Rachel Barnes
Barrister, Three Raymond Buildings
rachel.ba[email protected]
Dr Rachel Barnes is a dual-qualified US attorney and English barrister. She is recognised as a leading practitioner in the area of sanctions, as well as corruption, financial and corporate crime, international crime, extradition and mutual legal assistance, and proceeds of crime and asset recovery.
Rachel has a wealth of sanctions experience as a practitioner, academic and expert witness. She is ‘one of the best navigators of the complex financial and trade sanctions regime’ (Chambers 2018), ‘go-to counsel on matters with a transatlantic element’ (Chambers 2019), ‘pragmatic, hands-on, easy to work with, always available’ and ‘devastatingly well prepared in court’ (Chambers 2020) and ‘the first and last stop for financial sanctions advice’ (Chambers 2021).
Rachel regularly acts in both domestic and international sanctions cases. As an English barrister, Rachel both prosecutes and defends in criminal cases, and civil and public law crime-related matters. Her clients include governments, corporations, NGOs and individuals. She is prosecuting counsel for the UK’s Serious Fraud Office and Financial Conduct Authority and appointed to the Attorney General’s specialist panel of public international law counsel. Rachel appears in cases in the Crown Court, the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the UK’s Supreme Court, as well as acting for a number of successful petitioners before the UN Ombudsperson. Rachel previously taught law at Cambridge University and the London School of Economics and Political Science.
