Profile
Sam Stein KC is a leading silk in the field of public and regulatory law, who specialises in public inquiries, inquests, regulatory and criminal law. He represents a wide range of clients in all aspects of Statutory Inquiries. Clients appreciate not only his legal knowledge, but also his outstanding judgement, his tenacity and his razor-sharp advocacy.
Sam is known for the clarity of his advice, his diligence in preparation, the accuracy of his presentation and his no-nonsense style. Sam is recognised for his ability to cut through the most complicated technical language to the heart of the problem.
Sam has been instructed in very nearly all of the major public inquiries of the last 10 years including multiple modules of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), the Infected Blood Inquiry (IBI), the Grenfell Tower Inquiry (GTI), the Post Office Inquiry, the Covid Inquiry, the Southport Inquiry and the Thirlwell Inquiry. Sam is currently instructed by:
- the largest group of Sub-Postmasters, Postmistresses and managers in the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry;
- by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency [MHRA] , the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation [JCVI] and OFSTED in the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.
- by the Professional Standards Authority in the Thirlwell Inquiry
- by the Youth Justice Board in the Southport Inquiry
Sam also acts for individuals, groups and institutions in complex inquests, internal reviews and investigations. Sam is also instructed by the Gambling Commission in the prosecution of multiple allegations of cheat before the Southwark Crown Court.
Sam’s has been instructed on a wide range of complex and well-publicised cases up to the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division). His extensive experience in criminal law informs his broad inquiries and investigations practice, particularly in relation to questions of accountability, and the interface between police investigations and public inquiries, inquests or reviews. Sam’s expertise in criminal law has proven to be invaluable in his inquiries, inquests and investigations practice, including but not limited to:
- Applications for immunity from prosecution considered by the Attorney General;
- Legal and parliamentary privilege; and
- Applications for confidentiality and issues of disclosure
Sam provides specialist advice as to complex international money laundering questions arising out of the variance across international borders of the licensing of pharmaceutical, alcohol, cannabis and tobacco products.
Sam provides specialist advice regarding the Bribery Act 2010 and the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (‘ECCTA’) and the application of corporate criminal liability for ‘responsible people’ within the business who allegedly commit fraud offences. Sam also advises companies as to the duty on ‘large businesses’ to have systems and structures in place to prevent fraud.
Sam maintains a criminal practice representing privately paying clients and also presenting private prosecutions. Sam has conducted examination in chief, cross examination, as well as legal and factual submissions at every level of the courts. He has been instructed in a number of the most serious, legally complex and sensitive cases in recent times.
Sam also sits as an Appeal Chair for Police Services as regards disciplinary matters.
Sam’s expertise includes advice on the establishment and delivery of national redress schemes, compensation frameworks and restorative justice programmes. Sam’s work in this area spans the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, the Infected Blood Inquiry, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and, more recently, the Post Office Inquiry.
Please find Sam Stein KC’s Criminal Corporate Advice CV here
Contact Us
Sheraton Doyle
Director of Clerking
Appointments
- Chair of Police Appeal Tribunals (appointed 2009)
- Executive member of the Criminal Bar Association and tasked with spearheading discussions with the Bar Standard Board regarding Wellbeing.
- Member of Inquest
- Bencher – Inner Temple – 2009
Past Appointments
- Chair of Standards (BSB)
- Chair of Pupillage (BSB)
- Board Member of the Inns of Court College of Advocacy (ICCA)
- Director of Criminal Advocacy at the Inner Temple
- Chair of Quality Assurance at the Bar Standards Board (BSB)
- Member of the Education and Training sub-committee (BSB)
- Teacher Trainer – Advocacy Trainer at the Inner Temple
- Trainer on the Keble Advanced Advocacy Course
Additional Information
Media and YouTube Coverage
- Evening Standard
- Inside Housing
- Post Office Scandal
- Daily Mail
- The Guardian
- Sky
- YouTube – Post Office Horizon Inquiry Preliminary Hearing (Sam’s oral submissions start at 19.50)
- YouTube – Grenfell Tower Inquiry opening submissions
Appointments
- Chair of Police Appeal Tribunals (appointed 2009)
- Executive member of the Criminal Bar Association and tasked with spearheading discussions with the Bar Standard Board regarding Wellbeing.
- Member of Inquest
- Bencher – Inner Temple – 2009
Past Appointments
- Chair of Standards (BSB)
- Chair of Pupillage (BSB)
- Board Member of the Inns of Court College of Advocacy (ICCA)
- Director of Criminal Advocacy at the Inner Temple
- Chair of Quality Assurance at the Bar Standards Board (BSB)
- Member of the Education and Training sub-committee (BSB)
- Teacher Trainer – Advocacy Trainer at the Inner Temple
- Trainer on the Keble Advanced Advocacy Course
Additional Information
Media and YouTube Coverage
- Evening Standard
- Inside Housing
- Post Office Scandal
- Daily Mail
- The Guardian
- Sky
- YouTube – Post Office Horizon Inquiry Preliminary Hearing (Sam’s oral submissions start at 19.50)
- YouTube – Grenfell Tower Inquiry opening submissions
Contact Us
Sheraton Doyle
Director of Clerking
Areas Of Expertise
Sam has been instructed in most of the highest profile public inquiries in the last ten years. His experience and expertise in public inquiries sets Sam apart as one of the leading silks in this area.
- Sam represented a significant number of survivors of sexual abuse across the majority of the 15 modules in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
- Sam was instructed by three firms of solicitors to represent more than 140 of the Bereaved, Survivors and Relatives in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
- Before the Infected Blood Inquiry, Sam represented a large proportion of the principal haemophiliac campaigners and survivors.
- In the Post Office Inquiry, Sam is currently instructed by the largest group of sub-postmasters, mistresses and managers.
- In the UK Covid-19 inquiry Sam is instructed as the leading silk by the Department for Health and Social Care, MHRA, JCVI and OFSTED across several modules of the Inquiry’s work.
- In the Southport Inquiry on behalf of the Youth Justice Board.
- In the Thirlwell Inquiry on behalf of the Professional Standards Authority.
In the last five years Sam has also been successful in acting for a number of high-profile members of political parties in the conduct of confidential regulatory cases. He has a huge amount of practical experience in disciplinary cases before professional misconduct panels and in appeals against panel findings. As Sam sits as a Chair of the Police Appeals Tribunal, he brings his experience of chairing disciplinary cases into his representation in hearings and appeals.
Sam’s practice has covered all areas of criminal work, including conspiracy to defraud, money laundering (POCA), murder, manslaughter (often in relation to diminished responsibility issues) and sexual offences; Sam’s breadth of experience includes cut-throat defences, large scale and complex cases.
Appeals
- R v Hamilton: the Post Office ‘Scandal’ appeals successfully stayed as an Abuse of the Court’s process; Sam is working as the lead in a large legal team on further Post Office appeals.
- R v SC, AT, AB & NC: Court of Criminal Appeal in relation to issue of whether nitrous oxide (NO) is an exempt substance under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016.
- R v W: Money laundering: Successfully argued that there should be no confiscation of Appellant’s trust monies despite his conviction for possession of class A drugs with intent to supply.
Sam is an a CEDR trained mediator and CALM mediator. He acts as a mediator in a range of cases involving disputes between companies, individuals and companies, individuals and public bodies, including disputes over the provision of services to individuals, as well as disputes between different public bodies as to their respective responsibilities.
