Clinical Negligence

Leading Silks

Paul Bleasdale KC – No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Paul’s experience in the catastrophic injury field is second-to-none. He will fight even the most difficult of cases and is usually successful. His strong relationship with the judiciary is a real asset in his advocacy – judges trust him. His sense of humour and relaxed approach with clients means that they can engage fully with Paul and their case is presented more effectively as a result.’

Chris Bright KC – No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Chris is very experienced and is an expert in the field. He puts clients at ease and is very thorough and thoughtful. He scrutinises evidence to ensure maximum benefit to cases and has a collegiate approach to progressing cases as well.'

John Coughlan KC – No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘John is a brilliant barrister and one of the best around. He is exceptional with clients and deals with complex issues with ease. He is the go-to barrister on all clinical negligence cases and a real pleasure to work with.'

Satinder Hunjan KC – Kings Chambers 'Satinder has to be one of the best if not the best KC around. His mastery of the expert evidence and pleading of a case is outstanding. There is nobody better in handling settlements of cases at mediation or a joint settlement meeting. He is also outstanding when it comes to advocacy but his excellent management of cases often means they never get to trial.'

Jonathan Jones KC – No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Jonathan is an excellent barrister with a forensic approach who quickly identifies the crux of a case. He is very approachable and builds great rapport with clients and medical experts. He has strong advocacy skills and is excellent in negotiations, achieving the best outcome for his clients.'

Henry Pitchers KC – No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Henry is one of the strongest silks around. He approaches his work with energy, intellect, attention to detail, pragmatism, and clarity. Clients respond very well to him and he gets the best from experts.'

David Tyack KC – No5 Barristers’ Chambers 'David is extremely approachable, easy to work with and very intelligent. He puts clients at ease and explains legal concepts to them in a way that is easy for them to follow, but not condescending. He is empathetic in the way that he deals with clients and is a highly experienced advocate.'

Leading Juniors

Colin Baran – St Philips Chambers 'Colin is a brilliant advocate. His work is exemplary and it is always clear that Colin knows his cases inside out. His advice always bears out as correct and clients like him because of his calm and knowledgeable manner.'

Jason Cox –Ropewalk Chambers 'Jason is absolutely excellent on paper, in conference and on his feet. It is rare to work with a barrister who has the complete skill set. He has an eye for the detail, is technically very capable, a good team player and puts clients at their ease.'

Andrew Evans –St Philips Chambers 'Andrew is a great advocate with a keen eye for detail, which is a must-have skillset in the complex medical negligence field. He is very approachable and clients are always very comforted by his approach.'

Esther Gamble – No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Esther is an exceptionally intelligent barrister with very high levels of attention to detail. She is thorough, detailed and impressive on paper, in conference, and in court. She has a wonderful manner with clients, who are often very vulnerable, and she is able to carefully and methodically unpick cases.'

Jamie Gamble – No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Jamie is methodical, pragmatic and empathetic with excellent attention to detail and bedside manners. He is able to drill down into the issues of a case and strike a balance between client care and narrowing the case with experts. His advocacy skills are exemplary.'

Richard Grimshaw – No5 Barristers’ Chambers 'Richard has an exceptionally keen eye for detail. His thorough approach and dedication to getting the best outcome comes through in everything he does. He cares deeply about clients and keeps them at the heart of every case. He is always approachable. He takes the time to talk through cases and is an excellent listener.'

Mamta Gupta – No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Mamta is exceptionally strong on the details of a case and meticulous in her preparation. She also has a lovely manner with clients and experts alike. She is a go-to barrister.'

Gemma Roberts – No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Gemma is an incredible barrister. She is approachable and accessible. She is thorough with a keen eye for detail and gets to grips with cases with ease. She also has an excellent way of dealing with experts and clients really like her. Gemma is a very safe pair of hands her judgement and advice can be trust completely. She is a go-to barrister.'

Rochelle Rong –Ropewalk Chambers ‘Rochelle is a leading junior for clinical negligence work. She has an unrivalled attention to detail. Her written advocacy is sacrosanct and she is able to distill complex issues to make them understandable to lay clients.'

Rachel Young –Ropewalk Chambers ‘Rachel is adept at cutting through to the crux of even the most complex of cases efficiently. She is always approachable and responsive to queries, and establishes good working relationships with solicitors, experts and clients alike. Her advice is always professional and easy for clients to follow. She is also a very strong advocate; forensic and steadfast in her approach.’

Anna Diamond –Kings Chambers ‘Anna is an excellent tactician. She is extremely bright, unflappable and remains calm during the most challenging of times. Anna prepares thoroughly for conferences and charms every client. She can always see the wood for the trees.'

Stephen Goodfellow – No5 Barristers’ Chambers

Teresa Hargreaves – No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Teresa is approachable and down-to-earth. She is easy to work with and is technically strong. She has good client care skills but can be forthright in her advice when required.’

Thomas Herbert –Ropewalk Chambers ‘Thomas is an excellent advocate, with a talent for assimilating large volumes of data, especially medical and scientific data, and delivering detailed, well-executed submissions. His advocacy is nothing shy of brilliant, with him remaining composed, prepared and direct to all issues in hand.’

Edward James – Ropewalk Chambers ‘Edward is personable, pragmatic and has an excellent manner with clients. His written advice is always clear and confident. He is able to identify a clear path through cases and uses that skill to his advantage when conducting advocacy.'

Jodie Kembery – No5 Barristers’ Chambers

Rebecca Livesey – No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Rebecca is a great junior barrister and a pleasure to work with. She is able to hold her own on complex cases and has a brilliant manner with clients. Her team leading is very strong and her written work is concise and to the point.’

Mark Lomas – 3PB ‘Mark is incredibly thorough and is able to focus in on the key issues of a case. He has a great manner with clients and explains things in plain English.'

Alexandra Pountney – Ropewalk Chambers ‘Alex is a fierce advocate who leaves no stone unturned. She is thorough and methodical in her approach and carefully teases out information in a deliberate and effective manner. Alex is also superb with clients - empathetic and supportive, but also firm when needed. She explains complex legal and medical issues clearly.'

Richard Seabrook –Ropewalk Chambers

Petar Starcevic –St Philips Chambers ‘Petar's attention to detail is of the highest standard and his ability to assimilate large quantities of information and grapple complex issues is outstanding.'

Nicholas Truelove – Kings Chambers ‘Nick is an excellent advocate and intuitive and voracious in cross-examination. His skills and legal knowledge in advising clients in conference are particularly impressive and he has a natural empathy with experts which allows them to feel comfortable in providing their evidence in a way which will most benefit the client and the judge.’

Rising Stars

Thomas Beasley - No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Tom is a really promising junior. His drafting, ability to question experts and client care is impressive. He has the ability to read a room very well and is very knowledgeable and through when it comes to providing advice. Tom is always very well-prepared in conference and that shows in his advocacy.’

Louisa Sherlock – No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Louisa’s background in dentistry provides invaluable insights in relation to dental negligence claims. She is excellent in conference and forensic in her approach as well as an excellent advocate who gets to grips with issues very quickly. She is also compassionate with clients who are facing very difficult and sensitive issues.’

Clinical negligence in Regional Bar

Tier 1 sets

No5 Barristers' Chambers

Recognised by clients as ‘the leader in the field of clinical negligence in the Midlands’, No5 Barristers’ Chambers fields a strong team of specialists with wide experience ranging from brain and spinal injury cases to dental negligence matters. The ‘extremely personable’ Gemma Roberts is particularly strong handling gynaecological, oncological, orthopaedic, and birth injury cases. Mamta Gupta specialises in mental health suicide cases as well as birth injury cases. Neil Shastri-Hurst is now Member of Parliament for Solihull West and Shirley. Karl Hirst left practice in August 2024.

Testimonials

‘Will Theaker is a brilliant clerk and a pleasure to deal with.’

‘The clerks provide an excellent service, they are all extremely approachable and try to find practical solutions to timetabling issues. Will Theaker, Pete Mottram and Tracey Witherford are very good.’

‘No 5 is an excellent set from a clinical negligence point of view. They have a number of highly experienced and skilled counsel.

‘No 5 Chambers is the leader in the field in the Midlands. The breadth of specialists on offer is formidable.’

‘One of the very best chambers for clinical negligence work. Clerks are really helpful and on the very odd occasion your choice of barrister is not available they always find a suitable alternative. They offer great training and networking events provide opportunities to meet the next generation of counsel, providing options in lower value cases.’

‘No 5 are without doubt a stellar set in the Midlands with a broad Clinical Negligence offering. They offer regular training opportunities and the recent more junior additions to the team further enhances their service and ensures that the appropriate level of counsel (both in terms of fees and experience) are allocated to cases.’

Tier 2 sets

Ropewalk Chambers

Ropewalk Chambers has a strong reputation as ‘the leading set in the East Midlands’ with ‘a wide range of expertise’ in clinical negligence matters. Jason Cox is widely praised as ‘a very capable advocate’ and regularly handles high-value claims, including those concerning cauda equina syndrome and missed or delayed cancer diagnosis. Rachel Young, noted for her client care skills, acts for both claimants and defendants.

Testimonials

‘Tony Hill is a stand out member of chambers. He goes the extra mile to assist.’

‘Tony Hill could not be more helpful or personable. He is organised and quick to respond. Nothing is too much trouble.’

‘Senior clerks Tony Hill and Alan Odiam always very responsive and helpful.’

‘The breadth of knowledge and skills from barristers specialising in clinical negligence provides clients with great confidence that whatever the circumstances of the claim there will always be someone within chambers to instruct. The clerks at the chambers are extremely helpful and offer impeccable service. The conferences and courses offered are expertly delivered and are of great benefit.’

‘A brilliant chambers with outstanding counsel who can easily compete with chambers in London for skill set.’

‘The leading set in the East Midlands providing consistently high-quality counsel.’

‘Great clerks, who are on top of everything.’

Work highlights

Tier 3 sets

Kings Chambers

Kings Chambers is well-known as ‘an excellent set with plenty of strength in depth’ when it comes to clinical negligence work. Satinder Hunjan KC handles complex and high-profile cases, standing out for ‘his mastery of the expert evidence’. Anna Diamond’s ‘knowledge of the issues of clinical practice and medicine is outstanding’. Nicholas Truelove has recently been instructed by a claimant in relation to a group litigation against the neurosurgery department of Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, concerning the systematic misplacement of brain stimulation devices used to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

Testimonials

‘Jake Brooke is a standout clerk. Nothing is too much trouble and he can be trusted implicitly. Drew Platt is also outstanding.’

‘Drew Platt and Jake Brooke are always strong on communication, always friendly and helpful even when it’s difficult or last minute! Both of these clerks are excellent.’

‘King’s Chambers are a very professional set; Well organised, always helpful and responsive. They take time to build a relationship with instructing solicitors and know their clients’ needs in order to ensure the best counsel for each individual case. The clerks in Birmingham are a pleasure to work with because of their diligence and service-led approach.’

‘King’s Chambers have a good breath of very good barristers, spanning all areas of clinical negligence practice, from the most senior to junior. The clerking service is excellent, which makes it easy to find a good counsel to suit each case. They are always prepared to go the extra mile to meet clients’ needs.’

‘An excellent set of chambers with plenty of strength in depth in case the first choice counsel is not available. The clerks make the set very accessible. Training events and support for charitable events have always been made available. A great chambers to work with overall.’

Work highlights

St Philips Chambers

St Philips Chambers offers several strong barristers handling a wide range of clinical negligence matters. With ‘excellent client care’ skills Colin Baran stands out for his expertise in cosmetic surgery claims. He is also noted for his experience handling claims involving sportspeople alleging negligence on the part of physiotherapists and other medical professionals responsible for rehabilitation treatment following injury. Andrew Evans is recognised by clients as ‘a great advocate with a keen eye for detail’.

Testimonials

‘The clerks are brilliant, especially Oliver Edwards, Janita Patel, Harie Bariana and Georgia Coleyshaw.’

‘Janita Patel is a go-to clerk; she is always helpful and very organised.’

‘The set has good availability and offers quality training.’

‘Clerks are responsive and happy to assist when needed.’

Coverage By Practice AreaRegional Bar