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  1. Health and safety – Leading Sets
  2. Health and safety – Leading Silks
  3. Health and safety – New Silks
  4. Health and safety – Leading Juniors

The ‘market-leading’ Crown Office Chambers is ‘the go-to set for health and safety work’, where ‘members all have different strengths which complement one another’. ‘There is a barrister to suit everyone’, although the set is particularly strong at junior level, where Simon Antrobus, ‘one of the most talented and knowledgeable health and safety barristers in the UK’, acted in the Buncefield criminal trial. John Cooper’s ‘wealth of knowledge is unrivalled’, and Dominic Kay’s ‘demeanor is spot on – he is an extremely eloquent presenter’. A John Williams has ‘an eye for detail and the ability to make the most complex of cases clear to a jury’; Mark Balysz ‘can have judges and magistrates eating out of the palm of his hand’; and Harry Vann is ‘approachable, and excellent with clients’.

‘A very reliable and solid set of chambers ’, Henderson Chambers ‘leads the way with the sheer quality of its members and superb service ethos’. Charles Gibson QC is ‘meticulous on detail and preparation, and an outstanding strategist’. Prashant Popat QC is ‘a real expert on health and safety cases’, whose recent work highlights include the high-profile Buncefield litigation and the Potters Bar inquest; he is ‘magisterial in his advocacy and exceptionally hardworking’. Among the juniors, the ‘very knowledgeable and utterly dependable’ Oliver Campbell acted in HSE v Marks & Spencer; and Toby Riley-Smith ‘makes it his business to know his cases better than anyone else in the courtroom’, but is also ‘eloquent, polite and exceptionally skilful’. Other notable practitioners include Jonathan Harvey, the ‘impressive’ James Purnell and Angus Withington, who has ‘excellent legal knowledge’.

Outer Temple Chambers maintains its leading reputation in health and safety, impressing clients with a ‘thoroughly modern and welcoming attitude’. The ‘absolutely excellent’ Richard Lissack QC is ‘one of the country’s leading health and safety barristers, with huge depth in expertise’, and Philip Mott QC is ‘professional and meticulous, leaving no stone unturned’. New silk Ben Compton QC, who is ‘extremely professional and communicates well with clients’, is acting in the Atherstone-on-Stour fire tragedy case. Stephen Climie is ‘a very good advocate, who gets results’; Nicholas Medcroft is ‘one of the most knowledgeable health and safety barristers around’; and James Leonard ‘appreciates the bigger picture and has excellent attention to detail’.

The health and safety team at 6 Pump Court is going from strength to strength and is highly regarded for its ‘very talented advocates and clerks who go the extra mile’. Stephen Hockman QC is ‘an out-and-out strategist, who always keeps the client in mind’; David Travers QC has ‘second-to-none advocacy skills and an impeccable court manner’; and Peter Gower QC demonstrates a ‘voracious appetite for hard work’. ‘Polished advocate’ Mark Harris joined from FTB in 2010.

Temple Garden Chambers is praised for its ‘friendly, helpful clerks’ and value for money. Andrew Prynne QC is praised for his ‘grasp of detail, ability to narrow issues and the ease with which he deals with very technical evidence’. New silk Keith Morton QC reaps positive feedback from clients and ‘will become a top QC in the field’. He successfully defended Dalkia Ltd in a case following the death of an employee exposed to carbon dioxide. Fiona Canby ‘thinks on her feet and is always on the ball’; and Dominic Adamson has a ‘brilliant sense of humour and carries clients through the difficult times’.

At 2 Bedford Row, Richard Matthews QC’s reputation in the field remains strong since taking silk in 2010; ‘his technical knowledge of the law and easy court manner make him an irresistible choice’. James Ageros has ‘a disarmingly smooth courtroom delivery’, and William Clegg QC and Adam Budworth are also noteworthy names.

Thirty Nine Essex Street’s Colin McCaul QC has vast experience in cases involving asbestos exposure. Christian Du Cann and the ‘very down-to-earth and pragmatic’ Derek O’Sullivan are also recommended.

Other respected silks include Gerard Forlin QC at 2-3 Gray’s Inn Square, who has ‘encyclopaedic knowledge of health and safety’; Jonathan Caplan QC of 5 Paper Buildings, who ‘explains points clearly and is truly exceptional on his feet’; Devereux’s Stephen Killalea QC, who ‘really knows his way around the criminal court’; Patrick Harrington QC at Farrar’s Building, a ‘first-class trial barrister who is approachable and a pleasure to work with’; and the ‘excellent’ John Hendy QC at Old Square Chambers, who acted in the high-profile enquiries into the train crashes at Ladbrooke Grove and Paddington.

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