Jeremy Dein QC seizes throne as Wolkind’s crown slips
The criminal silk who represented Tulisa in the Fake Sheikh case has proudly trumpeted himself as the “UK’s Top Criminal Barrister” on his website.
25 Bedford Row’s Jeremy Dein QC and his interesting website have certainly caught Legal Cheek’s attention. On its homepage, the Queen Mary College, University of London, graduate said he is “widely recognised as UK’s top criminal defence barrister and top criminal appeals barrister”, as well as “the UK’s best criminal defence barrister”.
While there’s no question Dein’s legal credentials are impressive, there’s been heightened focus on how barristers conduct and describe themselves online recently. This is thanks to a recent Bar Standards Board hearing, in which 2 Bedford Row silk Michael Wolkind QC was reprimanded and hit with a £1,000 fine for claims made on his website about his status as the nation’s “top barrister”.
It seems Dein realises this. Legal Cheek got in touch with him to give him the chance to comment and, shortly after, we noted his website underwent a few quick amendments.
However, equally proud claims can still be found on Dein’s YouTube channel (screenshotted below) — and then there’s his Google account.
Dein — who defended murderer Tony McCluskie, convicted of killing former EastEnders actress Gemma McCluskie — is rated five stars on Google on the basis of three reviews written eight months ago. One such ranking comes from someone called *same surname klaxon* ‘Lee Dein’ (screenshotted). Legal Cheek understands this is his wife.
Dein’s Wikipedia entry has also piqued our interest. It states:
Dein is ranked 1 in Chambers directory leading QC’s in crime 2015. [sic]
It is correct to say Dein is a ‘Band 1’ barrister in the ‘Crime – London (Bar)’ category of Chambers and Partners, but so are 32 others. There is also a category called ‘Star Individuals’, in which Dein does not feature. Wikipedia is typically edited by independent third parties rather than the featured individuals themselves.
When Legal Cheek got in touch with Dein, he said:
With hindsight, my website, overseen by an external company, has involved a naively judged marketing exercise. Following from the recent comments of the BSB, I have already had the language amended, and intend to have the content fully revised and updated. I would never wilfully take action to undermine the public trust in the criminal justice process, and have never been accused of doing so. I have given 33 years of honest and total commitment to defence practice in the criminal courts and continue to do so.
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