Michael G Caplan KC (born 1953 in

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its name ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

) is an English solicitor.

Biography

Caplan read law at King's College London (LLB, AKC), before undertaking study at The College of Law in London.

Articled Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

at Lickfolds Wiley & Powles, he qualified as a solicitor in 1977 and joined Kingsley Napley in 1978, where he is now a partner. Caplan specialises in international criminal law and regulatory work. Taking silk in 2002, he is one of eight solicitors to have been appointed as

King's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

. One of the first Solicitor Advocates in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in 2002, and the first solicitor from a criminal law background to be made a KC, Caplan was one of those who contended that solicitor advocates should be entitled to wear the same wig and gown in court as barristers.Clive Colema
Safe pair of hands for McCanns
BBC Radio 4's Law in Action - 14 September 2007 Caplan has commented on the proposed changes to the UK's

Corporate manslaughter Corporate manslaughter is a crime in several jurisdictions, including England and Wales and Hong Kong. It enables a corporation to be punished and censured for culpable conduct that leads to a person's death. This extends beyond any compensation t ...

laws. He has also contributed to ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ...

'' Legal supplement. Caplan sits as a

Recorder (judge) A recorder is a judicial officer in England and Wales and some other common law jurisdictions. England and Wales In the courts of England and Wales, the term ''recorder'' has two distinct meanings. The senior circuit judge of a borough or city i ...

in the

Crown Court The Crown Court is the court of first instance of England and Wales responsible for hearing all indictable offences, some either way offences and appeals lied to it by the magistrates' courts. It is one of three Senior Courts of England and Wale ...

, is a chairman of the police disciplinary appeal tribunal; and used to be chairman of the Solicitors Higher Courts Advocates Association.

High-profile cases

Caplan's work has included acting for: *Douglas Henderson - acting for the

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the

dredger Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing d ...

Bowbelle ''Bowbelle'' was a suction hopper dredger which was built in 1964 for F. Bowles & Sons Ltd, Cardiff, Glamorgan, United Kingdom. In 1989, she collided with, and sank, the pleasure steamer '' Marchioness'', resulting in the loss of 51 lives. She was ...

in the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

Marchioness disaster The ''Marchioness'' disaster was a collision between two vessels on the River Thames in London in the early hours of 20 August 1989, which resulted in the deaths of 51 people. The pleasure steamer ''Marchioness'' sank after being hit twice by ...

enquiry.Stephanie Condro
Extradition lawyer who represented Pinochet
The Times - September 10, 2007 *

Augusto Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (, , , ; 25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean general who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, first as the leader of the Military Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1981, being declared President of ...

- defended the former President of Chile from extradition from the

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. *Kate and Gerry McCann' - is advising the couple after the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine McCann.McCanns fly home to fight their case
The Times - September 10, 2007

References

External links

Profile at Kinglsey Napley
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caplan, Michael 1952 births Living people Alumni of King's College London Associates of King's College 21st-century English judges English solicitor advocates English King's Counsel