The Legal 500

A set known for its excellence in advocacy and advice in all its areas of practice, Old Square Chambers boasts leading specialists in each of its principal areas of expertise.

Primarily civil litigation specialists, members of Old Square Chambers are also experienced in the criminal courts, through their product liability, health and safety, environmental and regulatory compliance work.

The set: Old Square Chambers aims to provide top-quality advice and advocacy in its specialist areas in a manner that meets its clients’ demands. There are 56 members based in London and 14 in Bristol. However, counsel commute between sites for conferences and hearings. Chambers also has video conferencing facilities at both premises. Any seminars provided by Old Square Chambers carry Law Society accreditation for CPD.

Types of work undertaken: Employment: Chambers is widely regarded as one of the leading sets in employment law. Over 40 members of chambers have expertise in this area of law, including seven QCs. Members act on behalf of employers, employees and trade unions. Areas of work include: all forms of Employment Tribunal litigation and appellate work before the EAT and higher courts, as well as High Court litigation, in particular injunctive relief in industrial disputes and restraint of trade. Members have been involved in many of the groundbreaking cases in the fields of employment and discrimination law and undertake specialist work such as interim applications to restrain dismissals, PHI claims and doctors’ disciplinary hearings, as well as providing advice of a more strategic nature for central government and various NGAs. In recent years, members have been involved in numerous groundbreaking cases in equality pay litigation.

Personal injury: dealt with at all levels of seniority, Old Square Chambers covers the entire range of claims, including package holiday regulations and Forum non Conveniens. Chambers has particular expertise in disaster litigation, as well as complex, multi-party actions. Members are active in all relevant associations and write and speak on topical cases and developments.

Clinical law: chambers has extensive experience of all aspects of clinical negligence, particularly cerebral palsy birth claims of the highest value and medical complexity. Uniquely, the group also provides representation at both professional body and internal NHS disciplinary proceedings, as well as expertise in the handling of waste material from hospitals, and public inquiries arising out of accidents in hospitals. Members write and lecture extensively in this field, whilst others sit as assessors in the GMC, GDC, BPS & NMC.

Environmental: chambers’ expertise incorporates major toxic tort litigation, work on behalf of regulatory bodies and a wide variety of prosecutions for statutory nuisance. The highly respected group continues to be instructed in the most notable cases in this field.

Product liability and regulatory compliance group: this group covers all aspects of regulatory compliance in relation to product, services, and health and safety legislation. Members of the group regularly advise corporate clients in respect of the full range of civil and criminal liability, with particular emphasis on product-related claims, regulatory prosecutions and recalls, and the defence of health and safety prosecutions on behalf of companies and individuals.

Public inquiries: chambers has been instructed in the majority of significant inquiries over the last decade, ranging from rail and fire to prisons, unions, doctors and children’s homes.

Professional discipline: members have experience of appearing before, chairing and sitting as Legal Assessors on disciplinary tribunals, at all stages of the process including safeguarding any rights by recourse to the High Court and the Privy Council. Chambers have been at the forefront of developing the law relating to injunctive relief and disciplinary procedures affecting the medical profession.

Health and safety: members of the health and safety group provide advice and representation covering a wide range of health and safety litigation from public Inquiries to regulatory prosecutions, by the health and safety executive and local authorities, in both the Crown and Magistrates’ Courts.

A visit to the new chambers website, www.oldsquare.co.uk, will identify the wide range of recent leading cases members have been involved in.