.
R v C - Defended (led junior) in a large-scale conspiracy to defraud HMRC. The case collapsed after the prosecution offered no evidence in response to a successful defence application to exclude highly incriminating evidence.
R v Iilyia Ali - Finance Director stole more than £600,000 over an 11 month period from Information Security Forum Ltd, described as the “world’s leading authority on cyber, information security and risk management.