Senior Partner — 18 years experience

“The prosecution has the full weight of the state behind them. My job is to ensure that weight never crushes an innocent person — or anyone who deserves better than the charge they face.”

Biography

David Chen is one of England's most respected criminal defence barristers, with eighteen years of practice spanning the most serious and complex criminal proceedings in England and Wales. A former Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor, David brings unparalleled insider knowledge to his defence practice — understanding precisely how the prosecution thinks, prepares, and argues.

Called to the Bar of England and Wales at Lincoln's Inn, David read law at University College London before completing his J.D. at Columbia, where he was awarded the Harlan Fiske Stone scholarship for academic excellence. He spent five years as a Senior Crown Prosecutor specialising in serious fraud and financial crime before joining Ashford Gray, where he has led the criminal defence practice since 2011.

David's practice encompasses the full spectrum of serious criminal law: multi-million pound fraud and financial crime, cybercrime, drug trafficking, serious violence, homicide, and sexual offences. He appears regularly in the Crown Court, the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division), and before specialist tribunals.

His most celebrated cases include the successful defence of a senior investment banker against charges of market manipulation — achieving an acquittal after a nine-week trial at Southwark Crown Court — and securing the overturning of a life sentence on appeal after identifying a fundamental misdirection in the original summing-up. His acquittal rate in jury trials stands at 91%, and he is described by judges as "a formidably prepared advocate who never wastes the court's time."

Practice Areas

Education

• Columbia Law School — J.D., 2005 (Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar)
• University College London — LL.B., 2002 (First Class Honours)

Bar Admissions & Qualifications

• England & Wales (Barrister, Lincoln's Inn)
• New York State Bar
• US District Court, SDNY

Awards & Recognition

• Legal 500 UK — Leading Individual, Criminal Defense, 2016–2026
• Chambers UK — Band 1, Crime: Fraud, 2018–2026
• Law Society — Criminal Litigation Accreditation
• The Times — Top 100 Lawyers in the UK, 2022