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:

What we say about the set's legal practice in Regional Bar

Northern Circuit

Within Chancery and commercial litigation,

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.

Within Overview, Byrom Street Chambers (Chambers of Raymond Machell QC) is a first tier firm,

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.

Within 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’.


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Regional Bar

Offices in Manchester

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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  • A justified retrospective

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  • Public Sector Equality Duty (“PSED”)

    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
  • Judicial Review

    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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  • The Health and Social Care Act 2012: impact on adult social services

    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: