Simon has over twenty five years of experience as one of the leading barristers in this field of criminal regulatory law.
He has represented corporate clients in some of the highest profile health and safety cases that have been brought in this country, including the Buncefield Oil Terminal explosion, the prosecution of Merlin Entertainments for the Smiler Rollercoaster accident at Alton Towers, the recent criminal prosecution relating to the Hillsborough football stadium disaster of 1989, and the ongoing public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire. Most recently he successfully defended a managing director charged with four counts of manslaughter in relation to the explosion at his company’s wood mill in Bosley, Cheshire, in which four employees died. Simon’s legal submission of no case to answer was upheld by the Court of Appeal R. v. WTL & George Boden [2021] EWCA Crim 618. He followed this up by successfully defending a leading insurance company in relation to the death of an employee from a fall at height during the course of an inspection at one of its customer’s premises.
Additionally, he has represented Arcadia Group in a three-month trial in Reading Crown Court in relation to the death of a young child at one of its TopShop stores in Reading and is currently instructed to represent ITV in relation to the suicide of a participant on the Jeremy Kyle show.
The notable cases in which he has defended are set out in the list below.
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“One of the best trial counsel around and an expert at setting out mitigation. Simon can deal with those cases where you need a touch of magic to navigate difficult or complex issues.”
Chambers & Partners, 2022
“Absolutely first class. He has a fantastic feel for a case, and really gets into the detail and understands every aspect.”
Legal 500, 2022
“Real expertise, very approachable and measured in his approach – my go-to advocate!”
Legal 500, 2021
“His written work is brilliant, his cross-examination skills are very, very good and he’s a brilliant trial advocate.”
Chambers & Partners, 2021
“Simon is a star performer in the top bracket. He is very astute and his strategic thinking and attention to detail are second to none. Makes clients feel reassured that they have someone at the top of their game who will fight their corner.”
Legal 500, 2021
“He is fiercely intelligent, very commercially aware and has a brilliant manner with clients. He has a real strength in understanding and simplifying technical and expert evidence for judges and juries alike and is amongst the most polished advocates around. Simon is particularly good at looking at novel arguments and bringing a new way of thinking to the case.”
Legal 500, 2021
“A brilliant barrister who will fly in silk.”; “He gets a great rapport going with clients and has a good criminal legal brain which is of great help on strategic issues that come up.”
Chambers & Partners, 2020
“Simon Antrobus is unquestionably a star individual.”
Chambers & Partners, 2018
“He is really knowledgeable, careful, clever and a safe pair of hands.”
Chambers & Partners, 2018
“Extremely talented.”
Chambers & Partners, 2018
“He is very approachable for clients, is dogged in his cross-examination and has a very good knowledge of the paperwork.”
Chambers & Partners, 2018
“He is hardworking and has good judgement.”
Legal 500, 2017
