Leading Silks

Tom Adam KC –Brick Court Chambers ‘Tom is a brilliant lawyer and sees the issues in the case with great clarity. This is invaluable in setting strategy. He is a delight to work with and never fails to let you know precisely what he is thinking. A real star of his generation.'

Stuart Catchpole KC – Atkin Chambers ‘Stuart Catchpole is a spectacular advocate. Watching him cross examine is like peeling an onion - each layer causes his opponents to cry a little more! Stuart always gets to grips with the detail of the case, while retaining a strategic overview and giving clear commercial advice. He has it all.’

Timothy Dutton CBE KC – Fountain Court Chambers ‘Academically very gifted, a peerless advocate and provides very wise counsel in terms of analysis and strategy.'

Adam Constable KC –Keating Chambers ‘First class. Hugely calming influence. Been there, won it before. Superb with clients and all members of the client team (noticeable how good he is at including junior lawyers).'

Jeremy Cousins KC –Radcliffe Chambers ‘Jeremy Cousins KC is very thorough and a pleasure to work with.’

Nicholas Davidson KC – Hailsham Chambers ‘Measured and authoritative in court. He charms the court with striking analogies.'

Anneliese Day KC –Fountain Court Chambers ‘A fantastic leader in a professional negligence case. Update to date on the law and good at casting a case in the light of developments. Very focused in her written and oral advocacy.’

Michael Douglas KC –4 Pump Court ‘Intelligent, clear and easy to work with.'

Colin Edelman KC - Devereux

Ben Elkington KC –4 New Square ‘Ben is a robust barrister who puts forward clear and firm views on the merits of a case, whilst recognising where there may be challenges. he is also someone who looks ahead around what is on the horizon.'

Justin Fenwick KC –4 New Square

William Flenley KC –Hailsham Chambers ‘William is my favourite barrister. He is a brilliant tactician, has an encyclopedic knowledge of the law, and is thorough and he always finds a solution to a problem. Simply put, he is the best.'

Jonathan Gaisman KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk

Jonathan Hough KC –4 New Square

Mark Howard KC - Brick Court Chambers

Ben Hubble KC –4 New Square ‘Ben is undoubtedly at the top of the tree when it comes to professional indemnity and regulatory work. His attention to detail and clarity of thinking is second to none. He never misses a point and is always two steps ahead of those around him, which is reflected in his methodical and measured advocacy. He also has an extremely reassuring and calming manner to which clients warm instantly.'

Patrick Lawrence KC –4 New Square ‘Patrick provides a top quality service for a QC providing brilliant and cutting edge advice to win in a cost effective and charming way.'

Graeme McPherson KC –4 New Square ‘Great team player - gets stuck in. Clients trust him and he's a well organised and nimble advocate.'

Michael Pooles KC –Hailsham Chambers ‘Michael is an exceptional advocate. To see him cross-examine a witness is to watch a master class. He is always one step ahead, knows when to change tack or tone, and has the end goal in sight. He is quickly able to get a judge onside and explain his point of view. He is also a master at strategy and can cut through a lot of noise to pick out the salient points and identify which battles to fight.'

Rebecca Sabben-Clare KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Rebecca Sabben-Clare is a determined and resourceful advocate.'

Simon Salzedo KC –Brick Court Chambers ‘Simon Salzedo KC is a serious player in the market.'

Jonathan Seitler KC – Wilberforce Chambers ‘Excellent advocate. Provides clear and easy to understand advice on often very complicated matters. Very user friendly.'

Mark Simpson KC - Fountain Court Chambers ‘ Mark is the complete package – easy to work with, down to earth, phenomenal in court. A silk at the top of his game. ’

Fiona Sinclair KC –4 Pump Court

Jamie Smith KC –4 New Square ‘Jamie is an excellent advocate: calm and reasonable, while compelling. I've seen both judge and master respond well to his pragmatic approach; and that is also appreciated by clients. He is not afraid to get into the detail and is a real pleasure to work with.'

Roger Stewart KC - 4 New Square

David Streatfeild-James KC - Atkin Chambers

Marcus Taverner KC

- Keating Chambers

Nigel Tozzi KC –4 Pump Court

David Turner KC –4 New Square ‘A careful and thoughtful leader, very highly regarded by his peers.'

John Wardell KC – Wilberforce Chambers 'He cares about his clients, very easy to work with, very responsive, fantastic in court, a real star.'

Thomas Weitzman KC –3 Verulam Buildings

Rachel Ansell KC –4 Pump Court ‘Forensic ability to get to the heart of issues. Not afraid of delivering unwelcome advice but does it in an empathetic way. Rachel is absolutely a team player who is not afraid to roll up her sleeves. As her instructing solicitor I always feel she has my back!'

Sean Brannigan KC –4 Pump Court ‘Sean combines a sharp intellect with practical insight. His willingness to form part of the solicitor client team means total integration into the case and in turn confidence from the client. His advocacy is incisive and penetrating without ever being disrespectful.'

Robert Moxon Browne KC – 2 Temple Gardens

Ian Croxford KC – Wilberforce Chambers

Chantal-Aimée Doerries KC - Atkin Chambers

Charles Dougherty KC –2 Temple Gardens ‘A fabulous leader and a formidable opponent. There isn't an argument you can think of that Charles hasn't thought of first! He has an easy and reassuring manner in Court which Judges and Tribunals love.'

David Halpern KC –4 New Square ‘Unfailingly polite, always manages his case load well , lets you know when he will deliver and more importantly delivers on time.'

Matthew Hardwick KC –3 Verulam Buildings ‘Matthew is very thorough and his opinions are well judged and thorough. Very skilled and forensic cross-examiner.'

Timothy Howe KC –Fountain Court Chambers ‘Very thorough. He has the facts at his fingertips and uses them well - Judges appreciate it.'

Nigel Jones KC –Gatehouse Chambers ‘Extremely hard working. Available 24/7 more or less. Very bright. Client friendly. Tribunal friendly.'

Simon Lofthouse KC - Atkin Chambers

Tim Lord KC –Brick Court Chambers ‘Tim has an excellent sense for the wider strategy on any case: his massive courtroom experience gives him an invaluable insight into how the bench is likely to respond to a particular point and allows the case to be adapted accordingly. His advocacy is among the best at the Bar: he is very light on his feet and can respond to questions and pick up on indications from the bench with a deft touch that very few can match.'

Siân Mirchandani KC –4 New Square ‘Extremely hard working. Available 24/7 more por less. Very bright.Client friendly. Tribunal friendly.'

Neil Moody KC –2 Temple Gardens ‘Neil is incredibly impressive. He deals with huge claims involving competing causes of action, multiple parties, conflicts issues etc. He is extremely impressive in Court. He certainly has that elusive quality ‘listenability’. Neil's submissions are incredibly clear and manage to cut through complex legal and factual submissions with ease. I've worked with him on a number of cases (mainly fire cases arising in part out of failure of professionals). However, he also has a very good 'pure' professional negligence practice.'

Alexander Nissen KC –Keating Chambers

Andrew Onslow KC –3 Verulam Buildings ‘He is amazing. Very easy to work with and a real team player. Gets to the heart of the issues very quickly. Excellent advocate - you can see the Court takes notice of what he has to say so that he achieves results that other QCs would not get.'

Ben Patten KC –4 New Square ‘Ben consistently delivers the highest possible quality of written work and advocacy. He is technically brilliant always and excellent value for money.'

Ben Quiney KC –Crown Office Chambers ‘Technically excellent, highly responsive and a superb knowledge of insurance law. Commercially astute and a great strategist. Extremely clear and well prepared advocate.'

Dominique Rawley KC –Atkin Chambers ‘Dominique is a very accomplished advocate and a very safe pair of hands. She has a good sense of what to include and not to include and kicks the tyres pretty hard on cases to make sure that they are "runners".'

Paul Reed KC –Gatehouse Chambers ‘Paul Reed KC is a leader in his field.'

Hefin Rees KC –3 Verulam Buildings ‘Hefin is personable and very easy to work with. He is strategy driven with a great intellect and is happy to drive the case for the benefit of the client and for the ease of those instructing him. He is a significant force at the English bar.'

Andrew Rigney KC –Crown Office Chambers ‘Andrew has a brilliant mind with a great eye for detail. He is a delight to work with. He is open minded and willing to consider alternatives and works well with experts getting into the weeds of the technical detail which is critical for professional negligence disputes. Clients appreciate his thoughtful approach and user friendly delivery of advice.'

Patricia Robertson KC –Fountain Court Chambers ‘Patricia is incredibly quick-minded in terms of technical detail but also extremely commercial and practical. She is also a great team player and had good people skills. She is excellent to work with.'

Keith Rowley KC –Radcliffe Chambers

Nicolas Stallworthy KC –Outer Temple Chambers

‘Nick Stallworthy KC has considerable experience of advising on professional negligence claims, in relation to which he brings to bear his customary diligence, brain-power and strategic flair.'

Bankim Thanki KC –Fountain Court Chambers ‘I would single out his calm approach, whether in meetings, day-to-day advice or as an advocate. This calmness carries greater authority than table-banging or cheerleading for the client's benefit. Within the legal team, calmness at the top - whether dealing with good points or bad points -- filters down.'

John de Waal KC –Gatehouse Chambers 'John is very practical, pragmatic and user friendly. John demonstrates good in-depth knowledge of professional negligence in the property sector.'

Andrew White KC - Atkin Chambers

Adrian Williamson KC - Keating Chambers

Mark Anderson KC – No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Very calm and measured, Mark is a very experienced and reassuring presence inspiring immediate confidence from clients. Easy to work with.'

James Ayliffe KC – Wilberforce Chambers

Nicholas Baatz KC –Atkin Chambers

Stephanie Barwise KC –Atkin Chambers

Adrian Beltrami KC –3 Verulam Buildings ‘Wonderful judgment, a big case barrister, a heavy hitter in the world of PI, one you want on your side in trial.'

James Brocklebank KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk

Jamie Carpenter KC - Hailsham Chambers ‘ He is exceptionally bright, incredibly user-friendly, very thorough and great on his feet. ’

Chloe Carpenter KC – Fountain Court Chambers ‘Chloe is a very bright barrister, who truly gets into the detail of cases which has proven the crucial element to achieving success. Chloe is completely on top of the law in the professional negligence world and in particular in the financial services sector.'

Graham Chapman KC –4 New Square ‘Graham is a phenomenal advocate - agile, persuasive, well-prepared and thoroughly modern in approach.'

Serena Cheng KC –Atkin Chambers

Aidan Christie KC –4 Pump Court

James Cross KC - 4 Pump Court ‘ His understanding of the interaction between the construction and insurance markets is unrivalled. Charming and ruthless in equal measure. ’

Derrick Dale KC –Fountain Court Chambers ‘Incisive and attractive submissions in court - commands the respect of the court.'

Nicholas Dennys KC - Atkin Chambers

Michael Furness KC – Wilberforce Chambers ‘Really bright, very calm, very user-friendly - tries his hardest to find a solution.'

Thomas Grant KC –Maitland Chambers 'Clear firm advice; confident advocate; very good with clients.'

Simon Hargreaves KC –Keating Chambers ‘Simon is a go to silk for me. He is easy to work with, incredibly thorough and very client friendly. He has an excellent rapport with the Judges in Court and is able to answer any question put to him in Court, no matter how difficult to answer. He has a conversational style in Court which is very engaging.'

Neil Hext KC –4 New Square 'Fiercely intelligent but with a down to earth manner that means we can get straight on with the job as a team. Good humoured and hard working. He is an incredibly safe pair of hands.'

Charles Hollander KC - Brick Court Chambers

James Howells KC –Atkin Chambers 'Amongst his great strengths are his intellect, balanced judgments and straight talking.'

Philip Jones KC –Serle Court

James Leabeater KC –4 Pump Court ‘Great analysis and clear and concise written advice.'

Richard Liddell KC –4 New Square ‘Richard has been collegiate to work with and accessible. He has become "part of the team" for the conduct of this matter He is commercial, and flexible where a change in instructions mean a new direction is needed.'

Daniel Lightman KC –Serle Court

Ali Malek KC - 3 Verulam Buildings

Lynne McCafferty KC –4 Pump Court ‘Lynne's biggest strength is her ability to quickly analyse complex technical issues and then distil them into clear, concise terms. This applies to both her written advice and pleadings/drafting, and her oral advocacy. I have seen her present and win arguments in Court where all other Counsel in a multiparty dispute took the opposite view - this is a testament to her advocacy and ability to read the room.'

Manus McMullan KC –Atkin Chambers

Paul Newman KC – Wilberforce Chambers

Jeremy Nicholson KC –4 Pump Court ‘Jeremy is excellent. He has the rare quality of maintaining great attention to detail and precise drafting with providing the strategic direction and leadership on claims you need from a silk. He is definitely a 'go to' QC for high value and technically complex construction negligence claims.'

Paul Darling OBE KC –39 Essex Chambers 'Fantastic leader, incredible intellect and brilliant to work with.'

Tamara Oppenheimer KC - Fountain Court Chambers ‘ An extraordinary barrister. She always thinks strategically and is unafraid to make bold and innovative decisions. She delivers eviscerating cross-examination, that gets at the truth and ultimately wins cases. ’

Fiona Parkin KC –Atkin Chambers ‘Fiona is very meticulous in her approach to analysing the precise facts of the case and picking apart the legal basis of a claim. She is highly analytical and work incredibly hard to get under the detail of claims on very short order. Her advocacy is impressive. She is clear, commanding and performed particularly well for me in the Court of Appeal at the end of 2021. She is excellent and a pleasure to work with.'

Benjamin Pilling KC –4 Pump Court

John Ross KC – Deka Chambers

Nicola Rushton KC –Hailsham Chambers ‘Nicola is a class act who leads by example in every respect. Superb technical knowledge matched with pragmatism throughout. A formidable advocate who quickly wins the judge\'s ear. She is exceptionally hard-working and client friendly. An integral part of the team.'

Daniel Shapiro KC –Crown Office Chambers ‘Fantastic attention to detail, real persistence in getting to the heart of a matter, tenacious and meticulous advocate. Extremely user friendly and popular with clients. Extremely responsive and genuinely cares about the outcome of a matter. Danny is an extension of our team.'

Clare Stanley KC – Wilberforce Chambers ‘Fantastic attention to detail, real persistence in getting to the heart of a matter, tenacious and meticulous advocate. Extremely user friendly and popular with clients. Extremely responsive and genuinely cares about the outcome of a matter. Danny is an extension of our team.'

Alan Steinfeld KC - XXIV Old Buildings

Andrew Warnock KC – Deka Chambers

Peter De Verneuil Smith KC - 3 Verulam Buildings

Jessica Stephens KC - 4 Pump Court

Jonathan Selby KC - Keating Chambers

Lucy Garrett KC – Keating Chambers ‘Lucy is fierce but her advice is comprehensive and easy to follow. She is approachable and works well as part of the team. Solicitors pity the other side when they instruct Lucy.’

Zoë Barton KC – Wilberforce Chambers

Gary Blaker KC - Selborne Chambers ‘ Gary is calmness incarnate. He has a wealth of knowledge and is able to put clients at their ease. In court he is tenacious but always demonstrates respect. ’

David Blayney KC –Serle Court ‘David is the outstanding practitioner in this area, a superb advocate, technically quite brilliant, and enormous fun to work with.'

Martin Bowdery KC –Atkin Chambers ‘Martin is a very fine advocate, eloquent, forceful & tenacious. He advises decisively and has an excellent way with clients. Approachable yet intellectually rigorous.'

Richard Coleman KC –Fountain Court Chambers ‘Richard is brilliantly clear and insightful - strategically he knows exactly which direction we need to go in and what hurdles we will need to get over (and how). He is also tactically excellent in Court, but makes it all appear effortless, always courteous, and completely unflappable under pressure.'

Michael Curtis KC - Crown Office Chambers

James Cutress KC –Fountain Court Chambers ‘James is an intelligent and savvy litigator who can deal with anything thrown at him in a calm and tactically clever way.'

Simon Davenport KC –3 Hare Court

Lord Faulks KC – Deka Chambers

Adam Fenton KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Adam is a very strong barrister. He is very "hands on" senior counsel who reads all materials and is not seeking to rely on his juniors too much. In Adam one finds a top advocate who knows the case inside out. He is also a very effective strategist. Last but not least, he is a delight to work with.'

Andrew George KC –Blackstone Chambers Barristers

Karim Ghaly KC –39 Essex Chambers

David Head KC –3 Verulam Buildings ‘Brilliant on his feet and in writing. Clients love him.'

Lexa Hilliard KC – Wilberforce Chambers ‘Lexa leaves no stone unturned and will not be phased by the opponent's guerilla tactics. She is a very persuasive advocate and will always have solid advice for the client. It is a pleasure to work with Lexa.'

Riaz Hussain KC –Atkin Chambers

Krista Lee KC –Keating Chambers ‘Krista has first class tactical awareness and her technical, legal skills are at the top of the game. As an advocate she is precise, succinct and persuasive.'

Ben Lynch KC - Fountain Court Chambers ‘ Ben is extremely impressive on his feet and in conference. A very good tactician. ’

Shantanu Majumdar KC –Radcliffe Chambers ‘Thoughtful, very capable, calm and confident style of advocacy.'

Ian Mill KC –Blackstone Chambers Barristers ‘Doyen of the bar. Authoritative but not showy and not afraid to dig into the detail.'

Paul Mitchell KC –4 New Square ‘I have found Paul to be highly responsive and good to work with. Excellent both on paper and as an advocate. His drafting is high quality.'

Andrew Mold KC – Wilberforce Chambers

Vincent Moran KC –Keating Chambers

Stephen Moriarty KC –Fountain Court Chambers ‘Stephen's analysis of the relevant legal issues is second to none but he carries his brilliance lightly. He is delightful to work with.'

Leigh-Ann Mulcahy KC –Fountain Court Chambers ‘Leigh-Ann is completely unflappable, always charming, and carries the confidence of the client with her. Her preparation is meticulous, and she is robust but diplomatic in handling clients (who are usually very senior barristers).'

Andrew Neish KC –4 Pump Court

Alison Padfield KC –4 New Square ‘Alison is an absolute pleasure to work with. With Alison there is never anything less than 100% effort. She is always prepared, calm and unflappable and has a very easy manner that puts clients from all walks of life entirely at their ease. Not only is she intellectually outstanding, great on tactics, but you can always rely on the fact that she will work with you seamlessly as part of the team. I always find it surprising that her ranking in the directories is not very much higher given the quality of her work and her commitment to the cases.'

Howard Palmer KC –2 Temple Gardens ‘The most charming silk at the bar, he can get any tribunal on side. Incredibly clever, with brilliant client management skills, and an eye for the 'killer point'. Very hard working, Howard is a great leader in any team tackling a heavy prof neg case.'

Fionn Pilbrow KC –Brick Court Chambers ‘Fionn is an extremely accomplished and skillful barrister, coruscatingly intelligent and a sparkling advocate. He has the ear of the Court, and his submissions are typically treated as both authoritative and persuasive.'

Thomas Plewman KC - Brick Court Chambers

Adam Robb KC –39 Essex Chambers

Daniel Saoul KC –4 New Square 'Clear advice. Commercial and pragmatic.'

Amanda Savage KC –4 New Square ‘Amanda is great. Very easy to work with. She has a great manner and is good at getting to the heart of a matter. Good at judging the overall merit of a matter and cutting through the dross. Excellent at defending wasted costs claims in particular.'

Marion Smith KC –39 Essex Chambers ‘Extremely knowledgeable, with a calm advocacy style.'

Andrew Spink KC –Outer Temple Chambers

‘A brilliant tactician and marvelous advocate.'

Peter Susman KC - Henderson Chambers

Andrew Wales KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk

Steven Walker KC –Atkin Chambers ‘Very reliable, and a truly trusted adviser. Doesn\'t take long to form a view on any particular issue and provides very clear advice. Great on his feed and very respected KC.'

Geraint Webb KC - Henderson Chambers

Giles Wheeler KC –Fountain Court Chambers

David Yates KC –Pump Court Tax Chambers ‘David is incredibly incisive. He quickly cuts through the most complex issues and information to what the essential points really are and how to address them. This is very impressive in his written advice and drafting (which is immaculate) but also invaluable when you need to chat something through and get a quick steer over the phone. He is great with clients and a pleasure to work with.'

2022 Silks

Rupert Choat KC –Atkin Chambers ‘Sharp and extermely attentive to details.'

Helen Evans KC –4 New Square 'Helen is very hands on and approachable; she operates very much as \'part of the team\'. Her attention to detail is second to none and you are always confident that she has thought through every point and angle. Her technical skills are exceptional. Her advocacy is clear and precise; she is able to make the judge see exactly what she wants.'

David E. Grant KC –Outer Temple Chambers

Josephine Higgs KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘She is hard-working and extremely bright, with a meticulous eye for detail and a firm grasp of the big picture. Her advice is succinct, commercial and articulate. She has an excellent technical knowledge of accounts, and great tactical nous. She is an accomplished and persuasive advocate. She was, in short, one of the very best juniors I have led in this field, and I have no doubt that she will be a highly successful silk.'

Farhaz Khan KC –3 Verulam Buildings ‘Farhaz has genuinely excellent client skills, by which I mean explanation in lay terms of case and strategic issues and a keen interest in understanding the client\'s own aspirations and priorities. This is backed by rigorous analytical skills. He has good strategic judgment and very strong advocacy skills.'

Calum Lamont KC –Keating Chambers

Alexander Polley KC –One Essex Court ‘Alex is incredibly responsive and almost immediately grasps key issues. He has always added value when feeding into conversations and work products, and endears great confidence.'

Leading Juniors

Scott Allen –4 New Square ‘Superb all-rounder: a QC in the making. Extremely bright, hard-working and user-friendly. Gets to the heart of a case quickly and is not afraid to call a spade a spade. Master tactician. Does not get flustered. Excellent advocate - leaves no stone unturned. First-choice Senior Junior.'

Francis Bacon –Hailsham Chambers ‘Francis is always quick and efficient in responding to queries and a forceful advocate.'

Isabel Barter –2 Temple Gardens ‘A rising star who is immensely bright, tenacious and easy to work with.'

Ivor Collett –Crown Office Chambers ‘Very user friendly, very clear advice, provided succinctly and quickly.'

Hugh Evans –4 New Square ‘Hugh is an experienced junior Counsel. He has a sharp and analytical mind.'

Jason Evans-Tovey –Crown Office Chambers ‘Jason combines a strong intellect with an affable personality, which makes him a pleasure to work with. His willingness to listen to, and entertain, alternative points of view is also a strength.'

James Hall –Gatehouse Chambers

Derek Holwill –Hailsham Chambers ‘Derek is a brilliant barrister. He has a razor sharp mind, he can review large volumes of documents very quickly and get to the heart of the matter in an instant. He is short and to the point, which clients really like. A real star.'

Kate Livesey –4 Pump Court ‘Kate gets intensely into the detail of claims, and that results in effective persuasive advocacy precisely when it is needed.'

Shail Patel –4 New Square ‘Very good on the technical side, with the level of rigour on the details that you would expect. Works very well as part of a team, and is excellent with clients. A measured advocacy style, Shail\'s ability to adapt his approach to reflect the difference preferences of the Bench is impressive.'

Charles Phipps –4 New Square ‘Very responsive and flexible, extremely knowledgeable on the law, good on tactical decisions and strategy. He is confident in his views and easy to work with. Extremely good value.'

Carl Troman –4 New Square ‘Very responsive and flexible, extremely knowledgeable on the law, good on tactical decisions and strategy. He is confident in his views and easy to work with. Extremely good value.'

Simon Wilton –Hailsham Chambers ‘Simon is always quick and efficient in dealing with instructions.'

Timothy Chelmick –4 New Square 'Very good on this feet, authoritative advocacy. Good on paper too.'

Richard Coplin –Keating Chambers ‘Richard Coplin is a particularly creative and collaborative problem solver - very user friendly and practical.'

Peter Dodge –Radcliffe Chambers ‘Peter's strengths are in knotty financial / regulatory areas and professional negligence generally. He has very good rapport with clients, particularly legally unsophisticated / inexperienced clients (both claimants and defendants). He is also not afraid to give very strong advice on prospects etc. He also builds good rapport with judges and has a persuasive but friendly tone with them.'

Simon Hale – 4 Pump Court ‘There are not enough superlatives to describe Simon's strengths. He is exceptional with gravitas far beyond his level of call. His ability to distill the issues in complex, technical cases is second to none. Clients love him and hang on to his every word.'

Miles Harris –4 New Square ‘Miles is one of the stars of the junior Professional Negligence Bar. I cannot imagine he will be a junior for much longer. I run out of superlatives for him. He is ultra-intelligent, fearsome in his quest to find the right answer to a case; but always utterly polite, great fun and modest in his considerable talents.'

Simon Henderson –4 Pump Court

Hugh Jackson –Selborne Chambers

Justin Kitson –Selborne Chambers ‘Justin Kitson has an unparalleled eye for detail. He is able to assimilate large amounts of information, from multiple sources, quickly without fuss or fluster. He communicates brilliantly at all levels to provide sound and valuable advice to clients, putting them at ease and giving them a clear path as to options in the litigation.'

David Pliener –Gatehouse Chambers ‘Professional negligence cases, particularly against multiple construction parties which are David Pliener's specialty, require a specific skill set that includes an ability to get on top of complex technical detail, to evaluate the different and overlapping roles of the various construction parties involved in a project and weigh up their respective contribution to the design and workmanship defects in play - often working from incomplete project documentation and conflicting expert evidence. Complex legal issues are often in play, particularly around limitation, discovery, and pure economic loss. David Pliener is in his element in this arena: well-versed in the law; not afraid of the technical detail; and able to bring his forensic and analytical approach to even the most labyrinthian of construction puzzles.'

Michael Ryan – 7 King’s Bench Walk

Camille Slow –Atkin Chambers ‘Camille's ability to thoroughly master documents and carry out all necessary legal research is not in question. What marks her out is her abilities to take account of the commercial realities and risks of litigation and devise a clear strategy for the long term and to present her legal advice and on strategy in a clear and readily digestible manner. Clients really appreciate her skills in distilling a complex dispute into its commercial fundamentals.'

Dan Stacey –Hailsham Chambers ‘Very capable in claims against solicitors and works collaboratively.'

David Thomas –2 Temple Gardens ‘A real gem - one of the best professional negligence barristers out there. Brilliant lawyer and a delight to work with.'

Michael Wheater –Gatehouse Chambers ‘Excellent on this area of law. He knows everything there is to know about the law and the contracts. Great on his feet, better in writing and approachable. Understands the vagaries of suing a professional too.'

Nik Yeo –Fountain Court Chambers ‘Nik is extremely smart and hard-working with a very impressive knowledge of the law across a wide range of areas. He is also a pleasure to work with. A great person to have on your team.'

Imran Benson –Hailsham Chambers ‘Imran is bright, very commercially minded in his approach, user friendly and a pleasure to work with.'

Michael Bowmer –4 New Square ‘Michael is a very careful practitioner. Everything he says and everything he writes down is the product of fastidious attention to the facts and to the law. Michael is a very gifted lawyer and has an innate sense of the right answer. He is a team player and has a lovely sense of lightness in the court room.'

Nicholas Broomfield –4 New Square ‘A rising star. Able to get to the meat of a dispute quickly and offers sound, pragmatic and commercial advice. Written work is very good as are his advocacy skills. Very good tactician and a delight to work with.'

Suzanne Chalmers –Crown Office Chambers 'Suzanne is very user friendly, thorough and knowledgeable. She often spots and suggests lines of enquiry that have not occurred to others. She is particularly effective in leading and directing discussions between advocates outside the courtroom.'

Lucy Colter - 4 New Square

Omar Eljadi –Atkin Chambers ‘Omar is on top of the detail. He is clearly over the details and has his own voice.'

Rónán Hanna – Atkin Chambers

Edward Harrison –Brick Court Chambers ‘His strength is his exceptional grasp of the highly technical field of audit liability. He's very bright indeed, and his mind works in the right way. He works well with the solicitor team as well. Would use again!

Matthew Jackson –Hailsham Chambers ‘Approachable and reliable. Matthew has the necessary experience to know when to fight and when to settle.'

Jennifer Jones –Atkin Chambers ‘A clear think and very client-friendly.'

Saleem Khalid – Deka Chambers ‘A thoughtful junior who sees the nuances of a case.’

Caroline McColgan - Crown Office Chambers ‘ Caroline is a superb lawyer. Very bright, hard working and dedicated. She has great judgement. ’

Joshua Munro –Hailsham Chambers ‘Joshua is top class! He has detailed and extensive knowledge in this area and can quickly identify strengths and weaknesses which not only guides our strategy and advice to clients, but also gives us confidence that we are giving the client first-class legal, commercial and practical advice. His advice/opinions are persuasive, and his pleadings are accurate and succinct. Joshua is very easy to work, very user-friendly and has an excellent bedside manner with clients.'

Andrew Nicol –4 New Square 'Andrew Nicol of 4 New Square, a firm favourite of mine. Very direct and a real practical kind of barrister that rolls his sleeves up and gets involved in the trench warfare.'

Elizabeth Ovey –Radcliffe Chambers ‘Elizabeth is exceptionally attentive to detail and technically excellent. She is very responsive and will make herself available on short notice around other commitments. She is a very experienced Junior.'

Katie Powell - Atkin Chambers

Peter Ratcliffe –3 Verulam Buildings ‘Extremely thorough, clever, diligent and creative.'

James Sharpe –Crown Office Chambers ‘James is great on his feet, calm and clear. He is also really excellent in conference. I always feel that I can chat anything and everything through with James, even on very difficult cases, or cases where there is no clear way through. Very collaborative and very commercial.'

Jonathan Steinert - Henderson Chambers

Benjamin Wood –4 New Square ‘Strategy is a particular strength. He works collaboratively as part of the legal team and provides sound commercial advice. Great on paper and excellent on his feet in Court.'

Luke Wygas –4 Pump Court ‘A calm and steady adviser. Clear and digestible advice. Responsive and always open to new angles. Relishes a challenge. An absolute pleasure to work with.'

Ebony Alleyne –Gatehouse Chambers ‘Fearsomely bright and incredibly capable, Ebony is a tour de force. Her depth of legal knowledge, powers of analysis, and work ethic put her way ahead of the pack. In professional negligence matters relating to construction professionals, an ability to get to the heart of technical details is an absolute prerequisite. Ebony is patient, thorough and methodical at working through the detail of the alleged defects to ascertain the extent of the issue and its non-compliance with relevant standards, at teasing out whether the problem is one of design and workmanship, and in what way each of the various professionals involved in the design and construction of the project can properly be held to account. As a firm, we trust her judgment, value her strategic input and welcome her guidance on commercial issues. Clear and authoritative in manner, she is good with clients, and exacting with experts. A star in the making.'

Tom Asquith –4 New Square 'He understands the commerciality of claims and tailors his advice accordingly.'

Nicola Atkins –Crown Office Chambers ‘Incredibly intelligent, really user friendly and all round pleasure to work with. Adept and picking up a complex matter on short notice, getting to grips with the issue and running with it.'

Tom Bell - Gatehouse Chambers ‘ He has an instinctive grasp of the issues, and is good at thinking on his feet in court. ’

Natasha Bennett –Fountain Court Chambers

Elizabeth Boon –Crown Office Chambers ‘Elizabeth Boon has done excellent work and is very relatable.'

Nicholas Collings –Atkin Chambers

David Drake - Serle Court

James Goudkamp – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘An unparalleled knowledge of the law, greatly assisted by his academic background.'

Doré Green – 2 Temple Gardens 'Dore Green is a senior junior with a QC's practice. He has an unrivalled knowledge of the law in this field. He combines subtle and effective advocacy with strong client skills. Particular expertise in construction related claims.'

John Greenbourne –Crown Office Chambers ‘John Greenbourne has a wealth of experience, is very knowledgeable and also approachable. John is very thorough and has a very "hands on" approach, meaning he is good to work with. In court, John has an authoritative yet temperate advocacy manner.'

Christopher Greenwood –4 New Square

Richard Harrison - Devereux

Stephen Innes –4 New Square ‘Good knowledge, clearly a specialist and able to think creatively to assist his clients to achieve their aims.'

Kyle Lawson –Brick Court Chambers ‘Kyle is a great all-round junior: really personable and produces lovely documents. He also has a healthy does of realism/objectivity (and doesn't get caught up in group-speak - essential when you are working in a large team).'

Nico Leslie –Fountain Court Chambers ‘Nico is very analytical and good at thinking of every possible outcome/argument. He is also very methodical in his approach. Both of these have been beneficial in his advocacy as it has meant that he is well prepared, able to answer questions quickly and does not get thrown by surprises.'

Marc Lixenberg –Atkin Chambers ‘Very responsive, clear advice which is well articulated.'

Pippa Manby –4 New Square ‘Pippa cuts to the heart of the issues and provides practical and clear advice. Her written work is concise and her advocacy is thorough, well thought through and persuasive.'

Sarah McCann - Gatehouse Chambers

William Moffett –Radcliffe Chambers ‘William has the skill of explaining the arcane in understandable terms. He is a fluent and polished advocate.'

Sonia Nolten –2 Temple Gardens ‘Absolutely excellent in all areas. Thorough, responsive, great on her feet, very good on paper, technical expert and commercially astute.'

Thomas Ogden - 4 New Square

Paul Parker –4 New Square 'His written advice is concise and well-reasoned. He is also very good with clients as he has the necessary gravitas to put them at their ease.'

Catherine Piercy –Gatehouse Chambers ‘She rolls up her sleeves and has good attention to detail. Approachable and incredibly intelligent. A good advocate.'

James Purchas –4 Pump Court ‘James is an excellent barrister: extremely bright; an engaging manner with both clients and judges; calm and assured on his feet. He is always immaculately prepared; very responsive and self-assured in the run-up to hearings, and unflustered by changing/unexpected developments; and someone in whom the clients and solicitors had complete confidence. A barrister who excels at – and seems to love – every aspect of the job.’

Richard Sage –Crown Office Chambers ‘Tactically astute; very user friendly. No obvious weaknesses.'

Sophie Shaw –Brick Court Chambers ‘Sheer class.'

Tom Shepherd –4 New Square 'His work is meticulous, forensic and his arguments are bold and creative. His oral advocacy delivers just as powerfully as his written advocacy - he is a real fighter in difficult cases, and produces superb results.'

Ben Smiley –4 New Square ‘His preparation of opening and closing submissions was particularly impressive. He is very approachable and was easy to work alongside for both myself and the client.'

Carlo Taczalski –Crown Office Chambers ‘Carlo is an excellent barrister who always goes the extra mile. He has worked on a number of major cases. I have worked with him on a number of cases; I have always found him enjoyable and productive to work with.'

Jonathan Titmuss –Gatehouse Chambers ‘Jon is very approachable and easy to work with. He gets to the central issues quickly thereby enabling a determination of the best course of action to follow in each particular matter. He is determined advocate who is unflappable.'

Kate Vaughan-Neil –4 Pump Court ‘Kate is technically proficient, user friendly and helpful throughout.'

Mark Cullen – 4 New Square

Jessica Sutherland - 7 King's Bench Walk

Noel Casey - 7 King's Bench Walk

Frederick Simpson - Crown Office Chambers

Michael Walsh – Tanfield Chambers ‘Michael is a brilliant advocate. Both on his feet and when advising. He is ably to expertly balance the commercial and legal considerations of every issue and distil them in a way that can persuade both the client and the court. He is very intelligent and leaves no stone unturned for his clients.’

Mischa Balen –Atkin Chambers ‘Approachable and able to communicate well with clients. Mischa has excellent analytical skills and provides constructive advice.'

Henry Bankes-Jones –Hailsham Chambers ‘His advocacy is excellent - he is able to engage effortlessly with the judge and strike the right tone every time I have seen him in court. He has helped us achieve some fantastic results. He is very good at the technical details of the CPR and my go to person for questions of service and procedure.'

Alexandra Bodnar – Keating Chambers ‘Alex is straightforward and grasps the principal points very quickly. Unfortunately I haven\'t seen Alex on her feet however she has worked well with the business.'

Christopher Bond –3 Verulam Buildings ‘Thorough preparation and nice style of advocacy: calm and measured.'

James Bowling –4 Pump Court

Lucie Briggs –Atkin Chambers

Paul Bury –Keating Chambers ‘Sharp intellect and clear advice.'

Camilla Chorfi - Falcon Chambers

Patrick Clarke –Atkin Chambers ‘Able to cut through the detail & deliver sensible, pragamatic advice, which is appreciated by clients. Always steps up when required to do so.'

Jonathan Dawid –Brick Court Chambers ‘Brilliant on paper and in oral submissions. A team player and silk in the making.'

James Duffy –Fountain Court Chambers ‘He was pleasant to deal with, and careful, and keen to look at things from a strategic angle. I think he is good.'

Benjamin Faulkner – Wilberforce Chambers ‘Very user friendly and responsive, intelligent, hard-working and able to adopt innovative approaches to problems.'

Benjamin Fowler –4 New Square ‘Benjamin is hugely talented with a sharp eye for detail. He advocacy is cogent and eloquent.'

Helen Galley - XXIV Old Buildings

Gavin Hamilton –3PB ‘Gavin is very good on detail, explaining issues clearly to clients and a good advocate on his feet in court, very experienced.'

Nicholas Hill –Outer Temple Chambers

‘Nick Hill is a very hard-working, intelligent and tenacious barrister, with considerable experience in advising on professional negligence claims.'

Sara Ibrahim – Gatehouse Chambers ‘Sara is extremely meticulous and precise in her work and advice. She is totally on the ball and a phenomenal Barrister. She has the ability to easily digest complex and extensive information in a short period of time, from both perspectives and put in place a strategic plan to allow the client to get to their desired objective. Sara can breakdown complex legal issues into small portions of information that clients can easily understand and is aware of a clients main objectives at all times. As an Advocate, Sara is highly articulate and professional.'

Anthony Jones –4 New Square ‘He is dynamic, robust and very user friendly. His oral and written advocacy skills are brilliant, and he works well in a team.'

Christopher Knowles –Fountain Court Chambers ‘Very good and always has a novel point or two up his sleeve.'

Gary Lidington –Radcliffe Chambers 'Gary is a superb, polished performer in the field of dispute resolution and his experience across a range of tribunals impresses. He has developed a particular specialism in the field of professional negligence and is the complete package in that respect; a great pleader, unflappable advocate and a delight to work with; he also speaks the language of and is much loved by clients.'

Brendan McGurk –Monckton Chambers 'Quietly impressive, always available and humble.'

David Myhill –Crown Office Chambers

Martyn Naylor –4 Pump Court ‘Excellent attention to detail, and willing to go the extra mile in terms of his drafting and time spent discussing his work / opinion. The same detailed preparation too in respect of court hearings, such that he is able to punch way above his weight.'

Edmund Neuberger –Atkin Chambers 'Edmund is a considered operator and strong at drafting.'

James Newman –Selborne Chambers ‘His strengths are his ability to grasp issues, succinct advice and accessibility.'

Francesca O’Neill – Deka Chambers ‘She is very attentive to detail and provides succinct advice. She is also a great speaker which makes her very persuasive in court.'

Seb Oram –3PB ‘Clever, thorough, to the point, very good with clients, excellent in court with good presentational skills and persuasive approach, and very good at cross-examination.'

Niamh O’Reilly – Hailsham Chambers ‘Really personable, lovely to deal with, bright, commercial and clear.'

Laurence Page – 4 Pump Court

Elaine Palser –Outer Temple Chambers

‘Very responsive, easy to work with and takes into account client/instructing solicitors views.'

Nicholas Pilsbury –Hailsham Chambers ‘Nick has proven to be an indispensable resource on this case: he has familiarised himself with the detail of this unusual claim very quickly, and has deftly handled a number of tricky legal and strategic problems. He is efficient, sharp and very easy to work with. Have not seen his advocacy, but would not hesitate to instruct him again.'

Andrew Spencer – Deka Chambers ‘Andrew is a delight to work with, he is responsive, engaged and has the overall strategy of the claim in mind from the start.'

Jack Steer –Hailsham Chambers ‘A smiling assassin, Jack is always cheerful and yet is ferocious in putting forwards his arguments. I have no hesitation in suggesting Jack to my clients and for arranging conferences - I know that he will put my client at ease. I make sure to instruct Jack on the awkward cases, where he can offer innovative advice.'

Simon Williams –Radcliffe Chambers 'Highly forensic/capable/bright and diligent. Also personable.'

David Mcllroy - Forum Chambers

Lisa Lacob – 3 Verulam Buildings ‘Her cut-throat advocacy is like a hot knife through butter.’

Simon Goldstone – 4 Pump Court ‘Very bright and a pleasure to work with. His advocacy in the Court of Appeal is excellent.’

Sushma Ananda – 7 King’s Bench Walk

Richard Anderton –Hailsham Chambers ‘Responsive, thorough, intelligent and pleasant to deal with.'

Stephen Bailey –Hailsham Chambers ‘Stephen's advice was very useful and allowed my client to consider strategy on this case.'

Edward Bennion-Pedley –Selborne Chambers

Stewart Chirnside –Quadrant Chambers

Niamh Cleary –Fountain Court Chambers

Jack Dillon –Gatehouse Chambers

Joshua Folkard – Twenty Essex ‘ I have found his written work to be of a consistently exceptional standard. He is inordinately careful and leaves no consideration unaddressed in his analysis of a matter.'

Richard Hanke –3 Verulam Buildings

Michael Harper - Crown Office Chambers ‘ Michael is enormously talented and enthusiastic in equal measure. He consumes the facts voraciously and applies the law surgically. ’

Emma Healiss –Keating Chambers ‘Emma provides sound and easy to follow advice for clients and confidently gears the advice as to who the client is. She has an easy personable style with both instructing solicitors and clients alike. Emma's drafting skills are excellent and she crafts arguments methodically. She has an exceptional commercial stance and provide commercial focused and innovative advice to clients. She cuts through complex facts and law without issue and quickly picks up the thread of a matter. Emma is one of my go Juniors.'

Gideon Scott Holland –Keating Chambers ‘Very approachable and takes on board and gives consideration to the views of others, very much a good team player, who is held in high regard. Exceptional knowledge of the law and very commercially minded and understands Client's position and needs. Very good grasp of the key issues and identifies possible risks, strengths and weaknesses of a case.'

Edward Knight - XXIV Old Buildings

Anna Laney –Crown Office Chambers ‘She provides sound and commercial advice that clients can easily follow. Her manor with clients is second to none and is a real strength of hers. Would trust her implicitly.'

Elizabeth Lindesay – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘She is exceptionally diligent, as well as being very bright. She will keep thinking about any problem until she is sure she has identified the best solution for the client.'

Heather McMahon –Hailsham Chambers ‘Very hard working, thorough, dedicated and intelligent.'

Alice Nash –Hailsham Chambers ‘Alice has a good command of difficult legal issues in the professional negligence field, and is a very friendly person who is a pleasure to work with.'

Rachael O'Hagan - Keating Chambers

Tom Owen –Keating Chambers

Charles Pimlott –Crown Office Chambers ‘Charles is really excellent. He always rolls his sleeves up and is a great team player. I've used him on an adjudication with tight deadlines and he was fantastic to work with in that context. His drafting is very strong; great attention to detail and structuring of submissions. He is very reliable and accessible, and offers really sensible and pragmatic advice.'

Helen Pugh - Outer Temple Chambers

‘ Helen has a fantastic grasp of the intricacies of professional negligence, and an approachable and understanding demeanour which helps to build a quick rapport with clients. ’

Theodor van Sante –3 Verulam Buildings 'Very good re brokers and other Financial Services professionals.'

Edward Sawyer – Wilberforce Chambers ‘Enormously clever - into the detail whilst also being capable of seeing the bigger picture clearly. Good sense of humour and incredibly hard working. One of my favourite members of the bar!'

Lydia Seymour –Outer Temple Chambers

‘Strengths: good strategic capabilities and an eye for detail.'

David Sheard –Keating Chambers

Adam Temple –3 Verulam Buildings

Matthew Thorne –4 Pump Court

James Walmsley – Wilberforce Chambers ‘An excellent junior in the professional negligence space. Particularly strong in pensions litigation. Extremely hard-working and effective.'

Harry Wright – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Very thorough, personable and a talented cross-examiner.'

Louis Zvesper - Gatehouse Chambers

Rising Stars

Tom Braithwaite – Serle Court

Brenna Conroy – Keating Chambers

Jennie Gillies – 4 Pump Court ‘Great attention to detail, quick to grasp the key issues and facts; good communicator and inspires confidence.’

Professional negligence in London Bar

Tier 1 sets

4 Pump Court

4 Pump Court is an established professional negligence set, covering all areas of professional negligence, with all barristers having broad commercial expertise. The Chambers are regularly instructed in cases involving accountants, auditors, solicitors, insurance brokers, financial advisers, asset managers, stockbrokers, surveyors, architects and valuers. Nigel Tozzi KC has a practice primarily focused on defendants, acting for against legal and financial professionals. Tozzi KC also had an active role in Persimmon v Osborne Clarke, which involved a major solicitors’ negligence action arising out of option agreement for purchase of land for housing in Oxfordshire. Fiona Sinclair KC‘s expertise lies in claims against construction professionals, as well as investment and tax advisors. Simon Goldstone , described as ‘bright and a pleasure to work with,’ has a thriving practice including defending financial and legal professionals.

Testimonials

Set

‘4 Pump Court is an excellent chambers, full of consistently strong barristers.’

‘An impressive set with stellar counsel.’

‘Really excellent set – quality individuals.‘

‘Chambers are of the highest quality.’

‘Very strong set for construction work, including construction professional indemnity work.’

Clerking

‘Excellent clerks – in particular Bill Griffiths and Sam Penny.’

‘Excellent breadth and depth of experience in the areas for which they promote their offering; good communication and proactive clerks, valuable insights shared through digital newsletters and seminars.’

‘Very good indeed.’

‘Billy Griffiths is a stand out performer.’

‘Very strong clerking team. I have known Stewart Gibbs and Bill Griffiths for many years and rate them both highly.’

Tier 2 sets

2 Temple Gardens

Members of ‘reliable’ set 2 Temple Gardens act in claims for and against professionals across the legal, financial and construction sectors. The work overlaps with other areas commonly covered in the chambers, such as clinical negligence, allowing specialists to complement and effectively advise on claims. Neil Moody KC is a leading silk with expertise in dealing with claims of negligence against construction professionals. Charles Dougherty KC has a strong reputation for his practice with claims involving legal and financial professionals. Isabel Barter has been instructed on cases involving leading law firms, as well as work with a particular focus on cladding issues.

Testimonials

Set

‘Reliable good solid set of counsel.’

‘Easy to work with, always available, detailed, commercial and inspires confidence. An absolute pleasure to work with.’

‘Well regarded by PI insurers, and solicitors practicing in the professional negligence field.’

‘Great strength and depth in the prof neg field across all levels of call.’

‘An excellent and established chambers taking on some of the most high profile and complicated professional negligence cases.’

Clerking

‘Helpful clerks. Matthew Moylan is very responsive and pleasant to deal with.’

‘My go to clerk when instructing 2 Temple Gardens is Oliver Gillen-Smith. He is excellent. Very approachable, friendly and nothing is too much trouble. ‘

‘The clerks have always been helpful.’

‘Generally good no fuss approach. Oliver Gillen- Smith is a very good point of contact.’

3 Verulam Buildings

3 Verulam Buildings are a strong set in banking-related professional negligence claims. Tom Weitzman KC represents professional indemnity insurers and brokers, with a good spread of work involving architects, engineers, solicitors, accountants and actuaries. Andrew Onslow KC is a leading barrister in high-profile financial professional negligence, with a standout case being Lancaster and Others v Peacock QC and Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management. The case dealt with numerous investors in failed film finance schemes and a claim for damages was presented against a well known tax silk and IFAs who advised on the entry into the schemes. Turning to the set’s juniors, Pia Dutton has been involved in a number of high profile professional negligence claims representing leading law firms and financial institutions.

Testimonials

Set

‘Really good commercial set I have used for many years.’

‘Some strong members, especially in banking.’

‘The juniors are very strong and I would particularly mention: Tom de Vecchi, Richard Hanke and Sophia Dzwig.’

‘Excellent set.’

‘Extremely hard working and committed and a great eye for detail. Very supportive and knowledgeable.’

‘3VB has a number of impressive Counsel and can field real specialists for a wide variety of cases. They also have an extensive training programme which helpfully reaches the regions, rather than just being London focused.’

‘Our “go to” trusted counsel for many years. Adam is extremely intelligent, technically excellent, commercially astute, and brilliant strategically. He always has full command of all of the details. Very user friendly and a pleasure to work with.’

Clerking

‘Clerks are helpful and responsive.’

‘Richard Ansell is exceptional and always ready to help.’

‘The clerks have always been helpful when needed.’

‘Stuart Pullum is excellent. Able to discuss and negotiate terms of instructions.’

‘Incredibly easy to work with, very client focused.’

7 King's Bench Walk

7 King’s Bench Walk have had a successful year with claims against accountants, auditors, brokers, surveyors and solicitors. The set has acted at the highest level, especially with Rebecca Sabben-Clare KC involvement in Manchester Building Society v Grant Thornton, which raised an issue of principle about scope of duty and the extent of damages; the Supreme Court found that the building society could recover losses after a change of accountancy method caused it to close out interest rate swaps at a £32m loss. Jonathan Gaisman KC is a specialist in financial claims, with cases including defending KPMG against Carillion PLC for damages in excess of over £1 billion, which raises significant legal issues such as the recoverability of trading losses. James Brocklebank KC has deep experience of audit and accounting negligence cases. Jo Higgs KC is a 2022 Silk appointment.

Testimonials

Set

‘7 King’s Bench Walk has a very strong professional negligence practice, with particular depth in the financial services sector.’

‘A superb set.’

‘7 King’s Bench Walk are always one of my ‘go to’ sets for anything insurance related.’

‘7 King’s Bench Walk is a set that I am always comfortable instructing.’

‘7 King’s Bench Walk is now one of the leading sets in auditors’ negligence, with a battery of excellent silks and juniors involved in most of the recent high profile cases in this area.’

Clerking

‘Gary Rose is exceptional.’

‘The clerks are excellent. Friendly, professional, and supportive.’

‘Very good. Gary Rose is excellent.’

‘Clerks work extremely efficiently.’

Atkin Chambers

Atkin Chambers is known for professional negligence in the construction, engineering, technology, energy and infrastructure spheres. The chambers benefits from a strong team of barristers who have specialist knowledge in construction based cases and can apply it to issues surrounding professional negligence. Stephanie Barwise KC has a diverse practice spanning a range of issues arising in construction, civil, mechanical and geotechnical engineering work. Martin Bowdery KC acts for a range of different professionals, including financial services advisers in numerous multi-million-pound professional negligence actions. Rupert Choat KC has been appointed silk as of March 2022.

Testimonials

Set

‘Very good on detail and technical issues.’

‘Go to chambers for construction & engineering matters.’

‘Atkin Chambers is, with Keating, the pre-eminent set for construction litigation.‘

‘Extremely bright, very friendly, very good client manner. Excellent work product.’

‘Atkin is a very set for construction and engineering law with many able Juniors and Silks.’

Clerking

‘The clerks that I have dealt with are always responsive, and excellent at helping identify appropriate Counsel and looking at ways to overcome availability issues.’

‘Andy Burrows and Rob Bryant provide me with an excellent service and are very user friendly.’

‘Good support and communication.’

‘Excellent. Rob Bryant is personable, responsive and is good at recommending Counsel.’

‘Rick Bulaitis is a super-reliable clerk and always on the ball, which I have never seen him drop.’

Brick Court Chambers

The ‘excellent’ Brick Court Chambers have been instructed in a number of complex and high profile professional negligence cases. This includes cases such as McClean & Others v Thornhill QC, whereby the claimants, a large group of wealthy individuals entered allege the promoters of a tax scheme was provided negligent advice by a tax silk. The Chambers is particularly strong in financial professional negligence cases, with barristers well versed within tax law. Tom Adam KC is a well-regarded barrister, who is regularly instructed by the ‘Big Four’ accountancy firms. Mark Howard KC has a practice focused on defending major accountants and international law firms.

Testimonials

Set

‘Brick Court Chambers is an excellent set, and has some of the leading barristers in the area of professional negligence, e.g. Simon Salzedo KC.’

‘Generally very strong; eclectic mix of talents.’

‘Stellar set on professional negligence matters.’

‘An excellent alternative to 4 New Square for prof neg.’

‘A first-rate professional negligence, commercial and public law set.’

Clerking

‘Very good clerking team. Phil Wilkes in particular is stand out’

‘Pleasant and efficient.’

‘Exemplary service.’

‘Clerking team have improved a lot over the past few years.’

‘Sheer class.’

Crown Office Chambers

Crown Office Chambers are respected for their presence across brokers, lawyers, accountants and construction professionals, the latter crossing over with its expertise on project disputes in that space. The chambers finds itself often in some of the leading cases for professional negligence, and its barristers cover complex and high-profile cases regularly. Andrew Rigney KC has an extensive practice both domestically and internationally in construction-based professional negligence cases. Daniel Shapiro KC has a practice in professional negligence involving financial and legal professionals, typically acting for defendants. Isabel Hitching KC is a specialist whose practice covers a spectrum of construction professional negligence work.

Testimonials

Set

‘Responsive, intelligent, thoughtful.’

‘Crown Office Chambers is a major set with strength and depth in its barristers.’

‘Top rated for insurance and construction work.’

‘Delightful and friendly chambers.’

‘Very good indeed – helpful training programme and articles – one of the best sets for this.’

Clerking

‘Excellent – Steve Purse is particularly helpful.’

‘The clerking team is excellent.’

‘Steve Purse in particular has a good knowledge of all the tenants\’ experience and working styles and is pragmatic and reasonable when it comes to fees.

‘Matthew Solari is very responsive.’

‘Big shout out to some of the best in the business. Professional, courteous and know their people. Makes my life easy, which is really what you want and need from a clerks room.’

Gatehouse Chambers

Gatehouse Chambers covers a wide spread of professional negligence work, covering solicitors, construction and financial professionals. Within these areas, the Chambers have dealt with a wide range of issues, including solicitor negligence and matters concerning investment schemes. Paul Reed KC‘s expertise spans construction, insurance and reinsurance. Reed’s highlight cases include RFU & RSA v FM Conway and Others, which involved damage to RFU’s Twickenham stadium caused during construction of additional infrastructure for the Rugby World Cup. John de Waal KC is in demand by claimant solicitors in relation to complex claims coming from property transactions. Sara Ibrahim has recently joined the set from 3 Hare Court.

Testimonials

Set

‘Friendly and professional.’

‘The team is friendly and professional, and ultimately the set is led with great vision and purpose by CEO Amanda Illing’

‘Chambers have a range of specialists in this area, who work well together, which has proven useful on the small number of occasions when availability has been an issue. They also provide a plentiful supply of good quality seminars.’

‘Very good set of chambers, which is the first port of call for commercial, property and insolvency matters.’

‘Always consistently good with juniors to seniors.’

Clerking

‘Clerks are really helpful and always assist with new matters. Training is regular and helpful.’

‘Approachability, understanding and focusing on the key issues.’

‘Friendly and professional.’

‘The team is friendly and professional, and ultimately the set is led with great vision and purpose by CEO Amanda Illing’

‘All of the clerks we have liaised with have been very slick, kept us updated, and been sensible on pricing.’

Hailsham Chambers

The ‘very capable set‘ of Hailsham Chambers are well known as specialists within all core areas of professional negligence. Nicola Rushton KC specialises in property and finance-related professional negligence. Dan Stacey is a highly experienced senior junior, who worked on the case of Infinity v Khan Partnership, which involves a claim for professional negligence and breach of fiduciary duty against a firm of solicitors which revolves around whether the firm obtained the agreement of Infinity to payment of an uplift for their fees.

Testimonials

Set

‘Very capable in claims against solicitors and works collaboratively.’

‘Hailsham are a very easy chambers to work with – an efficient clerking team who always try to accommodate requests and make counsel available.’

‘Excellent. Easy to deal with, responsive and sensible. One of the best!’

‘Hailsham covers the full spectrum of professional liability work and its clerks are knowledgeable and always able to provide guidance if this is required. You are always kept up to date with fees and time estimates and really feel like you are working in a partnership with them.’

‘Specialist in their field and cover all required areas. good choice and variety of experience and always able to provide clear recommendations. They keep you up to date with fees and time frames- superb service always!’

Clerking

‘Michael Kilby in particular is fabulous!’

‘Knowledgeable and highly approachable. Really responsive and always able to provide guidance and assistance/ recommendations if required. Michael Kilby in particular is proactive and ahead of the game.’

‘Friendly, quick, responsive’

‘Extremely effective and hard-working.’

Keating Chambers

Keating Chambers is well regarded for their work in technology and construction related professional negligence cases. Members of the chambers are often involved in domestic and international disputes, specialising in defending claims against professionals including architects, contractors and IT consultants. Adam Constable KC specialises in complex construction and engineering projects with a focus on technical claims. Alexander Nissen KC has been involved in Multiplex Construction Europe Ltd v Argo Global Syndicate, which related to the construction of a high profile and substantial 40-storey tower on Bishopsgate; it is alleged that there was a failure to perform a proper design check on a slip-form rig.

Testimonials

Set

‘Keating chambers has been my “go to” set for many years; especially for juniors to joint the team and assist with research. The quality of juniors and the speed at which they can pick up the often complex technical nuances of a case is a massive assistance to my small litigation team.’

‘In the wider team they have always been able to provide barristers to match our cases whether it be us requesting those we know or trusting their recommendation on those we don’t.’

‘Sharp intellect and clear advise.’

‘I have used Keating Chambers for around 30 years, using the full spectrum of Barristers from Seniors and Juniors. They have great strength in depth with a breath of experience that suits a variety of cases that I have been involved in over time. I have never had any issues over the availability of a suitably good Barrister for any specific case.’

Clerking

‘Excellent.’

‘Very good.’

‘Good clerking service, happy to take feedback and work with you to attempt to improve.’

‘The clerks room has always been very responsive and helpful – Will Shrubsall and Amy Barrie in particular when dealing with juniors.’

‘The clerks are friendly and easy to deal with and seek to assist you as the client and the barristers where ever possible. The clerks are proactive and try to deal with issues at the outset – they make the process of instructing Counsel straightforward and smooth. We often deal with Joel Banks who is friendly, always willing to assist and deals with requests promptly.’

Wilberforce Chambers

Wilberforce Chambers is well-regarded for the set’s user-friendly service and rigorous approach to legal issues when it comes to their professional negligence work, which encompasses claims against solicitors, barristers, accountants, auditors, actuaries and construction professionals. Ian Croxford KC has acted for and against professional firms in connection with substantial litigation, alongside work connected with accountants and solicitors. John Wardell KC has a busy practice, with defence work focused on claims brought against members of the Bar and patent attorneys. Clare Stanley KC has a practice focused on claims against solicitors and accountants, and is well known in acting in cases relating to trust, tax and restructuring matters.

Testimonials

Set

‘Great set.’

‘Wilberforce have a high reputation in many areas, including professional negligence.’

‘High quality set.’

‘Wilberforce is a trusted commercial litigation set which we have used for many years.’

‘Wilberforce is a strong set on commercial chancery matters and therefore any professional negligence arising within that context.’

Clerking

‘Very good.’

‘Excellent clerking – Fraser Geddes is particularly good.’

‘Very user friendly.’

Tier 3 sets

4 New Square

4 New Square are well-known specialists in professional negligence, acting both for Claimants and Defendants in litigation and arbitrations in England and Wales and internationally. The barristers practicing at the chambers have a depth of experience and talent, who have regularly been involved in cases which have shaped the law of professional negligence. Justin Fenwick KC has practiced in all areas of professional negligence and specialises in legal and financial claims. Nicholas Broomfield stands out for his professional negligence work spanning all core areas, and was involved in the case of Matthew & Others v Sedman & Others, whereby he successfully acted on behalf of respondents in an appeal arising from a claim against professional trustees, concerning the calculation of time for the purposes of limitation in cases of contract, tort and breach of trust when there is a ‘midnight deadline.’

Testimonials

Set

‘All works very efficiently. Their seminars and pod casts are of a very high quality and they are streets ahead of competitors in understanding the value of regular high quality seminars of this type. ‘

‘4 New Square are my set of choice for professional negligence matters.’

‘My experience of the mid, senior juniors is that they are not all carbon copies of each other. They all have an individuality which is really important. Despite this, they are all consistently client focused, academically sharp as tacks and thoroughly nice people to work with.’

‘4 New square Chambers provides a very high quality of barristers in particular specialising in professional negligence and liability.’

‘I have instructed 4 New Square for many years. 4 New Square is a top tier professional indemnity set with the depth and breadth of knowledge and experience which you would expect from a specialist set. Always professional, procative and helpful in all areas. 4 New Square have never let me down and have always been the reliable go-to set of choice.’

Clerking

‘Clerks are excellent, especially Alex Dolby and Chris Ebdon.’

‘Clerks are great and responsive.’

‘Helpful and responsive.’

‘Always friendly and helpful. Dennis Peck has always been excellent at accommodating of us and ensuring the best levels of service. James Barrass goes above and beyond. For example, he arranged attendance at remote hearings in related proceedings at short notice during the pandemic.’

‘Alex Dolby has been a good point of contact and responsive.’

Deka Chambers

Deka Chambers fields a large team within professional negligence, often crossing over with the set’s expertise in public sector areas. Members of the set have a strong relationship with leading professional negligence insurers, acting for them directly and through private practice law firms. Andrew Warnock KC and Maurice Rifat, from the 1 Chancery Lane side of the merger with 9 Gough Square, won the landmark Supreme Court case of Stoffel & Co v Grondona concerning the scope of the illegality defence in a claim against solicitors.

Testimonials

Set

‘Excellent all round.’

‘User friendly.’

‘The chambers are excellent and able to cater for a vast number of different areas of law. They also offer a series of free webinars.’

Clerking

‘Excellent clerking service – particularly Clark Chassis.’

Fountain Court Chambers

Described as a ‘top go to set’, members of Fountain Court Chambers are regularly instructed in cases concerning financial, construction and legal professionals. The set have practitioners who are in demand for their commercial litigation and regulatory knowledge, and have been instructed in various significant and high profile claims. Anneliese Day KC is noted as ‘a standout genius‘, acting on some of the biggest and complex professional negligence disputes, including Investors in the Scotts Atlantic Film Finance Scheme v Thornhill KC, with a claim worth £50m, whereby Day acted for over one hundred investors who invested money into a film finance scheme having been allegedly negligently advised by a tax KC. Christopher Knowles is a name to watch owing to his work defending solicitors.

Testimonials

Set

‘Fountain Court is a go-to set for me for (re)insurance coverage disputes, banking disputes and com lit.’

‘Very responsive and easy to work with; intelligent and excellent client handling skills; commercial and impressive work rate.’

‘Fountain Court is a really excellent set with quality from top to bottom. One of the first I go to. They are able to cover almost any type of commercial dispute. It was a real coup when they managed to get Richard Lissack to join — probably the best white collar lawyer at the Bar.’

‘Impressive knowledge and experience of the regulatory framework of solicitors and how the SRA operates.’

‘An excellent reputation for heavy commercial cases.‘

Clerking

‘The clerking team stands out as one of the most dynamic and friendly teams amongst sets, and can be commercially sensible.’

‘A lively chambers that offers an excellent client service.’

‘Strong set with good strength in depth, very capable juniors to support senior and strong clerking team. My go to chamber for professional discipline and regulatory work.’

‘The clerks are all highly efficient and responsive.’

‘The clerks are friendly, helpful and approachable.’

Radcliffe Chambers

Radcliffe Chambers are specialists within solicitor and financial based professional negligence work. Barristers are regularly instructed in both claimant and defendant based claims, whilst accepting instructions under the Public Access Scheme. Thomas Dumont KC has over forty years experience, with a recent highlight being the case of Bishop of Leeds v Dixon Coles & Gill, which involved a senior partner stealing millions from church charities, a Church of England bishop and deceased clients’ estates. Shantanu Majumdar KC acts for and against various legal and financial professionals.

Testimonials

Set

‘Radcliffe Chambers do a fair amount of work in the professional negligence field, particularly Jeremy Cousins KC who is very thorough and a pleasure to work with.’

‘Radcliffe Chambers is one of the leading chambers for pensions litigation. They have offered excellent and practical training relating to pensions litigation.’

‘Radcliffe is the best Chancery set to deal with in my experience. From very capable neo-juniors right up to KC level, they have never let me down. The clerk team are very helpful and efficient.’

‘Chambers offers a good range of counsel in both areas covered and years of experience. As a firm, we have used this firm for many years and many members of chambers from junior-juniors to KC level.’

Chambers

‘I have had the pleasure of working with all the clerks in the team and there is no variation in levels of service quality, all of a very high standard.’

‘A sound team well lead by John Clark.’

‘The clerks are responsive and helpful. They are ready to make suitable recommendations and respond quickly to queries and provide helpful costs estimates.’

‘Lee wright is responsive and an absolute pleasure to deal with.’

‘The clerks are very good and provide a great deal of assistance in the initial instruction and ongoing relationship with counsel.’

Tier 4 sets

39 Essex Chambers

39 Essex Chambers is active in professional negligence cases across all core areas, with claims against construction professionals being its main core area. Barristers are able to use their knowledge in both insurance law and an understanding of the work that goes into construction projects to represent their clients. Well-known construction silk Paul Darling KC worked on Blue Manchester v NWGR, which concerned a claim by a freeholder against an architect in relation to the design of a cladding system on the Manchester Hilton. Marion Smith KC has extensive experience in representing and advising clients in Europe and the ASEAN region in a broad range of professional negligence matters.

Testimonials

Set

‘Impressive chambers, with a vast array of barristers at all levels and across a broad spectrum of practice areas.’

‘Extremely knowledgeable, with a calm advocacy style.’

Clerking

‘Very efficient – co-ordination of my diary with Paul\’s has always been efficient. They come well recommended by my clerks.’

‘The clerks are responsive, personable and helpful.’

‘Harvey Scott and Tom Gibbons are always helpful.’

‘Clerking is excellent.’

Serle Court

Serle Court fields a strong team in both the junior and senior barrister level in many leading professional negligence cases. Members of the chambers are present in defending complex claims for professional service providers, financial advisers, solicitors and tax advisers. Philip Jones KC is active in this space, with one highlight case being Jomast v Muckle, a claim against solicitors for allegedly negligent advice and drafting of a commercial contract to provide accommodation for asylum seekers to the Home Office. David Blayney KC is a specialist in numerous cases involving surveyors accused of negligence property valuation. David Drake has extensive experience acting and advising in disputes in relation to solicitors, accountants and directors.

Testimonials

Set

‘Serle Court have real strength in depth. I would single out Philip Jones KC, Lance Ashworth KC, Dan McCourt Fritz and Matthew Morison for particular praise in this area.’

‘Serle Court consistently delivers excellent quality and availability of Counsel. I have only ever had positive experiences with Serle Court in terms of the quality of barristers they provide and train. The quality of their juniors are a consistent credit to Serle Court’s wider membership and the training they deliver to their juniors.’

‘Pupils and juniors are consistently very good. They appear to receive excellent training and are a glowing reflection on Serle Court more generally. I am always comfortable accepting a recommendation from the clerks of a new junior as I know that the quality will be consistently high both technically, and from a client management perspective.’

‘Probably the best of the commercial chancery sets.’

‘Top class.’

Clerking

‘Clerks service is generally excellent, responsive and commercial in approach. Nick Hockney and Dan Wheeler in particular are always a pleasure to deal with, although that extends to the clerks as a whole. Again, the clerks are a credit to Serle Court.’

Outer Temple Chambers

Outer Temple Chambers undertakes professional negligence work concerning solicitors, barristers, actuaries, accountants, financial services professionals and insolvency practitioners. The chambers are instructed on a wide range of work, from occupational pension schemes to commercial transactions. James Counsell KC acts for claimants against financial and legal professionals, having recently settled for four claimants against a solicitor. Nicolas Stallworthy KC has expertise in cases concerning insurance companies, benefits consultants and a number of financial professionals. Lydia Seymour is well regarded for her work focusing on pensions and actions against solicitors.

Testimonials

Set

‘Very responsive.’

‘Easy to work with. Takes into account client/instructing solicitors views.’

‘Excellent. Detailed focused and hard working. Approachable and brilliant with clients. Impressively capable of simplifying complex issues.’

‘Efficient and approachable.’

‘Outer Temple Chambers has an impressive range of talent for advising on professional negligence claims.’

Clerking

‘Clerks are responsive and communicative.’

‘Efficient and approachable.’

‘Outstanding with clients.’

Coverage By Practice AreaLondon Bar