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Travel Law (including Jurisdictional Issues)

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1 Chancery Lane
2 Temple Gardens
3 Hare Court
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12 King's Bench Walk
39 Essex Chambers
Fountain Court Chambers
Outer Temple Chambers
Quadrant Chambers

Leading Silks

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William Audland QC - 12 King's Bench Walk ‘He is an excellent, authoritative advocate in court, with good mastery of the issues.’
Matthew Chapman QC - 1 Chancery Lane ‘Disconcertingly bright; photographic memory; amazing attention to detail. Great to have on your side in a tough international claim.’
Charles Dougherty QC - 2 Temple Gardens ‘An outstanding barrister who has an unparalleled ability to analyse complex legal points and develop arguments which succeed in court.’
Marie Louise Kinsler QC - 2 Temple Gardens ‘Her intuition and knowledge in respect of travel law are second to none. Has the academic abilities akin to the top judges in the area, and the forensic skills of a top QC.’
Gerard McDermott QC - Outer Temple Chambers ‘A great team leader who fully understands the implications of catastrophic injuries upon every aspect of clients’ lives.’
John Ross QC - 1 Chancery Lane ‘At the top of his game – go-to counsel for jurisdictional issues.’
Howard Stevens QC - 3 Hare Court ‘Calm and thoughtful, he prepares thoroughly and is excellent with clients.’
Robert Weir QC - Devereux ‘Exceptionally bright with great knowledge of travel law. Not afraid to take on very difficult and ground-breaking cases, and generally wins.’
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Grahame Aldous QC - 9 Gough Chambers ‘A formidable advocate who gets his teeth into each and every case and doesn't back down.’
Benjamin Browne QC - 2 Temple Gardens ‘Outstanding expertise in advocacy and negotiations. Claimants and defendants alike could not find a safer pair of hands for a high-value cross-border claim.’
Sarah Crowther QC - Outer Temple Chambers ‘She is involved in many of the leading cases in this area. Can always be relied upon to provide imaginative solutions to thorny issues.’
John Kimbell QC - Quadrant Chambers ‘One of the brightest around. A truly formidable force.’
Michael McParland QC - 39 Essex Chambers ‘He is a fantastic advocate to have on your side and, conversely, an opponent you would not want to face.’
Hugh Mercer QC - Essex Court Chambers ‘He is undoubtedly extremely strong on all relevant jurisdictional conflict issues.’
Howard Palmer QC - 2 Temple Gardens ‘He is able to advise succinctly on complex issues. Incredibly knowledgeable when it comes to private international law.’
Rosalind Phelps QC - Fountain Court Chambers ‘She has a first-rate analytical approach to solving difficult problems.’
Akhil Shah QC - Fountain Court Chambers ‘A great team player who clearly explains complex issues.’
Harry Steinberg QC - 12 King's Bench Walk ‘He specialises in large-scale group claims.’
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Charles Bagot QC - Hardwicke ‘He is highly regarded for cross-border injury cases.’
Neil Block QC - 39 Essex Chambers ‘He is never flustered and always understands all the key issues, presenting them succinctly and with reassurance and respect for his audience.’
Charlie Cory-Wright QC - 39 Essex Chambers ‘He is astute and very good with clients.’
Stephen Killalea QC - Devereux ‘Very strong client care and good instincts for tough cases.’

2019 Silks

Katherine Deal QC - 3 Hare Court ‘An extraordinary advocate with an unrivalled depth of knowledge. She provides clear written advice and excels at explaining what are often quite complicated technical issues in terms that lay clients can understand.’
Giles Mooney QC - 9 Gough Chambers ‘One of the few barristers at the Bar with genuine expertise in personal injury accidents at sea. Superb in court.’

2020 Silks

Tamara Oppenheimer QC - Fountain Court Chambers ‘A dynamic and impressive junior silk.’

Leading Juniors

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Bernard Doherty - 39 Essex Chambers ‘He always gets to the heart of the issue, and is exceptionally clear in his analysis and advice.’
Jack Harding - 1 Chancery Lane ‘He is very forensic in his dealings on cases and quickly gets to grips with complicated issues in cross-jurisdictional cases.’
Katherine Howells - Old Square Chambers ‘Individual strengths: attention to detail, clarity of expression, pragmatism and efficiency. She is very thorough and very determined – never afraid to fight her client's corner in court.’
Philip Mead - 12 King's Bench Walk ‘He is one of the most innovative and informed counsel in the field of using EU Law, Conflicts of Law and comparative law in both domestic and cross-border tort law – particularly personal injury and travel law.’
Sarah Prager - 1 Chancery Lane ‘She is incredibly sharp. She cuts through the nonsense, giving solid, erudite advice every time.’
Dan Saxby - 3 Hare Court ‘His mastery of travel law and the most intricate and technical principles of both fact and civil procedure are his strongest qualities.’
Andrew Spencer - 1 Chancery Lane ‘He is very effective in court, outstanding in cross-examination, and canny with a judge.’
Lucy Wyles - 2 Temple Gardens ‘She regularly appears alone against leading silks, bringing a combination of high intellect, specialist knowledge, and pragmatism to her cases.’
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Daniel Clarke - Outer Temple Chambers ‘He is approachable, amenable, thorough and knowledgeable - utterly cool, calm and collected in high-pressure situations.’
Ian Denham - Outer Temple Chambers ‘Involved in some of the leading cases in travel law and has an extensive knowledge of the law.’
Meghann McTague - 2 Temple Gardens ‘Consistency, clarity, excellent oral and writing skills, pragmatic. She is very capable and approachable in this area. Works tirelessly to ensure that a case is watertight.’
Bruce Silvester - Devereux ‘Very thorough and detailed drafting, and very persuasive written advocacy. Incisive.’
James Sullivan - 12 King's Bench Walk ‘He is a strong and capable practitioner with an excellent knowledge of the law in the travel field.’
Asela Wijeyaratne - 3 Hare Court ‘He provides very reliable, intelligent advice and delivers those opinions with a great deal of consideration towards client care.’
Andrew Young - 3 Hare Court ‘He litigates without fear on behalf of his clients.’
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Ben Bradley - Outer Temple Chambers ‘Very knowledgeable and provides clear and practical advice. Great results at trial.’
Richard Campbell - 3 Hare Court ‘He is outstanding on travel and personal injury claims.’
James Candlin - 12 King's Bench Walk ‘He is a careful and meticulous cross-examiner. Very helpful. Client friendly.’
Alex Carington - 12 King's Bench Walk ‘He is punching well above his weight and is already an established specialist in Athens Conventions claims. One to watch.’
Thomas Collins - 1 Chancery Lane ‘He has a keen intellect, a fluent pen for pleadings, skeleton arguments and submissions.’
Anna Hughes - 2 Temple Gardens ‘She is an excellent lawyer and fearless advocate. She combines intellectual rigour with a formidable work ethic: the combination is powerful and explains her extremely successful practice.’
Robert Hunter - Devereux ‘He is very responsive and provides prompt, detailed, considered advice.’
Tim Marland - Quadrant Chambers ‘His advice is technically accurate and commercially sensible.’
Emily McWilliams - Quadrant Chambers ‘Very sharp and has quickly mastered the subtleties of complex disputes. Her advocacy to be excellent.’
Linda Nelson - 9 Gough Chambers ‘She is responsive and has a good level of specialism in the travel law arena.’
Angela Rainey - 39 Essex Chambers ‘She is a very committed barrister, passionate about her work and her beliefs. She is well prepared and quick in response.’
Matthew Reeve - Quadrant Chambers ‘He is easy to work with, bright, thoughtful and analytical, with a desire to get to the real nub of every matter.’
Mark Stiggelbout - Quadrant Chambers ‘He is great to deal with and has fantastic knowledge.’
John-Paul Swoboda - 12 King's Bench Walk ‘He goes from strength to strength, and is firmly in the ascendancy in this area.’
Colin Thomann - 39 Essex Chambers ‘He is an excellent advocate; always good in court and in conference.’
Will Young - Outer Temple Chambers ‘He has impeccable attention to detail and will go the extra mile to provide advice.’

Rising Stars

Max Archer - 12 King's Bench Walk ‘He is very strong. Sharp, clear, knowledgeable, with an easy manner.’
Max Davidson - Quadrant Chambers ‘He knows clients’ strengths and weaknesses, always making them feel more knowledgeable.’
Ruth Kennedy - 2 Temple Gardens ‘A cerebral and hard-working junior with extensive expertise in issues of public and private international law.’
Luka Krsljanin - Blackstone Chambers‘Extremely intelligent and assiduous, and has good experience of travel law and jurisdictional issues. Punches above his weight.’
Alistair Mackenzie - 2 Temple Gardens ‘He is extremely knowledgeable about all areas of European jurisdictional and applicable law rules.’
Dominique Smith - 1 Chancery Lane ‘She is very organised, responds fast, does not hesitate to provide advice, and her work is always outstanding. She is very personable, very approachable, and witnesses and judges like her. Consequently she gets some excellent results in otherwise unpromising cases.’

Travel law (including jurisdictional issues) in London Bar

1 Chancery Lane

‘One of the strongest travel sets out there’, 1 Chancery Lane specialises in both claimant and defendant work, covering overseas accidents, complex foreign clinical negligence, catastrophic injuries, group actions hinging on illnesses, and package travel cases. Allan Peacock v Del Seatek India Private Ltd & Another was a key highlight of Matthew Chapman QC 's, its ‘most senior barrister on the international injury and travel litigation side’. Jack Harding, whose caseload included the highly publicised Labbadia v Alitalia case, is among the sets’ ‘unrivalled senior juniors doing travel litigation work’.

2 Temple Gardens

The ‘first-class defendant barristers’ at 2 Temple Gardens are lauded as ‘preeminent in the field of cross-border work’. The set is particularly strong at handling high-value personal injury claims arising from accidents abroad which involve the application of foreign law, especially catastrophic injuries or fatalities. A case of note for Charles Dougherty QC is Butt v D’Amato, a claim involving multiple fatalities and serious injuries following a bus accident in Malta in 2018. Meanwhile, Marie Louise Kinsler QC is acting for the defendant in Bhatti v Cable News International, a high-profile multi-jurisdictional claim arising from a CNN journalist sustaining serious injuries while covering the Gaza conflict. Another highlight, led by Howard Palmer QC, is Suetta v Auld MIB – the largest ever injury claim in Gibraltar – which is proceeding before the nation's supreme court in 2020. The future of the set looks bright with rising stars Alistair Mackenzie and Ruth Kennedy.

3 Hare Court

Acting for and against insurers, tour operators, travel agents, ship owners and hoteliers, 3 Hare Court is ‘very strong in travel litigation, particularly at the senior end’. The set has considerable experience dealing with claims involving accidents or illnesses abroad, with such personal injury mandates regularly involving issues of jurisdiction and conflicts of laws. Howard Stevens QC was instructed by ABTA in the appeal to the Supreme Court in X v Kuoni, which has referred two questions on 1992 Package Travel Regulations to the Court of Justice of the European Union. A notable highlight for Katherine Deal QC was in AA v Groupama, believed to be the largest settlement for a fatal accident claim ever reached under French law.

12 King's Bench Walk

12 King's Bench Walk is highly experienced in a range of international travel claims, namely those with jurisdiction law issues. Multi-party claims, package travel disputes, road traffic claims, and employer’s liability cases are key areas of strength. A stand-out case for William Audland QC is X v Kuoni Travel, which was referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union in 2019, while Harry Steinberg QC, who is 'credited with having driven forward 12KBW's international practice, bringing up some stellar juniors', was instructed by the claimant in Alistair Inglis v Ministry of Defence, a test case regarding noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus caused by exposure to noise while serving in the Royal Marines.

39 Essex Chambers

39 Essex Chambers is regularly instructed in international personal injury claims, ranging from complex group litigation actions to individual claims involving jurisdiction and choice of law issues. Food poisoning, sporting accidents, road traffic accidents, clinical negligence claims, aviation and maritime accidents and disasters, and terror attacks feature among its caseload. Michael McParland QC is most notably engaged by the defendant in Jovicic v Serbian Orthodox Church, an action brought in England claiming historic sex abuse and murder by clerics in Serbia, Bosnia, and Croatia. Bernard Doherty is instructed by the defendant in Hutchinson v Mapfre Mutualidad, a complex catastrophic personal injury claim arising from an accident in a swimming pool in Spain.

Fountain Court Chambers

Fountain Court Chambers has particular travel-related expertise in acting for bespoke tour operators, as well as other commercial disputes in the travel industry. Akhil Shah QC was engaged in Blanche v easyJet, a second appeal and test case of a passenger claim for compensation under EU Regulation 261; while Rosalind Phelps QC was involved in Volare v Civil Aviation Authority, acting as the external legal adviser to the CAA Panel deciding a contested case about the use of aircraft parts and their impact on the airworthiness of passenger aircraft. New silk Tamara Oppenheimer QC has extensive aviation sector expertise.

Outer Temple Chambers

Outer Temple Chambers’ ‘broad range of barristers’ are among ‘the best in the business for catastrophic injury claims arising from accidents overseas and travel law issues’. This includes package travel claims, direct claims against insurers as a result of road traffic or other accidents abroad, and skiing and sporting claims. A recent highlight in Sarah Crowther QC’s caseload is Hutchinson v MAPFRE and Ocean Beach Club, a spinal cord injury claim arising from a swimming pool dive in Spain which establishes new legal principle that insurers cannot use contract terms to exclude the right of third parties to sue directly against insurers in courts of own country. Top-tier silk Gerard McDermott QC is seen as a 'go-to leader on catastrophic injury claims' with travel law elements, while Ian Denham has 'established himself as a leading junior' for cross-border claims. 'Shining star' Will Young is 'bang on the money in terms of his preparation and advice'.

Quadrant Chambers

Quadrant Chambers is well-known for its specialisation in aviation and shipping-related disputes. As well as acting for large international airlines, its members are also instructed by major tour operators and is active in fatal accidents involving air travel; Matthew Reeve has been retained by the family of late international footballer Emiliano Sala, who died in a light aircraft crash in 2019, raising a wide range of issues in the areas of travel regulation and personal injury. John Ashley Kimbell QC acts for the estate of Mr Tonkinson in Tonkinson v Alpi, an ongoing claim involving 13 parties arising out of a major UK aviation casualty.