James Lewis QC is quickly becoming the silk of note for major extradition and international crime cases. A tenant at top criminal set 3 Raymond Buildings, Lewis acted this year on the first UK prosecution of a foreign national for a crime committed overseas.

Faryadi Zardad was an Afghan warlord accused of torture, hostage-taking and conspiracy. The first attempt to prosecute him resulted in a hung jury, and Lewis took over the running of the case from Attorney-General Lord Goldsmith for the second trial in July. Zardad was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison under international conventions incorporated into English law.

Lewis is now acting for the US government in its attempts to have radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza extradited from the UK. With such cases growing in number, Lewis looks likely to bolster his reputation in the years to come.