Mark Cotter KC

Summary

Mark has developed a formidable practice over the last nineteen years and is regularly instructed as lead Counsel and as a result is in demand with a number of London’s leading criminal defence firms. The core of Mark’s practice is heavy fraud work (including confiscation) together with organised crime (with a very strong emphasis on large scale drug conspiracies – see Serious and Organised Crime heading under Cases of Note below for case examples). Mark also has a recognised and long-standing specialism in serious sexual offences and in recent years he has been privately instructed in a number of high profile cases. Mark also has significant experience of acting in cases where medical professionals have been accused of sexual offending in a clinical setting. Mark has received numerous judicial commendations. Most recently, the Common Sergeant of London commended Mark for his advocacy in a highly complex case of attempted murder involving issues of transferred malice. Mark also receives instructions from defence solicitors in relation to proposed referrals to the Criminal Cases Review Commission and from the CPS Central Appeals Unit (including guideline cases in relation to sexual offences prevention orders, post acquittal restraining orders and sentencing in cases involving complex and historic sexual offences). Mark has been ranked as a leading junior in ‘Chambers and Partners’ for a number of years.

Specialist areas of law include

Profile description

Asset Forfeiture & Confiscation: Mark has appeared in countless confiscation cases and regularly deals with asset forfeiture.  He has recently led in multi-handed confiscation proceedings involving evidence from overseas jurisdictions.  He has also led in numerous multi million pound confiscation cases, including a recent large scale case in Birmingham where only 15% of the figure sought by the prosecution was actually confiscated.

Sexual Offences: 

Mark began specialising in sexual offences at a very early stage his career.  He was fortunate enough to have been led by four highly eminent Queen’s Counsel (one of whom is now a High Court Judge) in rape cases at a time when authority for instructing Queen’s Counsel in rapes was routinely granted.

From that springboard he began acting in rapes as a junior alone and as a leading junior.  He has recently acted in cases involving conspiracy to rape and numerous cases involving child witnesses.  He has been judicially commended for his handling of child witnesses on a number of occasions.  More recently he has been admitted to the specialist CPS rape list of approved advocates.