Alasdair Johnston is developing a practice across Chambers’ main areas of expertise, with a particular interest in crime, financial crime and public law.

Alasdair joined Three Raymond Buildings following successful completion of his pupillage.

Prior to joining Chambers, Alasdair was employed on the Civil Service fast stream programme and worked as an economist in HMRC’s behavioural insights team developing and testing ‘nudges’ to encourage tax compliance.

Legal Expertise

Crime

Crime overview

Alasdair regularly prosecutes and defends in criminal matters in the Magistrates’ and Crown Courts. He has been involved in cases involving a range of offences including sexual offences, drug possession, public order and driving offences.

He is instructed to prosecute by the Crown Prosecution Service and Transport for London.

Alasdair completed the ICCA “Children in Conflict with the Law” training in November 2024.

Civil and quasi-criminal matters

Civil and quasi-criminal matters overview

Alasdair is regularly instructed by the Metropolitan Police Service to appear in applications for civil preventative orders, including Closure Orders, Stalking Protection Orders and Gang Injunctions.

Financial crime and proceeds of crime overview

Alasdair is instructed in POCA matters, including cash and account forfeiture applications on behalf of the Metropolitan Police Service.

During pupillage, Alasdair assisted in advisory work for the Financial Conduct Authority in relation to Fraud Act 2006 offences. He has a keen interest in developing a practice in this area.

Licensing and regulatory overview

Alasdair acts for licensing authorities in the Magistrates’ and Crown Courts. He is frequently instructed by Transport for London in licensing appeals.

During pupillage, Alasdair has gained experience assisting with cases before police misconduct tribunals and other regulatory proceedings.

Public law, inquests and inquiries overview

During pupillage, Alasdair gained experience assisting on a number of judicial review claims. He has assisted drafting pre-action correspondence, summary grounds of defence and statements of facts and grounds. Alasdair has a keen interest in developing a practice in this area.

Alasdair also gained experience assisting with work on several inquests, including Article 2 inquests.

Extradition, INTERPOL & Mutual Legal Assistance overview

During pupillage, Alasdair appeared in extradition matters at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. He is developing his practice in this area and available for instruction in extradition cases.

Sanctions overview

During pupillage, Alasdair assisted with advisory work in relation to designations under the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. He also assisted on the first ever criminal trial for offences under the Russia Sanctions 2019 regulations. He is keen to develop a practice in this area.

Young Fraud Lawyers Association

  • City University, BVS (Distinction) (2024)
  • City University, GDL (Distinction) (2023)
  • St Anne’s College, University of Oxford, Philosophy Politics and Economics BA (First Class) (2019)

Awards

  • Stephen Chapman Scholarship (BVS), Inner Temple
  • Duke of Edinburgh Award (BVS), Inner Temple
  • The Deka Chambers / City Prize for Tort Law (GDL) (awarded for the top mark in the year in Tort Law)
  • Exhibition Scholarship (GDL), Inner Temple
  • City Law School Scholarship for Academic Excellence (GDL)
  • Runner up, Monroe E Price Media Law Moot (2023)
  • Academic Scholarship, St. Anne’s College (2018/19)
  • Academic Scholarship, St. Anne’s College (2017/18)

Alasdair co-authored an article with Amanda Pinto KC for OUP on Money Laundering, Crypto and Sanctions provisions under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, published in 2025.

Crown Prosecution Service (General Crime) Level 2

I, Alasdair Johnston, am a data controller and can be contacted at 3 Raymond Buildings, Gray’s Inn, London WC1R 5BH or by telephone on 020 7400 6400 or by email at clerks@3rblaw.com.  My Data Protection Policy can be found here.

All personal data that I process is for the purposes of providing legal services, conducting conflict-checks, marketing, defending potential complaints, legal proceedings or fee disputes, keeping anti-money laundering records, training other barristers and pupils and when providing work-shadowing opportunities, and/or exercising a right to a lien.  The types of data that I process vary upon the nature of the legal matter in relation to which I am engaged to advise, but can include names, contact details, biographic details and ‘special category personal data’ (such as details of racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, health, sex life and criminal convictions and proceedings).

Depending upon the circumstances of the case, the legal bases upon which I process personal data are (i) the performance of a contract to which the data subject is a party or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract, (ii) the processing is necessary to comply with legal obligations to which I am subject, or (iii) the processing is necessary for the legitimate interests set out above, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subjects which require protection of personal data, in particular where the data subject is a child.  When I rely on (iii) legitimate interests, my ‘Legitimate Interests Assessment’ can be found here.  When I process data which has not been obtained directly from the data subject (e.g. personal data contained in evidential materials), it will have been supplied to me as part of my instructions in circumstances covered by legal professional privilege.

Depending upon the circumstances of the case, I may share the personal data with:

  1. my Chambers, which supplies professional and administrative support to my practice;
  2. Courts and other tribunals to whom documents are presented;
  3. my lay and professional clients;
  4. potential witnesses, in particular experts, and friends or family of the data subject;
  5. solicitors, barristers, pupils, mini pupils and other legal representatives;
  6. ombudsmen and regulatory authorities;
  7. current, past or prospective employers;
  8. education and examining bodies;
  9. business associates, professional advisers and trade bodies.

I retain personal data for no longer than seven years after the case has come to an end or as otherwise required by law.

I do not intend to transfer data to any country which is not either within the European Union, ‘white listed’ by the EU or otherwise permitted by EU law (e.g. to the USA under the provisions of the ‘Privacy Shield’).

Under the UK GDPR, data subjects whose personal data I process have the right to request from me access to, and rectification or erasure of, their personal data, the right to the restriction of processing concerning them, the right to object to processing as well as the right to data portability.  Data subjects also have the right to lodge a complaint.  Three Raymond Buildings has a data protection complaints procedure which applies to chambers and its barristers.  You can find a copy of our procedure here.

In cases where there is a contract between me and the data subject, the provision of personal data is a contractual requirement and the data subject is obliged to provide the personal data in order that I can supply legal services.  A failure to provide such data may mean that I will not be able to provide the legal services.

Rev 2.2 – 09.07.2026

Data Protection Policy

Legitimate Interests Assessment