United Kingdom > Regional Bar > Northern Circuit
Overview
Index of tables
Northern Circuit – Leading Sets
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- Byrom Street Chambers Manchester (Machell)
- Deans Court Chambers Manchester (Turner)
- Exchange Chambers Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester (Turner, Braithwaite)
- Kings Chambers Manchester (Braslavsky)
- Lincoln House Chambers Manchester (Hussain)
- 9 St John Street Manchester (Garside)
- St Johns Buildings Manchester (Redfern)
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- Atlantic Chambers Liverpool (Donovan)
- 7 Harrington Street Liverpool (Steer)
- St James’s Chambers Manchester (Sterling)
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- Cobden House Chambers Manchester (Farley)
- Garden Court North Chambers Manchester (Macdonald)
- India Buildings Chambers Liverpool (Herman)
- Liverpool Civil Law Liverpool
- Oriel Chambers Liverpool and Preston (Rankin)
- 18 St John Street Chambers Manchester (Birkett)
Annexes
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- Doughty Street Chambers Manchester (Robertson, Fitzgerald)
The Northern Circuit comprises the largest volume of sets and barristers outside of London. Now that Manchester is home to the GMC and the new Administrative Court, and, combined with the fact that it is a strong Bar, local sets retain more of the complex work than historically was the case. The circuit is hugely receptive to the challenges the modern Bar faces; many sets are waiting on the sideline with a ProcureCo in place, and yet another set, namely Young Street Chambers, has folded. St Johns Buildings, which houses the leading family team, is in the process of merging with Paradise Chambers and India Buildings Chambers to have greater leverage for LSC tendering. Kings Chambers is the leading chancery, commercial and planning set; Lincoln House Chambers is top for crime; Byrom Street Chambers is the go-to set for personal injury and clinical negligence; and 9 St John Street is known for its employment offering. Deans Court Chambers and Exchange Chambers are solid sets with sound reputations. Garden Court North Chambers has notable prison and immigration law practitioners and has seen the recent arrival of three new tenants. St James’s Chambers, Cobden House Chambers and 18 St John Street Chambers, which recently took on several former Young Street Chambers members, are efficient and effective sets. In Liverpool, 7 Harrington Street has an incredible selection of criminal silks; Atlantic Chambers is a well-liked set and has several members who have national credit hire practices; and Liverpool Civil Law is a specialist civil set with several key PI practitioners.
Chancery and commercial litigation
Kings Chambers’ Lesley Anderson QC is ‘extremely combative and tenacious,’ and is ‘one of the best in the North West’. A ‘leader in the market’, Paul Chaisty QC is ‘pragmatic, knows his judges and has oodles of common sense’. Michael Booth QC is a heavyweight commercial litigator. Andrew Grantham, who is ‘very diligent, bright and conscientious’, and Neil Berragan, who is a ‘silk in the making’, are also recommended for commercial disputes. Mark Harper is a ‘very competent draftsman and an extremely able advocate’. The ‘impressive’ Martin Budworth handles high-profile sport-related matters. Jeffrey Terry, who is ‘intellectually rigorous, invariably thorough and unflappable under pressure’, is recommended for commercial and insurance-related litigation. Dr Mark Friston has an ‘unrivalled knowledge of all aspects of costs and costs litigation’. Louis Doyle provides ‘practical, no-nonsense commercial advice,’ and is recommended for insolvency and commercial matters. Andrew Latimer, Eleanor Temple and Lisa Walmisley also come highly recommended. The commercial and sport law practitioner David Casement QC recently joined the set from Exchange Chambers.
St Johns Buildings’ David Berkley QC, who is a recognised PPI expert, is ‘clear, concise and very commercial’. Susanne Muth, Pépin Aslett and David Uff continue to have strong commercial practices, and the ‘very careful, easy to work with and bright’ James Malam has a practice that is ahead of his call.
9 St John Street’s James Fryer-Spedding, Andrew Clark and Laura D’Cruz are all recommended for commercial and chancery work.
St James’s Chambers’ Robert Sterling has a broad chancery and commercial practice; Lucy Wilson-Barnes is active with revenue and director disqualification cases; and Sarah Harrison handles probate, tax and trust matters. Brad Pomfret has ‘everything you would expect a barrister to have’, and his ‘confidence and determination imply more than his seven years call’.
2010 saw Winston Hunter QC at Byrom Street Chambers handle several high-profile contractual matters. Simon Myerson QC has a heavyweight civil fraud, defamation and disciplinary practice.
18 St John Street Chambers’ Nicholas Fewtrell is an expert on the rules of limitation, and David Hoffman is a leading junior on complex contractual and commercial matters.
Exchange Chambers’ Mark Cawson QC is an insolvency expert who is a ‘very good lawyer, always well prepared and useable’. Edward Bartley Jones QC, (‘exudes confidence and clients love his incisive intellect’) handles a wide range of commercial disputes. Scott Redpath is recommended for pensions, as is Christopher Cook for intellectual property matters and Alison Graham-Wells for VAT Tribunal matters. Giles Maynard-Connor is a highly recommended insolvency junior.
Atlantic Chambers’ Graham Sellers has a national insolvency practice. David Green and Nicholas Jackson are recommended for property litigation, commercial and chancery matters.
Crime
The ‘superb’ Lincoln House Chambers houses a team of strong criminal practitioners. Alistair Webster QC has been active with MTIC-related frauds and cases involving the mis-selling of IT products, and Peter Wright QC is known for handling high-profile cases. Guy Gozem QC and James Pickup QC come highly recommended for financial crime. Suzanne Goddard QC is adept at handling sexual offence, murder and, together with Bernie Baxter, GMC work. Gerard Doran defends clients in financial-related cases, and Kevin Donnelly has a general criminal practice with a particular niche in HSE matters. Andrew Nuttall is a busy and popular junior who handles both inquests and criminal matters. Mohammed Nawaz has a fraud and POCA-focused practice, and James Gregory specialises in only complex fraud matters. Paul Lawton and Peter Warne have good reputations for fraud, POCA and VAT Tribunal matters. Richard Simons has a strong gang-related criminal practice, and Katherine Pierpoint is well regarded on circuit for general criminal matters. Rachel Smith is noted for her trade mark prosecution practice, and Lisa Roberts is routinely instructed on high-profile trading standards matters. Simon Csoka QC recently joined the set from 18 St John Street Chambers.
At St Johns Buildings, Andrew O’Byrne QC is a ‘very intelligent and able counsel, whose formidable skills are enhanced by a polite and amiable nature’. Richard Marks QC is highly recommended for his extensive criminal practice, and Hugh McKee is a ‘big hitter in financial crime’, and is a ‘very diligent and attentive advocate who works tirelessly for clients’. Jeffrey Samuels QC has ‘excellent judgement’, and Philip Parry is ‘bright, technical, personable, and mature beyond his call’. Patrick Thompson, Paul Hodgkinson and Keith Harrison are also recommended.
9 St John Street’s Nicholas Clarke QC has a strong prosecution heavy practice, and Gary Woodhall handles high-profile fraud matters. Louise Brandon is a leading junior within the set and Jaime Hamilton, Nicola Gatto and Peter Cadwallader are recommended for serious criminal defence matters.
Deans Court Chambers’ David Fish QC and Stuart Denney QC are extremely popular seniors. Joseph Hart and Lisa Judge, who has an excellent reputation, are recommended juniors. Daniel Paul and Timothy Edge handle a large volume of civil fraud matters. Rosalind Emsley-Smith is a rising star.
Garden Court North Chambers’ Mark George QC is ‘thorough, hardworking and has good court room manner’, and handles the most serious of criminal cases. ‘There are heavyweight juniors and there is’
At Doughty Street Chambers, Farrhat Arshad and Erimnaz Mushtaq both handle top-end criminal matters. Amos Waldman recently joined the team from Young Street Chambers.
Cobden House Chambers’ Louise Blackwell QC and Martin Callery have heavyweight criminal practices.
18 St John Street Chambers’ Peter Birkett QC has a busy practice comprising serious and complex criminal matters such as gun offences, murder conspiracy and terrorism. Raymond Wigglesworth QC handles serious fraud, VAT evasion, and traffic and vehicle-related frauds. Richard Vardon has a strong criminal practice and is a powerful jury advocate.
At Exchange Chambers, Stephen Meadowcroft QC and Brian Cummings QC have wide-ranging criminal practices, and Tania Griffiths QC has a niche practice in historical abuse cases. John Jones QC and Simon Berkson have notable fraud practices. Oliver Jarvis is recommended for road traffic cases, particularly where tachographs are involved, and Mark Ainsworth is a strong junior with a diverse criminal practice. Alaric Bassano recently joined the team from 9 St John Street.
Atlantic Chambers’ Stuart Driver QC is a very busy and excellent practitioner on circuit. Peter Sigee and Lee Bonner are recommended for POCA instructions, and new silk Anne Whyte QC handles a large volume of police-related work.
7 Harrington Street has a very impressive reputation whereby ‘all of the set’s silks are very good’, including David Steer QC, Andrew Menary QC, Richard Pratt QC and Neil Flewitt QC. Peter Davies, Steven Ball and David McLachlan have strong criminal defence practices. Ian Unsworth QC recently joined the set from Exchange Chambers.
India Buildings Chambers’ Ray Herman, John Gibson and Philip Astbury are recommended for serious fraud matters.
Employment
9 St John Street’s Paul Gilroy QC is ‘at the top of the ladder’, ‘as good as it gets’, for employment matters and frequently handles high-profile cases concerning professional sports contracts. The ‘excellent’ Stefan Brochwicz-Lewinski and the vastly knowledgeable Dr Stephen Hardy handle a wide range of matters for the Treasury Panel, and Nigel Grundy is a leading senior junior who regularly represents blue-chip firms and health and education authorities. Carlo Breen is a leading junior on equal-pay work for local authorities, and Rachel Wedderspoon routinely handles police-related employment matters. Edward Morgan has a niche religious discrimination practice. Zoë Thompson, Katie Nowell, Joanne Woodward, Joanne Connolly and Rebecca Eeley are also recommended.
Kings Chambers’ team head Nicholas Siddall ‘copes exceptionally well with difficult clients’, and is ‘always thoroughly prepared with excellent written and oral submissions’. James Boyd recently joined from Exchange Chambers, and is ‘one of the strongest barristers in the North West’, able to ‘get to grips quickly with a case, not withstanding any complexity’, and is a ‘skilful and commanding advocate’. Colin Bourne, who recently joined from York Chambers, ‘always provides timely, high-quality advice on the full range of employment-related issues’.
St Johns Buildings’ Ghazan Mahmood, Annette Gumbs, Jason Searle and Louise Quigley are recommended juniors.
St James’s Chambers’ James Hurd and Christopher Taft are recommended juniors.
Doughty Street Chambers’ Paul Draycott has a wide-ranging employment practice.
Atlantic Chambers’ ‘strong team’ includes John Benson QC and David Tinkler.
India Buildings Chambers’ David Flood and Lorraine Mensah have notable practices.
Garden Court North Chambers’ Kerry Smith is recommended for sexual discrimination cases.
Family
St Johns Buildings’ Anthony Hayden QC is routinely involved in the most high-profile cases and is the ‘“the star of the north” when it comes to difficult children work’. Sarah Singleton QC is the ‘complete package for a local authority’; she is ‘grounded, has great interpersonal skills, and is a great legal intellect and advocate’. Karl Rowley is the ‘best childcare junior in Manchester’, Sally Harrison QC is the ‘best ancillary relief barrister in Manchester’ and a ‘robust advocate’; Charles Eastwood has a mixed family law practice and is a ‘real detail man’; and Alexander Kloss, who ‘exudes confidence and calmness’, has a strong ancillary relief practice. Lorraine Cavanagh’s ‘attention to detail is fantastic, and her immediate grasp of any given situation, and ability to think on her feet, is awe inspiring’. Gaynor Lloyd recently joined from 1 Stanley Place.
At 9 St John Street, the ‘feisty’ Gillian Irving QC, Rachael Heppenstall and Sara Lewis are recommended for childcare work. Graham Bailey handles complex financial matters and is particularly recommended for cases where assets are held overseas.
Deans Court Chambers’ Jane Cross QC, who handles children matters of the utmost severity, has a ‘quick brain and a good court presence, which makes her a formidable advocate’. Susan Grocott QC and Frances Heaton are recommended for childcare matters. Karen Brody, Louise Bancroft and Francesca Fothergill, who has recently moved from St Johns Buildings, are highly recommended for financial matters.
St James’s Chambers’ Barrie Searle is recommended for high-value ancillary relief cases.
At Atlantic Chambers, the ‘very good’ Samantha Hillas is strong on the financial front and is particularly interested in pre-nuptial agreements. Malcolm Sharpe is a leading senior on finance, trusts, land and pre-nuptial agreements, and Andrew Banks is recommended for the same work at the junior end. Michael Sellars is a leading senior for complex childcare matters and Christine Johnson is a busy childcare junior. Abigail Bennett recently joined the team from
7 Harrington Street’s ‘extremely good’ Deirdre McGuire and Kevin Reade are recommended for financial matters. Zoe Thorne and Joanna Mallon are recommended for children matters.
India Buildings Chambers’ Gail Owen and Michael Kennedy are well regarded senior members and are ‘good with more complex Children Act cases’. Leona Harrison has a ‘no-nonsense attitude’ and has a ‘good accountancy background, which is extremely helpful in ancillary relief disputes’: she also handles a wide range of children matters. Jade Abraham is a busy childcare practitioner, who is tipped for a bright future.
At Exchange Chambers, Judith Fordham is ‘perceptive, feisty in the right cases, solution focused and approachable’, and is recommended for high-value ancillary relief cases. Karen Gregory and the ‘up-and-coming’ Caroline Gee are highly recommended. Archna Dawar recently joined the set from Albion Chambers.
Oriel Chambers has a widely recognised strength in ancillary relief matters.
Personal injury and clinical negligence
Byrom Street Chambers is the ‘standout set for personal injury and clinical negligence work’, and its senior clerk Terry Creathorn is a ‘real asset’. Raymond Machell QC will ‘spot an “uncrossed T” a mile off’, has ‘impeccable judgement and is unrivalled in his meticulous preparation’. David Allan QC is an ‘absolutely superb advocate’ and ‘takes a very cerebral and considered approach to matters’: he is particularly recommended for industrial disease matters having taken several asbestos cases to the Supreme Court. James Rowley QC is a ‘brilliant lawyer both academically and forensically’, and is ‘heartily recommended’ for both complex PI and clinical negligence matters. David Heaton QC is a ‘very solid all-rounder’, and Geoffrey Tattersall QC is ‘exceptionally thorough’ and ‘a most persuasive advocate’. Christopher Melton QC is ‘fastidious in his preparation leaving no stone unturned and, despite his obvious intelligence and first-class understanding of the law, is prepared to listen and take on board comments of others’. Winston Hunter QC’s ‘reputation is richly deserved’, and he is a ‘leader who has mastered the difficult blend of dealing with complex issues in a way that clients can comprehend’. Mary Ruck is ‘compassionate, yet strong’, and is an ‘exceptional barrister with both the intellect to deal with the complex issues arising in clinical negligence cases and the interpersonal skills to deal with clients in very stressful circumstances’. Darryl Allen is ‘very client focused, personable and technically excellent’. Sally Hatfield provides a ‘high-quality, top-notch service for solicitors and clients’, and has particular expertise in inquests. Richard Pearce is recommended for his ‘calmness, speed of thought and acuity of insight’. Peter Burns, who recently joined the set from Deans Court Chambers, is ‘comfortably as good as any QC’.
Deans Court Chambers’ ‘top quality’ Stephen Grime QC is recommended for clinical negligence instructions, and Patrick Field QC for high-value catastrophic injury claims. Jonathan Grace heads up the PI team; David Boyle is a popular junior for high-value claims; and Richard Whitehall, Simon McCann and David Eccles are also recommended. Daniel Paul is a ‘naturally unassuming and modest character in private, but a sharp and persuasive intellect in his professional role’.
At St Johns Buildings, Michael Redfern QC is ‘tenacious, shrewd and has vast experience’. Jeremy Roussak’s ‘medical qualifications allows him to get to the heart of the medical issues on these cases’. Peter Harrison has ‘in-depth, up-to-date technical knowledge of complex industrial disease claims’. John Ratledge handles the full spectrum of road traffic and workplace-related accidents. Richard Norton ‘manages difficult conferences superbly, is utterly reliable and technically on the ball’. John McNeill is recommended for maximum severity cases, Andrew Bridgman for dental matters, and Darrel Crilley for specialist disease claims.
Kings Chambers’ Dr Nicholas Braslavsky QC is ‘excellent, thorough, a great advocate and good with clients’. Michael Rawlinson QC is widely recognised on circuit as a leading silk for disease work: one client believes he is ‘one of the few counsel who is really willing to fight very difficult cases’. The ‘innovative and enthusiastic’ Nigel Poole is a ‘first-choice junior for clinical negligence at the Manchester Bar’. Sarah Pritchard is praised for her ‘technical ability, interpersonal skills and good bedside manner’. Stephen Maguire, a former clinical negligence solicitor, is ‘bright, approachable, a born advocate, and delivers an absolutely first-class service’.
Lincoln House Chambers’ Ivan Bowley is a ‘first-rate advocate and always has complete control of his case’; he has a strong occupational disease practice.
At Cobden House Chambers, the ‘excellent’ Richard Hartley QC and Marc Willems are highly regarded on circuit. Anthony Mazzag, Michael Jones and David Kenny are also recommended.
9 St John Street’s Brian McCluggage handles high-value catastrophic claims and is one of the ‘best juniors in Manchester for PI’. Matthew Snarr is recommended for brain injury work, and Michael Lemmy for occupational disease. Nicholas Hinchliffe QC is strong on the industrial disease front, and is ‘very impressive on his feet with a dogged determination to win’. Gerard Mcdermott QC handles high-value claims and has extensive cross-border experience.
At 18 St John Street Chambers, Alastair Forrest is ‘brilliant at immediately identifying the crux of a case, and is willing to “push boundaries”’. Mark Laprell is ‘tenacious and fearsome’, and Simon Kilvington is ‘hugely impressive in his clear and calm approach to difficult legal issues’.
Exchange Chambers’ claimant-focused Bill Braithwaite QC is a ‘truly exceptional Queen’s Counsel’. Gerard Martin QC is ‘a favourite, going back many years, for his decisive judgement calls that stand the test of time’. William Waldron QC is an ‘extremely capable advocate and technician with an affable personality’; he handles ‘serious personal injury cases, particularly involving aviation accidents, which he understands well’. New silk Amanda Yip QC is highly rated and is a ‘force to be reckoned with’. Christopher Barnes’ service is ‘consistently impressive’, and David Knifton always provides ‘concise and soundly reasoned advice’.
Atlantic Chambers’ head of chambers Scott Donovan has a busy clinical negligence practice, and the ‘highly intelligent’ Ivan Woolfenden has a strong PI practice, including occupational and industrial disease work. Michael Armstrong is also recommended for PI and RTA work.
At Liverpool Civil Law, Alan Sellers and John Entwistle are very popular PI practitioners.
At 7 Harrington Street, Andrew Moran QC is widely regarded on circuit as a leading senior and is ‘extremely dedicated and hardworking’, and has ‘an amazing capacity for detail’.
India Buildings Chambers’ Simon Holder handles trade union and industrial disease work. Matthew Stockwell has recently been involved in several high-value, complex PI and clinical negligence claims. Charles Feeny, Douglas Cooper and Wendy Owen recently joined the team from Liverpool Civil Law.
Planning, construction and property
Kings Chambers has ‘a strong reputation for planning and chancery matters’. Stephen Sauvain QC is the ‘leading authority on highways law and is often a first port of call for advice in this field’. David Manley QC and Paul Tucker QC are also highly recommended seniors for planning law. Andrew Singer is a construction and engineering expert and ‘cuts directly to the core issues’. Other strong planning practitioners at the set include Ruth Stockley, Roger Lancaster, John Barrett, Ian Ponter and Jonathan Easton. Giles Cannock is ‘one of the best young barristers around’, and Nigel Clayton is an ‘expert in complex mortgage and property litigation’. Wilson Horne is recommended for commercial property matters.
At St James’s Chambers, Warren Potts is a general commercial property practitioner and is often instructed by breweries.
Exchange Chambers’ Edward Bartley Jones QC and Neil Cadwallader have notable property and housing practises.
Cobden House Chambers’ Paul Whatley and Colin Green are recommended for commercial property disputes.
Regulatory and public law
At Kings Chambers, Melanie Plimmer falls within the ‘exceptional category’: she ‘combines an acute analytical intelligence with formidable forensic skills’, and is a ‘supremely effective advocate’. Adam Fullwood is ‘smart, legally savvy and up for a fight if there is a fight to be had, and has an excellent rapport with an often difficult and demanding client group’. Sam Karim is ‘very knowledge, approachable and helpful’, and is particularly rated for his Court of Protection work.
At Deans Court Chambers, Tim Horlock QC is incredibly well thought of on circuit and has a robust regulatory and personal injury practice. Team head Mark Turner QC handles HSE fatality cases and environmental matters, Sophie Cartwright is recommended for complex inquests and Court of Protection matters, and Mark Savill handles a large volume of GMC cases.
India Buildings Chambers’ Matthew Stockwell is praised for his expertise in community care law.
At Garden Court North Chambers, Vijay Jagadesham is a ‘barrister who has flourished in the recent past and demonstrates excellent skills as an advocate’. Rory O’Ryan has an ‘astute eye for detail and technical arguments relating to the Immigration Rules and EEA Regulations’.
Doughty Street Chambers’ Nick Stanage is an ‘exceptional communicator and a man of unique integrity and grace’; he is recommended for police and prison law matters.
Iain Simkin and Peter Smith at St Johns Buildings are regularly instructed on HSE matters.
9 St John Street’s Michael Leeming has a notable GMC practice.