Chloë Ashley is a specialist criminal advocate focused on the prosecution and defence of the most serious and sensitive cases. Her case load includes allegations of child homicide, non-accidental injuries to infants, organised criminality and counter-terrorism. She is instructed both as sole counsel and as a led junior and is accustomed to working at the highest levels of legal, factual and evidential complexity.
Her practice is characterised by a disciplined, forensic approach to grave allegations, with a particular aptitude for the management and presentation of complex medical and scientific evidence. She is frequently entrusted by leading silks with substantial responsibility in significant cases, including the examination of defendants, experts and hostile witnesses.
Chloë is recognised as a calm and effective advocate. Instructing solicitors value her discretion, strategic judgment and her ability to secure the confidence of vulnerable or demanding clients, while maintaining credibility with judges and opponents alike.
She is described as: “A formidable yet understated advocate- exceptionally bright, scrupulously fair, and unflappable under pressure.”
Chloë was awarded Junior Barrister of the Year (up to 10 years’ call) at the 2026 Birmingham Law Society Awards.
She is ranked in the Legal 500 (2026) as a Leading Junior, having previously been recognised as a Tier 1 “Rising Star” in 2024 and 2025.
In March 2026, “Domestic Abuse and the Family Justice System: Law and Practice”, co-authored by Chloë together with Michelle Heeley KC, Jo Delahunty KC and Ian McArdle, was published. The text integrates criminal law principles, evidential standards and advocacy practice into the family justice context, promoting rigorous and fair handling of grave allegations.
Chloë has an established practice in cases involving the death of infants and very young children, including allegations of murder, manslaughter and cruelty. These cases frequently turn on disputed causation and the careful synthesis of highly specialised expert evidence across multiple disciplines.
She is experienced in addressing the particular complexities that arise in this field, including competing expert opinions, historic injury timelines, unexplained medical events, prior family court proceedings, sensitive unused material and the careful handling of professional and medical witnesses. She is equally comfortable advising at an early investigative stage- and is often instructed pre-charge- as she is conducting lengthy Crown Court trials, ensuring that medical evidence is rigorously tested and presented with clarity, restraint and fairness.
Her instructions in this field include a number of high-profile and long-running prosecutions and defences, including Operation Kenita, concerning the death of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, in which she defended the Arthur’s father, and Operation Lanvigator, in which she prosecuted a mother convicted of the historic murder of her newborn son, committed when she was aged 15.
Such cases demand sound judgment, careful case progression and a principled approach to advocacy, all of which Chloë brings to this work as a matter of course.
Beyond child homicide, Chloë is regularly instructed in complex murder and attempted murder cases, including those involving gang-related violence, firearms, drugs, conspiracy and organised criminal groups.
She has experience of cases involving multiple defendants, extensive bad character applications, anonymous witnesses, covert surveillance, and large volumes of technical evidence including cell‑site analysis, telematics, surveillance material and forensic reconstruction.
She has acted in VHCC-level cases and is accustomed to working within large prosecution teams alongside senior investigators and specialist prosecutors. Her approach is methodical and measured, with close attention paid to disclosure, evidential integrity and the fair presentation of the case. Whether prosecuting or defending, she is known for identifying and advancing the key issues, and for pursuing them with rigour and fairness.
Chloë is appointed to the CPS Specialist Panel and has experience defending cases arising from counter-terrorism investigations, including matters involving extreme right-wing ideology and online radicalisation.
These cases have involved the analysis and presentation of substantial digital material, including online communications and extremist content, together with careful consideration of evidential thresholds, disclosure obligations and national security sensitivities. She is accustomed to presenting such material with precision and, when defending, to carefully testing the reliability, context and proportionality of the evidence relied upon.
Chloë retains a strong focus on human rights within her criminal practice, informed by her earlier work with specialist women’s rights charities and international NGOs, including organisations concerned with counter‑terrorism measures and the defence of clients facing the death penalty.
She has a particular interest in representing women, children, and defendants with mental health conditions or intellectual disabilities, and is frequently instructed in cases where psychiatric or psychological evidence is central to the issues in dispute.
Chloë is committed to improving equality, diversity and social mobility at the Bar. She regularly supports initiatives encouraging aspiring lawyers from under-represented backgrounds, mentors Inner Temple students and assists candidates seeking scholarships. All of her mentees have gone on to secure pupillage and tenancy.
In 2022, she co-founded the Criminal Bar Association’s Hardship Fund, which raised over £100,000 during the Criminal Bar’s industrial action. It aimed to provide urgent financial support to practitioners facing unexpected hardship. The fund, now progressing towards charitable status, continues to play an important resource in supporting retention within the profession.
As Secretary of the Criminal Bar Association, Chloë played a central role in national work on professional culture, wellbeing and systemic improvement across the criminal Bar. She also represents the CBA at national conferences, engages with key stakeholders and contributes to consultations informing criminal justice policy and reform.
She also supports the South Eastern Circuit Advanced International Advocacy Course held annually at Keble College, as her professional commitments permit.
Chloë Ashley was instructed, alongside Edward Brown KC of QEB Hollis Whiteman, by the West Midlands CPS Complex Casework Unit to prosecute Dale Cole, who…
Mark Heywood KC is instructed for the defence in the trial of R v Dale Cole, currently underway at Stafford Crown Court, in which Chloë…
“Chloë is highly regarded by the senior judiciary. Her meticulous preparation, sound judgment and calm authority in court have earned her the confidence of judges before whom she regularly appears.”
“Few juniors of less than ten years’ call are entrusted by leading silks to take a defendant’s evidence in a murder trial or to lead the examination of an expert witness- but Chloë is, and it always pays off.”
“A first-rate advocate. Chloë is one of a handful under ten years’ call who can appear against silks and hold her own. Her manner is very disarming.”
“You see her at her best in complex medical cases, where her intellect shines through. I have never known a junior to be so well prepared.”
“She is always top of our list when it comes to instructing in complex, serious cases. Chloë is extremely hard-working, diligent, and leaves no piece of plausible evidence unexplored.”
“Ms Ashley endears herself to clients almost immediately. She quickly masters the evidence in a way that appeals to a jury, and judges value her commitment to her cases.”
“A junior of remarkable promise. Undeniably one to watch, and her trajectory is firmly upward.”
“Chloë stands out amongst her peers. She is frighteningly hard-working and demonstrates exceptional attention to detail. She always does an impeccable job, and our clients absolutely love her. In court she is unfailingly courteous and charming- she is an undoubted star.”
“She has a reputation for being a workaholic, which has seen her go on to become a successful and prominent junior barrister- a position she thoroughly deserves.”
“Her work is worthy of an advocate of 20 years’ call. She is very impressive on her feet.”
Chloë Ashley was instructed, alongside Edward Brown KC of QEB Hollis Whiteman, by the West Midlands CPS Complex Casework Unit to prosecute Dale Cole, who…
Mark Heywood KC is instructed for the defence in the trial of R v Dale Cole, currently underway at Stafford Crown Court, in which Chloë…
