Fiona Horlick QC was consistently ranked as a Band 1 (top tier) leading junior before her elevation to silk, in both Chambers & Partners and Legal 500. She is now ranked as a respected New Silk. She is praised for her unrivalled advocacy skills, her unbending will to succeed as well as her charisma and her ability to handle clients with sensitivity.

“Incisive, intelligent and brilliant at cross-examination”

“She has a phenomenal understanding of her cases and is always able to pick up on the key issues, regardless of the volume of information”

“Her advocacy skills are unrivalled and she is fantastic to watch. She knows when to have a fight and when to have people listen to you and like you”

“Persuasive and appropriately firm in her advocacy, making her a fearsome opponent”

“Her approachable manner puts clients at ease”

Fiona’s practice encompasses Health and Safety, a wide variety of Regulatory work, Disciplinary proceedings and Specialist Crime – particularly business crime, medical crime, and health and safety criminal proceedings. She has extensive experience as an advocate in all courts from the Privy Council (defending in murder appeals), the Court of Appeal, the High Court, Crown Courts (all types of crime), regulatory proceedings and inquests. She honed her skills on criminal work and jury trials before expanding her work profile.

Fiona is the co-editor and major contributing author of the leading work on the Bribery Act 2010 Lissack and Horlick on Bribery published internationally by LexisNexis. The 3^rd edition has been commissioned and will be available in 2020. This renowned publication provides a comprehensive and detailed overview of bribery in both a national and international context. Fiona advises and represents companies with regard to business crime.

Health & Safety

Fiona’s health and safety practice specialises in regulatory law which is complimented with many years of experience in criminal enforcement. Her practice is predominantly defence work with particular interest in criminal proceedings, inquests and inquiries, fire safety, food safety and Maritime regulatory law.

Fiona is regularly instructed by large multinational companies and/or their Directors, concerning fatalities or serious accidents in the workplace, as well as regulatory breaches concerning HSWA, food safety and fire safety. She appears in proceedings before the Crown Court, Magistrates Court and in Coronial proceedings in courts in England and Wales. She is particularly sought after by clients for her strategic input into investigations pre PACE interview with a target of achieving a result of no further action.

Her recent and current instructions include advising a participant Grenfell Tower Inquiry, defending a care home in a prosecution brought by the Care Quality Commission and prosecuting a large multi-national security services company as a result of a suspected legionnaires outbreak at their premises.

Disciplinary & Regulatory

Fiona has a regular and extensive practice both defending and prosecuting regulated professionals.

This practice encompasses:

• Disciplinary proceedings before regulators
• Criminal trials
• Inquests
• Employment/internal disciplinary hearings

The professionals include but are not limited to:

• Healthcare professionals such as doctors, dentists and pharmacists;
• Financial Services professionals including Accountants and Actuaries;
• Legal Services professionals including Solicitors, Barristers and Legal Executives.

She has represented many top consultants and surgeons in a wide variety of matters including poor clinical practice, dishonesty and sexual misconduct allegations. She has defended in the full range of performance, misconduct and health cases, often working in sensitive cases.

Fiona has conducted a number of serious and complicated cases regarding the regulation of actuaries on behalf of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. Such cases invariably involve complex matters of expert evidence with regard to pensions and insurance.

Medical Crime

Coming originally from a criminal practice background with experience in cases involving murder, manslaughter, assisted suicide, fraud and sexual misconduct, Fiona is perfectly matched to conduct criminal cases involving health professionals. These trials require a combination of criminal trial experience, cross examination skills and in-depth knowledge of the health profession.

In particular Fiona has many years of experience both defending and prosecuting in very serious sexual allegations including rape, child abuse and pornography.

Fiona is known in the directories as ‘at the top of the list of very able barristers for medico legal matters’ with regard to medical crime.

Fiona has co-written the chapter on Prosecuting Health Professionals in the Oxford University Press book Witness Testimony in Sexual Cases: Evidential, Investigative and Scientific Perspectives.

Business Crime

Against a long career in criminal cases, Fiona has both prosecuted and defended in the range of business and financial crime.

Her experience of financial crime, regulation and enforcement is wide ranging. It includes large scale MTIC fraud, international advance fee fraud, tax fraud, fraudulent trading, mortgage fraud, money laundering and asset recovery.

Fiona is the co-editor and major contributing author of the leading work on the Bribery Act 2010 Lissack and Horlick on Bribery published internationally by LexisNexis. This work is now in its 2nd edition and provides a comprehensive and detailed overview of bribery in both a national and international context. The 3^rd edition is due out in 2020. The current edition has a foreword by the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales and a number of chapters not only on the law with regard to bribery both nationally and internationally, but also subjects such as bribery in sport, in the defence industries, the extractive industries and construction as well as DPAs and sentencing.

Fiona advises companies with regard to business crime, in particular bribery and corruption matters and money laundering.

Administrative & Public Law

Fiona’s public law practice includes appeals to the High Court on often for healthcare professionals. Fiona has also advised on Court of Protection matters in relation to treatment matters.