Cameron Crowe KC – Gough Square Chambers, London

Cameron Crowe KC specialises in regulatory law with an emphasis on consumer law, associated fraud, health and safety, fire safety, food safety and product safety. He represents clients in his specialism in some of the most significant and high-profile cases in both criminal and civil jurisdictions. He was born in the US to a British mother and Native American father. Following the break-up of his parents’ marriage when he was 3 years old, Cameron came back to the UK with his mother and three sisters. Very sadly their mother became ill shortly thereafter, and Cameron was taken into local authority care.

Cameron’s life was transformed when he was first fostered and then adopted, at the age of 11, by two teachers whose “extraordinary love surrounded me and gave me opportunities”. They, not unexpectedly, emphasised the vital importance of education. Looking back, Cameron believes he is where he is now in life due to a combination of “events and luck”. He also says, “I struggle to understand how I have reached this point!” But clearly, a great deal of hard work over a sustained period has enabled Cameron to be where he finds himself in 2025 – amongst the ranks of the ‘best of the best’ barristers, who are recognised as such by the award of the great distinction of silk.

After school, Cameron travelled a good deal, working as he went to pay for it, undertaking a variety of jobs. He worked in shops, a care home, a dairy farm and as a removal man along the way. Two years later he was still undecided what to do with his life and his parents persuaded him to go to university, where he met a friend’s “inspirational” father who was a criminal barrister, and he realised what he wanted for a career. Cameron took a postgraduate diploma in law and attended Bar School. It was famously difficult to secure a pupillage but securing a summer job as an outdoor clerk at a London criminal firm gave Cameron a very helpful insight into the work of barristers and, more importantly, of the courtroom, and he obtained pupillage.

As a tenant, he initially undertook general common law work with an emphasis on general crime but decided “with a heavy heart”, and as sadly many have, that he could not afford to work in publicly-funded areas of the law. Cameron gravitated to areas that most interested him, and this was various aspects of regulatory law. He began to focus on those before moving to a specialist regulatory chambers, Gough Square, where he remains. It was also important to Cameron to find a work/life balance and his chosen areas, which generally involve paperwork or longer, fixed cases, enabled him to have a life outside of work whilst still progressing in the profession.

It had always been a long-term ambition of Cameron’s to eventually achieve appointment as King’s Counsel, although his belief in that ambition “fluctuated wildly”. His story was a familiar on. As a senior junior he found himself increasingly leading cases and being up against silks. Looking at the KC competition criteria, Cameron came to the view that he “had a good shot”. He also received words of encouragement from senior colleagues at the Bar and from judges. Cameron also modified his practice “to make it workable” if he was fortunate enough to take silk.
As for advice to those aspiring to KC, he counsels looking extremely carefully at the competition competencies. He also recommended studying the guidance and believes applicants should not hesitate contacting KCA for any further help – “they are extremely approachable”. You should look at your cases and see whether and, if so, how these might provide examples of evidence of excellence against each of the competencies: “It sounds easy put like that – but it isn’t!” says Cameron. Finally, “accept all the help that is offered”.

The hardest competency to evidence for Cameron was oral advocacy due to the nature of his practice area, which is significantly paper-based. Furthermore, his cases with oral advocacy were scattered across the country and often resolved before trial, meaning there were relatively few judges who were sufficiently familiar with Cameron’s ability in this competency. However, he identified enough such judges for his application in cases where, although the quantity of oral advocacy was limited (e.g., relatively short hearings), there were no doubts as regards its significance or quality. This exposure was of course, in the event, sufficient to satisfy the KC Selection Panel.

In the build up to his KC interview, Cameron carefully re-read his application form, ensuring that he was thoroughly familiar with it. He also went over the cases he had been working on since submitting his application form so that he could cite these in his interview responses to questions. Cameron believes that “if you know your stuff” you “can help the interviewers” to understand how you fit the criteria. He found the interview “nerve racking but clearly structured”. Topics were well headlined by the interview pair. There were no tricks or trips, and the interviewers clearly wanted you to do your best.

Overall, the competition was far from easy, but it was “a clear and fair process”. The application form was famously lengthy, but it was manageable “if you set aside sufficient time”, says Cameron. He was, though, very uncomfortable asking the judges whether they would be willing to act as his assessors, especially as his judges did not know him that well, certainly not as well as judges would know barristers who appeared before them very frequently “on their feet”. In the event though, there were no knock backs from the judges.
Cameron hopes to maintain a healthy work/life balance in silk, and that is certainly encouraged at Gough Square, and considers the achievement a reflection of the excellent team work with colleagues and clients over the years.

The day of the KC Ceremony was “remarkable” and “filled with good spirits and cheer”, says Cameron. It was “a long day that was paradoxically also over in a flash.” He was accompanied by his mother, his wife and daughter, his mother-in-law and his senior clerk. His favourite memory of the day was holding his daughter’s hand as they entered Westminster Hall, the two of them halting for a few seconds and standing in awe at the building and the occasion ahead of them.