Alexander dos Santos KC

Call 1999 | Silk 2026

Alexander dos Santos KC | Call 1999 | Silk 2026

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Overview

Alexander has a broad common law practice spanning regulatory, financial crime, extradition, public and commercial law. He acts for governments, regulators, corporates, financial institutions and individuals in complex and high-profile matters, both civil and criminal. He is particularly recognised for his expertise at the intersection of public, regulatory and criminal law, and appears regularly in the appellate courts, including the Administrative Court and Court of Appeal. He is consistently ranked as a leading practitioner in both Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500.

“He meshes together civil, criminal and public law understanding to good effect.”
The Legal 500

Alexander was junior counsel in the first post-Brexit Divisional Court case considering the Withdrawal Agreement and Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE

Alexander appears in complex and high-profile matters across the appellate courts and specialist tribunals, including the Administrative Court, Court of Appeal, Privy Council and European Court of Human Rights. He has appeared in more than 90 reported cases and is frequently instructed in matters involving overlapping regulatory, criminal and public law issues.

He is ranked in  both the leading legal directories for extradition, health and safety and professional discipline, business crime (large corporates), fraud and white-collar crime, and inquests and inquiries.

Recent editorial describes him as “very precise and forensic” with “thorough knowledge of the law” (Chambers & Partners; The Legal 500).

He is a legal adviser to AFC Wimbledon and a member of the League Managers Association Legal Panel.

Extradition

Alexander appears regularly in the Administrative Court and Divisional Court and at first instance, acting in cases under both Part 1 and Part 2 of the Extradition Act 2003. He has appeared in some of the most serious, complex and leading cases in the field and is often instructed for strategic advice in respect of Requests. He was junior Counsel in Polakowski and Others v Westminster Magistrates Court & Ors [2021] EWHC 53 (Admin), 5 joined habeas corpus/judicial review applications in the first post Brexit Divisional Court matter considering the legal position by reference to the Withdrawal Agreement and Trade and Cooperation Agreement. He is ranked in both directories in this field.

L500: “He is a superb advocate, very persuasive, and is an excellent all round professional. His preparation is meticulous.”

Regulatory law

He acts in complex financial services, consumer regulation, money laundering and corruption matters. His practice includes advising on compliance, assisting with policies and controls, providing pre-litigation and strategic advice during regulatory and criminal investigations and supporting clients facing regulatory and criminal allegations.

Financial Crime & Fraud (Civil and Criminal)

He is experienced in complex. lengthy and high-value fraud, financial services, money laundering and corruption matters (civil and criminal), and advises individuals and companies on compliance, investigations and pre-litigation and strategic advice during regulatory and criminal investigations.

He recently appeared in the Upper Tribunal in a referral of an FCA Decision Notice. At a preliminary hearing, he persuaded the UT that the FCA’s expert witness from Grant Thornton should only be entitled to give factual evidence. At the substantive hearing, he cross-examined a number of FCA witnesses and a statistician, substantially reducing the FCA’s factual case (Fenech & Anor v Financial Conduct Authority [2026] UKUT 162 (TCC), and [2026] UKUT 20 (TCC)).

L500: “He charms juries and has judges eating out of his hand”

Health and Safety

Prior to taking silk, he served as a Specialist Regulatory Advocate in Health and Safety and Environmental Law. He has acted for regulators, companies and individuals in health and safety, food safety, environmental and planning prosecutions, including fatality cases.

He has advised companies on health and safety risk assessments within commercial negotiations, prosecuted for local authorities, the Health and Safety Executive and the Office for Rail and Road, and acted in health and safety matters in the medical sector.

He advised health and safety prosecution authorities in relation to their investigations following the Fishmonger’s Hall and Manchester Arena terror attacks. He is ranked in Chambers and Partners and the L500.

L500: “Alex has fantastic attention to detail, and is a confident and persuasive advocate.”

Public Law & Inquests

He has substantial judicial review experience across regulatory, criminal, sports and prison law matters and acting for both claimants and defendants.

He appears in inquests, including Article 2 and jury inquests, for a variety of interested parties and has assisted Counsel to the inquest and acted for coroners in proceedings. He also acted in the Grenfell Inquiry.

L500: “His work product and grasp of the issues is deeply impressive.’”

Commercial

He advises and acts in contractual and financial disputes, with a focus on practical, commercial outcomes. His work includes corporate governance issues, civil fraud and interim relief in the High Court, and disputes arising in a sports context. He has acted in matters involving misrepresentation, breach of trust, secret profits, misfeasance and fraud.

Professional Discipline

He has significant experience acting for and against regulators across the professional discipline landscape, including High Court appeals and judicial reviews. He is ranked in Chambers and Partners and the L500.

Some of his reported cases:

  • Fenech & Anor v Financial Conduct Authority [2026] UKUT 162 (TCC)
  • Fenech & Anor v Financial Conduct Authority [2026] UKUT 20 (TCC)
  • Brown v Chief Constable of Sussex [2025] EWHC 1527 (Admin)
  • Uckac v Turkey[2024] EWHC 3055 (Admin)
  • Klos v Poland[2024] EWHC 2622 (Admin)
  • Turkey v Demir [2024] EWHC 2351 (Admin)
  • iBridge Finance v Sherman[2024] EWHC 2455 (Ch)
  • Niziol v Poland [2023] EWHC 3252 (Admin)
  • Norman v Adler [2023] EWCA Civ 785
  • Krampa v Poland [2023] EWHC 1587 (Admin)
  • Helligger v Sint Maarten [2023] EWHC 422 (Admin)
  • Wozniak v Poland [2022] EWHC 1820 (Admin)
  • HM Senior Coroner for West Sussex v Chief Constable of Sussex [2022] EWHC 215 (QB)
  • Kaderli v Turkey [2022] EWHC 13 (Admin)
  • Polakowski and Others v Westminster Magistrates Court & Ors [2021] EWHC 53 (Admin)
  • R (on the Application of Terence Norman & Ors) v Chelmsford Crown Court and Chief Constable of Essex [2020] EWHC 3456 (Admin)
  • R (on the Application of Simon Halabi) v Southwark Crown Court and Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis, Secretary of State for the Home Department [2020] EWHC 1053 (Admin)
  • R (on the application of Richmond Psychosocial Foundation International) v Ealing Magistrates’ Court [2020] EWHC 1997 (QB)

Recommendations

Alex  is consistently recognised as a leading practitioner by both The Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners.  Recent editorials included:

“Excellent client relationship building and highly skilful in conducting examination in chief and targeted cross examination. Highly knowledgeable in all matters related to regulation and business crime. A KC in waiting.”
The Legal 500

“He is very precise and forensic in his approach to prosecuting.”
Chambers and Partners

“Alexander is an impressive barrister.”
Chambers and Partners

“He is very focused and precise in his work.”
Chambers and Partners 

“He is a class act who does his extradition work extremely competently and with charm, grace and humour.”
Chambers and Partners

“Alex is an exceptionally courteous barrister who is able to draw upon his natural legal mind, ability to absorb complicated issues and, significantly, his wit to devastating effect in the courtroom.”
Chambers and Partners 

“A junior with an incredible intellect and encyclopaedic legal mind. He always takes a measured approach to cases and is a calming influence.”
The Legal 500

“Thorough knowledge of the law and a careful, forensic approach to written and oral submissions. A forthright advocate who is nonetheless reasonable and pleasant to work with.”
The Legal 500

“Knowledgeable in relation to inquests for care providers. Good manner with witnesses and also flexible.”
The Legal 500

“A junior who is very experienced across a range of regulatory areas. He is an excellent advocate who thinks outside the box.”
The Legal 500

“Alex is a pleasure to work with, and fiercely advances our clients’ interests.”
Chambers & Partners

“Hard-working, user-friendly and very bright. A great team player who will do his utmost to support you and get results.”
Chambers & Partners

“Alexander has sound judgement and is a very good advocate.”
Chambers & Partners

“Alexander is very technical and precise.”
Chambers & Partners

“Extremely bright senior junior. Very clear and imaginative legal thinker. Very committed.”
The Legal 500

“Alex is polite, personable and very approachable. As a barrister he is knowledgeable, well-respected by peers and senior counsel and very experienced. His advocacy is always based on thorough preparation and is persuasive and well-argued. His written advice is clear and helpful and he is excellent with professional and lay-clients.”
The Legal 500

“Alex is a fantastic advocate who has a huge brain and an ability to make complex information accessible for his clients.”
Chambers & Partners

“Alexander is a formidable opponent – he never misses a point.”
Chambers & Partners

“He is always fully prepared, having this in-built ability to store material in his head. He always has the ear of the court as well.”
Chambers & Partners

“Alex is good at explaining things really clearly, even if it is the most difficult concept in the world to understand.”
Chambers & Partners

“Brilliant at handling knotty issues and someone that you know that you can go to with any questions you have. He is completely on top of the developments in the legal world and he really, really knows his stuff.”
Chambers & Partners

“Diligent, organised, ambitious, responsive and a very competent advocate.”
The Legal 500

“Alexander is highly knowledgeable, calm and wise. His demeanour makes him a good choice for nervous client and his written advice is of the highest standard. His advocacy is superb, clear, accurate, well-considered and persuasive.”
The Legal 500

“Tenacious, intelligent, and uses understatement wonderfully to make his points.”
The Legal 500

“Alex has a wide breadth of knowledge which he is happy and willing to share when needed. He is personable and clients like him. He is confident in court and in written submissions. His arguments are well prepared and considered. Alex regularly provides training to more junior members of the Bar which is a testament to his advocacy skills.”
The Legal 500

“A very bright and smooth advocate.”
Chambers & Partners

“It is a real pleasure to be against him; he works really hard for his clients”
Chambers & Partners

“An incredibly diligent and meticulous barrister who is quite happy to argue and take points that are obscure but winnable. He is incredibly determined.”
Chambers & Partners

“Alex is incredibly patient and calm in a difficult situation. Unflappable, no matter the situation, with a great sense of humour. He is meticulous in his approach and prepares his cases very thoroughly. Polite but has an air of authority about him that clients appreciate”.
The Legal 500

“Alexander demonstrates exceptional legal knowledge and has a tactical approach to cases. His advocacy is skilful and compelling”.
The Legal 500

“Diligent, organised, ambitious, responsive and a very competent advocate.”
The Legal 500

“He has a chess player’s mind and excellent knowledge of the law.”
Chambers & Partners

“He cross-examines opposing witnesses effectively, and develops a good rapport with co-defendants, which is important in multi-handed cases.”
The Legal 500

“A fantastic legal mind.”
Chambers & Partners

“He meshes together civil, criminal and public law understanding to good effect.”
The Legal 500

“A very hard-working barrister.”
Chambers & Partners

“A thorough cross-examiner.”
The Legal 500

“Practical and pragmatic.”
Chambers & Partners 

“A calm and well-prepared prosecutor in extradition cases.”
The Legal 500     

“He meshes together civil, criminal and public law understanding to good effect.”
The Legal 500

“Very capable and very confident. He knows his stuff inside out.”
Chambers & Partners 

Seminars & Speaking engagements

  • Market manipulation: risks arising from rumours, soundings and information
  • Commentator on legal matters – Sky News and LBC
  • Introduction to Extradition Law; High Court Appeals & Judicial Review
    Professional Discipline lectures on reflection guidance, case-law update and High Court appeals
  • Introduction to Insolvency law – delivered at Corpus Christi College, Oxford to visiting Brazilian judges and lawyers as part of a ‘Law in Britain’ event. Lecture comprised of an overview of the insolvency law in England and Wales with a particular focus on Public Interest Winding Up proceedings and asset tracing
  • Somaliland Justice Sector Support Project – delivering Judge Craft Training in Hargeisa, Somaliland through the Horizon Institute and in conjunction with the Somaliland High Judicial Council. Funded though the UK Department For International Development
  • Anti-Corruption and Fraud Legislation under English Law: Recent Developments
  • In July 2008 he was an invited panellist at the international conference – “Extraditing Genocide Suspects from Europe to Rwanda – Issues and Challenges”, hosted by REDRESS at the Belgian Parliament. He addressed the conference on the topic of “Human Rights and Fair Trial Conditions for Extradition”. The conference was attended by Interpol officers, lawyers, judges, academics and international observers.

I was once told that where a businessman always looks in a transaction in terms of what can go right, a lawyer looks at transactions in terms of what can go wrong. An eternal optimist, I make sure that I have firmly in mind the commercial and reputational objectives of each client when advising on regulations and potential legal risks.

“I have come to appreciate the value of a pastoral approach to client care”

Ever an inquisitive individual, I still get excited when faced with a novel point of law. Years of broadening my practice into different (albeit related) areas of law have provided many opportunities to think outside the box and draw on law developed in other fields.

Through my experience of dealing with vulnerable or financially exposed clients, where the legal process they face is difficult if not life changing, I have come to appreciate the value of a pastoral approach to client care.

Privacy

Alexander adopts and adheres to the provisions of his privacy notice which can be accessed here.

further information

For further details of  Alexander’s practice please click on the links to the left or contact a member of the clerking or client service team.

Bar Council Membership No:39897
Registered Name: Alexander dos Santos
VAT Registration No: 778 0255 08