Dan Pawson-Pounds

Criminal Barrister

dan.pawson-pounds@walnuthouse.co.uk

Criminal Law

Legal 500 2025 – Leading Junior Tier 1 – ‘Dan is an intelligent and persuasive advocate with an organised approach to his work.’ 

Legal 500 2024 – Leading Junior Tier 1 – ‘Dan has an unusual gravitas: it is clear to the jury when he speaks how important it is that they listen to what he says. His economy of expression is noticeable in both his drafting and his advocacy and his command of some of the most challenging areas of the criminal law is obvious. He is a very fine practitioner.’ 

Legal 500 2023 – Leading Junior Tier 2 – ‘An extremely effective cross-examiner, and a charming advocate that juries like and judges respect.’

Chambers and Partners 2025 – Band 3

Chambers and Partners 2024 – Band 3 – “Dan Pawson-Pounds is completely in control. He is completely unflappable and always ready to deal with every point that comes up.”
“Juries listen to him and he has great pace in the courtroom. He is also notable for his gravitas and is very good at reflecting the sense of importance of a matter.”
“Dan’s cross-examination is hugely well-structured, well thought out and it belies a huge amount of work outside of court. He is tenacious in the extreme and incredibly hard-working.”

Chambers and Partners 2023 – Band 3 – ‘Dan Pawson-Pounds is a new addition from a London set who offers his representation to both the prosecution and defence. He is a Grade 4 prosecutor with particular expertise in terrorism-related offences.’

Dan is the Head of Crime at Walnut House and Deputy Head of Chambers.

Dan has wide experience in all aspects of criminal law, quasi-criminal regulatory law, corporate investigations and international war crimes. He specialises in business crime, criminal law, terrorism and private prosecutions, both in court and in an advisory role.

Dan became a tenant at 6KBW College Hill in 2008, following the completion of pupillage with Duncan Atkinson Q.C. and Timothy Cray Q.C. He moved to Walnut House in January 2021 and remains a door tenant at 6KBW. Before coming to the Bar, Dan was an infantry officer in the British Army and served in Iraq and the Balkans.

Crown Prosecution Service Panel (Grade 4)

Crown Prosecution Service Specialist Serious Crime List (Grade 4)

Crown Prosecution Service Specialist Counter Terrorism List (Grade 4)

Crown Prosecution Service RASSO list

Criminal Litigation

Overview

Dan has experience of prosecuting and defending in a full range of criminal offences and has recently acted in cases of murder, terrorism, rape, large-scale importation of drugs and complex fraud.

Dan is a Grade 4 prosecutor. He is instructed in the most high profile terrorism cases. He recently led the first conviction of a serving police officer for terrorism offences. As a junior alone, Dan secured the first conviction of a defendant attempting to join the PKK in order to fight Daesh, the first conviction of a defendant planning to travel to the Philippines to join the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group, and the conviction of a defendant planning a bomb attack on a South London mosque. He has been led in numerous terrorism trials, many of which have related to defendants travelling to Syria to fight for Daesh but also in relation to attack planning in the United Kingdom and abroad, including the successful prosecution of two defendants for planning to attack 10 Downing Street and assassinate the Prime Minister. He is currently instructed in an appeal to the Supreme Court to determine the scope of section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and its compatibility with Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. As such, Dan has a great deal of experience in dealing with highly sensitive material as well as responding to complex disclosure and abuse of process arguments.

Dan frequently represents individuals who have been charged with criminal offences in high profile cases. He regularly advises on how best to engage with prosecuting authorities at the pre trial stage of proceedings and has succeeded in having charges dropped against clients on a number of occasions. Dan is also adept at handling media interest during a trial. His recent cases include defending a woman charged with the attempted murder of a number of others by blowing up her home and defending an Iranian refugee who walked to the United Kingdom through the Channel Tunnel.

Dan has a particular interest in private prosecutions and has advised both companies and individuals about the relevant procedure and evidential processes. He is also an experienced advisor on matters of legal professional privilege, both for prosecuting authorities and the subjects of investigation.

Regulatory

Overview

Dan is regularly instructed on behalf of regulatory bodies, such as the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner, the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority and local authorities. He has dealt with offences of unauthorised provision of immigration services, trading standards, unlawful eviction, health and safety, environmental pollution and food hygiene. He defended in a recent test case brought by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Dan also represented a local councillor in another test case involving offences contrary to section 106 of the Local Government (Finance) Act 1992.

Public and Administrative Law

Overview

Dan receives instructions from the Government Legal Department to assist in high-profile, complicated and wide-ranging disclosure and witness preparation exercises. This has provided him with experience of the conduct of large-scale government litigation and the attendant issues of legal professional privilege, national security and the parameters of civil disclosure. He was instructed in four of the lead cases determining the application of negligence and human rights to military combat operations and, therefore, the scope of the Ministry of Defence’s duty of care to soldiers on operations. He has been instructed to assist in the responses to a number of appeals to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission and in a review by the High Court of the imposition of an Order under the Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures Act 2011. Dan is currently instructed as junior counsel for the Secretary of State for the Home Department and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in litigation brought by a convicted terrorist against a number of government departments, which alleges their complicity in his torture in a foreign jurisdiction.

Corporate Crime and Investigations

Overview

Dan is familiar with the conduct and pressures of large-scale corporate investigations. He has advised a large multi-national media organisation in relation to Operations Weeting (phone hacking), Elveden (payments to public officials) and Tuleta (breaches of privacy and unlawful conduct) and he is very familiar with the sections and schedules of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 dealing with special procedure and excluded material, legal professional privilege, journalistic material and the seizure, retention and distribution of such material. He has also advised large corporate clients in relation to their responses to ‘section 2’ notices served by the SFO and Grand Jury subpoenas issued by the US Department of Justice in relation to alleged acts of bribery in multiple jurisdictions. He is currently instructed to advise a high net worth individual in relation to an on-going HMRC investigation.