Edward Garnier is a highly experienced silk lawyer in England & Wales and Northern Ireland who represents companies, governments, NGOs and individuals in high-stakes disputes involving reputational harm, cross-border investigations and actions by foreign authorities.
Edward’s practice includes corporate advisory and financial services work, sanctions, corporate crime and international human rights as well as defamation, privacy, confidence, malicious falsehood, contempt and related media law cases.
Edward advises and acts for companies and individuals whose rights have been adversely affected by foreign governments and agencies, including asset seizures, imprisonment, extradition applications and Interpol Red Notices, as well as for overseas governments and agencies who are seeking to comply with international standards and the rule of law.
He has acted in landmark Deferred Prosecution Agreements and regularly appears in significant media, defamation and privacy cases across multiple jurisdictions.
Representative Experience
- Acted for the UK Serious Fraud Office in SFO v. Rolls-Royce, the agency’s largest bribery investigation across multiple jurisdictions, securing a court-approved DPA requiring over £500 million in penalties and establishing a major benchmark for corporate anti-corruption enforcement.
- Led negotiations for two UK-based companies in the 11th and 12th court-approved DPAs, addressing offences under sections 1 and 7 of the Bribery Act 2010, resulting in two separate DPAs approved by Mrs. Justice May in July 2021.
- Represented the SFO in SFO v. Standard Bank, where the London office of a South African bank admitted bribery by staff in Tanzania connected to a government infrastructure loan, and secured a DPA approved by Sir Brian Leveson covering penalties, compensation, deferment terms and SFO costs under the Crime and Courts Act 2013.
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- Acted for Sir John Major, the former British Prime Minister, in the Prorogation case against the then-Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, in which the UK Supreme Court held that the closing of Parliament to prevent its delaying Brexit was unlawful.
- Led a multifaceted international human rights matter for a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen challenging an Interpol Red Notice issued by Kyrgyz authorities, preparing submissions to Interpol’s Commission for the Control of Files in Lyon to address violations of human rights and rule-of-law principles.
- Advising on the recovery of many millions of U.S. dollars from a Middle Eastern government, following a U.S. judgment in favour of families of victims of terrorist attacks.
- Led a high-stakes claim for victims of terrorist attacks against multiple banks, alleging multimillion-dollar transfers used to purchase arms and explosives for terrorist groups, involving complex ECHR, public interest and jurisdictional issues of significant political sensitivity.
- Leading a matter related to claims lodged in the ECtHR brought by a former Turkish MP and journalist against the Government of Turkey relating to his improper conviction and unlawful imprisonment.
- Advised the Malta Financial Services Authority on the fitness and probity of a bank and its CEO, including the political, diplomatic and reputational consequences of its operations for Malta, amid scrutiny from authorities in the U.S., London, the EU and Malta; the bank was later required to cease trading in Malta and its CEO was arrested in the U.S.
- Advised numerous designated persons and companies in relation to U.S., UK and EU sanctions relating to Russia, Libya, Iran and other jurisdictions.
Professional Highlights
- Edward’s extensive experience in practice is underpinned by a parallel career in politics and as one of the UK Government’s two Law Officers: he was a Member of the UK Parliament from 1992 until 2017 and was HM Solicitor General from 2010 to 2012. He is a member of His Majesty’s Privy Council and of the House of Lords. Edward was knighted in 2012.
- As Solicitor General, Edward developed and introduced into the UK from the United States the Deferred Prosecution Agreement.
- He has written, lectured and broadcast extensively on sanctions, economic crime, defamation, media law, human rights, jury trial and other legal and public policy issues.
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- Contributed to Lissack & Horlick on Bribery & Corruption - 3rd (2020) and 4th (2025) editions.
- Co-authored report on Abuses of Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Turkey (with Lord Woolf, Sir Jeffrey Jowell KC and Sarah Palin), 2015.
- Barrister at 4 Pump Court, Temple, London.
- Co-chair of the Westminster Commission on Miscarriages of Justice Panel
- Member of the Serious Fraud Office’s panel of external counsel (2021)
- Member of the Prosecution Counsel Panel for the Serious Fraud Office (2017–2021)
- Life Peer (2018)
- A Member of UK Parliament (1992–2017)
- Privy Counsellor (2015)
- Crown Court Recorder (1998–2015)
- Knighted (2012)
- HM Solicitor General (2010–2012)
- KC (Northern Ireland) (2010)
- Bencher of the Middle Temple (2001)
- Parliamentary Fellow, St Antony’s College, Oxford (1996–1997)
- Independent Panel for Post Office’s Historical Shortfall Scheme concerned with Horizon computer system failings
Education
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MA Hons (Oxon), University of Oxford
Admissions
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England and Wales
Northern Ireland