Rebecca Niblock

Rebecca specialises in extradition and cross-border criminal matters. She advises individuals, families and family offices facing complex criminal investigations, extradition proceedings and cross-border enforcement action with an international dimension.
 

Her practice focuses on extradition, INTERPOL and mutual legal assistance (MLA) requests, as well as wider cross-border enforcement issues. Many of her cases involve sensitive issues and require careful coordination across multiple jurisdictions, often alongside reputational or political considerations. Her work frequently involves matters where criminal proceedings intersect with reputational, political or diplomatic considerations.

Rebecca also represents clients in serious and complex financial crime matters, including allegations of fraud, bribery and corruption, and in investigations conducted by agencies such as the Serious Fraud Office and Financial Conduct Authority. She is particularly experienced in cases involving parallel proceedings or competing enforcement interests in different jurisdictions.

She has extensive experience acting in extradition cases involving requests from the United States, EU member states, India and jurisdictions across the Middle East and the CIS. She regularly leads high-stakes matters raising complex issues of international law, human rights and abuse of process.

Rebecca works closely with private client advisers, trustees and reputation specialists when managing cross-border criminal risk for individuals and families.

She is ranked as a Star Individual for Extradition by Chambers and Partners and as a Leading Partner in Legal 500.

Rebecca is co-author of Extradition Law: A Practitioner’s Guide, one of the leading texts in the field, and contributes regularly to legal and policy discussions on cross-border criminal enforcement.

She holds a PhD in the History of Art from the University of Bristol.

Recent work

• Successfully defended a number of EAW cases, from countries such as Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, and Romania.
• Successful challenges to a number of requests from Ukraine.
• Secured a discharge in the two most recent extradition requests made by the Russian Federation.
• Represented a number of persons facing allegations of sexual offences.
• Advising senior members of international companies in relation to SFO and FCA investigations.
• Acting for Nepalese army officer facing trial for torture in criminal proceedings brought in the UK.

what clients and directories have said

She has amazing judgement and is very experienced."

Chambers and Partners 2025

Rebecca is wonderful."

Chambers and Partners 2025

She has good knowledge of the law and can provide extremely good advice and real reassurance to clients." 

Chambers and Partners 2022

She gets things moving in the right direction on a case and is strategically focused."

Chambers and Partners 2022

Rebecca Niblock is energetic and intelligent.”

Legal 500 UK 2022

She has the ability to focus on strategic issues in complex cases with lots of facets as well as the ability to communicate with and coordinate people in order to move a case forward."

Chambers UK 2021

"A fantastic partner who has great strategic oversight on a case."

Chambers UK 2021

Rebecca Niblock is precise and meticulous."

Legal 500 UK 2021

Rebecca is an excellent solicitor and a real expert in her field. She is incredibly hardworking, extremely organised and able to drill down into the really important parts of a case."

Chambers UK 2020 - A client's guide to the UK Legal Profession

"One of the most prominent lawyers out there practising extradition law."

Chambers UK 2020 - A Client's Guide to the UK Legal Profession

...is an excellent extradition practitioner, who always provides calm and measured advice."

Legal 500 UK 2020

Hugely respected by colleagues, due in large measure to her unerring ability to out-tactician her opponents."

Legal 500, 2019

She is tenacious, hard-working and tactically very astute."

Chambers and Partners 2019 

One of the most experienced extradition people," who is "academically very bright, and pragmatic in how she runs cases," and produces "top-tier work."

Chambers and Partners UK, 2018

She knows the law very well and is on top of this fast-moving area," and "she adds value that you wouldn't get from other counsel."

Chambers and Partners UK, 2017

Comes highly recommended for the "specialist knowledge" she brings to her expert extradition practice."

Chambers UK, 2017

She is one of the leading extradition lawyers practising in London. She is academically excellent and able to translate that into advice for her clients."

 Chambers UK, A Client's Guide to the UK Legal Profession, 2016 

Associate Rebecca Niblock is praised as "extremely knowledgeable, hard-working and thorough." 

Chambers UK, A Client's Guide to the UK Legal Profession

Rebecca Niblock is highly regarded within the fields of general crime and extradition. Sources note that "she is an urbane and thoughtful lawyer with an impressive intellect."

Chambers UK, A Client's Guide to the UK Legal Profession

"She stands out as being 'exceptionally bright' and 'fearless'."

Chambers UK, A Client's Guide to the UK Legal Profession

Publications, Press HIghlights & Speaking Engagements

• The ECHR: legal and political fault lines, Law Society Gazette, October 2025
• Citywealth Leaders List, 60 seconds interview, Citywealth, October 2025
• Modernising cross-border criminal justice: why the UK needs a root-and-branch reform, Solicitors Journal, July 2025
• UK Refusal Of US Extradition Request May Set New Standard, Law360, March 2025
• Justices Rewrite Extradition Rules In Shock To DOJ's Reach, Law360, February 2025
• Interpol launches tool to trace and recover criminal assets, Eprivateclient, January 2025
• The Top Corporate Crime Cases of 2024, Law 360, August 2024
• New Interpol chief must ensure oversight body is well funded, The Times, July 2024
• Assange Plea Deal Vindicates 'Fight To The End' Strategy, quoted in Law 360, June 2024
• Illegal Migration Act could increase legal uncertainty, August 2023
• Letters: The Tories should listen to voters and take Britain out of the ECHR, August 2023
• Beware the bear-trap of leaving the ECHR, August 2023
• Nigel Farage and the Scandal That Engulfed British Banking, Wall Street Journal, July 2023
• UK’s post-Brexit policing pact with EU put at risk by migration laws, say peers, July 2023
• Rules around high-risk customers exposed by Farage’s spat with Coutts, July 2023
• “De-banking” – Why this is a growing concern, WealthBriefing, July 2023
• INTERPOL's New Focus and 'Red Flags': Advice for Wealth Advisors, WealthBriefing, April 2023
• Rebecca is a member of the Criminal Law Week Commentary Board and a regular contributor to Criminal Law Week.
• Speaker at the 23rd IBA Transnational Crime conference on the topic: Worldwide trends in extradition law
• Speaker at the annual Delf Conference on the topic: Political Corruption and the abuse of INTERPOL 
• Online speaker at the European Criminal Law Association UK webinar on Extradition: What has happened to fundamental human rights in the current world of extradition – and how might things develop ?
• Speaker at the ECBA Spring Conference 2022 in Riga on Attorney - Client Privilege
• Patel's approval of Assange extradition not the end, say Legal Experts - PA Media, June 2022
• Julian Assange fights on after Priti Patel orders extradition to US - The Times, June 2022
• Assange vows to fight UK approval of extradition to US - The Australian, June 2022
• Julian Assange fights on after Priti Patel orders extradition to US - Quoted in The Times, June 2022
• Assange vows to fight UK approval of extradition to US - Quoted in The Australian, June 2022
• Priti Patel orders Julian Assange to be extradited to US, Home Office confirms - Quoted by LBC, June 2022
• Assange vows to fight UK approval of extradition to US - Quoted by Mail Online, June 2022
• Extradition case - Wozniak and another v Poland [2021] EWHC 2557 (Admin), November 2021
• ‘De-risking’ and financial exclusion - Co-written with Mary Young for the Law Society Gazette, September 2021
• Upheavals in extradition law - Co-written with Edward Grange, Partner at Corker Binning for Legal Action Group, September 2021
• Extradition post-Brexit: plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose? New Law Journal, March 2021
• Unlocking Digital Disclosure - New Law Journal, January 2021
• International Insights in Criminal Law Podcast Series - Episode 4, Overseas Productions Orders - December 2020
• International Insights In Criminal Law Podcast Series - Episode 3, Extradition outside the EU - October 2020
• International Insights In Criminal Law Podcast Series - Episode 2, Mutual Legal Assistance - October 2020
• Should there be a right to banking? - Wrote for The Law Society Gazette, September 2020
• International Insights In Criminal Law Podcast Series - Episode 1, Interpol and Red Notices - August 2020
• Commented in Free Movement, March 2020 - Attorney General's rule of law record could hinder EU extradition deal
• Wrote for the Law Society Gazette, 6 November 2019 - Changes proposed by the Extradition (Provisional Arrest) Bill
• Quoted in The Telegraph, August 2019 - Goldman's Europe boss among 17 bankers charged in Malaysian 1MDB probe.
• Quoted extensively in April 2019 in the press, on radio and TV following the arrest of Julian Assange and the respective extradition requests from Sweden and the US. Commentary and appearances include:
  • Main publications
    • AOL
    • BBC News
    • Bloomberg
    • Daily Mail
    • Financial Times
    • ITV News
    • The Independent
    • The Irish Times
    • The New York Times
    • The Straits Times
    • Wall Street Journal
    • Yahoo Finance
    • Various other national and regional newspapers

  • Radio

    • BBC Radio London, Friday 12/4
    • BBC Radio Scotland: Newsdrive, Friday 12/4
    • BBC World Service weekend, Saturday 13/4
    • BBC Radio London, Sunday 14/4

  • TV

    • BBC News Channel, Friday 12/4
    • Sky News, Saturday 13/4
• Quoted in Law360, March 2019 - Sanctions regulator forces banks to tighten up compliance
• Quoted in Law360, December 2018 - UK Judges Block Extradition Of Russian Tax Fraud Suspect
• Quoted The Times, December 2018 - Judges block extradition of Russian oligarch over torture concerns
• Quoted in EFE News Service, November 2018 - Russian bid to head Interpol fails, but concerns of abuse remain
• Quoted in Wall Street Journal, November 2018 - Russian Bid to Head Interpol Fails, but Concerns of Abuse Remain
• Quoted in Bloomberg, 6 April 2018 - Ex-HSBC Worker Extradition Risks Crashing Into Spanish Politics
• Quoted in the  press regarding Lauri Love extradition appeal case, February 2018 - including Law Society Gazette and Daily Mail.
• Spoke about Lauri Love extradition appeal case on BBC Radio 4 PM Programme, 5 February 2018
• Quoted in The Times, 10 November 2017, A battle between law and politics
• Quoted in The Brief, June 2017, Throwing out human rights law 'would hamper security services' 
• Rebecca is co-author of Extradition Law: A Practitioners Guide, published by LAG.  It is available to order online. Read the Law Society Gazette review here. 
• Rebecca contributed to the House of Lords Select Committee on Extradition.  The report has now been published, read it here.

• Public Service Europe 9 July 2013: Making political capital at the expense of the rule of law is a dangerous game, which the British government should avoid at all costs, argues Rebecca.

Professional societies, memberships and directories

• Co-founder and former chair of the Defence Extradition Lawyers’ Forum.
• Rebecca sits on the Law Society’s Criminal Law Committee.
• She is a committee member of the IBA War Crimes Committee and the European Criminal Bar Association. 

• Chambers UK Extradition – Band 1

  • Star Individual 

• Legal 500 UK

  • Fraud White-Collar Crime (Advice to Individuals) - Leading Individual
  • Crime: General - Next Generation Partner 
• Who's Who Legal Thought Leaders GIR 
• Lexology Index - recommended 
  • Investigations
  • Business Crime Defence - Corporates
  • Business Crime Defence - Individuals

Further information

• Listed in Who's Who Legal Investigation Guide 2023 as Recommended Leaders in Their Field
• Listed in Who's Who Legal: Recommended for Business Crime Defence Corporates and Individuals 2021
• Listed in Who's Who Legal: Thought Leader - GIR - Business Crime Defence - Corporates 2022
• Listed in Spear's top criminal lawyers index for 2023