Georgia-Mae Chung

Georgia-Mae Chung has a busy and varied practice defending in a range of criminal matters.

She regularly appears in both the Crown Court and the Magistrates’ Court and has experience defending vulnerable individuals and youth clients. She is increasingly instructed to defend youths accused of stabbings causing grievous bodily harm, as well as in domestic cases involving serious violence. Additionally, Georgia-Mae has developed a substantial private practice involving driving matters.

Georgia-Mae has a particular interest in sentencing. This was developed prior to her time at Mountford Chambers through her work with the Sentencing Academy as their Kalisher Trust Intern. She now acts as their Consultant, and has assisted them through writing papers, representing them in parliament, and attending Sentencing Council consultations.

Since joining Mountford Chambers, Georgia-Mae has organised and chaired Aggrieved events. This concerns legal professionals’ and students’ experiences of grief and how this interacts with their work. The first panel was a collaboration with Middle Temple and was the first event at the Inn to address this topic. Georgia-Mae has since continued this movement with biannual events in Chambers.

Before coming to the Bar, Georgia-Mae gained considerable experience of criminal law and proceedings as a Trainee Legal Adviser at the Thames and Stratford Magistrates’ Courts. She spent every working day in court and sat across the spectrum of trial, overnight, sentencing, case management, and traffic courts with magistrates and judges. During this, she thoroughly advised magistrates, assisted unrepresented defendants in giving their evidence and presenting their mitigation, and observed a range of advocacy, amongst other experiences.

Prior to this, Georgia-Mae worked as a Caseworker at Suffolk Law Centre, specialising in assisting vulnerable clients with complex issues. Additionally, she was a Community Projects Officer at the Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality (“ISCRE”) where she scrutinised Suffolk Police’s use of stop and search. Following this, Georgia-Mae has maintained her involvement ISCRE as a Trustee. She also has a background in politics

Expertise

Notable Crime cases

R v CS [2026] Canterbury Crown Court

Achieved a unanimous acquittal for one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and two counts of criminal damage. Self-defence was an issue and the defendant had communication difficulties necessitating adjustments to conferences and the trial process.

R v JS [2025] Chichester Crown Court

Secured an acquittal for a man charged with affray in a multi-handed trial. His co-defendants were family members of his, one of whom had already pleaded guilty. The incident in question was an altercation during which weapons were present.

R v IS [2025] St Albans Crown Court

Achieved an acquittal for a defendant facing one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and two counts of sending threatening communications. The jury had heard evidence of the defendant’s bad character dating from both before and after the alleged offences that were the subject of the trial. Self-defence was raised in relation to the assault and a successful application was made for admission of the complainant’s bad character in the form of crime reports.

R v TB [2025] Hove Crown Court

Secured a suspended sentence for an offence of possession of a large bag of cocaine with intent to supply. The client had been convicted after a jury trial.

R v DR [2025] Lewes Crown Court

Secured an acquittal for a man of good character charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm against an ex-partner. Self-defence was argued, necessitating cross-examination of three vulnerable prosecution witnesses. The jury returned a unanimous not guilty verdict in under an hour.

R v BE [2025] Bromley Magistrates’ Court

Achieved an acquittal for a bus driver who caused an elderly passenger to fall and sustain multiple fractures. He had been a bus driver for over 20 years without having fallen into error before and he was approaching retirement as a man of good character.

R v RM [2024] Hove Crown Court

Represented a client who had breached a suspended sentence that had been imposed for serious sexual offence. This was his second breach. Georgia-Mae persuaded the judge not to activate the sentence and, instead, to mark it by way of additional unpaid work hours.

R v EA [2024] Bexley Magistrates’ Court

Secured a community order and successfully argued exceptional hardship for a client convicted of possession of a knife in a public place and driving without insurance.

TJ [2024] Croydon Youth Court

Represented a youth for an all-day trial concerning an allegation of section 18 stabbing. He appeared alongside a youth co-defendant.

R v SS [2024] Stratford Magistrates’ Court

Acted in a trial which necessitated examination-in-chief and cross-examination of vulnerable individuals.

R v AK [2024] Highbury Magistrates’ Court

Achieved an acquittal after a client charged with burgling his ex-girlfriend’s flat failed to attend for trial.

R v HC [2024] Medway Magistrates’ Court

Represented a youth who had been convicted of a section 20 stabbing offence and persuaded the bench to impose a youth rehabilitation order.

R v TH [2024] Basildon Magistrates’ Court

Secured a re-sentence to an identical community order for a client accused of multiple aggressive probation breaches.

R v KB & AB [2024] Sevenoaks’ Magistrates’ Court

Persuaded the bench to sentence two clients to an absolute discharge. This was for offences of theft and both clients had several similar previous convictions.

R v BW [2024] Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court

Persuaded the bench to impose a standalone compensation order for an arson offence.

R v NK [2024] Croydon Magistrates' Court

Made a successful submission of no case to answer for a client who was accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend at a party.

Georgia-Mae worked on the Lampard Inquiry Counsel team from May to November 2025. The Lampard Inquiry is an independent statutory inquiry investigating the deaths of mental health inpatients in Essex between 2000 and 2023. It continues the work of the Essex Mental Health Independent Inquiry established in 2021.

Readers’ Scholarship, Middle Temple
Bar Professional Training Course, BPP University Birmingham
Advocacy Scholarship, BPP University
Bachelor of Laws (LLB), University of Nottingham

The Women in Criminal Law Wellbeing and Communications Subcommittees
Middle Temple
Criminal Bar Association
Women In Criminal Law
Young Fraud Lawyers Association

Georgia-Mae Chung Writes for Counsel Magazine Discussing Developing a Bereavement Policy for Chambers A bereavement policy for chambers | COUNSEL | The Magazine of the Bar of England and Wales
“Totality” – Sentencing Explained – The Sentencing Academy, February 2025
https://www.sentencingacademy.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Final-Sentencing-Explained-Totality.pdf
“Dovetailing and Disclosure – Exploring the Clarification of Hearsay Provisions in R v BOB, BYY, AEN, and BEK [2024] EWCA Crim 1494 – Mountford Chambers and The Expert Witness Journal, February 2025
Dovetailing and Disclosure – Exploring the Clarification of Hearsay Provisions in R v BOB, BYY, AEN, and BEK [2024] EWCA Crim 1494 – Mountford Chambers – London Barristers Chambers
“It’s A Matter For You – Making the Transition from Magistrates’ Court Legal Advisor to Pupil Criminal Barrister – The Barrister, Easter Term 2024
barmag100-04.pdf
“Mandatory Minimum Sentences” – Sentencing Explained – The Sentencing Academy, February 2024
https://www.sentencingacademy.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mandatory-Minimum-Sentences-Explainer.pdf
“Sentencing Explained – Ancillary Orders” – The Sentencing Academy on 16^th October 2023
https://www.sentencingacademy.org.uk/ancillary-orders/
“Prison Overcrowding and Operation Safeguard: Resultant Changes to Sentencing Practice” – The Sentencing Academy on 18^th April 2023
https://www.sentencingacademy.org.uk/prison-overcrowding-and-operation-safeguard-resultant-changes-to-sentencing-practice/
“Knife Crime Prevention Orders: A Review of Associated Practical Issues” – The Sentencing Academy on 14^th March 2023
https://www.sentencingacademy.org.uk/desistance-and-sentencing-a-review-of-research/knife-crime-prevention-orders-a-review-of-associated-practical-issues/
“Barristers vote to take industrial action over escalating legal aid row” – The Justice Gap on 21^st June 2022
https://www.thejusticegap.com/barristers-vote-to-take-industrial-action-over-escalating-legal-aid-row/
“New criminal offence of non-fatal strangulation comes into force after two-year campaign” – The Justice Gap on 8^th June 2022
https://www.thejusticegap.com/new-criminal-offence-of-non-fatal-strangulation-comes-into-force-after-two-year-campaign/
“Further guidance could be provided for courts to tackle ethnic disparities in sentencing” – The Justice Gap on 25^th May 2022
https://www.thejusticegap.com/further-guidance-could-be-provided-for-courts-to-tackle-ethnic-disparities-in-sentencing/
“Police monitored Blair Peach’s partner for almost three decades after his death” – The Justice Gap on 13^th May 2022
https://www.thejusticegap.com/police-monitored-blair-peachs-partner-for-almost-three-decades-after-his-death/
“Transport police ordered to re-examine case concerning black student’s railway line death” – The Justice Gap on 23^rd February 2022
https://www.thejusticegap.com/transport-police-ordered-to-re-examine-case-concerning-black-students-railway-line-death/
“Most people believe sentencing is too soft despite 25 years of sentence inflation, reveals survey” – The Justice Gap on 25^th January 2022
https://www.thejusticegap.com/most-people-believe-sentencing-is-too-soft-despite-25-years-of-sentence-inflation-reveals-survey/
“Cincinnati man requests new trial based on study finding racial disparity in capital punishment” – Amicus September newsletter on 1st October 2021.
“Get You Scrutiny That Can Do Both: The Suffolk Stop and Search Community Reference Group as a Model” – Published on www.stop-watch.org on 5th July 2021.
https://www.stop-watch.org/news-opinion/get-you-scrutiny-that-can-do-both-the-suffolk-stop-and-search-community-reference-group-as-a-model/
“A Tale of Two Systems: Extradition and Security in Hong Kong” – BPP Human Rights Journal 2020.
https://bpphumanrightsunit.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/hru-journal-2020-final_optimized-1.pdf
“Leducate Explains – Discrimination” – Leducate on 27^th July 2020.
https://www.leducate.co.uk/news/leducate-explains/discrimination
“XX v Whittington NHS Trust and the Human Rights Issues Surrounding Restrictions on Egg Freezing in the United Kingdom” – BPP Human Rights Blog in April 2020.
https://bpphumanrightsunit.wordpress.com/2020/04/22/xx-v-whittington-nhs-trust-and-the-human-rights-issues-surrounding-restrictions-on-egg-freezing-in-the-united-kingdom/
“A Drop in the Ocean? – Japan’s Withdrawal from the International Convention on the Regulation of Whaling” – European Law Students’ Association (“ELSA”) Law Review 2019.
https://lawreview.elsa.org/library/elsa-law-review-2019

BPP University’s Streetlaw
The University of Nottingham Pro Bono Society’s Unbarred Project
Leduate

6KBW College Hill Advocacy Competition (crime: October – November 2022): Winner.
United Kingdom Environmental Law Association Lord Slynn of Hadley Moot (environmental and crime: October – December 2021): Finalist.
Philip C. Jessup International Law Mooting Competition (international law: September 2018 – February 2019): Third place in the National Qualifying Rounds. Highest individual score in the second preliminary moot.
Berwin Leighton Paisner Second/Final Year Negotiation Competition (February 2018): Writing the scenario for competitors and judging their performances.
University of Nottingham Bar Society Supreme Court Competition (human rights: November 2017 – February 2018): Finalist mooting in the Supreme Court before Lord Sumption.
University of Nottingham External University Mooting Team 2017 – 18 (crime)
Nelsons First Year Tort Mooting Competition (personal injury: November 2016 – March 2017): Finalist and gained the title of ‘Mooter of the Evening’ in the semi-final round.
Berwin Leighton Paisner Negotiation Competition (October 2016 – February 2017): Winner.