United Kingdom > London Bar > Civil liberties and human rights (including public inquiry law and actions against the police)
Index of tables
- Civil liberties and human rights – Leading Sets
- Civil liberties and human rights – Leading Silks
- Civil liberties and human rights – New Silks
- Civil liberties and human rights – Leading Juniors
Civil liberties and human rights – Leading Sets
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Civil liberties and human rights – Leading Silks
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- Robin Allen QC Cloisters
- David Anderson QC Brick Court Chambers
- Michael Beloff QC Blackstone Chambers
- Owen Davies QC Garden Court Chambers
- James Dingemans QC 3 Hare Court
- Courtenay Griffiths QC Garden Court Chambers
- Michael Mansfield QC Tooks Chambers
- Nigel Pleming QC Thirty Nine Essex Street
- Stephen Solley QC Charter Chambers
- Heather Williams QC Doughty Street Chambers
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- Henry Blaxland QC Garden Court Chambers
- Cherie Booth QC Matrix Chambers
- Monica Carss-Frisk QC Blackstone Chambers
- Richard Clayton QC 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square
- John Cooper QC 25 Bedford Row
- James Eadie QC Blackstone Chambers
- Diana Ellis QC 25 Bedford Row
- Lord Faulks QC 1 Chancery Lane
- Robert Francis QC 3 Serjeants’ Inn
- James Guthrie QC 3 Hare Court
- John Hendy QC Old Square Chambers
- John Howell QC Blackstone Chambers
- Raza Husain QC Matrix Chambers
- Helena Kennedy QC Doughty Street Chambers
- Peter Knox QC 3 Hare Court
- Clive Lewis QC 11KBW
- Richard Lissack QC Outer Temple Chambers
- Patrick O’Connor QC Doughty Street Chambers
- Aidan O’Neill QC Matrix Chambers
- Timothy Otty QC Blackstone Chambers
- Maurice Mendelson QC Blackstone Chambers
- Clare Montgomery QC Matrix Chambers
- Mark Muller QC Garden Court Chambers
- Alan Newman QC Argent Chambers
- Geoffrey Robertson QC Doughty Street Chambers
- Pushpinder Saini QC Blackstone Chambers
- Mark Shaw QC Blackstone Chambers
- Hugh Southey QC Tooks Chambers
- Rhodri Thompson QC Matrix Chambers
- James Wood QC Doughty Street Chambers
Civil liberties and human rights – New Silks
Civil liberties and human rights – Leading Juniors
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- Nick Armstrong Matrix Chambers
- Charles Bourne 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square
- Ruth Brander Doughty Street Chambers
- Tim Buley Landmark Chambers
- Catherine Callaghan Blackstone Chambers
- Parosha Chandran 1 Pump Court
- Joanne Clement 11KBW
- Jason Coppel 11KBW
- Marie Demetriou Brick Court Chambers
- Emma Dixon Blackstone Chambers
- Clair Dobbin Three Raymond Buildings
- Laura Dubinsky Doughty Street Chambers
- Joanna Evans 25 Bedford Row
- Kate Gallafent Blackstone Chambers
- Caoilfhionn Gallagher Doughty Street Chambers
- Piers Gardner Monckton Chambers
- Alison Gerry Doughty Street Chambers
- Guy Goodwin-Gill Blackstone Chambers
- Nicholas Griffin 5 Paper Buildings
- Ivan Hare Blackstone Chambers
- Henrietta Hill Doughty Street Chambers
- Barbara Hewson Hardwicke
- Ben Hooper 11KBW
- Sean Horstead Garden Court Chambers
- Colin Hutchinson Garden Court Chambers
- Ben Jaffey Blackstone Chambers
- John Jones Doughty Street Chambers
- Samantha Knights Matrix Chambers
- James Laddie Matrix Chambers
- Robert Latham Doughty Street Chambers
- Maya Lester Brick Court Chambers
- Alison Macdonald Matrix Chambers
- Tom de la Mare Blackstone Chambers
- Cathryn McGahey Temple Garden Chambers
- John McKendrick Outer Temple Chambers
- Fenella Morris Thirty Nine Essex Street
- Nicholas Moss Temple Garden Chambers
- Terry Munyard Garden Court Chambers
- Shaheen Rahman One Crown Office Row
- Patrick Roche Tooks Chambers
- Ian Rogers Monckton Chambers
- Stephen Simblet Garden Court Chambers
- Daniel Squires Matrix Chambers
- Paul Stagg 1 Chancery Lane
- Nick Stanage Doughty Street Chambers
- Karen Steyn 11KBW
- James Strachan 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square
- Adam Straw Tooks Chambers
- Victoria Wakefield Brick Court Chambers
- Andrew Warnock 1 Chancery Lane
- Andrew Waters 5 Essex Court
- Aswini Weereratne Doughty Street Chambers
- Amanda Weston Tooks Chambers
‘A very significant name for human rights cases’, Blackstone Chambers remains a forerunner in this field. Clients rate the ‘flexible and reliable’ clerking at the set. The ‘first-class’ Lord Pannick QC provides ‘extremely good advocacy and knowledge’. Dinah Rose QC is ‘absolutely phenomenal’. With substantial Supreme Court experience, Michael Fordham QC has an ‘outstanding understanding of civil liberties legal issues’ and ‘shows complete commitment to arguing the case of the underdog’. Fordham led in advising the UNHCR in a case concerning the rights of gay asylum seekers, and Monica Carss-Frisk QC represented the appellant. Lord Lester of Herne Hill QC assisted in the promotion of the Equality Act, which came into force in 2010. James Eadie QC leads on public inquiry work. Timothy Otty QC joined from Doughty Street Chambers in 2010. At the junior level, Shaheed Fatima is highly rated, together with the ‘extremely bright and incisive’ Emma Dixon.
Described as the ‘leading claimant police set by a mile’, Doughty Street Chambers has a ‘strong commitment’ to human rights and civil liberties work, offering an ‘excellent choice of counsel’ in the arena. Edward Fitzgerald CBE QC maintains a top-tier position for his longstanding experience. Noted for her ‘enormous knowledge and experience of discrimination law’, Heather Williams QC is ‘fantastic on her feet’, and ‘leaves no stone unturned’. At the junior level, Kate Markus has ‘extremely impressive knowledge’, and is able to ‘analyse the facts and identify core issues’. Stephen Cragg is an ‘excellent source of knowledge on police powers’, and provides ‘insightful and pertinent written advice’. The ‘refreshingly approachable’ Ruth Brander has ‘excellent analytical skills and original and creative ideas’, and Caoilfhionn Gallagher is ‘passionate about fairness and social justice’. With ‘formidable cross-examination skills’, Nick Stanage is ‘eloquent and persuasive, and impresses judges and juries’. Clients and instructing solicitors also rate the ‘extremely helpful’ clerks.
‘One of the elite sets in civil liberties and human rights’, Matrix Chambers fields a ‘great range of human rights experts’, and is rated for its ‘cohesion and can-do attitude’, together with ‘superb clerking’. Rabinder Singh QC is recommended as ‘one of the foremost human rights silks at the bar’. Ben Emmerson QC is highly rated, alongside ‘smooth advocate’ Tim Owen QC and the ‘exceptionally good’ Clare Montgomery QC. Aidan O’Neill QC has an ‘astonishing breadth of knowledge and a bravery to argue cutting-edge points’. Raza Husain QC took silk in 2010, and has ‘outstanding intellect’ and ‘controls arguments in the courtroom’. The set also has strength at junior level: ‘good at getting down to the nub of issues’, the ‘simply brilliant’ David Wolfe is ‘excellent on his feet’. ‘At the forefront of cutting-edge litigation’, Alison Macdonald combines ‘brilliant intellect with creativity and a meticulous attention to detail’ and is a ‘real champion of those who are disadvantaged or oppressed’. Daniel Squires is ‘increasingly central to the set’s high-profile work’ and an ‘incredibly thorough and hardworking advocate’. James Laddie is ‘extremely bright’, and Samantha Knights is ‘hugely impressive’. Nick Armstrong is ‘really cerebral’ and has ‘extensive knowledge of asylum and immigration law’.
Brick Court Chambers is rated for its court experience. The highly regarded Richard Gordon QC is described as ‘the human rights barrister par excellence’. David Anderson QC’s recent successes include appearing before the ECHR for the government of Cyprus in a case relating to the rights of Greek Cypriot property owners after the Turkish invasion. At the junior end, Martin Chamberlain is ‘excellent’ and singled out for his experience. Marie Demetriou gives ‘clear and concise practical advice’, and the ‘tremendous’ Victoria Wakefield is praised for her work on the Baha Mousa Public Inquiry.
Garden Court Chambers is noted for its ‘strength and depth in actions against the police and inquest work’, where it is described as a ‘leader in the field’. It provides a ‘fantastic service’, and the clerks are rated for their quick responses. Owen Davies QC and Courtenay Griffiths QC are recommended among the leading silks. The ‘fearless and formidable’ Leslie Thomas has a superb reputation for police actions, and inquest and prison work, and is rated for his ‘excellent cross-examination skills’. Stephen Simblet is an ‘excellent jury advocate’ whose ‘presence at court shows incredible attention to detail’. The set also receives high praise for its up-and-coming junior juniors.
Offering ‘absolutely fantastic service’, the ‘prestigious’ Tooks Chambers is a ‘very good public law set’ rated for its experience advising on inquests, mental health, prison and police law, and immigration cases. The clerks, led by Martin Parker, are ‘excellent and accommodating’. Head of chambers Michael Mansfield QC is highly recommended, and ‘exceptionally insightful’ co-head Patrick Roche has ‘unwavering commitment to clients’ and ‘impressive tactical acumen’. 2010 silk Hugh Southey QC is a ‘brilliant technical lawyer with a thorough knowledge of human rights law at his fingertips’. ‘Among the cleverest juniors at the bar’, Adam Straw has an ‘impressive knowledge of inquest law’ and produces ‘novel and compelling arguments’. Amanda Weston is ‘excellent’, and Paul Troop is ‘extremely talented’.
1 Chancery Lane fields barristers with experience in representing local authorities, the police, and other public bodies in claims involving human rights issues. Lord Faulks QC is recommended, together with juniors Andrew Warnock and Paul Stagg. Edward Bishop QC took silk in 2011.
A growing set of ‘serious players in the field of human rights and civil liberties’, Thirty Nine Essex Street fields several ‘top-of-the-range barristers’. Nigel Pleming QC is a ‘superstar’ with an outstanding reputation. With ‘second-to-none’ Court of Protection experience, Fenella Morris has an ‘extremely impressive grasp of the law’, and is a ‘formidable advocate and opponent’.
4-5 Gray’s Inn Square has a strong record for human rights work. Richard Clayton QC is singled out for his longstanding experience before the ECHR and the Privy Council. Among the juniors, Charles Bourne is an ‘impressive advocate’ and ‘completely unflappable’, and James Strachan is also recommended. Christopher Buttler is up and coming in the field.
3 Hare Court is renowned for its inquiry and inquest work. A ‘true leader’, James Dingemans QC was appointed head of chambers in 2010, and has notable experience in right to life and religious liberties cases. Dingemans notably represented British soldiers in the Baha Mousa public inquiry. James Guthrie QC has recent experience advising on political cases in the Caribbean, including in Antigua, Mauritius and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Peter Knox QC acted as counsel to the Hutton Inquiry investigating the death of Dr David Kelly.
At 11KBW, Joanne Clement regularly acts in judicial reviews regarding immigration, asylum, and prison and mental health cases, and has extensive experience acting for local authorities. Jason Coppel was recently involved in two cases regarding complaints made about the continuing ban on the rights of prisoners to vote. A ‘real quality lawyer’ with ‘excellent knowledge’, Ben Hooper is ‘scrupulously careful with great attention to detail’.
Also recommended are: 25 Bedford Row, which represents defendants accused of national security breaches and life-sentenced prisoners; 5 Essex Court, for its work defending actions against the police and cases engaging human rights; the ‘highly diplomatic’ Barbara Hewson at Hardwicke, who ‘conducts her work in an effortless manner’; Ian Rogers, Piers Gardner, and new silk Tim Ward QC at Monckton Chambers; ‘consummate advocate’ Richard Lissack QC at Outer Temple Chambers, for public inquiry work; and the ‘absolutely first-rate’ Nicholas Moss at Temple Garden Chambers, for his work on the Baha Mousa public inquiry.