Calum McNicholas
Calum joined Dere Street Barristers in October 2023 following the successful completion of his pupillage.
Crime
Calum appears for both the prosecution and defence.
Calum has been described by the Court of Appeal as a “conspicuously able and focused” advocate.
He has quickly established a busy Crown Court practice. He has been instructed in multiple jury trials, including burglary, knife-point robbery, and section 18. Calum has acted in a range of serious and complex criminal work, including large multi-handed drugs conspiracies, arson, and grievous bodily harm with intent. He has also appeared in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division).
Throughout his shadowing period of pupillage, Calum experienced a wide variety of criminal trials, including murder, manslaughter, GBH, serious sexual offences, and fraud. Further, Calum worked on a range of procedural matters, such as applications to dismiss, submissions of no case to answer, and abuse of process arguments.
Notable Cases
R v LB
Represented the Appellant in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division). Successfully appealed a Crown Court Restraining Order, both in terms of its excessive duration and overly restrictive wording.
R v L
Represented the Defendant in a sexual assault trial in circumstances where the defendant was unable to provide an account of the incident due to intoxication. The Defendant was acquitted.
R v S
Defendant was charged with harassment. Made a successful submission of no case to answer on the basis that the conduct, when considered in its social context, was not sufficiently distressing or alarming to meet the threshold for criminal liability. The Defendant was acquitted at the conclusion of the Crown’s case.
R v H
Represented the Defendant for sentence in respect of two armed robberies, an assault, and possession of a bladed article.
Operation Melton
Represented the Defendant for sentence in a 10-handed drugs conspiracy.
Education and Awards
Calum obtained a first-class law degree and an Outstanding on the BPTC. His achievements in this regard were marked by various academic awards:
- Middle Temple’s Certificate of Honour for Bar Course Performance
- University Department Prize for Best Undergraduate Student in Law
- Northumbria Bar Course Honour Roll
- Northumbria Contribution Roll for Excellence in External Advocacy Competitions
Calum competed in and won a range of advocacy competitions, including the Oxford University Press/Inns of Court National Mooting Competition, the Trinity Chambers XIC Competition, and the New Park Court Mitigation Competition.
