Lionel Blackman

Lionel Blackman is the Co-founder of CLTC and an English solicitor advocate who practices criminal litigation. He qualified as a solicitor in 1986 and was among the first to engage in higher court advocacy following the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990. Notably, in 1999, he became the first solicitor to lead and win a case in the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords.

Throughout his career, Blackman has served as lead defense counsel in several homicide trials at the Old Bailey and other courts. He has also contributed to international human rights through investigative reports and trial observations in countries such as Kazakhstan, Egypt, Thailand, and Turkey. In 2005, he co-founded the Solicitors’ International Human Rights Group (SIHRG) and served as its chair from 2009 to 2015.

In academia, Blackman is a Visiting Fellow at London South Bank University, where he lectures on Criminal Litigation at the master’s level. He has also lectured internationally on various aspects of the English legal system and the use of high technology in criminal trials.

Blackman’s extensive experience in criminal defense, human rights advocacy, and legal education underscores his commitment to justice and the rule of law.