5 Essex Chambers > London, England > Set Profile
5 Essex Chambers Offices
5 Essex Chambers
6 Field Court, Gray’s Inn
London
WC1R 5EF
England
5 Essex Chambers > The Legal 500 Rankings
London Bar > Inquests and inquiries Tier 1
5 Essex Chambers houses a team of ‘clear leaders in the field of inquests and public inquiries‘. The group is well-known for acting for local authorities, the government and the emergency services in proceedings. Fiona Barton KC handles cases crossing over with her police law practice, having represented Devon and Cornwall Police in the inquests in relation to the 2021 Plymouth shootings, carried out by a man who had his shotgun returned to him after an assault allegation earlier that year. Jason Beer KC‘s recent track record includes instructing as counsel to the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry and representing the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Anne Studd KC works on cases with law enforcement elements. At a junior level, Alison Hewitt handles cases concerning deaths in custody, among others, while Beatrice Collier was one of several members of chambers instructed in the inquest into the death of Gaia Pope, who went missing in November 2016 after making an allegation of rape, which Dorset Police did not action. Francesca Whitelaw KC took silk in 2023.Leading Silks
2023 Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
‘The clerks are always very helpful, running an excellent tight ship.’
‘The clerks are fantastic, very approachable and quick to respond.’
‘All of the clerks are very helpful, facilitating support, advice and advocacy when required.’
‘This is a very solid set, with talented barristers throughout and real expertise in all area of police law, inquests and public enquiries.’
‘All Counsel from this set has been highly professional and capable.’
‘The set is well recommended from areas of immigration, public law, inquiries and inquest work’
London Bar > Police law (forces and constables) Tier 1
Considered the ‘go-to set for police law,’ 5 Essex Chambers chambers undertakes work ranging from judicial reviews and civil inquests to highly complex and sensitive litigation, primarily for police forces. Jason Beer KC represented the National Police Chiefs’ Council in R (YZ) v CC South Wales Police, a judicial review of the lack of total deletion of all information about an arrest after an acquittal. Turning to the set’s juniors, Andrew Waters represented the force in Lewis-Ranwell v Chief Constable of Devon & Cornwall and others, a claim for damages brought by a man who killed three elderly men in their own homes and was acquitted of murder in grounds of insanity, alleging negligent treatment following a sectioning – at issue was if the claim was barred under the doctrine of ex turpi causa. Kate Cornell is now a circuit judge.Rising stars
Leading Silks
2023 Silks
2024 Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
‘My favourite and most used set. Strength in depth for a variety of claims involving the police or other public bodies.’
‘5 Essex Chambers are an exceptional chambers who offer an extremely varied set of Counsel to meet almost all needs. I would highly recommend them.’
‘5 Essex Chambers have a number of excellent barristers who I can resort to at various levels of calls. They are my first port of call of police matters.’
‘A go-to set for police forces, with counsel of all levels of experience.’
‘Expert police chambers, strength in depth.’
Work highlights
London Bar > Administrative law and human rights
Leading Juniors
London Bar > Data protection
Leading Juniors
London Bar > Immigration (including business immigration)
Leading Juniors
London Bar > Employment
Leading Juniors
London Bar > Court of Protection and community care
5 Essex Chambers > Set Profile
The set: 5 Essex Chambers is a top tier set of chambers recognised for exemplary client service, depth and breadth of experience in its specialist areas and outstanding quality of counsel. Chambers has a formidable reputation in its core areas of practice – police law, public/administrative law, public inquiries, inquests, professional disciplinary/regulatory, information law, employment law and civil liberties and human rights. Members, many of whom are recognised as leaders in their field, have appeared in some of the UK’s most significant civil law cases, inquests and inquiries over the last decade. Chambers represents a broad range of clients in both the public and private sectors and across the United Kingdom. The public accountability of many of the set’s clients is always a key consideration and members deploy measured, forensic advocacy coupled with an accessible, efficient and practical approach.
Areas of expertise
Police law: Pre-eminent in this field, chambers is consistently recommended as the leading set for police law. The strength in depth of the police law team is highlighted by the large number of members ranked at all levels of call in this area of expertise. 5 Essex Chambers’ highly regarded specialists are instructed by every police force in England and Wales and by Police Scotland on all aspects of police law. They have a formidable and unrivalled record of appearances in almost every case, inquest or inquiry of substance concerning police law to Supreme Court level.
Public / administrative law: Legal challenges to public bodies have been at the core of 5 Essex Chambers’ work for more than half a century. Our barristers are often involved in public law cases that break new legal ground. Our public and administrative law team has considerable experience in acting in cases involving government departments. Numerous members have been appointed to all levels of the Attorney General’s Panel of Civil Counsel. Members of the Public and Administrative Law team are particularly known for their work in cases that have a civil liberties, human rights or criminal justice dimension. These include high profile challenges to the government, police, the Crown Prosecution Service and prison Governors. They arise in many contexts including Coroners’ inquests and regulatory or disciplinary proceedings.
Public Inquiries: 5 Essex Chambers continues to lead in this area with members instructed in most major inquiries including the Covid Inquiry, the Post Office Inquiry, the Brook House Inquiry, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, the Renewable Heat Inquiry, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and the Undercover Policing Inquiry. The public inquiries team represents a broad range of clients and members are also regularly instructed as counsel to the inquiry. Public inquiries are inherently high profile and members are consistently praised for their effective handling of the sensitivities and challenges facing clients who are often in the spotlight for an extended period.
Inquests: Recognised as a leading set in this area, 5 Essex Chambers offers a comprehensive service covering all stages of an inquest. The team comprises a large number of recommended specialists including a senior coroner. In addition to their renowned expertise involving the police, members have extensive experience of representing clients from a range of sectors including other emergency services, healthcare providers, government departments, local authorities, prison services, security firms, publicly listed and private companies. Members of the inquest team have appeared in the most high-profile inquests of recent years, both as counsel to interested persons and as counsel to the inquest, including: Deepcut, London Bridge Attack, Westminster Terror Attack, Birmingham Pub Bombings, Perepilichnyy, Poppi Worthington and Maughan.
Data protection and information law: From national security to cyber security, 5 Essex Chambers’ team regularly provides advice and advocacy in matters relating to information and data protection law, with extensive experience acting for government, police forces, businesses and regulators.
Members of our team appear in UK courts and tribunals from the Supreme Court down in some of the highest-profile cases involving information law. Significant matters include R (Bridges) v Chief Constable of South Wales Police in the first ever legal challenge against the use of automatic facial recognition technology. Sir Cliff Richard v BBC, R (Miranda) v Secretary of State for the Home Department, R (Catt & T) v Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis, HM v Secretary of Department (data protection challenge to seizure of mobile phones from small boat migrants) and in proceedings brought by the press challenging the failure of the Conservative party to disclose information relating to the party election process.
The information law team provides practical advice and excellent advocacy at all stages, from time-sensitive crisis management through to complex and high-value litigation.
Employment law: Chambers has a team of talented and experienced employment law specialists recognised for providing practical advice and representation across the full spectrum of employment law issues.
5 Essex Chambers’ barristers are renowned for representing Chief Constables, NHS trusts and public bodies as well as companies of all sizes including national retailers and blue-chip financial institutions.
Our employment law specialists represent and advise both employers and employees and apply their vast experience to some of the most contentious and complex employment cases when appearing in the Employment Tribunals and the higher courts up to Supreme Court level.
The team is recognised for giving sound and pragmatic advice with a number of our barristers having pursued other careers in industry before joining the Bar.
Human rights: 5 Essex Chambers is instructed in many of the leading Human Rights challenges in England and Wales, up to and including in the Supreme Court. Members have worked on cases concerning the use of facial recognition, police shootings, prison conditions, stop and search, and freedom of expression. The team is skilled, robust and creative in dealing with claims which push the boundaries of human rights jurisprudence. The experience of members of the team includes international law and Commonwealth human rights litigation.
Disciplinary/regulatory: Building on its widely recognised expertise in police misconduct, 5 Essex Chambers has a strong presence in the wider regulatory context. Members of the team represent regulators, companies and individuals across a range of sectors, including healthcare, energy and professional services, and in all manner of proceedings concerning regulatory law issues. These include professional discipline, civil claims, public inquiries and inquests.
Main Contacts
Department | Name | Telephone | |
---|---|---|---|
Senior Clerk | Mark Waller | clerks@5essex.co.uk | 020 7410 2000 |
Member of Chambers | BEER KC, Jason (1992) | ||
Member of Chambers | BARTON KC, Fiona (1986) | ||
Member of Chambers | STUDD KC, Anne (1988) | ||
Member of Chambers | LEEK KC, Samantha (1993) | ||
Member of Chambers | WHITELAW KC, Francesca (2003) | ||
Member of Chambers | APTHORP, Charles (1983) | ||
Member of Chambers | HEWITT, Alison (1984) | ||
Member of Chambers | WALSH, Simon (1987) | ||
Member of Chambers | WATERS, Andrew (1987) | ||
Member of Chambers | OULTON, Richard (1995) | ||
Member of Chambers | WAITE, John-Paul (1995) | ||
Member of Chambers | RAWAT, Bilal (1995) | ||
Member of Chambers | HARRIS, Melvyn (1997) | ||
Member of Chambers | HODGE, Alastair (1997) | ||
Member of Chambers | VON WACHTER, Victoria (1997) | ||
Member of Chambers | HOBBS, Daniel (1998) | ||
Member of Chambers | BRANSTON, Barnabas (1999) | ||
Member of Chambers | FORTT, Russell (1999) | ||
Member of Chambers | VENTHAM, Charlotte (2001) | ||
Member of Chambers | PALMER, Claire (2003) | ||
Member of Chambers | COLLIER, Beatrice (2004) | ||
Member of Chambers | LANDAU, Jonathan (2004) | ||
Member of Chambers | THOMAS, Mark (2006) | ||
Member of Chambers | WOLFE, Georgina (2006) | ||
Member of Chambers | HARLAND, Robert (2006) | ||
Member of Chambers | DIXEY, Jonathan (2007) | ||
Member of Chambers | TAHERI, Peter (2007) | ||
Member of Chambers | PRICE, Emma (2007) | ||
Door Tenant | CHECA DOVER, Olivia (2007) | ||
Member of Chambers | HAYWARD, Cicely (2008) | ||
Member of Chambers | IDELBI, Saara (2008) | ||
Member of Chambers | COHEN, Robert (2009) | ||
Member of Chambers | CLARKE, Amy (2010) | ||
Member of Chambers | TALALAY, Robert (2010) | ||
Member of Chambers | USTYCH, Alex (2010) | ||
Member of Chambers | HODGE, Catriona (2012) | ||
Member of Chambers | MEREDITH, Alice (2013) | ||
Member of Chambers | MOSS, Aaron (2013) | ||
Member of Chambers | TAYLOR, Sarah (2014) | ||
Member of Chambers | GOSS, John (2015) | ||
Member of Chambers | LAVERACK, Peter (2015) | ||
Member of Chambers | JOYCE, Molly (2016) | ||
Member of Chambers | GROSS, Edmund (2016) | ||
Members of Chambers | RIESE, Aimee (2016) | ||
Member of Chambers | MESSLING, David (2017) | ||
Member of Chambers | GOSS, Zander (2017) | ||
Member of Chambers | WRIGHT, Jennifer (2018) | ||
Member of Chambers | MONIGHAN, Conor (2019) | ||
Member of Chambers | GARNETT, Edmund (2021) | ||
Member of Chambers | VERRALL-WITHERS, Lissy (2021) | ||
Member of Chambers | JONES, Paige (2021) | ||
Member of Chambers | PALMER, Jack (2022) |
Barrister Profiles
Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
---|---|---|---|
Charles Apthorp | Charles’ areas of expertise include police law, employment law, commercial litigation and… | View Profile | |
Fiona Barton | Fiona is recognised as a leading silk specialising in all aspects of… | View Profile | |
Jason Beer | Jason is recognised as a leading silk, and specialises in public inquiries,… | View Profile | |
Barnabas Branston | Barney acts for a range of clients including police forces across England… | View Profile | |
Amy Clarke | She is regularly instructed in complex and high profile cases such as… | View Profile | |
Robert Cohen | Robert practises in police, public law, data protection and information law, inquests… | View Profile | |
Beatrice Collier | Beatrice’s practice is a mixture of civil actions, judicial reviews, inquests and… | View Profile | |
Jonathan Dixey | Jonathan is recognised as a leading junior specialising in police law, inquests,… | View Profile | |
Russell Fortt | Recent work includes a scoping exercise for the IPCC into the policing… | View Profile | |
John Goss | John practises in public/administrative matters including judicial review, police law, inquests and… | View Profile | |
Robert Harland | Robert is a member of the Attorney General’s B panel and is very… | View Profile | |
Melvyn Harris | He advises and represents both Claimants and Respondents in the private and… | View Profile | |
Cicely Hayward | Cicely’s practice encompasses police law, inquests and inquiries, public law, human rights… | View Profile | |
Alison Hewitt | Alison specialises in inquests and is very experienced in all aspects of… | View Profile | |
Daniel Hobbs | Dan practices in Employment Law and Professional Discipline. He is involved in… | View Profile | |
Alastair Hodge | Alastair has successfully acted for both teachers and head teachers in misconduct… | View Profile | |
Catriona Hodge | Catriona specialises in police and public law, inquests and inquiries, human rights… | View Profile | |
Saara Idelbi | She regularly appears and advises on matters in the Tribunals, Coroners’ Court,… | View Profile | |
Molly Joyce | Molly regularly acts for police forces before the Crown and Magistrates’ Court… | View Profile | |
Jonathan Landau | Jonathan specialises in inquests, public law (with particular expertise in representing coroners),… | View Profile | |
Peter Laverack | He frequently acts in the High Court, Crown Court, County Court and… | View Profile | |
Samantha Leek | Sam specialises in inquests and public inquiries, and practises in all areas… | View Profile | |
Samantha Leek | Sam specialises in inquests and public inquiries, and practises in all areas… | View Profile | |
Alice Meredith | She has particular experience in civil claims including discrimination and ECHR claims,… | View Profile | |
David Messling | David joined 5 Essex Chambers as a tenant in September 2019 after… | View Profile | |
Aaron Moss | Aaron practices in police and public law (particularly in matters concerning national… | View Profile | |
Richard Oulton | Richard is a specialist employment lawyer, covering a wide range of employment… | View Profile | |
Claire Palmer | Claire practises in public law, inquests, inquiries, civil claims, and employment law.… | View Profile | |
Emma Price | Emma specialises in inquests and inquiries, public law, human rights and civil… | View Profile | |
Bilal Rawat | Bilal’s practice encompasses public law, prison law, inquests and inquiries, national security,… | View Profile | |
Anne Studd | Anne undertakes judicial reviews, civil claims, inquests and inquiries for police forces… | View Profile | |
Anne Studd | Anne undertakes judicial reviews, civil claims, inquests and inquiries for police forces… | View Profile | |
Peter Taheri | Peter’s practice is mainly focused on Inquests and on work across the… | View Profile | |
Robert Talalay | Robert (Bobby) practices in police and public law (with particular expertise in… | View Profile | |
Mark Thomas | Mark specialises in inquests, police law and public/administrative law. His practice includes… | View Profile | |
Alex Ustych | Alex specialises in police law, inquests/inquiries, data protection/information law, employment law, public… | View Profile | |
Charlotte Ventham KC | Charlotte’s practice embraces all areas of civil and public law relevant to… | View Profile | |
John-Paul Waite | John-Paul practices in the areas of police and public law, employment law,… | View Profile | |
Simon Walsh | Simon now focuses his practice on police discipline and regulatory work after many… | View Profile | |
Andrew Waters | Andrew practices in police and public law and has a considerable depth… | View Profile | |
Francesca Whitelaw KC | Francesca is a leading specialist in government and police law. She represents… | View Profile | |
Georgina Wolfe | Georgina specialises in inquests, public inquiries, police law public law, human rights,… | View Profile | |
Ms Jennifer Wright | Jennifer’s clients include police forces, government departments, public authorities, and private individuals.… | View Profile | |
Victoria von Wachter | Victoria practices in police disciplinary matters (with particular expertise in matters concerning… | View Profile |
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Our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion
At 5 Essex Chambers, equality, diversity and inclusion are integral to our ethos. We are committed to providing a fair, inclusive and supportive working environment that promotes wellbeing and equal access to opportunities and enables the continuous professional and personal development of our barristers, pupils and staff. We believe that a fair and inclusive workplace drives success and that all individuals coming into contact with Chambers should feel valued, included and able to be themselves. We believe that everybody should be treated with dignity and respect.
We have a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of discrimination on the grounds of a protected characteristic, and to bullying, harassment and victimisation.
We are committed to being an anti-racist organisation. We will not tolerate racism in any form and have clear processes for dealing with any instances of racial discrimination, harassment or victimisation arising in Chambers. We recognise, however, that being truly anti-racist goes beyond not tolerating racism. It requires us to acknowledge the effects of existing and systemic racism in all its forms and to take proactive steps to address race inequality in our profession and in the wider community.
We are committed to achieving the Bar Council’s stated vision of “a profession representative of all and for all” by identifying and seeking to address barriers and assumptions that inhibit the progression of those with a protected characteristic or those from under-represented and disadvantaged backgrounds into and within the profession.
We are committed to making reasonable adjustments in order to remove (or reduce as far as we can) substantial disadvantage for disabled people working within Chambers or using our services.
Chambers is a frontrunner in providing support to those taking parental or carer leave. This support includes a rent-free period following return to work, a parental and carer leave mentoring scheme and provision for flexible working for members of staff, members of Chambers and pupils with caring commitments.
We attach great importance to mental health and wellbeing. Chambers aspires both to be a good employer and to create a safe environment for work and practice. We aim to encourage and facilitate working practices and services that support the health and well-being of all staff, pupils and barristers.
We recognise that some people are transgender and that not everyone feels that their gender can be defined within the margins of gender binary. We have an inclusive approach to engaging with people and recognise that we are all different. We treat everybody with dignity and respect.
We are proud of the fact that 5 Essex Chambers is number one in the ‘Most Female QCs’ category of the Legal Cheek’s ‘Chambers Most Lists 2022’, with 60% of our QCs being female. We are joint eighth in the ‘Most Female Juniors’ category, with 40% of our juniors being female.
Client Testimonials
CLIENT: Hannah Walsh, Partner
COMPANY/FIRM: Weightmans LLP
TESTIMONIAL: Weightmans and 5 Essex Chambers have worked together for our police clients for the last 20 years. It’s a great partnership. I really value the trust and friendships we’ve developed over the years with many of the incredibly experienced barristers and of course the great clerking chambers provide. The teamworking ethos is a real plus.
CLIENT: Andrew Steel, Partner
COMPANY/FIRM: Weightmans LLP
TESTIMONIAL: 5 Essex Chambers are the ‘go-to set for Police Law. They have been for some time and remain so for myself and my team. They provide an unrivalled level of experience across the board and are rightly recognised as being the leaders in the field. This is backed up by the clerking team, headed up by Mark Waller. They are responsive, helpful and always willing to try and find a solution.