Paul Jarvis

Profile

Paul is ranked in Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500 across four practice areas: Crime, Fraud, Proceeds of Crime, and Administrative Law & Human Rights.  He is one of only four junior barristers in London to be ranked Band 1 in Crime in both legal directories.

Chambers & Partners, 2025

“He is a go-to barrister at the Old Bailey and has encyclopedic knowledge of the law” (Crime, Band 1)

“He is an expert in historical sex offences and is calm and measured” (Crime, Band 1)

“It’s his outstanding intellectual ability that gives him an advantage” (POCA Work & Asset Forfeiture, Band 1)

“Paul is exceptionally bright and hard-working.  He’s a real high-flyer” (POCA Work & Asset Forfeiture, Band 1)

Legal 500, 2025

“Paul is an exceptional barrister.  He is highly intelligent and has a genuine academic interest in the law. His legal arguments are therefore invariably well-researched and profound.  As an advocate he is calm and measured.  His submissions are so much more effective for this.  He has the total respect of judges and fellow professionals” (Crime, Band 1)

Paul is Senior Treasury Counsel at the Central Criminal Court, appointed by the Attorney General to prosecute the most serious offences including murder and terrorism. In that role Paul accepts instructions from all divisions of the Crown Prosecution Service and he regularly appears in some of the most high-profile criminal cases in the country.

Alongside prosecuting, Paul maintains a busy defence practice, mainly in the areas of corporate and financial crime, cybercrime, and serious sexual offending, where his expertise is sought at all stages of proceedings.

Paul has particular expertise with regards to the proceeds of crime and judicial review.  He also has a sizeable appellate practice.  In the last few years he has appeared as sole counsel in over one hundred cases before the Court of Appeal and the Divisional Court.

Paul is the joint editor of, and a contributor to, Millington & Sutherland Williams on the Proceeds of Crime, and Kingsley Napley & 6KBW College Hill: Serious Fraud, Investigation & Trial.  He is also a contributor to Blackstone’s Criminal Practice and Taylor on Criminal Appeals. He is a case commentator for Lloyd’s Law Reports: Financial Crime, and a regular contributor to the Criminal Law Review and Archbold Review.

Here is a selection of quotes about Paul from previous editions of the legal directories:

• “Paul Jarvis is an excellent barrister who is extremely well versed in the law and an accomplished advocate.” (Crime)
• “He is a true expert at defending sexual offences and a master of tactical decision making.” (Crime)
• “He’s a very intelligent lawyer with the personal touch, and very relaxed and effective in his manner as an advocate.” (Crime)
• “He has the confidence and trust of the court, and judges go to him for issues and questions. You only get that by having a demonstrably comprehensive knowledge of complex areas.” (POCA Work & Asset Forfeiture)
• “Paul Jarvis has a great way with clients and is a formidable force in court.” (POCA Work & Asset Forfeiture)
• ‘Paul is a highly respected practitioner who thinks with pure clarity. He is a fountain of knowledge and knows the law inside out. He is a true expert in defending sexual offences and is a master of tactical decision making. He is silk quality and clients are in total awe of him.’ (Crime)

• ‘Paul is an exceptional lawyer with an outstanding command of the law. He possesses the remarkable ability to simplify complex legal concepts for his clients and he maintains a composed and unruffled demeanour within the courtroom, displaying a remarkable level of professionalism which resonates exceptionally well with judges and juries alike.’ (Fraud)

• ‘He combines an analytical eye with keen focus’ (Administrative Law & Human Rights)
• “Paul is a very calm and measured advocate, who has the ear of the court.” (Administrative Law & Human Rights)
• “Paul is a superb lawyer with a tremendous grasp of the law and an ability to break it down into manageable chunks for his clients. He is one of the very best treasury counsel and unsurprisingly hugely sought after”
• “A barrister with excellent drafting skills, who has a high level of experience and knowledge within this sector. In court he is a calming and measured presence”
• “Paul is an exceptionally bright barrister who appears to have the answer to every legal issue at his fingertips”
• “With a great courtroom presence, Paul is balanced in his approach and excellent at winning a tribunal over”
• “Paul knows the law inside out and is well prepared and able to deal with clients”
• “Paul has a great legal mind, focus and great attention to detail. He has a commitment no matter what kind of case and has great client care”

• “Paul is a barrister at the very top of his game, combining impressive intellect with sound tactical judgement. He is also very good at explaining issues clearly to clients and putting them at ease”

• “Very good at reassuring clients when dealing with cases that involve this difficult and technical area of the law”

• “He is great on paper and a phenomenal advocate”

• “He is super bright on the law and has a fantastic presence in court”

• “He deals with complex cases with ease”

• “Paul is very switched-on and incredibly calm and re-assuring”

• “A very able and skilled advocate who can make his point clearly and succinctly to both judge and jury”

• “Helpful, clear and good to deal with”

• “A charming man who is very calm and delightful to work with”

• “He has amazing client care skills and a very high success rate”
• “A genius. He’s calm and quietly spoken but so bright and clever”
• “A highly intelligent thinker. He’s very good at analysing the legislation and case law”

• “He has encyclopedic knowledge and is very quick on his feet”

• “Incredibly astute with excellent drafting and negotiating skills”

• “Takes a no-nonsense approach”

• “He has a stellar reputation”

• “A brilliant tactician, he can always see the landscape and navigates around it splendidly in the best interests of his clients”

• “He is fiercely intelligent, and makes well thought-out submissions in a calm and measured way”

• “His drafting skills are second to none”

• “He is quite mild-mannered but in court he turns into a dragon and proves an excellent advocate”

• “A phenomenally intelligent advocate”

• “A junior who stays unruffled in court”

• “Erudite, amicable and level-headed”

• “A junior who stays unruffled in court”

• “Paul has a very straightforward manner and comes over incredibly well in court – both with judges and juries. He always demonstrates a first-class understanding of the law, and prepares meticulously”

• “Hard-working, approachable and tenacious, he’s a very astute man.”

• “He’s extremely bright and devastatingly effective, and adopts a calm manner at all times. He is always at ease with the tribunal”.

• “A good academic lawyer who has an astute tactical brain. He has a good court persona; he is able to keep calm and deal with everything thrown at him”.

• “A junior who will go far”