By Michael Caplan

With my position as  the defence practitioner on  the Sentencing Council  due to end shortly, the Council is currently looking for someone to take on the role for the next three years.

I have found it tremendously stimulating, enjoyable and extremely interesting. I have been able to put forward the defence view and debate issues surrounding sentencing with others stakeholders. I have made many friends on the Council. Discussions are frank but always conducted in a most friendly manner and my colleagues have always been willing to listen to my views. It really is an opportunity to help shape sentencing guidelines for the future.  The Council staff are most friendly and authoritative; they are always extremely helpful.

It is an opportunity I would wholeheartedly recommend.

Michael Caplan QC
Partner
Kingsley Napley LLP

Full details, including the candidate information pack, were made available on the Cabinet Office website. The closing date for applications was midday on 4 February 2016.

Michael Caplan is a solicitor practising in the areas of domestic and international, criminal and regulatory law and is one of the few solicitors to have been appointed QC.

As well as having been a partner at Kingsley Napley for 30 years, he has been a part-time judge (Recorder) in the Crown Court for many years and is authorised to sit as a Deputy High Court Judge. Michael is also a chairman of the Police Appeals Tribunal, is on the Criminal Procedure Rule Committee chaired by the Lord Chief Justice and is a former chairman of the Solicitors Association of Higher Court Advocates.  He has written and lectured on a number of topics.

He was appointed to the Sentencing Council on 6 April 2013.

The information on this page was correct at the time of publication.