Matthew Chidley

Year of Call: 2008

Specialist practice areas: Serious Crime, Extradition, Health & Safety, Immigration, Inquests & Public Inquiries

Email: mchidley@furnivallaw.co.uk

Matthew became a member of Chambers in December 2009 after successfully completing pupillage.

Matthew is regularly instructed in the Youth and Magistrates' Court, having successfully represented defendants charged with a variety of offences, including harassment, public order act charges, assault and criminal damage. Matthew recently represented one of six co-defendants involved in a public order incident that had taken place across three locations, culminating in a large scale brawl in a residential street. Although the case involved evidence from over a dozen witnesses and had been listed for ten days, the defendant and three others were acquitted after only four.

Matthew has appeared in the Crown Court in sentencing hearings, preliminary hearings, bail applications and successful appeals against sentence. He also stood in as junior counsel to the Crown in ‘Operation Frant', a case arising out of the largest ever importation of Heroin into the United Kingdom at Kingston Crown Court, during which he drafted legal argument for the admission of bad character evidence of the second defendant.

Matthew also appears on behalf of immigration detainees in bail applications before the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Tribunal.

As a pupil in chambers, Matthew has been exposed to a wide range of work. He has assisted in the preparation of large scale benefit, mortgage and charity fraud trials, several high profile murder cases and a conspiracy to murder, amongst others.

Prior to joining chambers, Matthew gained invaluable experience as an Appropriate Adult and as a representative for the Norfolk Community Law Service defending housing repossession proceedings in the County Court. He also successfully represented an appellant in the Child Support Appeal Tribunal on behalf of the Free Representation Unit and reached the national semi-final of the Weekly Law Reports mooting competition in 2007.

Qualifications

LLB (Hons) Law with European Legal Systems (2:1); University of East Anglia and University of Maastricht, The Netherlands

Bar Vocational Course (Outstanding); College of Law, London

Awards

Blackstone Entrance Exhibitioner (Middle Temple)

Baron Dr Ver Heyden de Lancey Prize (Middle Temple)

Middle Temple Certificate of Honour