Garden Court North Chambers > Manchester, England > Set Profile
Garden Court North Chambers Offices
Garden Court North Chambers
3RD FLOOR, BLACKFRIARS HOUSE,PARSONAGE
MANCHESTER
M3 2JA
England
3RD FLOOR, BLACKFRIARS HOUSE,PARSONAGE
MANCHESTER
M3 2JA
England
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Garden Court North Chambers > The Legal 500 Rankings
Northern Circuit > Administrative and public law (including civil liberties and human rights) Tier 1
Claimant set Garden Court North Chambers ‘is very dedicated to social justice’ and its members handle a wide variety of public law cases concerning human rights, immigration and asylum, inquests and public inquiries, housing, discrimination, community care, prison law and social welfare. The barristers also regularly represent vulnerable individuals and community groups. Public law specialist Pete Weatherby KC represented the family of Yousef Makki during the inquest into his death and the subsequent judicial review regarding the failure of the coroner to reach a proper conclusion. Tom Royston has a nationally notable practice in litigation concerning benefits payments, and he successfully argued in AM v SSWP that an individual should be able to seek to obtain backdated Universal Credit at any time, rather than only at the time of their first application. Anna Morris KC was appointed to silk in the 2023 round.Rising stars
Christian Weaver – Garden Court North Chambers ‘Christian is a delight to work with; all written representations are succinct and to the point and advocacy is clear. It is reassuring to know you can always pick up the phone to discuss matters with him and he is never afraid to take on and develop wider points in challenging areas.’
2023 Silks
Leading Juniors
Tom Royston – Garden Court North Chambers ‘Tom is truly excellent and the foremost claimant social security counsel at the junior Bar. He has encyclopaedic knowledge of benefits law and deploys it effectively in litigation, including cases of significance to many people.’
Kate Stone – Garden Court North Chambers ‘Kate is an extremely clear and articulate barrister. Her advocacy is effective because of the clarity that she holds in her questioning of witnesses, and she can cut through the complexity that can arise from considering various documents and distil it in a very simple way to then put before witnesses, which makes her a very good jury advocate.’
Joseph Markus – Garden Court North Chambers 'Joseph's written work is always of a high quality and he is reliable in providing it. He is a calming presence with clients and is clear and persuasive in his advocacy.'
Tasaddat Hussain – Garden Court North Chambers 'Tasaddat is responsive, has good knowledge, and is very good with clients.'
Mikhil Karnik – Garden Court North Chambers ‘Mikhil is tenacious and determined, and always has the best interests of the client at heart. He does not lose sight of the fact that immigration clients are some of the most vulnerable in the legal sector, he has great drafting skills, and he is approachable for advice on all aspects of the appeal process.’
Lucy Mair – Garden Court North Chambers ‘Lucy is a fantastic choice of counsel as she is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate, she has excellent client care, and is always prepared and thinking about client issues. She provides strong, clear, and concise representation, she adds value to the cases she works on, and it is clear that she spends a considerable amount of time ensuring accuracy and considering legal authorities to support the best outcome possible.’
Vijay Jagadesham – Garden Court North Chambers 'Vijay is an excellent barrister to work with as he is very approachable, knowledgeable, and will always meet deadlines. He is skilled at working with vulnerable young people and will ensure during conferences and hearings that they are relaxed and informed in a clear manner.'
Testimonials
‘Garden Court North is a great set for civil liberties and inquest work.’
‘Chambers is very dedicated to social justice and every barrister there is someone who cares about excellence for clients and has empathy for their circumstances.’
‘Garden Court North is a go-to Chambers. They have gone from strength to strength, they are a minefield of knowledge, and they offer specialised training of the highest standard.’
‘Very good in complex inquests and actins against the police and inquiries.’
‘The clerks are the unsung heroes of Garden Court North Chambers. They are quick, efficient, and approachable, and they go above and beyond to make the process as easy as possible.’
‘Communicative and friendly, the clerks are good to work with.’
‘The clerking team is responsive and helpful.’
‘The clerks from Garden Court North Chambers are always prompt and efficient.’
Northern Circuit > Immigration Tier 1
At Garden Court North Chambers, the 'excellent' team is sought after for advising on the entire range of immigration law, with trafficking, asylum, and nationality law matters prominent in the group's caseload. EU law specialist Mikhil Karnik focuses on cases involving nationality and unlawful detention matters, and the 'incredibly committed' Vijay Jagadesham is well known for acting for vulnerable individuals. In a recent case highlight, Kerry Smith acted in a successful appeal brought against the Secretary of State for the Home Department's decision to deport the client from the UK; the deportation was ruled a potential breach of Article 3 of the ECHR. Tasaddat Hussain has 'an exceptional intellect and is relentless on behalf of his clients'. Camille Warren is recommended for her strength in immigration law.Leading Juniors
Tasaddat Hussain – Garden Court North Chambers ‘Tasaddat is a fantastic barrister who is well respected by his peers, instructing solicitors, and the judiciary. He has an exceptional intellect and is a master of a complex legal terrain.'
Kerry Smith – Garden Court North Chambers ‘Kerry is the full package in terms of what you want in a barrister: approachable, reliable, analytical, passionate, and her advocacy skills are faultless.'
Camille Warren – Garden Court North Chambers ‘Camille’s advocacy is admirable.'
Vijay Jagadesham – Garden Court North Chambers ‘Vijay is a superb advocate. In court, he is composed, articulate, and well prepared.’
Lucy Mair – Garden Court North Chambers ‘Lucy has excellent knowledge of asylum, immigration, and modern slavery law. She is a fighter who is also very empathetic with clients.'
Sean Ell – Garden Court North Chambers ‘Sean is a very capable advocate with a keen eye for detail. His interpersonal skills with clients are first class.’
Testimonials
‘A very well-respected set in the North, and particularly renowned for human rights work.’
‘Garden Court North Chambers is excellent: organised, passionate, and skilled in all areas of immigration-related work.’
‘The clerking team is always helpful and prompt in responding.’
‘The clerks at Garden Court North Chambers are responsive and helpful.’
‘They are friendly and helpful.’
‘The clerks are efficient.’
‘Excellent, approachable, quick to respond, and efficient. The clerks are the unsung heroes.’
Northern Circuit > Inquests and inquiries Tier 1
Garden Court North Chambers ‘has a very strong inquests and inquiries practice’ that has ‘a ferocious dedication to representing some of the most disadvantaged people’. Pete Weatherby KC specialises in public law matters, and he has a well-established presence in this space; he represented the partner of Anthony Grainger in the public inquiry regarding his fatal shooting by police firearms officers. Anna Morris KC was appointed to silk in 2023, and both she and Weatherby KC have appeared for bereaved families in the Manchester Arena Inquiry. Kate Stone has substantial experience representing bereaved families in Article 2 inquests, and the set also includes Ciara Bartlam, who specialises in representing the bereaved families of young people who have died in community and care settings.Rising stars
Ciara Bartlam – Garden Court North Chambers ‘Ciara has developed a specialism in particularly complex inquests involving young people and children who died in the community while under the care of multiple state agencies. She draws on her previous experiences in order to apply a rare and invaluable level of expertise and insight on matters involving the intersection of housing, mental health, and social care.'
Mira Hammad – Garden Court North Chambers ‘Mira is a junior star at the Bar. She is forensic, detailed, and meticulous with her legal knowledge and her understanding of the facts; she is a robust and fearless court advocate.'
Lily Lewis – Garden Court North Chambers 'Lily is an experienced inquest practitioner who expertly represents bereaved families in complex cases that belie her junior level of call. She is relied upon by solicitors to give sound legal and tactical advice, and she prepares excellent written submissions.'
Christian Weaver – Garden Court North Chambers 'Christian's approach is measured and thoughtful, and he combines professionalism with great warmth and kindness. He makes strong and clear oral submissions and arguments which are delivered politely and sensitively, allowing him to get the point across well.'
Leading Silks
Pete Weatherby KC – Garden Court North Chambers ‘Pete is fearless in his pursuit of the truth for his clients. He is extremely clear sighted in how to put his case, and he identifies key issues and ensures that they are pursued through the examination of witnesses and legal submissions; Pete is the go-to advocate for any bereaved family in an inquest or inquiry.'
2023 Silks
Anna Morris KC – Garden Court North Chambers ‘Anna is a sensible and highly able advocate who excels in her management of vulnerable witnesses and sensitive material. She is well-organised and rigorous, both in terms of her preparation and examination of witnesses and evidence, and her understated and calm disposition coupled with a very sharp intellect mean that she is the perfect choice for inquests involving vulnerable participants and state agencies.’
Leading Juniors
Kate Stone – Garden Court North Chambers ‘Kate provides practical and client-focused advice and is always on top of the detail of cases. She is also great with lay clients and persuasive on her feet in front of judges and coroners.'
Testimonials
‘The clerks are always helpful and will try to solve any issues. Gavin Reeves and Christian Wolfenden are particularly helpful.’
‘The Clerking team is fantastic, especially Christian Wolfenden and Gavin Reeves. They are quick to get back to you and always happy to assist.’
‘Christian Wolfenden is a brilliant clerk. He is responsive to emails and able to achieve fees on cases that are pleasing for barristers and instructing solicitors.’
‘The clerks are approachable and always happy to assist.’
‘The clerks are approachable and helpful and will always go above and beyond to help.’
‘Garden Court North Chambers has a very strong inquests and inquiries practice. The team has clearly been trained well, as they are knowledgeable and dedicated to their work. They also offer a number of training seminars and support charities and organisations.’
‘Garden Court North Chambers has a huge impact. It is a progressive set that has a ferocious dedication to representing some of the most disadvantaged people. Their barristers are at the legal aid coalface, and their cases often aim to advance social justice and equality.’
‘Counsel at Garden Court North Chambers have a multidisciplinary practice and background experience, enabling them to advise and support clients on wide-reaching matters. They are extremely committed to their clients and are fearless in the pursuit of justice, both on individual cases and systemically.’
Northern Circuit > Social housing Tier 1
Viewed as 'a strong set for housing law’, Garden Court North Chambers' members handle a wide spectrum of work in the space, including unlawful evictions, disrepair claims, homelessness matters and possession claims. James Stark is sought after for his expertise in advising on cases involving human rights issues, and Sonia Birdee is very well known for representing tenants in discrimination cases under the Equality Act 2010. Joseph Markus regularly represents vulnerable clients in homelessness cases. Elizabeth Mottershaw is 'judicious and measured - a reliable and solid advocate'. In December 2022 Gary Willock moved to Trinity Chambers.Leading Juniors
Elizabeth Mottershaw – Garden Court North Chambers ‘Elizabeth is very knowledgeable and her advocacy is carefully prepared and accurate - she handles complex legal points very well.'
Testimonials
‘The clerks are good, responsive, and they do their best to accommodate at short notice.’
‘The clerking team is prompt and efficient.’
‘The clerks are reliable and friendly.’
Northern Circuit > Crime (general and fraud) Tier 3
Garden Court North Chambers houses Nina Grahame KC, who has significant expertise in representing defendants with complex mental health needs and handling defences of insanity, loss of control, and diminished responsibility – in addition, she also defended in a multi-defendant conspiracy to murder case in Manchester, featuring complex issues of social media evidence, including drill music. Pete Weatherby KC is another name of note with a large criminal defence practice.Leading Silks
Pete Weatherby KC – Garden Court North Chambers ‘Pete has an imaginative intelligence which he uses to explore the legal landscape. It is not that he pushes boundaries, he sets where they are. His advocacy style is thoughtful and forthright.'
Nina Grahame KC – Garden Court North Chambers ‘Nina is meticulous in all aspects of her case preparation, always demonstrating that she takes a deep-dive approach, down to its finest detail. Because of this, Nina brings a nuanced approach to each case, and a deep sense of trust within her team knowing that important and crucial details have not been missed.'
Work highlights
Northern Circuit > Court of Protection and community care
Leading Juniors
Ben McCormack – Garden Court North Chambers 'His style is incredibly engaging, focused and with an emphasis on the human issues in a case. He is very effective cross examiner and his client care is second to none.'
Kerry Smith – Garden Court North Chambers ‘Kerry is very thorough and methodical, and demonstrates a good grasp of the facts in a case.'
Barrister Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
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Brigid Baillie | Brigid is a defence advocate experienced in the most serious types of… | View Profile |
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Rory O'Ryan | Rory has worked in the field of asylum and immigration law since… | View Profile |
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Tom Royston | Tom Royston specialises in immigration, housing, mental capacity and social security law. He won… | View Profile |