Mark Butler is an independent barrister consulting for IBB Crime in association with HAL Solicitors, instructed by IBB ‘s Crown Court Department.

Mark is a specialist in Criminal Law. He was called to the Bar in 1995 and subsequently obtained dual qualification as a Solicitor in 1997. He was awarded Higher Rights of Audience in 1998 and has since practised almost exclusively in the Crown Courts.

Now returned to the independent Bar, Mark continues to consult for IBB and serves as our ‘standing counsel ‘ for all criminal matters.

He is a member of the Legal Services Commission ‘s VHCC Panel (Very High Cost Criminal Cases), authorised to act as Lead Counsel or be Led in VHCC cases. Mark is also a member of the Serious Fraud Panel and has led in murder trials at the Central Criminal Court and other venues.
To date, Mark has been instructed in over 60 murder trials, acting as Junior Counsel, Leading Counsel, and Led Junior.

He has extensive experience in complex trials and has defended cases involving:
• Murder (including multi-defendant and gang-related cases)
• Manslaughter
• Causing death by dangerous driving
• Serious sexual offences (including rape, incest, and historical child abuse)
• Drug conspiracies
• Grooming offences
• Firearms offences, including large-scale conspiracies
• Robbery (armed, cash-in-transit, and conspiracies)
• Kidnap, false imprisonment, and Section 18 offences
• Section 18 and Section 20 GBH
• Fraud and public order offences

Notable Cases:
Led Junior in over 50 murder trials across 26 years, including numerous gang-related and conspiracy to murder cases.

Junior alone in a 2020 Oxford Crown Court murder trial (husband decapitated wife). The defendant feigned mental illness, requiring Mark to challenge eight separate prosecution experts.

Currently instructed in multiple ongoing murder trials.

Mark is fully capable of continuing cases in the absence of King ‘s Counsel. He also has significant expertise in analysing complex telephone schedules and preparing detailed defence bundles.