Hugo Keith QC

Hugo Keith QC

Call: 1989 QC: 2009
3 Raymond Buildings
Gray's Inn
London WC1R 5BH
+44 (0)20 7400 6400

hugo.keith​@3rblaw.com
Legal 500

Details of practice

Hugo is recognised as one of the leading QC’s in his areas of practice.

He was a member of the ‘A’ Panel of civil Treasury Counsel for 8 years, during which time he regularly appeared both on behalf of Government departments and as amicus curiae before the High Court, Court of Appeal and House of Lords on matters of public and criminal law. He won the Chambers and Partners award for criminal barrister of the year 2008, and took silk in 2009.

As well as his regular appearances in the High Court and Supreme Court (he has appeared this year in the two landmark cases in the Supreme Court of Rozanski v Poland and HH, and PH v Deputy Prosecutor of the Italian Republic, Genoa),  he has been instructed in some of the most high profile cases of recent years. He represented Malcolm Calvert in the Cazenove inside dealing case. He was then appointed leading Counsel to the Inquests into the London Bombings of 7 July 2005. He is currently representing the Republic of South Africa in the Shrien Dewani extradition, and the Secretary of State in the Gary McKinnon extradition. Current cases include Rebekah Brooks, the Tchenguiz litigation against the Serious Fraud Office, and the inquest into the death of Alexander Litvinenko.

 

Main areas of practice

  • Extradition and mutual legal assistance
  • Public and administrative law
  • Inquests and Public Inquiries
  • Serious and complex crime (particularly terrorism)
  • Restraint, sanctions and confiscation

Directory recommendations

Recommended by Who’swholegal (The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers) 2013

Hugo Keith QC of Three Raymond Buildings has a broad public law practice.  He has been counsel to the 7/7 Inquiry, is instructed as a Special Advocate in SIAC proceedings, and is renowned for his leading work on extradition.  His experience at the Criminal Bar is increasingly relevant to his public law caseload.  "There is no doubt that Keith is a fabulous silk."  Chambers UK 2013 (Admin & Public)

Hugo Keith QC "gets on top of a large amount of detail very quickly" and boasts an "outstanding reputation," particularly in the field of extradition.  His "magnificent practice" also encompasses terrorism, public inquiry and tribunal work.  He has been representing the Republic of South Africa as it sought the extradition of Shrien Dewani, who is accused of arranging to have his wife killed on their honeymoon.  He also represented the Secretary of State in the Gary McKinnon computer hacking case.  Chambers UK 2013 (Crime)

Hugo Keith QC has had some impressive instructions, including acting as leading counsel to the 7/7 inquests, and representing Shrien Dewani and Gary McKinnon in their extradition proceedings.  On the fraud side, he has been advising a number of impressive corporate clients on corruption and fraud allegations, and also acting as defence counsel in the SFO's Torex prosecution.  Keith impresses as he is "very, very bright," "offers sound analysis of a case," and has "excellent judgement."  Chambers UK 2013 (Fraud)

“Since taking Silk in 2009, Hugo Keith QC has cemented his reputation for his ‘solid-gold intellect coupled with a voracious work ethic’. “ Legal 500 2011 (Crime)

“Hugo Keith QC is building a strong reputation for his public law work and has had an incredibly busy year, acting as a Special Advocate in the leading House of Lords case on the control order regime.  He has further appeared for the Secretary of State in the Gary McKinnon extradition matter, and for ... in the London 7/7 bombings inquest.”  Chambers UK 2011 (Admin & Public)

“Hugo Keith QC is not long in the tooth as a silk but is nevertheless garnering fine reviews.  He is ‘a man of striking personality who handles clients well and produces exceptionally good written work’.”  Chambers UK 2011 (Crime)

“’A man with a simply brilliant legal mind’, Hugo Keith QC is noted for being ‘technically excellent’ and ‘a great team player who is excellent with clients’.”  Chambers UK 2011 (Fraud)

Notable cases

Extradition/MLA

  • US v Lotfi Raissi (who was accused by the US of complicity in the terrorist attacks of 11th September 2001)
  • Govt of India v Quattrocchi (Italian businessman allegedly linked to Bofors scandal)
  • Russia v Boris Berezovsky (exiled opponent of President Putin)
  • Kenneth Noye (whether extradition granted on undertaking of no life sentence)
  • France v Ramda (wanted in connection with bombings of the Paris Metro)
  • US v Abu Hamza (wanted by the US in connection with terrorist offences)
  • US v Bermingham (the ‘Natwest 3’)
  • US v Tollmans
  • Rwanda v Brown (the request for the extradition of four persons accused of genocide)
  • Italy v David Mills and Silvio Berlusconi (Italian mutual assistance request)
  • US v Viktor Kozeny (long running US extradition request to The Bahamas)
  • Russia v Nikitin and Skarga (former CEO of Sovcomflot)
  • Russia v Azarov (Volgotanker)
  • US v Ian Norris (cartel fraud extradition)
  • Crete v Herdman and others (“the Crete Six”)
  • US v Tesler (lawyer accused of corruption)
  • US v Gary McKinnon (computer ‘hacking’ extradition)
  • UAE v Lodhi (request by UAE)
  • SA v Dewani (murder allegation in SA)
  • Rozanski v Poland (SC; time limits in extradition)
  • HH and PH (SC; Art 8 rights of children)

 Criminal/regulatory

  •  Security Industry Authority v Securiplan; R(Securiplan) v SIA
  •  Civil Aviation Authority v Travel Republic
  •  Financial Services Authority v Calvert
  •  Torex

 Public law

  • R v Manchester Stipendiary Magistrate ex parte Granada HL (legality of cross-border warrant)
  • R(Bulger) v Secretary of State DC (challenge to Home Secretary’s tariff in Bulger case)
  • R v Spear HL (court-martial system)
  • A-G’s Ref (No 2 of 2001) HL (whether breach of Art 6 requires stay)
  • R(Mullen) v SSHD HL (statutory and ex gratia compensation)
  • R(Williamson) v Sec State Education HL (corporal punishment/ECHR)
  • Ward v Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis HL (legality of mental health warrant)
  • Ayliffe v DPP HL (war protestors)
  • R(Da Silva) v DPP (the judicial review claim arising out of the Stockwell shooting case)
  • Inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales (representing The Queen, instructed by the Attorney General)
  • DPP v Haw (demonstration outside Parliament)
  • R(Corner House) v SFO HL (the judicial review of the SFO’s decision to discontinue the corruption investigation   into BAe)
  • Mark Saunders inquest (inquest into the shooting of a London barrister)
  • SSHD v AF (No 3)
  • Inquests into the London bombings of 7th July 2005 (leading Counsel to the Inquests)
  • Litvinenko Inquest
  • Leveson Inquiry
  • Rebekah Brooks
  • The Tchenguiz/SFO litigation

He is a Special Advocate in control order proceedings under the PTA 2005

Education/professional qualifications

MA Hons Magdalen College, Oxford
Elected Member of the Bar Council 1995-1998

Appointments

Member of Treasury "B" Panel 1995
Member of Treasury "A" Panel 2001
Queen's Counsel 2009

Reported cases

Attorney General v MGN Ltd
[1997] 1 All ER 456 (contempt by newspapers)

Nichols v Nicholls
[1997] 1 WLR 314 (committal orders in family proceedings)

R v Secretary of State ex parte Furber
(1998) 1 Cr App R 208 (juvenile offenders)

R v Stratford Youth Court ex parte S
[1998] 1 WLR 1758 (youth courts)

R v CICB ex parte Moore [1999] 2 All ER 90 (compensation)

R v CICB ex parte K [1999] QB 1131 (compensation)

R v St Helens Justices ex parte Jones [1999] 2 All ER 73 (default fines)

Elias Gale v CE [1999] STC 66 (Vat)

Cowan v MPC CA [2000] 1 All ER 504 (legality of police powers)

R v Manchester Stipendiary Magistrate ex parte Granada HL [2000] 1 AC 300 (legality of cross-border warrant)

R(A) v CICAP [2001] QB 774 (compensation)

R(Bulger) v Secretary of State [2001] 3 All ER 449 (challenge to Home Secretary’s tariff in Bulger case)

R v CICAP ex parte Brown [2001] 2 WLR 1452 (compensation)

R(DPP) v Redbridge Youth Court [2001] 4 All ER 411 (admissibility of child video recording)

R(DPP) v Acton Youth Court [2001] 1 WLR 1828 (disclosure of PII material in Magistrates’ Courts)

R(August) v CICAP CA [2001] 2 WLR 1452 (compensation)

R(Stevens) v Truro Magistrates Court [2002] 1 WLR 144 (Securities in criminal proceedings)

R(IRC) v Kingston [2001] 4 All ER 721 (judicial review of Crown Court)

AG v Ebert [2002] 2 All ER 789 (vexatious litigants)

R(Percy) v DPP Times (2002) 166 JP 93 (public order/ECHR)

Wilkinson v Lord Chancellor CA [2003] 1 WLR 1254 CA (guidelines on contempt)

R v Spear HL [2003] 1 AC 734 (court-martial system)

A-G’s Ref (No 2 of 2001) HL [2004] 2 AC 72 (whether breach of Art 6 requires stay)

R(Mullen) v SSHD HL [2005] 1 AC 1 (statutory and ex gratia compensation)

R(Williamson) v Sec State Education HL [2005] 2 AC 246 (corporal punishment/ECHR)

R(CPS) v SE Surrey Youth Court [2006] 1 WLR 2543 (dangerous offenders)

R(Bermingham) v SFO [2007] QB 727 (the “Natwest Three”)

Ward v Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis HL [2005] 2 WLR 1114 (legality of mental health warrant)

R v Van Hoogstraten [2006] EWHC 1315 (Ch) (Article 6)

Ayliffe v DPP HL [2007] 1 AC (war protestors)

R(USA) v Bow St [2007] 1 WLR 1157 (disclosure in extradition)

R(Bermingham and Others) v SFO and AG DC [2007] 727 (Enron litigation)

R(Pereira) v Inner South London Coroner [2007] 1 WLR 3256 (judicial review of the De Menezes inquest)

R(Da Silva) DPP DC [2006] EWHC 3204 (Admin) (Stockwell shooting judicial review)

DPP v Haw [2008] 1 WLR 379 (demonstration outside Parliament)

Tollman v Govt of USA DC [2008] 3 All ER 150 (Extradition passage of time)

Pilecki v Poland HL [2008] 1 WLR 325 (Extradition EAW’s)

Abu Hamza v USA [2008] 1 WLR 2760 (extradition of terrorist suspect)

R(Harris) v Secretary of State [2009] 2 All ER 1 (compensation in miscarriage of justice case)

R(Securicor) v SIA [2009] 2 All ER 211 (judicial review of Security Industry Authority)

R(Corner House) v SFO HL [2008] 3 WLR 568 (SFO investigation into BAe)

AF v SSHD (No 3) HL [2010] 2 AC 269 (Control Orders)

R(Perinpanathan) v City of Westminster Magistrates Court CA [2010] 1 WLR 1508 (costs of public authorities)

R(Secretary of State) v Inner West London Assistant Deputy Coroner [2011] 1 WLR 2564

Superintendent of Her Majesty’s Foxhill Prison PC [2012] UKPC 10

Rozanski v Poland SC [2012] 1 WLR 1604

HH and PH v Deputy Prosecutor of the Italian Republic, Genoa SC [2012] UKSC 25