Lionel Blackman

Lionel Blackman qualified in 1986 and opened an independent practice in 1989. He became the first solicitor to lead and win a case in the House of Lords (now known as the Supreme Court) in 1999 [Morgans v Director of Public Prosecutions] - a ruling against the use in evidence of unauthorised police intercepted telephone calls. He has conducted over 100 jury trials and as leading advocate remains undefeated in murder and manslaughter trials at the Old Bailey. Convictions recorded in provincial courts. He has several reported legal precedents to his name.

Of nine homicide cases conducted as leading advocate Mr Blackman's acquittal rate is 66% compared with the national rate of acquittal of just 14% for the five years to 2019/2020 (See ONS statistics HERE)

Examples:

Central Criminal Court as Lead Counsel and opposed by leading QCs from the Bar:

R v Jones - unlawful act manslaughter - surgery to broken arm led to death in hospital - experts examined: cardiologist, sleep medicine, orthopaedic, pathology and anaesthesiology. The Defence deployed innovative visual aids demonstrating errors of perception of lay witnesses. Jones had struggled with another man in a dispute. Acquitted of all charges.

R v Janick - murder - expert examined leading pathologist Dr Chapman - a fight between friends had led to a fatal cardiac arrest - acquitted of all charges.

R v Lee Monckton - murder - experts examined pathologists. Victim stabbed in back but examination of all witnesses demonstrated defence against a hammer attack. The Defence deployed an expert reconstruction computer animation demonstrating defensive motion of Monckton. Acquitted after three week trial.

R v Taliana - murder - pre-trial preparation of detailed examination of extensive cctv evidence led to charge being dropped without trial.

These successes demonstrate the benefits of close defence team work achieved by combining under the one roof the responsibilities of advocacy as a solicitor-advocate with the preparation of evidence by a solicitor's staff, agents and experts.

He has defended a wide range of other criminal cases from rape to fraud to dangerous dogs.

Judicial testimonials:

In the House of Lords - in overruling a decision of the Court of Appeal in which he had presided Lord Steyn said of Mr Blackman "Eight years later, aided by the incisive arguments of counsel in the present case, I have had an opportunity to re-examine the point. I am now fully persuaded that my earlier interpretation was wrong.”

In the Westminster Coroner's Court Dr Paul Knapman said of Mr Blackman: “I believe Mr Colin Taylor has been very fortunate in his choice of solicitor. The only evidence upon which Mr Taylor was charged was the scientific evidence – it is a fact that only the assiduous collation of scientific evidence by Mr Blackman has saved Mr Taylor from a trial at the Old Bailey (Central Criminal Court) which might have resulted in a verdict of guilty [of murder].”

He is a Visiting Fellow at London South Bank University in Criminal Litigation at Masters level and has lectured overseas on various aspects of the English legal system, professional ethics, the use of high technology in criminal trials and a variety of topics in international human rights and humanitarian law. Has judged three International Mooting Competitions on the Law of War held in Minsk. For the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom he has lectured in and directed an extensive programme of training on juvenile justice in Belarus and for the US State Department edited an online human rights training programme for Iranian activists. He has provided expert guidance in country for a pioneering criminal defence service in Myanmar and supported training programmes there on the protection of victims of domestic violence. With CRIN he has supported as expert training programmes on child rights for civil society and lectured on public interest litigation in Kiev - Ukraine, Tbilisi - Georgia and Istanbul - Turkey. He has lectured in the following universities and institutions: Mawlamyine Myanmar, Phnom Phen Cambodia, The Bar and State University of Belarus, The Judicial Institute for Training of Judges (where he has lectured or directed numerous training days on behalf of FCO and UNICEF since 2005) and MITSO Minsk Belarus, Institute of Legal Training St Petersburg, Tver and Kaliningrad, The Bar of Rostov-on-Don, Universities in Tomsk and Irkutsk and the Bar of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, EU sponsored training for human rights activists in Istanbul on public interest litigation. He has provided extensive training on fair trial rights for lawyers and activists in Malawi, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and for Article 19 and is the author of a Guide to Trial Observation published in English and Turkish.

Currently he is Director of the Solicitors' International Human Rights Group and his office houses the Group's administration.

Mr Blackman also advises charities, clubs and societies, employers and employees on employment law and disciplinary tribunals and public and organisations on data protection law.

Five substantial international trial observation reports (Kazakhstan, Egypt x 2, Thailand and Turkey) he has written have been published and are available via www.sihrg.org He is recognised by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Clooney Foundation-Colombia Law School Trial Watch as expert.