The Legal 500

Chambers of Raymond Machell QC

12 BYROM STREET, MANCHESTER, M3 4PP, ENGLAND
Tel:
Work 0161 829 2100
Fax:
Fax 0161 829 2101
DX:
718156 MANCHESTER 3
Web:
www.byromstreet.com
Email:

Byrom Street Chambers is a unique and specialist set practising within the heart of Manchester’s recently developed business and legal centre at Spinningfields, and in close proximity to the new 47 court Civil Justice Centre and the Crown Court. Members also practise from the recently refurbished Chambers at 42 Bedford Row, London. According to The Legal 500 2010, ‘Byrom Street Chambers is strong for civil instructions and offers an “excellent service”, aided by “unparalleled clerks” support’.

The set: Chambers’ premises are modern, purpose-built, DDA-compliant and architecturally designed with particular attention to the needs of both professional and lay clients. Facilities include large comfortable conference rooms, two video conferencing suites, the latest information technology with wireless connection and an extensive library.

Byrom Street Chambers is a forward-thinking set with traditional values, exclusively dedicated to the work of leading and senior junior counsel with extensive expertise in high-value and complex cases. Chambers provides a highly individual and personalised service, with an emphasis on clients’ needs, combined with a friendly and open approach to clerking.

Five members of Chambers currently sit as deputy High Court judges, one member as the judge of appeal in the Isle of Man, 11 members sit as recorders, one member sits on the Mental Health Review Tribunal, one member sits on the CICA panel and one member sits as a deputy coroner.

Types of work undertaken: With a reputation for quality and service, members offer advice and advocacy in a range of specialisations and can provide the depth of cover necessary to conduct litigation in the most complex of cases. They practise regularly in the fields of personal injury (with an emphasis on catastrophic cases, group and class actions, clinical negligence, and disease litigation), health and safety, professional negligence, financial services, commercial, employment, human rights, mediation and civil fraud.

Members of chambers appear in the courts at all levels and their breadth of expertise is clear from the following sample of cases: Thompstone v Tameside & Glossop Acute Services, periodical payments/indexation; RK, European Court breaches of Articles 8 and 13; Willmore + Sienkiewicz, Supreme Court decision on slight/environmental exposure causing mesothelioma; R (on application of AB) v Oldham NHS and Direct Line, PCT funding; Fairchild v Glenhaven, asbestos disease; Tomlinson v Congleton, occupiers’ liability; Wright deceased, inquest and civil claims regarding the Kajaki minefield incident (lack of evacuation helicopters, mine maps and effective training); Sowden v Lodge, local authority funding; Miners Respiratory Claims, the longest running personal injury case on record; PTSD group actions; acted for the claimants in the Hillsborough Disaster Litigation, for both parties in the North Wales Child Abuse Inquiry and for the claimants against the Ministry of Defence; Shipman, counsel to the inquiry and for the registrars; Alder Hey, counsel to the inquiry.

Former members of chambers include Lady Justice Smith, Lord Justice Leveson, Sir David Clarke, Mrs Justice Swift, Mr Justice King, His Honour Judge Stewart QC, Sir Christopher Rose and His Honour Michael Kershaw QC.

Above material supplied by Byrom Street Chambers (Chambers of Raymond Machell QC).

Legal Developments in the UK

Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to
  • HOUSING

    In Nzinga Maswaku v Westminster City Council [2012] EWCA Civ 669 the Court of Appeal clarified that in offering a homeless person with alternative temporary accommodation the local authority is obliged to point that if the offer is refused it has discharged its Part VII duties under the Housing Act 1996.
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  • COUNCIL TAX

    In Harrow LBC v Ayiku [2012] EWHC 1200 (Admin) Sales J held that the word “or” in the Council Tax (Exempt Dwellings) Order 1992, art 3 Class N, had a disjunctive meaning, therefore it was sufficient for the non-British spouse of a foreign student to satisfy one or other of the two conditions, namely being prevented from taking paid employment or being prevented from claiming benefits, in order to qualify as a “relevant person” who was exempted from liability to pay council tax.
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  • QUEEN’S SPEECH

    Bills already introduced pursuant to the Queen’s Speech on 9 May 2012 include Local Government Finance Bill and Electoral Registration and Administration Bill, both accompanied by Explanatory Notes, which in each case address ECHR compatibility.
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  • Standards

    In R (Calver) v Adjudication Panel for Wales [2012] EWHC 1172 (Admin) Mr Calver was a member of Manorbier Community Council who successfully challenged the decision of the Panel to dismiss his appeal against a decision by Prembrokeshire County Council Standards Committee censuring him for a number of comments or blogs posted by him on a website he owned and controlled.
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    In R (Greenwich Community Law Centre) v Greenwich LBC [2012] EWCA Civ 496 the Court of Appeal held that the Council had had “due regard to the PSED when making changes to its funding of community legal advice services”. At para 30 Elias LJ said:
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  • Public Sector Equality Duty

    Surrey County Council conducted a review of its Library Service. This culminated in a Report to the Council’s Cabinet. The Recommendations in the Report included that there should be consultation about a community-partnership approach at selected Libraries.
    - 11KBW
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    The Judgment of Lindblom J in The Manydown Co Ltd v Basingstoke and Deane BC [2012] EWHC 977 (Admin) repays attention. The Claimant sought to challenge by judicial review 2 decisions of the Council: (1) the Council’s refusal to reconsider its position on the development of a site that it owns (and is the subject matter of a Joint Development Partnership Agreement with the Claimant); and (2) a decision of the Council’s Cabinet approving a selection of sites for development which did not include this site.
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    After its torrid passage through Parliament, the Health and Social Care Bill received Royal Assent on 27 March 2012. The Act deals principally with healthcare reform, but it also contains some amendments to the legislative framework for social care. It will come into force on a day yet to be appointed by the Secretary of State.
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  • Immigration update May 2012

    In this issue: