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Costs

1
4 New Square
2
Hailsham Chambers
3
39 Essex Chambers
Temple Garden Chambers

Leading Silks

1
Nicholas Bacon QC - 4 New Square ‘Great at getting to the heart of the matter. He's always a great choice.’
Simon Browne QC - Temple Garden Chambers ‘He combines technical ability with being very accessible.’
Alexander Hutton QC - Hailsham Chambers ‘Commended for his knowledge of the law, process, and procedure, his attention to detail, and strategic advice.’
Benjamin Williams QC - 4 New Square ‘Unflappable. Extremely intelligent, calm, focused and excellent on his feet. A star silk in the costs arena.’
2
PJ Kirby QC - Hardwicke ‘Great knowledge in relation to complex cross-border, multi-party-funded litigation.’
Andrew Post QC - Hailsham Chambers ‘Meticulous analysis and calm delivery. An impressive performer in court.’
3
Robert Marven QC - 4 New Square ‘Outstanding on his feet, diligent and hard-working. Very clever and impressive.’
Vikram Sachdeva QC - 39 Essex Chambers ‘Vikram is very personable and inspires confidence in the client.’

2019 Silks

Daniel Saoul QC - 4 New Square ‘Very good at considering tactics and how best to maximise prospects of recovery.’

2020 Silks

Jamie Carpenter - Hailsham Chambers ‘Attention to detail and engaging advocacy of the highest order. Paramount costs knowledge. Unfazed on his feet. Just superb.’
Roger Mallalieu QC - 4 New Square ‘Has long been considered the best junior in the costs field and now may equally lay claim to the title as QC.’

2021 Silks

Judith Ayling QC - 39 Essex Chambers ‘She is a force to be reckoned with.’

Leading Juniors

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Dr Mark Friston - Hailsham Chambers ‘Has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law and the costs judges respect him. He has a gentle manner and style but is not afraid to be persistent.’
James Laughland - Temple Garden Chambers ‘Depth of knowledge and experience with a commercial approach to problem solving.’
Dan Stacey - Hailsham Chambers ‘Unabashed in setting the court straight and delivering time after time on his feet.’
2
Rupert Cohen - Landmark Chambers ‘The next superstar junior of the costs Bar. He’s an absolute first-class costs lawyer with a phenomenal knowledge on the subject matter.’
Robin Dunne - Hardwicke ‘Has a thumping costs practice.’
George McDonald - 4 New Square ‘Exceptional knowledge on costs issues. Full of bright ideas and not afraid to suggest and try innovative solutions. An infectious enthusiasm for the task in hand.’
Joshua Munro - Hailsham Chambers ‘Very analytical and patient, he provides brilliant, sensible advice.’
Shail Patel - 4 New Square ‘Strong comprehensive knowledge and capacity to see the bigger picture. Responsive and precise in his advice.’
3
Imran Benson - Hailsham Chambers ‘An engaging litigator, good client-focus, quick thinking, and erudite.’
Simon Edwards - 39 Essex Chambers ‘A leader who is also a team player. He has a very good client manner, a razor-sharp intellect and is likeable but tough when needed.’
Stephen Innes - 4 New Square ‘Level-headed and provides advice in a non-technical way. Extremely genuine, sensible counsel.’
Mark James - Temple Garden Chambers ‘Is the future of the costs Bar.’
Shaman Kapoor - 39 Essex Chambers ‘Shaman is one of the most commercially savvy barristers one can find and a very formidable advocate.’
4
Timothy Chelmick - 4 New Square ‘Delivers excellent and practical advice that is well tailored to the situation and client needs. His analysis is incisive and his drafting excellent.’
Nicola Greaney - 39 Essex Chambers ‘Nicola is confident, grounded and highly intelligent. She is able to convey complex arguments in a persuasive and simple way.’
Martyn Griffiths - Hardwicke ‘Has an in-depth knowledge of costs, his preparation is meticulous and he is an outstanding advocate who provides an excellent service to his clients.’
Pippa Manby - 4 New Square ‘Effective communicator – both with client and judge.’
Andrew Roy - 12 King's Bench Walk ‘An extremely able barrister. He is always very well prepared, fights extremely hard for his client (in a fair way) and takes all the best points.’
Ben Smiley - 4 New Square ‘Extremely effective on his feet and robust in shepherding the opponent's submissions.’
Matthew Waszak - Temple Garden Chambers ‘Utterly superb costs knowledge.’
Gordon Wignall - Six Pump Court ‘Busy practice. Highly perceptive and has an original take on problems.’
Richard Wilkinson - Temple Garden Chambers ‘He has sound reliable judgement. He's a determined and persistent advocate who more often than not succeeds with his case.’

Rising Stars

Theo Barclay - 4 New Square ‘Impressed hugely with his breadth of knowledge.’

Costs in London Bar

4 New Square

4 New Square is 'a go-to set for all matter of costs'. Its members' litigation and advisory work spans from solicitor-client matters to public funding disputes and leading mass consumer class actions. Examples of the latter are Nicholas Bacon QC's Merricks v Mastercard case, the first of its kind before English courts, and the Volkswagen emissions litigation, where he also acted together with leading junior Shail Patel. Benjamin Williams QC was involved in a number of personal-injury-related costs cases on the issue of the new Qualified One Way Costs Shifting regime. New silk Roger Mallalieu QC has successfully acted on Cham v Aldred, a case now with a pending application to appeal to the Supreme Court, concerning counsels’ fees for approval hearings in fixed costs cases. Also of note, the set provides a highly appreciated costs training and networking programme for solicitors which is 'one of the most interesting and thought-provoking events around'.

Hailsham Chambers

Hailsham Chambers is an 'established and highly reputable' set whose strong members are often specifically hired for dealing with technical and complex issues arising from high-value clinical negligence costs disputes. Mark Friston has 'encyclopedic knowledge of litigation funding' and is a leading contributor to the costs law literature. Alexander Hutton QC advised a group of Lloyds’ shareholders on funding and cost management issues of a claim for losses brought against Lloyd’s Bank following its acquisition of Halifax Bank of Scotland (Sharp v Blank.) Jamie Carpenter QC, who was appointed silk in March 2020, is involved in several solicitor-client disputes. Clients of the set also note that its summer training course 'is a must for anyone in costs'.

39 Essex Chambers

39 Essex Chambers is a 'well-organised' and 'universally good-natured' set with highly recognised members in the costs market. One of them is Peter Hurst, who sits at the head of the team, followed by leading junior Judith Ayling, whose practice in costs budgeting issues generating from personal injury and clinical negligence claims is highly regarded; she is also recognised for her contribution to the UK Trucks Claim Limited v Fiat ChryslerAutomobile case. In February 2020, the junior end of the team was further strengthened with the addition of Shaman Kapoor, who joined from Temple Garden Chambers.

Temple Garden Chambers

Praised for being 'efficient' and for its 'personal service', Temple Garden Chambers has been providing 'consistent quality throughout the years'. The set's major strength in relation to the recovery of after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance premiums, an area in which both James Laughland and Matthew Waszak excel. Simon Browne QC stands out for his involvement in Iraqi Civilians v Ministry of Defence in relation to the costs consequences of the claims brought by Iraqi civilians over the conduct of soldiers during the invasion of the country. Also of note, Mark James' practice around client-solicitor and barrister-solicitor disputes is highly regarded, while parties gain from Richard Wilkinson's 'practical and contemporary experience as a practising and experienced member of the personal injury Bar'.