Kingsley Napley

Kingsley Napley is an international law firm headquartered in London, England with 85 years of history in legal matters.[3][4] It was started in 1937 by Sidney Kingsley and David Napley[5] and is known for handling cases of Steve Biko's investigation,[6] Jeremy Thorpe's murder plot,[7] attempted kidnapping of Princess Anne.[8] The firm is also known for representing the families of those who died in the Zeebrugge ferry disaster[9] and Lockerbie Bombing.[10][11]

Kingsley Napley
HeadquartersLondon, England[1]
No. of employees201-500
Date founded1937[2]
Company typeSwiss association
Websitekingsleynapley.co.uk

History

In 1937 Sidney Kingsley and David Napley planned to start a law firm together.[12] Initially named Kingsley Kennedy and Co.[13] where David provided criminal and civil litigation services and in commercial property, and Sidney provided non-contentious services. After helping in the war Sidney and David restarted the firm in 1945 under a new name, Kingsley Napley.[14]

In 1960, they started doing licensing work, especially in London's celebrities' restaurants and entertainment places.[15] Kingsley Napley was well-established as one of the world's leading criminal law firms, largely because of its role in several high-profile cases that include Steve Biko's investigation,[6] Jeremy Thorpe's murder plot,[7] the attempted kidnapping of Princess Anne.[8] Kingsley Napley is best known for its commercial and private clients and their criminal justice skills and represents the families of those who died in the Zeebrugge[9] and Lockerbie tragedy.[11]

In 1989, the firm merged with Egerton Sandler, which had handled some notable cases like the Guinness share-trading fraud,[16] and also represented several top clients including Lan Maxwell, Nick Leeson, and General Pinochet.[17]

Notable cases

General Pinochet: extradition proceedings

In October 1998, the former Chilean dictator, Augusto Pinochet, was arrested in London. It followed a legal upheaval for months as Pinochet was arrested in London while Spain tried to extradite him to face trial there.[18] Eventually, Pinochet was released on medical grounds by then-home affairs secretary Jack Straw, and he returned to Chile. He died without charge of 300 human rights cases of abuse.[19]

Jeremy Bamber: the White House farm murders

Sir David Napley himself defended Jeremy Bamber, who was arrested in 1985 for killing four family members. Bamber, now 51, still pleads not guilty.[20] In 2013, he was one of three convicted murderers who successfully applied to Strasbourg: claiming a life sentence without parole meant a violation of their human rights.[21]

Charlie and Rebekah Brooks: phone hacking case

When News of the World was forced to close in 2011, teammates Angus McBride and team leader Stephen Parkinson (apparently described to Rebekah Brooks as 'very good' by none other than Tony Blair) were called up to form the team.[22] The Brookses were represented by Kingsley Napley lawyers until their release in 2014.[23] The phone robbery case was described by the Daily Telegraph as one of the most-costly persecutions and lengthy police interrogations in criminal history.[24]

Colonel Kumar Lama: torture accusations

Kumar Lama was accused of sexually assaulting two people in 2005, during Nepalese Civil War.[25] During a family visit to Sussex in 2013, Lama was arrested under Section 134 of the Criminal Justice Act.[26] He was represented by the Kingsley Napley recovery team and cleared of all charges in September 2016.[27]

Nick Leeson: rogue trader

In the early 90s, Nick Leeson made the City's oldest merchant bank collapse by secretly losing about £1 billion due to fraudulent trade. After the Barings Bank crashed, Leeson continued to flee, but was arrested in Frankfurt and sent back to Singapore.[28] KN represented Leeson, who served four years before his release in 1999.[29]

References
  1. "Kingsley Napley LLP, UK". chambers.com.
  2. "Kingsley Napley debuts HNW cross-border unit for complex extradition, financial crime cases". InternationalInvestment. 10 January 2022.
  3. But, N., Justice without borders? Prosecuting General Pinochet. Melbourne University Law Review, 1999. 23(2): p. 499-532
  4. "U.K. Gender Pay Gap - Finance, Mining Have the Worst Gaps in 2020". www.bloomberg.com. Bloomberg News.
  5. "Sir David Napley". Herald Scotland. Archived from the original on 29 May 2021.
  6. Cross, Michael. "Star solicitor helped VIP avoid paedophilia prosecution". The Law Society Gazette.
  7. Preston, John. "The Jeremy Thorpe trial: a very English scandal". The Times.
  8. "Kingsley Napley meets Princess Anne at the Riding for the Disabled National Championships | Law News | Kingsley Napley". www.kingsleynapley.co.uk.
  9. "Will the new Corporate Homicide Act save lives?". the Guardian. 22 February 2011.
  10. Owen, Paul (6 May 2011). "7/7 inquest verdict – Friday 6 May 2011". the Guardian.
  11. "First corporate manslaughter conviction: industry reaction". The Daily Telegraph.
  12. "Kingsley Napley – What The Lawyer Says". The Lawyer. 21 August 2019.
  13. "The London Gazette, 2 December, 1938" (PDF). thegazette.co.uk.
  14. "Obituary: Sidney Kingsley". The Independent. 15 September 1992.
  15. Justice of the Peace and Local Government Review. Justice of the Peace, Limited. 1969.
  16. "Famous stock market scandals". www.telegraph.co.uk.
  17. "Guinness witness accused of lying". Herald Scotland.
  18. "Augusto Pinochet: Timeline". CBS News. 11 December 2006. Archived from the original on 4 January 2007.
  19. "Pinochet's legal team may win him long stay in UK". The Irish Times.
  20. Lee, Carol Ann (30 July 2015). The Murders at White House Farm: Jeremy Bamber and the killing of his family. The definitive investigation. Pan Macmillan. p. 455. ISBN 978-0-283-07222-2.
  21. "Whole-life jail terms without review breach human rights - European court". the Guardian. 9 July 2013.
  22. Mance, Henry; Croft, Jane (27 January 2016). "Rebekah Brooks rewards phone-hacking trial lawyer". Financial Times.
  23. "Hacking trial: Jury sees CCTV footage of Rebekah Brooks' husband". The Independent. 15 January 2014.
  24. "Phone-hacking trial: total legal costs approach £100m". the Guardian. 25 June 2014.
  25. "Nepal's Colonel Kumar Lama charged in UK with torture". BBC News. 5 January 2013. Archived from the original on 2015-01-07. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  26. Hovell, Devika (2017-04-06). "The 'Mistrial' of Kumar Lama: Problematizing Universal Jurisdiction". European Journal of International Law. Archived from the original on 2021-05-14. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  27. "Nepalese officer cleared of torturing suspected Maoist detainees". the Guardian. 6 September 2016.
  28. "UBS Trader Kweku Adoboli Hires Firm That Advised Nick Leeson". Bloomberg.com.
  29. "Leeson lawyers Kingsley Napley to represent UBS trader". CityAM. 16 September 2011.
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