1 Crown Office Row, Brighton > Brighton, England > Set Profile

The Chambers of Richard Booth KC
1 Crown Office Row, Brighton
119 CHURCH STREET
BRIGHTON
BN1 1UD
England

London Bar > Clinical negligence Tier 1

The ‘brilliant set of counsel’ at 1 Crown Office Row cover claims concerning health care in England and Wales and beyond. A strong track record in multi-party claims, such as the Ian Paterson scandal and mesh litigation, are characteristic of the set. Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel KC has notable experience in birth injury cases, including CDE v Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, in which the claimant, born by caesarean section, suffered hypoxic ischaemia. Philip Havers KC also has experience in this area, as does John Whitting KC whose recent case of Yapp v Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust raises issues regarding whether compensation should persist after the death of the claimant parents and for the lifetime of the child. The set also has expertise in international cases, advising on litigation in Jersey, Hong Kong and other jurisdictions.

Rising stars

Thomas Beamont – 1 Crown Office Row 'Thomas is bright and reliable.'
Ranked: Tier 1
Rajkiran Barhey – 1 Crown Office Row 'A thorough and detail-orientated junior.'
Ranked: Tier 1

Leading Silks

John Whitting KC –1 Crown Office Row 'A sublime silk who works fabulously with juniors.'
Ranked: Tier 1
Paul Rees KC –1 Crown Office Row 'He has an unstinting appetite for hard work.'
Ranked: Tier 1
Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel KC –1 Crown Office Row ‘Lizanne is an absolute powerhouse. Her knowledge is unrivalled.'
Ranked: Tier 1
Philip Havers KC –1 Crown Office Row ‘Philip has a firm grasp on the detail of the cases he presents, and presents compelling counter arguments.'
Ranked: Tier 1
Angus McCullough KC –1 Crown Office Row 'Angus is quite simply brilliant; he is incisive, erudite and immensely knowledgeable, with a practical approach to litigation.'
Ranked: Tier 2
Henry Witcomb KC –1 Crown Office Row ‘Henry is thoughtful but decisive and his advices are second-to-none.’
Ranked: Tier 2
Clodagh Bradley KC –1 Crown Office Row 'Clodagh is in many ways the perfect advocate. She is always scrupulously prepared and in control of the material in front of her.'
Ranked: Tier 3
Richard Booth KC –1 Crown Office Row ‘A real star of the clinical negligence Bar.’
Ranked: Tier 3
Margaret Bowron KC – 1 Crown Office Row 'I love to work with and am unfailingly impressed by Margaret Bowron.'
Ranked: Tier 3
Jeremy Hyam KC – 1 Crown Office Row 'I have been very impressed with Jeremy Hyam. He is highly intelligent, thoughtful and great to work with.'
Ranked: Tier 3
Ranked: Tier 3
Robert Kellar KC – 1 Crown Office Row ‘Robert's pleadings are beautifully crafted, his advice calm and collected and he is fantastic with clients and experts alike.'
Ranked: Tier 3
Sarah Lambert KC – 1 Crown Office Row 'She is skilled in explaining complex legal points in clear language for all to understand.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Andrew Kennedy KC - 1 Crown Office Row 'Andrew is extremely thorough and knowledgeable. He gets to grips with complex details and issues very quickly.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Ranked: Tier 4
Neil Sheldon KC –1 Crown Office Row ‘Neil is extremely personable, connects with the clients showing empathy alongside his outstanding legal knowledge.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Owain Thomas KC –1 Crown Office Row 'An extraordinary ability to absorb a huge amount of complex clinical detail and then deploy that in a cross-examination. I saw no weakness in that tour de force, or generally in his advocacy.'
Ranked: Tier 4

2024 Silks

Leading Juniors

Cara Guthrie –1 Crown Office Row 'Cara Guthrie is outstanding, super smart but incredibly busy.'
Ranked: Tier 1
Matthew Barnes –1 Crown Office Row ‘Calm, skillful, erudite, and laser-focused when cross-examining witnesses.’
Ranked: Tier 3
Richard Smith –1 Crown Office Row ‘Richard is thorough yet efficient. He is responsive and his clear and unambiguous advice always instils confidence.'
Ranked: Tier 3
Dominic Ruck Keene – 1 Crown Office Row ‘A bright intellectual counsel, easily able to see the complexities of cases and coherently explain those issues to the lay clients in a kind, sensitive and sensible way whilst sympathising with their complex needs and injuries.’ 
Ranked: Tier 3
John Gimlette –1 Crown Office Row ‘John is the go-to barrister to instruct on any matter with an element of complexity.’
Ranked: Tier 3
Ranked: Tier 3
Leanne Woods –1 Crown Office Row 'A diligent and incisive junior.'
Ranked: Tier 3
Paul Reynolds –1 Crown Office Row ‘Paul is very thorough, very bright and forensic.' 
Ranked: Tier 3
Shahram Sharghy  – 1 Crown Office Row  'Shahram is polite but tenacious and gets a great result.'
Ranked: Tier 3
Ranked: Tier 4
Emma-Louise Fenelon – 1 Crown Office Row 'I routinely instruct Emma-Louise Fenelon and find her excellent to work with.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Hannah Noyce –1 Crown Office Row 'An astute, highly intellectual junior.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Rachel Marcus – 1 Crown Office Row 'A punchy, pragmatic advocate.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Pritesh Rathod – 1 Crown Office Row 'Pritesh Rathod is impressive.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Marcus Coates-Walker – 1 Crown Office Row 'A compassionate, patient and articulate junior.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Jo Moore –1 Crown Office Row 'I cannot speak highly enough of Jo, she is truly exceptional; experienced well above her years of call and makes clever, considered, persuasive arguments.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Rory Badenoch – 1 Crown Office Row 'A junior with excellent client care skills.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Suzanne Lambert –1 Crown Office Row 'A concise and serene junior who prepares thoroughly.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Richard Mumford – 1 Crown Office Row ‘Richard is a strong advocate with great attention to detail.’
Ranked: Tier 4
Jessica Elliott – 1 Crown Office Row 'Jessica Elliott is an excellent barrister who has fantastic technical ability and an ability to build a great rapport with experts and clients.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Ranked: Tier 4
Jim Duffy –1 Crown Office Row ‘Jim is an exceptional barrister. He is thorough and practical and his preparation is second-to-none.’
Ranked: Tier 4

Testimonials

The clerks at 1 Crown Office Row are outstanding. John Mclaren and Andy Tull couldn’t do more to help. Chloe Turvill is also a rising star.’

‘This is a brilliant set of Counsel. You know that instructing any counsel from this set means that you will have a barrister who is extremely talented and knowledgeable’

‘1 Crown Office Row is superb, you are always in trusted hands even if not used the barrister before as the clerks excel at their job. ‘

‘The clerks are fantastic. They are very helpful, accommodating and easy to deal with. They will always find a way to squeeze in a conference or inquest in a barrister’s very busy diary.’

‘The clerks are excellent. Professional, approachable and will always be willing to help.’

Work highlights

London Bar > Inquests and inquiries Tier 1

1 Crown Office Row is ‘an excellent set’ with ‘a strong inquest team’ which draws upon the chambers’ wider expertise in clinical negligence, personal injury, and human rights law. Peter Skelton KC continues to represent the Metropolitan Police in the Undercover Policing Inquiry. Matthew Hill is currently acting as leading junior counsel in the Infected Blood Inquiry. Turning to inquests, Shaheen Rahman KC acts for families and healthcare providers in death in hospital inquests, while David Manknell KC has of late been active in a number of inquests relating to air crashes.

Rising stars

Jonathan Metzer – 1 Crown Office Row ‘Jonathan has a real eye for detail. He is robust, thorough, persuasive, and great with clients, putting them at ease during the very difficult inquest process.'
Ranked: Tier 1
Gideon Barth – 1 Crown Office Row ‘Gideon is a calm, charming and thorough junior who has the ear of coroners and juries in difficult cases.'
Ranked: Tier 1
Emma-Louise Fenelon – 1 Crown Office Row ‘Emma-Louise is exceptionally skilled. She is a fearless advocate who demonstrates incredible strength in court, and has the ability to assimilate information quickly and use it to powerful effect.’ 
Ranked: Tier 1
Jo Moore –1 Crown Office Row 'Jo Moore is brilliant; a future star.'
Ranked: Tier 1

Leading Silks

Peter Skelton KC – 1 Crown Office Row 'Fantastic drafting skills and an intellect rarely found.'
Ranked: Tier 1
Neil Sheldon KC – 1 Crown Office Row ‘Neil is a clear, concise and polished advocate. He is empathic with bereaved families and a real team worker.'
Ranked: Tier 2
Clodagh Bradley KC – 1 Crown Office Row 'Clodagh Bradley is excellent.'
Ranked: Tier 3
Ranked: Tier 3
Oliver Sanders KC –1 Crown Office Row ‘His ability to cut to the chase, while listening, is his strength.‘
Ranked: Tier 3
Ranked: Tier 3

2024 Silks

Leading Juniors

Ranked: Tier 1
Alasdair Henderson –1 Crown Office Row 'A junior who instills confidence, and demonstrates very good judgement.'
Ranked: Tier 3
Ranked: Tier 4
Ranked: Tier 4
Rory Badenoch –1 Crown Office Row 'A junior with a reassuring demeanour, who is superb when questioning witnesses.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Ranked: Tier 4
Rachel Marcus –1 Crown Office Row 'Rachel takes the time to think things through when handling a difficult inquest.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Leanne Woods –1 Crown Office Row ‘Leanne has an excellent grasp of coronial law, and a considered and thorough approach to her cases.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Amy Mannion – 1 Crown Office Row ‘Amy is an outstanding advocate – concise, measured, and delivers difficult points well. She is a delight to work with and fights her client’s corner.’
Ranked: Tier 5
Ranked: Tier 5
Ranked: Tier 5
Hannah Noyce – 1 Crown Office Row 'Hannah Noyce is exceptional. Her cross examination is faultless and she works tirelessly for clients to get the best possible outcome.'
Ranked: Tier 5
Ranked: Tier 5

Testimonials

‘Chloe Turvill is friendly, helpful and great at liaising with Counsel to accommodate requests.’

‘The clerks at 1 Crown Office Row are organised and brilliant at their jobs.’

‘1 Crown Office Row is a brilliant set for Clinical Negligence work and Inquest work.’

‘1 Crown Office Row have a strong inquest team, with good advocates who are well appraised in recent coronial developments.’

South Eastern Circuit > Property and construction Tier 1

The members of 1 Crown Office Row, Brighton are highly adept at advising individuals, companies and public authorities on a wide range of real estate litigation issues, including commercial and residential landlord and tenant matters. Simon Sinnatt is ‘a hugely knowledgeable and experienced practitioner in property litigation’. Of late, he successfully acted for an elderly respondent in a trust of land matter. Michael Walker, Paul Ashwell and Matthew Withers are the other key members of the team.

Rising stars

Matthew Withers – 1 Crown Office Row, Brighton ‘Matthew is highly skilled in making complex TOLATA matters sound straightforward to clients. He immediately puts clients at ease and is always willing to go above and beyond when queries arise between instructions.’
Ranked: Tier 1

Leading Juniors

Ranked: Tier 1
Simon Sinnatt –1 Crown Office Row, Brighton 'Simon has first-rate client care skills and is highly approachable for instructing solicitors. He is particularly strong in boundary disputes.'
Ranked: Tier 1
Kate Richmond – 1 Crown Office Row, Brighton 'Kate is clever, responsive, commercial and client-friendly.'
Ranked: Tier 2
Stuart Wright - 1 Crown Office Row, Brighton 'Stuart is very thorough and pays acute attention to detail. He is a team player and will go the extra mile for his solicitor-client and their clients. He takes a pragmatic approach with his advice to help the client make choices having regard to both the legal position and commercial considerations.'
Ranked: Tier 2
Rachel Baker - 1 Crown Office Row, Brighton 'Rachel is clear and concise. She always ensures that she understands the client's needs from the outset. She is very efficient and forthright whilst fully aware of the commercial and financial realities of the corresponding matter.'
Ranked: Tier 2
Michael Walker – 1 Crown Office Row, Brighton ‘Michael is incredibly user-friendly and empathetic to the client’s needs. He is very approachable and explains complex issues in a simple way. He also assists with strategy and options to achieve the best possible outcome for clients in often very difficult circumstances.’
Ranked: Tier 2

Testimonials

‘The set is both helpful and efficient.’

‘The set offers a wide range of expertise in property litigation.’

‘The clerks are always helpful and efficient.’

‘Good set of clerks, always responsive and make every effort to try to understand and tailor client needs to the right counsel.’

 

 

 

Work highlights

London Bar > Professional disciplinary and regulatory law Tier 2

The barristers at 1 Crown Office Row specialise in a range of disciplinary proceedings involving medical professionals. Robert Kellar KC has an excellent track record in representing clients from the healthcare sector in cases involving allegations of dishonesty, sexual misconduct, and clinical malpractice. Clodagh Bradley KC successfully defended a veterinary surgeon against charges of misconduct, arising from alleged mismanagement of a dog’s hyperglycaemia at a consultation four days prior to its sudden deterioration in health and death. Suzanne Lambert is regularly instructed in fitness to practise proceedings before a broad range of regulatory bodies.

Leading Silks

Robert Kellar KC – 1 Crown Office Row 'A thoughtful and persuasive advocate whose attention to detail is simply outstanding.'
Ranked: Tier 3
Andrew Kennedy KC – 1 Crown Office Row ‘Andrew is a dream to work with as he is very responsive, approachable and inspires confidence at every stage.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Clodagh Bradley KC –1 Crown Office Row 'A silk with a forensic analytical eye.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Ranked: Tier 4
Owain Thomas KC – 1 Crown Office Row ‘He has a very meticulous eye and grasps the key issues very quickly.‘
Ranked: Tier 4
Martin Forde KC – 1 Crown Office Row 'I appeared against and rate most highly Martin Forde KC.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Richard Booth KC – 1 Crown Office Row 'An extremely authoritative silk who is so easy to listen to when on his feet. He has exceptional analytical skills.'
Ranked: Tier 4

Leading Juniors

Ranked: Tier 3
Leanne Woods – 1 Crown Office Row 'Leanne Woods - a relentless advocate who knowns where to stop... what could be better?'
Ranked: Tier 4
Christopher Mellor – 1 Crown Office Row ‘He is very detail oriented. Clients know when they instruct him that he will have considered every eventuality.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Ranked: Tier 4
Richard Smith –1 Crown Office Row 'His advocacy has an understated confidence which is attractive to clients.'
Ranked: Tier 4

Testimonials

‘A really exceptional set.‘

‘A go-to for those tricky academic questions.‘

London Bar > Tax: VAT and excise Tier 2

1 Crown Office Row handles the entire spectrum of tax litigation and its members are instructed on behalf of both taxpayers and HMRC. Indirect tax experts Owain Thomas KC and Sarabjit Singh KC jointly lead the team, which has significant experience handling cases at all levels, from first-tier tribunals to the Supreme Court, as well as the Court of Justice of the European Union. Thomas KC successfully represented HMRC in a Court of Appeal case against Build-A-Bear Workshop concerning whether imported bear accessories were classified as accessories for dolls or for toys in relation to related EU tariffs. The set is also home to Natasha Barnes, who has represented clients before the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, and the Administrative Court, and Isabel McArdle, who has substantial expertise in matters regarding VAT, customs and excise. Edward Waldegrave joined the team from Pump Court Chambers in March 2023, and he is experienced in high-stakes cases.

Rising stars

Ranked: Tier 1

Leading Silks

Owain Thomas KC – 1 Crown Office Row 'Owain is an incisive and direct silk.'
Ranked: Tier 2
Sarabjit Singh KC – 1 Crown Office Row 'When it comes to indirect taxes, Sarabjit is a subject-matter expert. He is highly thought of by clients and great to work with.'
Ranked: Tier 4

Leading Juniors

Isabel McArdle – 1 Crown Office Row 'Isabel is an astute tactician.'
Ranked: Tier 3
Ranked: Tier 3

South Eastern Circuit > Family: children and domestic violence Tier 2

1 Crown Office Row, Brighton is praised as a ‘go-to set when it comes to children matters’, with expertise in both private and public law matters. Eleanor Battie specialises in handling matters related to child arrangement, domestic abuses and parental alienation and is ‘able to get across a difficult point to emotional clients without losing their confidence’. Rising star Anogika Souresh counts public law child work as part of her practice.

Rising stars

Anogika Souresh   –1 Crown Office Row, Brighton 'Anogika is approachable, knowledgeable and conveys advice with a confidence that helps put clients at ease.'
Ranked: Tier 1

Leading Juniors

Eleanor Battie – 1 Crown Office Row, Brighton ‘Eleanor is a go-to barrister for Children Act matters. She is a formidable advocate who is always extremely well-prepared. Her position statements are always first-class. She immediately builds a rapport with the client. She is unflappable in court and always approachable.’
Ranked: Tier 2
Ranked: Tier 2
Kirsten Japp –1 Crown Office Row, Brighton 'Kirsten always goes the extra mile on a case. She is extremely able, very supportive of clients and manages expectations calmly and kindly. She is persuasive in her advocacy style and has the judge's ear.'
Ranked: Tier 3
Adam Smith –1 Crown Office Row, Brighton 'An outstanding junior.'
Ranked: Tier 3
Ranked: Tier 4
Clare Ciborowska   –1 Crown Office Row, Brighton ‘Clare is an extremely diligent and hardworking advocate who will go over and above. Her strengths are her detailed preparation and understanding of a client’s case and their particular needs.’
Ranked: Tier 4
Rachel Gimson –1 Crown Office Row, Brighton 'Rachel is a wonderful advocate, very knowledgeable and good with the clients. She will spend time explaining to the clients what is happening, evaluating the evidence and assisting inside the courtroom and outside.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Laura Bayley –1 Crown Office Row, Brighton 'Laura Bayley is outstanding.'
Ranked: Tier 5

Testimonials

‘David Bingham leads a great clerk team. The clerks go the extra mile to help local solicitors.’

‘The clerks are truly excellent. They are extremely responsive and go out of their way to help. They do go the extra mile and are friendly, polite and professional. David Bingham, head clerk, is particularly great to deal with.’

‘The set is an excellent choice of really good family barristers.’

‘A fantastic set with great strength at all levels of experience. The set does a lot of work within the local family justice community, which is appreciated.’

‘The set is flexible and accommodating and will always do its best for you. The set often delivers courses.’

Work highlights

London Bar > Administrative law and human rights Tier 4

1 Crown Office Row is a noteworthy set in this space, with traditional strength in acting on behalf of government departments and handling an increased volume of instructions from claimants. National security work is a key strength for members, and is particularly prominent in the workloads of Angus McCullough KC (who has an excellent track record in acting as Special Advocate in cases where evidence is withheld from the claimant's normal representatives), Oliver Sanders KC and Natasha Barnes. Shaheen Rahman KC is another highly regarded Special Advocate in the group, and is very experienced in appearing in prominent human rights challenges.

Leading Silks

Angus McCullough KC –1 Crown Office Row 'Special mention must go to Angus McCullough KC as the pre-eminent Special Advocate in this field.'
Ranked: Tier 3
Ranked: Tier 4
Ranked: Tier 4

Leading Juniors

Ranked: Tier 3
Alasdair Henderson –1 Crown Office Row 'A practical and responsive junior.'
Ranked: Tier 3
Benjamin Seifert - 1 Crown Office Row ‘A junior with a direct style of advocacy.’
Ranked: Tier 4

Testimonials

‘A proactive and helpful set.’

London Bar > Personal injury, industrial disease and insurance fraud Tier 4

1 Crown Office Row are a ‘very experienced set‘, going ‘the extra mile’ for both claimant and defendant clients, with wide health law experience and crossover inquest and child abuse expertise. Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel KC has standout strength in abuse work, notably in the last year leading Justin Levinson for the claimants in both HXA v Surrey County Council and YXA v Birmingham CC, both cases in which claimants had been abused in their family homes and not removed by social services despite records and reports of this abuse documented. Both claims were reinstated in these second appeals, having been struck out previously. Henry Witcomb KC has notable experience in cross-border multi-party actions.

Personal injury - Rising Stars

Thomas Beamont - 1 Crown Office Row 'Very organised and willing to push and explore new areas for success.'
Ranked: Tier 1

Leading Silks

Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel KC –1 Crown Office Row ‘Hugely experienced, fantastic work ethic, good with clients.'
Ranked: Tier 1
Henry Witcomb KC –1 Crown Office Row ‘Very bright, hard working, and has an excellent client manner.'
Ranked: Tier 2
Robert Kellar KC –1 Crown Office Row 'An excellent negotiator with a good eye for detail.'
Ranked: Tier 3

Personal injury - Leading Juniors

Justin Levinson –1 Crown Office Row ‘The leader at the Bar when it comes to sexual abuse litigation. His experience and knowledge is unrivalled.’
Ranked: Tier 1
Shahram Sharghy  – 1 Crown Office Row 'Shahram Sharghy deserves a special mention; a true star of the senior junior end of claimant personal injury litigation.'
Ranked: Tier 3
Jim Duffy –1 Crown Office Row ‘Jim is very forensic and thorough, with a detailed and committed approach to difficult cases.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Iain O’Donnell – 1 Crown Office Row ‘Iain has a keen eye for detail and diligent approach. He is personable with clients and a fierce advocate.'
Ranked: Tier 4
Ranked: Tier 4
Dominic Ruck Keene – 1 Crown Office Row 'A junior with a personable yet direct approach to litigation.'
Ranked: Tier 5

Testimonials

‘Very experienced set which goes the extra mile in ensuring that clients and their solicitors receive the very best service and representation. Breadth and experience of the set is hard to match.’

‘1 Crown Office Row is an excellent set with considerable breadth of experience.’

‘Senior and junior clerks are professional and personable. They are approachable and swift with any assistance required.’

‘Very accessible, responsive, efficient and friendly clerk room.’

‘The clerks are friendly and always willing to help.’

‘All clerks are professional and do their upmost to assist.’

‘Excellent set.’

‘Reliable chambers, with a versatile choice of counsel to instruct.’

Work highlights

South Eastern Circuit > Commercial litigation

Rising stars

Matthew Withers – 1 Crown Office Row, Brighton 'A direct junior with a good court manner.'
Ranked: Tier 1

Leading Juniors

Paul Ashwell – 1 Crown Office Row, Brighton ‘Paul has an attention to detail and in-depth knowledge of complex areas of commercial litigation. He has a good manner with clients and preparation in advance of advice and conferences.’
Ranked: Tier 1
Stuart Wright – 1 Crown Office Row, Brighton 'Stuart is an excellent barrister and go-to barrister for any commercial litigation work. He is very thorough and forensic in his analysis and has an impressive grasp of legal and commercial issues. His advice is clear and logical and commercially focused.'
Ranked: Tier 1

South Eastern Circuit > Court of Protection and community care

Rising stars

Scott Storey – 1 Crown Office Row, Brighton ‘Scott puts a lot of thought into his advice and drafting. He is very knowledgeable within his area of law and is a very safe pair of hands.’
Ranked: Tier 1

Leading Juniors

Rachel Baker – 1 Crown Office Row, Brighton ‘Rachel is very communicative and responsive. She thinks deeply about the facts of the case and the possible options available to the parties to seek a suitable resolution for all involved. Her advocacy is strong and clear.’
Ranked: Tier 1

South Eastern Circuit > Employment

Rising stars

Matthew Withers –1 Crown Office Row 'Matthew is excellent and extremely knowledgeable. He is commercial and great with clients. At court, Matthew articulates his points succinctly and on point.'
Ranked: Tier 1

South Eastern Circuit > Family: divorce and financial remedy

Leading Juniors

Jane Peckham –1 Crown Office Row, Brighton 'Jane is always very well prepared and clients feel at ease in her company.'
Ranked: Tier 2

London Bar > Environment

Leading Silks

David Hart KC – 1 Crown Office Row 'A resourceful statesman.'
Ranked: Tier 1

London Bar > Family: children and domestic abuse

Leading Silks

Francesca Wiley KC –1 Crown Office Row 'Francesca Wiley is the most amazing King's Counsel - my go to counsel where you want the very best.'
Ranked: Tier 2

London Bar > Immigration (including business immigration)

2024 Silks

Leading Juniors

Natasha Barnes – 1 Crown Office Row 'Natasha is extremely bright, quick to see the key points in a case and very good on her feet. She has a real in depth knowledge of Immigration law.'
Ranked: Tier 2

Western Circuit > Clinical negligence

Leading Juniors

Robert Mills  - 1 Crown Office Row  ‘Robert is a really superb barrister. He is extremely bright and knowledgeable and knows cases inside out. Robert’s advocacy is also very impressive  – he is eloquent, confident and persuasive and he always manages to secure excellent results.’
Ranked: Tier 1
Ranked: Tier 2

Western Circuit > Inquests and inquiries

Leading Juniors

Marcus Coates-Walker – 1 Crown Office Row 'I rate Marcus Coates-Walker in particular.'
Ranked: Tier 1

London Bar > International crime and extradition

Leading Juniors

Benjamin Seifert - 1 Crown Office Row  ‘Ben is charming and tenacious. He exploits every angle of a case and will not be deterred from a challenge.’
Ranked: Tier 2

A leading civil and public law set (with a large annexe in Brighton) providing advisory, advocacy and mediation services with a pre-eminent reputation for its clinical negligence and healthcare practices, its expertise in public law and human rights, professional disciplinary work and tax law.

The set: Established over 70 years ago, 1COR’s reputation for quality is reflected in the fact that it counts among its members and former members the former Lord Chief Justice Lord Woolf, five Lord/Lady Justices of Appeal and three former chairmen of the Bar. Chambers runs the highly acclaimed UK Human Rights Blog, Quarterly Medical Law Review (QMLR) and podcast, Law Pod UK.

Types of work undertaken: Members are recognised as leading practitioners in a range of areas including: clinical negligence; professional discipline; personal injury; public and administrative law; public inquiries; healthcare; environmental law; professional negligence; tax; immigration and asylum; employment and equality; costs; coroners and inquests; sports; and cyber. Many members accept instructions under the Bar Council’s Direct Access arrangements (www.1cordirectaccess.com). Chambers has a mediation service, with accredited mediators and arbitrators, including a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

1 Crown Office Row is widely recognised as the leading set for clinical negligence. Members act for both claimants and defendants, representing individuals, groups and numerous health authorities, NHS Trusts, GP’s and consultants nationwide. Landmark cases include: Khan v Meadows, Darnley v Croydon Health Services, CN & GN v Poole BC, Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board, Nyang v G4S and Dr Thomas, and Meiklejohn v St George’s NHS Trust, as well as the group actions such as the Infected Blood Inquiry, Barclays Bank litigation, Paterson litigation, or arising out of benzodiazepine administration, femodene use, organ retention and MMR.

Chambers also handles personal injury litigation for claimants and defendants and has a particularly strong niche practice in handling historic child abuse claims. Cases include representing victims of the Beirut Port Explosion, Jimmy Savile, the Grafton House and Elm House abuse cases, and IICSA cases.

Healthcare work has included: the Birthrights Inquiry, right to transgender treatment for children; treatment abroad on the NHS; whether guidance on the withdrawal of artificial nutrition is compatible with human rights; and the rights of parents to be notified of their daughters seeking of an abortion. A large number of its members were heavily involved in the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust Public Inquiry.

Chambers has a strong practice in coronial inquests, often arising from its expertise in healthcare and public law. Members have also appeared in high profile inquests such as the Reading Terror Attack Inquest, Stephen Port Inquests, Belly Mujinga Inquest, Streatham Attack Inquests, Natasha Ednan-Laperouse Inquest, Perepilichny Inquest and the  recent Birmingham Pub Bombings, London Bridge Inquests, Westminster Bridge Inquests and Manchester Arena Bombing Inquests. Recently members have been instructed in high profile inquests related to Covid-19.

The human rights practice is founded on their medical and public law expertise. Recently this has included challenges to the legality of lockdown and coronavirus restrictions. Significant cases include R v Jogee, as well as the healthcare cases mentioned above. Chambers has a long experience of public inquiries, including the Jermaine Baker Inquiry, Brook House Inquiry, Grenfell Tower Inquiry, Infected Blood Inquiry, Al-Sweady Inquiry, the Leveson Inquiry, the Detainee Inquiry and the inquiry into the death of Baha Mousa in Iraq, and the Victoria Climbie and Alder Hey Inquiries.

The environmental practice includes: Duarte Agostinho & 5 Others v Portugal & 32 Others (landmark ECtHR climate change case), saving Askham Bog, Japanese Knotweed, M4 Road Relief case, the test case on the applicability of new pollution regulations; measures to mitigate the problem of dolphin by-catch in fishing nets; flooding; claims for water and methane escape from mines; waste and land fill issues; asbestos and groundwater pollution; aircraft noise; dust pollution; interference with TV reception and judicial review of abatement notices.

Chambers is regularly involved in disciplinary work involving all types of professionals and internal inquiries into the competence and conduct of clinicians, solicitors, architects, surveyors and accountants. Cases include Dr. Michalak v GMC & Ors,  Dr Wakefield and subsequent appeals (MMR scare  representing three parties, including the GMC); the Dr Waney Squier case (shaken baby) and Webster v Liddington (the Isolagen litigation).

The tax team act for both taxpayers and HMRC. Cases include Build-a-Bear UK Holdings Ltd v HMRC, Mainpay Ltd v HMRC, Royal Opera House v HMRC, injunction reviews of the ‘Alcohol Wholesalers registration scheme’, recently in the Supreme Court in OWD and another v HMRC, Court of Appeal case concerning ‘Talacre’ carve out (Case C-251/05), the Supreme Court judgment on third party consideration in Airtours Holidays Transport Limited v HMRC and Volkswagen Financial Services (UK) Ltd v Commissioners for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs [2017] UKSC 26 as well as Loyalty Management (UK) Ltd, BAA Ltd, Newnham College and Mayflower Theatre.

In costs and funding matters, members have appeared in a number of leading cases including: Thimmaya v Lancashire NHS Foundation Trust, CN & GN v Poole BC, Church v Great Western Hospitals, Cashman v Mid Essex Hospitals, and Hall v Everton FC.

For our Brighton Annex specialising in family law and civil law on the South-Eastern Circuit, please visit www.1cor.com/Brighton.

Please visit the careers section on our website for more details on our two Pupillages (recruited via the Pupillage Gateway),  traditional Mini-Pupillages and Assessed Mini-Pupillages aimed at widening access to the Bar. Find out how we promote inclusion at the Bar and reducing our environmental impact as a chambers on our website.

Department Name Email Telephone
Head of Chambers BOOTH KC, Richard (1993)
Senior Clerk PHIPPS, Matthew
Chambers Director PETRIE, John
Member of Chambers HAVERS KC, Philip (1974)
Member of Chambers GUMBEL KC, Elizabeth-Anne (1974)
Member of Chambers REES KC, Paul (1980)
Member of Chambers BOWRON KC, Margaret (1978)
Member of Chambers HART KC, David (1982)
Member of Chambers FORDE KC, Martin (1984)
Member of Chambers McCULLOUGH KC, Angus (1990)
Member of Chambers WHITTING KC, John (1991)
Member of Chambers EVANS KC, David (1988)
Member of Chambers WHEELER KC, Marina (1987)
Member of Chambers WITCOMB KC, Henry (1989)
Member of Chambers THOMAS KC, Owain (1995)
Member of Chambers HYAM KC, Jeremy (1995)
Member of Chambers BRADLEY KC, Clodagh (1996)
Member of Chambers SKELTON KC, Peter (1997)
Member of Chambers SANDERS, KC Oliver (1995)
Member of Chambers RAHMAN, KC Shaheen (1996)
Member of Chambers LAMBERT KC, Sarah (1994)
Member of Chambers SINGH KC, Sarabjit (2001)
Member of Chambers SHELDON KC, Neil (1998)
Member of Chambers KELLAR KC, Robert (1999)
Member of Chambers KENNEDY KC, Andrew
Member of Chambers GIMLETTE, John (1986)
Member of Chambers DOWNS, Martin (1990)
Member of Chambers COLIN, Giles (1994)
Member of Chambers CHAWATAMA, Sydney (1994)
Member of Chambers LEVINSON, Justin (1994)
Member of Chambers SMITH, Richard (1999)
Member of Chambers MELLOR, Christopher (1999)
Member of Chambers BARNES, Matthew (2000)
Member of Chambers O'DONNELL, Iain (2000)
Member of Chambers GUTHRIE, Cara (2000)
Member of Chambers SHARGHY, Shahram (2000)
Member of Chambers MANKNELL, David (2001)
Member of Chambers LAMBERT, Suzanne (2002)
Member of Chambers ROGERSON, Judith (2003)
Member of Chambers MANNION, Amy (2003)
Member of Chambers MUMFORD, Richard (2004)
Member of Chambers WOODS, Leanne (2005)
Member of Chambers MARCUS, Rachel (2005)
Member of Chambers RATHOD, Pritesh (2006)
Member of Chambers CROSS, Caroline (2006)
Member of Chambers DONMALL, Matthew (2006)
Member of Chambers PAULIN, Michael (2007)
Member of Chambers SEIFERT, Benjamin (2007)
Member of Chambers WALKER, Amelia (2007)
Member of Chambers McARDLE, Isabel (2008)
Member of Chambers HENDERSON, Alasdair (2009)
Member of Chambers McGREGOR, Claire (2009)
Member of Chambers HILL, Matthew (2009)
Member of Chambers FLINN, Matthew (2010)
Member of Chambers BARNES, Natasha (2010)
Member of Chambers REYNOLDS, Paul (2010)
Member of Chambers BADENOCH, Rory (2010)
Member of Chambers WALDEGRAVE, Edward (2011)
Member of Chambers WILLIAMS, Lois (2012)
Member of Chambers DUFFY, Jim (2012)
Member of Chambers RUCK KEENE, Dominic (2012)
Member of Chambers ELLIOTT, Jessica (2013)
Member of Chambers NOYCE, Hannah (2013)
Members of Chambers COATES-WALKER, Marcus (2013)
Member of Chambers DEACON, Michael (2014)
Member of Chambers CHALMERS, Rhoderick (2014)
Member of Chambers MILLS, Robert (2014)
Member of Chambers FENELON, Emma-Louise (2015)
Member of Chambers BARTH, Gideon (2015)
Member of Chambers MOORE, Jo (2015)
Member of Chambers METZER, Jonathan (2016)
Member of Chambers WILLIAMS, Amelia (2016)
Member of Chambers BARHEY, Rajkiran (2017)
Member of Chambers COFFEY, Darragh (2018)
Member of Chambers BEAMONT, Thomas (2019)
Member of Chambers KUZMENKO, Alice (2018)
Member of Chambers GOLD, Jasper (2021)
Member of Chambers McCANN, Lucy (2020)
Member of Chambers HAYES, Thomas (2021)
Member of Chambers RHYS, Gareth (2019)
Academic Consultant ENGLISH, Rosalind (1993)
Photo Name Position Profile
Richard Ager photo Richard Ager Richard has a very strong reputation in all the area of Children…
Paul Ashwell photo Paul Ashwell Paul Ashwell offers expertise across the full range of commercial and property…
Rachel Baker photo Rachel Baker Rachel accepts instructions across a range of civil and Court of Protection…
Eleanor Battie photo Eleanor Battie Eleanor has been specialising in family law since 2004. She has a…
Laura Bayley photo Laura Bayley Laura is a specialist in family law and represents children, parents and…
Timothy Bergin photo Timothy Bergin Tim is a highly experienced family barrister with over 30 years’ experience…
Kriston Berlevy photo Kriston Berlevy Kris has 20 years of specialist experience practising in both regulatory crime…
Jeremy Cave photo Jeremy Cave Jeremy Cave’s practice covers Financial Remedies (and financial provision for children), Trusts…
Tara Celikoz photo Tara Celikoz Tara is a highly experienced family law practitioner. She was called to…
Clare Ciborowska photo Clare Ciborowska Clare Ciborowska is a specialist family practitioner. Clare accepts instructions in private…
Rachael Claridge photo Rachael Claridge Over the last 20 years, Rachael Claridge has developed a practice in…
Leo Cogin photo Leo Cogin Leo Cogin’s practice is in family law. He accepts instructions in all…
Rebecca Davies photo Rebecca Davies Rebecca Davies has over 20 years experience in the law as it…
Claire Fox photo Claire Fox Claire Fox is a family practitioner, with particular interest and specialism in…
Rachel Gimson photo Rachel Gimson Rachel is an experienced Family Law practitioner, representing parents, children and Local…
Susan Healey photo Susan Healey Susan has wide ranging experience in all aspects of Public Law acting…
Matthew Heywood photo Matthew Heywood Matthew Heywood is a well regarded leading junior. He is known for his…
Gavin Howe photo Gavin Howe Gavin predominantly practises in the field of Family Law: child protection work…
Tim Hussein photo Tim Hussein Tim’s background is in both criminal and family law but his practice…
Natasha Isaac photo Natasha Isaac Natasha accepts instructions in all areas of family law including financial remedies,…
Kirsten Japp photo Kirsten Japp Kirsten joined Chambers in July 2017 and specialises in family law. She…
James King-smith photo James King-smith James King-Smith’s practice has evolved over the years from that of a…
Aviva Le Prevost photo Aviva Le Prevost Aviva Le Prevost is an experienced Family Law Practioner. She specialises in…
David Lewis-Hall photo David Lewis-Hall David is an associate member of Chambers who specialized in civil and…
Nicola Logan photo Nicola Logan Nicola Logan joined Chambers as a tenant in October 2022, following the…
Vanessa Long photo Vanessa Long Vanessa regularly appears in care proceedings representing local authorities, parents and children…
Lynn McFadyen photo Lynn McFadyen Lynn specialises in family law, principally in public law care proceedings and…
Karen Mclaughlin photo Karen Mclaughlin Karen McLaughlin has been practising family law for over 25 years, specialising…
Daniel Miller photo Daniel Miller Daniel Miller is the current Deputy Head of One Crown Office Row’s…
Delia Minoprio photo Delia Minoprio Delia Minoprio is a specialist family practitioner. She joined Chambers in January…
Amanda Minto photo Amanda Minto Amanda is now an associate member of Chambers having taken a role…
Luisa Morelli photo Luisa Morelli Luisa has over 25 years’ experience in all aspects of Family Law,…
Charlotte Morrish photo Charlotte Morrish Charlotte is now an associate member of Chambers having taken a position…
Catriona Murdoch photo Catriona Murdoch Catriona is an associate member who specialises in human rights and criminal…
Jane Peckham photo Jane Peckham Jane Peckham is the Head of the Financial Remedies Team in Chambers…
David Reader photo David Reader David accepts instructions across a range of areas of chambers’ work with…
Christopher Rice photo Christopher Rice Christopher Rice has practised in London and Sussex since his call in…
Kate Richmond photo Kate Richmond Kate is an experienced practitioner with a busy civil practice specialising in…
Jacqueline Roach photo Jacqueline Roach Jacqueline Roach’s practice covers the full range of public law children cases.…
Pegah Sharghy photo Pegah Sharghy Pegah Sharghy is a specialist financial remedy practitioner. Pegah’s core practice is…
Simon Sinnatt photo Simon Sinnatt Simon Sinnatt is the current Head of One Crown Office Row’s Brighton…
Adam Smith photo Adam Smith Adam Smith has been a family law specialist for over 30 years.…
Anogika Souresh photo Anogika Souresh Call: 2018 Anogika accepts instructions across a range of Family Law and…
Hope Spalding photo Hope Spalding Hope accepts instructions in both Public and Private Family Law matters. Hope…
Julie Stather photo Julie Stather Julie has been practising in family law for over 20 years and…
Scott Storey photo Scott Storey Scott Storey’s practice has a focus on Court of Protection proceedings, public law…
Nigel Taylor photo Nigel Taylor Nigel Taylor is an experienced family law advocate. His practice includes public…
Lloyd Thomas photo Lloyd Thomas Lloyd joined Chambers as a tenant in October 2022 after successfully completing…
Bruce Tregoning photo Bruce Tregoning Bruce Tregoning is an experienced Family Lawyer. Since joining Chambers in 2009 Bruce…
Michael Walker photo Michael Walker Michael Walker has a busy civil practice and regularly accepts instructions in…
Francesca Wiley photo Francesca Wiley Francesca practices at the very highest level in both Private and Public…
Matthew Withers photo Matthew Withers Matthew Withers has a busy civil practice and regularly accepts instructions in…
Stuart Wright photo Stuart Wright Stuart Wright is our Head of Civil Litigation and an ADR Group…
Charlotte Youdan photo Charlotte Youdan Charlotte Youdan is an experienced Family Lawyer as well as being appointed…
Matthew Phipps : Senior Clerk
Andrew Tull : 1st Junior Clerk
John Mclaren : 1st Junior Clerk
Chloe Turvill : 2nd Junior Clerk
Connor Curtin : 3rd Junior Clerk
Alexander Fletcher : 4th Junior Clerk
Jess Williams : 5th Junior Clerk
Mason Chavoush : 6th Junior Clerk
Morgan Burns : 7th Junior Clerk
Macy Steans : 8th Junior Clerk
Amy Sawyer : 9th Junior Clerk

Chambers is a well established set in Brighton and is an annex of 1 Crown Office Row in the Temple, which has maintained strong Sussex connections for over 50 years. It is recognised as a leading set status for its family and civil work as well as for their charitable initiatives and events. Members practice from centrally located modern premises only a few minutes walk away from the Brighton District Registry and county and magistrates courts.

The set: For some time, 1COR are the only regional set to have won preferred set status with Brighton and Hove City Council for its family, civil and criminal work.

The set has grown quickly in recent years, to its current strength of 54 members based in Brighton. Its turnover has grown significantly in recent years, reflecting the dynamism of the local legal scene and chambers success in capturing an increasing share of the work available. It now services clients along a wide stretch of the South coast, from Portsmouth to Hastings, and clients in Hampshire, Surrey and Kent, in addition to Sussex.

The heart of the civil practice group’s work is commercial dispute resolution and property litigation.  It acts for and against public authorities, companies, partnerships and individuals. The commercial practice ranges from contracts to shareholder and director disputes. Property litigation includes sales and purchases of land, options, easements, boundaries, leasehold enfranchisement and town and country planning. The group also has  expertise in probate and trusts, personal injury, professional negligence and employment law.

Chambers has a fully committed family law team who undertake the whole range of family proceedings. We have specialists in both public and private law children, financial remedies, domestic violence and Injunctions. The team comprises advocates that excel in their field with strength in numbers and expertise from senior counsel to junior members. Uniquely, we offer accredited arbitrators for child arbitration and family mediation to help families resolve disputes quickly outside of the court system.

Our regulatory crime team is committed to providing advocacy and advice to the highest possible standard. Our highly experienced team generally covers courts from Portsmouth in the West to Canterbury in the East and up to and including London in the North. However, Members of the team are happy to travel beyond this region to cater for clients’ needs.

Members of the family team ensure they are approachable, and sensitive to the client’s needs.  Our local practice gives us extensive experience and knowledge of local judicial practice. We have superb conference facilities in the centre of Brighton location conveniently located close to the major family centres of Sussex as well as the courts. With extensive expertise in civil and family law, One Crown Office Row is able to pride itself both on client care and professional excellence. We are available for emergency applications and can normally accept instructions at very short notice.

Members and clerks are active in the local community and frequently raise funds to support charities close to out hearts.  As a set, we are committed to promoting inclusion at the Bar and developing sustainable working practices.

Types of work undertaken: Chambers undertakes all types of general common law work, civil and family. While it is particularly widely recognised for its strength in all types of family proceedings, chambers also has wide experience of landlord and tenant and building work, professional negligence, personal injury, employment and licensing, and regulatory crime. In many of these practice areas (eg in matrimonial finance and personal injury), practitioners benefit from having access to leading silks in these areas, based in 1 Crown Office Row, London. A good number of members are also trained mediators (www.disputesmediated.com) and many accept instructions under the Bar Council’s Direct Access arrangements (www.1cordirectaccess.com).

Recruitment: up to two pupils are taken annually, each with an award of £30,000. £15,000 paid monthly in advance as a grant in the first six months and a guaranteed level of earnings of £15,000 for the second six. Applications shall be made through the Pupillage Gateway. Please visit the careers section on our website for more details.

Department Name Email Telephone
Head of Brighton Chambers SINNATT, Simon (1993)
Practice Director BINGHAM, David
Chambers Director PETRIE, John
Member of Chambers HOWE KC, Darren (1992)
Member of Chambers WILEY KC, Francesca (1996)
Member of Chambers ASHWELL, Paul (1977)
Member of Chambers KING-SMITH, James (1980)
Member of Chambers McLAUGHLIN, Karen (1982)
Member of Chambers SMITH, Adam (1987)
Member of Chambers BERGIN, Timothy (1987)
Member of Chambers LE PREVOST, Aviva (1990)
Member of Chambers RICE, Christopher (1991)
Members of Chambers CAVE, Jeremy (1992)
Member of Chambers TAYLOR, Nigel (1993)
Member of Chambers HUSSEIN, Tim (1993)
Member of Chambers HEALEY, Susan (1995)
Member of Chambers CLARIDGE, Rachael (1996)
Member of Chambers ROACH, Jacqueline (1996)
Member of Chambers DAVIES, Rebecca (1996)
Member of Chambers SHARGHY, Pegah (1998)
Member of Chambers BAYLEY, Laura (1998)
Member of Chambers HORSLEY, Nicholas (1998)
Member of Chambers PECKHAM, Jane (1999)
Member of Chambers WRIGHT, Stuart (2000)
Member of Chambers COGIN, Leo (2000)
Member of Chambers STATHER, Julie (2000)
Member of Chambers BAKER, Rachel (2000)
Member of Chambers BERLEVY, Kriston (2002)
Member of Chambers HOWE, Gavin (2003)
Member of Chambers McFADYEN, Lynn (2003)
Member of Chambers FOX, Claire (2003)
Member of Chambers FISH, Hannah (2003)
Member of Chambers AGER, Richard (2004)
Member of Chambers BATTIE, Eleanor (2004)
Member of Chambers LOEB, Dinah (2004)
Member of Chambers MILLER, Daniel (2005)
Member of Chambers HEYWOOD, Matthew (2006)
Member of Chambers PANDYA, Abha (2007)
Member of Chambers MINOPRIO, Delia (2007)
Member of Chambers CELIKOZ, Tara (2007)
Member of Chambers TREGONING, Bruce (2008)
Member of Chambers WALKER, Michael (2008)
Member of Chambers CIBOROWSKA, Clare (2009)
Member of Chambers LONG, Vanessa (2014)
Member of Chambers RICHMOND, Kate (2014)
Member of Chambers JAPP, Kirsten (2014)
Member of Chambers STOREY, Scott (2015)
Member of Chambers WITHERS, Matthew (2016)
Member of Chambers GOTTSCHLING, Katelyn (2016)
Member of Chambers READER, David (2017)
Member of Chambers GIMSON, Rachel (2018)
Member of Chambers ISAAC, Natasha (2017)
Member of Chambers SOURESH, Anogika (2018)
Member of Chambers SPALDING, Hope (2019)
Member of Chambers LOGAN, Nicola (2020)
Member of Chambers THOMAS, Lloyd (2020)
Associate Member of Chambers LEE KC, Taryn J (1992)
Associate Member of Chambers WAINWRIGHT KC, Jeremy (1990)
Associate Member of Chambers HUGHES KC, Kate (1992)
Associate Member of Chambers JENKINS, Rowan (1994)
Associate Member of Chambers STERLING, Christopher (1993)
Associate Member of Chambers MURDOCH, Catriona (2009)
Associate Member of Chambers MINTO, Amanda (2009)
Associate Member of Chambers LEWIS-HALL, David (2010)
Associate Member of Chambers MORRISH, Charlotte (2013)
DAVID BINGHAM : Practice Director
MARK WORSLEY : Senior Practice Manager
TOM HILLS : Senior Practice Manager
JAMIE THORNTON : Senior Practice Manager
GEMMA WELLING : Practice Manager
BEN EARLE : Practice Manager
NIAMH McCULLOCH : Junior Practice Manager

We take very seriously our commitment to encouraging both equality and diversity in chambers and at the Bar generally, in recognition of the need for the profession to be representative of society as a whole. We aim to recruit from as wide a talent pool as possible, and indeed nearly half of our new tenants in the last five years have been women and a significant proportion of our members are from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds or attended state schools.

We are conscious of the financial difficulties entrants to the Bar can face and we have adopted a number of measures to tackle this problem. Our assessed mini-pupillages and pupillages are generously funded and we were one of the first chambers to launch an inclusive mini-pupillage aimed at widening access to the Bar. We offer assessed mini-pupillages to socio-economically disadvantaged applicants and guarantee a first-round interview for pupillage to those who do well.

Within chambers we continue to support our most junior tenants through the provision of interest-free loans and the waiver of chambers’ contribution and rent payments. As part of our efforts to address the issue of the large drop-out rate at the Bar of women of 10-15+ years’ call, we have a policy designed to ensure that we retain members who return from maternity or paternity leave and our clerks are active in supporting returning parents.

We promote a culture within chambers where any issues concerning equality and diversity can be freely raised by members or staff. Through our active E&D committee and our formal and informal mentoring schemes, we encourage the discussion of such issues so that we can monitor and address any concerns as early as possible.

Head of Outreach is an important position within chambers with our previous head, Sarabjit Singh QC, now a Social Mobility Advocate for the Bar Council. Our Current Head of Outreach, Jo Moore, leads our outreach programme with the Sutton Trust working with 16-18 year olds from less advantaged backgrounds with the aim of encouraging them to consider the Bar as a career option. All of which is delivered in partnership with some of the finest universities in the country. 1COR also supports initiatives such as the Inner Temple Pegasus Scheme, Freebar and, in Brighton, the Brighton Legal Clinic.

We are proud to consider ourselves not as a chambers committed to E&D merely ‘on paper’, but committed to E&D as part of our ‘DNA’ and in everything we do in practice.