Edward Fitzgerald QC

Doughty Street Chambers is a buoyant and cutting-edge set, renowned for and committed to defending freedom and civil liberties. The set has a truly national and international profile across its wide range of practice in criminal law, civil law, administrative and public law, international law and human rights.

Since its foundation in 1990, Doughty Street Chambers’ aim has been and will always be to improve access to justice and to promote human rights and civil liberties through the law.  Founded by fewer than 30 barristers, it has grown to become one of the largest sets in the country with over 120 members, of whom 34 are Queen’s Counsel, and it has established chambers in Manchester and Bristol as well as London.

The protection and development of human rights and civil liberties is at the very heart of the work done at Doughty Street Chambers. Since Doughty Street was first formed back in 1990 a commitment to human rights and civil liberties has been its guiding principle and the set prides itself on the depth of knowledge, unrivalled expertise, and experience of its barristers in the field of human rights.

Doughty Street Chambers provides specialist human rights advice, training and advocacy across all the broad practice areas its barristers cover. The set has represented and defended human rights both within the domestic courts, in jurisdictions around the world, and at the various specialist international human rights bodies, including, for example, the Council of Europe and the Inter American Court of Human Rights.

Edward Fitzgerald QC

Edward Fitzgerald QC specialises in criminal law, public law, judicial review and international human rights law. In June 2008 he was awarded the CBE for services to human rights.

He is ranked 1st in Extradition in Chambers and Partners and has been described as “a true intellectual giant – a top-class extradition and appellate lawyer”.

As a criminal practitioner he has featured in many of the leading cases involving high profile defendants, extradition, appeals against miscarriages of justice, and international law. Amongst others he has defended Silvio Berlusconi, Boris Berezovsky, Akhmed Zakayev (the Deputy Prime Minister of Chechnya), Michael Missick (the Chief Minister of the Turks and Caicos Islands) and the Chief Justice of Gibraltar, Derek Schofield.

His practice extends to Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. He successfully led the campaign to save the life of Yong Vi Kong, who had been sentenced to death in Singapore. He conducted the defence of Michael Wong in Hong Kong at first instance and successfully represented him and Shum Chiu in their successive appeals against their convictions in the Hong Kong Court of Appeal. He successfully represented Lai Kan Lai in her appeal to the Hong Kong Court of Appeal. And, more recently, he won the appeal of Sam Tak Lee in the Final Court of Appeal on a point of law concerning legal professional privilege. Finally, he represented Nancy Kissel in her re-trial and will be representing her in her review against the Long Term Prison Sentences Review Board in Hong Kong in 2017.