Majority-silk set Byrom Street Chambers has members with ‘unparalleled expertise in clinical negligence work’, who often appear in highly complex catastrophic injury claims for both claimants and defendants. Head of chambers Winston Hunter KC predominantly handles cases concerning clinicians’ breach of duty and birth injury claims, the latter also being an area of expertise for James Rowley KC. David Heaton KC acts for both claimants and defendants in significant brain and spinal injury cases, and Rhiannon Jones KC has experience handling fatal accident claims arising from negligent medical treatment. Darryl Allen KC is highly skilled in advising on cases of failed diagnoses. Mary Ruck KC was appointed to silk in the 2023 round - she has expertise in cases involving vulnerable people with psychiatric injuries.
Clinical negligence in
Regional Bar
Byrom Street Chambers
Testimonials
‘Steve Price is entirely accessible, quick to respond, and appreciative of solicitors’ requirements. He has a good knowledge of listing issues on the circuit and is able to resolve conflicts utilising his particular skills and knowledge.’
‘Byrom Street Chambers is fortunate to have an exemplary senior clerk, Steve Price, who has always impressed with his drive to improve service standards. He is an astute problem solver and his attentive approach is mirrored by all his team. They are by far the best clerking team in the region.’
‘The clerks are outstanding; finding ways to rearrange diaries so as to accommodate conferences often with very limited expert availability or hearings at short notice. Steve Price and Matthew Tudor are particularly exceptional in ensuring the smooth running of Chambers.’
‘The clerks are great and always do their best to meet needs. Lucy Bardsley is particularly brilliant!’
‘The clerks are excellent, in particular Steve Price.’
‘Byrom Street Chambers has been at the top of its game for many years and continues to maintain a high level of service. There are numerous counsel with significant expertise in high-value, complex cases and they each command respect amongst claimant and defendant solicitors and opposing counsel.’
‘Top draw; indeed, quite simply at the top of the excellence spectrum for chambers in Manchester. Their KCs are utilised by both sides and are at the top of their game.’
‘Excellent and well-known set of senior counsel specialising in catastrophic clinical negligence cases. Have been involved in many of the well-known senior courts’ decisions in recent years.’
Exchange Chambers
Exchange Chambers has ‘a strength and depth of knowledge which is unrivalled.’ Its clinical negligence team acts for a range of private and publicly funded claimants, as well as defendants that include hospitals, NHS organisations, medical defence organisations, and insurance bodies. Head of chambers Bill Braithwaite KC represents claimants exclusively, and he handles cases involving catastrophic brain and spinal injuries. David Knifton KC represents claimants in cases stemming from high-value obstetric injuries, failures or delays in diagnosis and consent issues, and claims against alternative medical practitioners. Christopher Barnes KC has a specialism in military-related clinical negligence claims. The set is also home to Kevin Naylor, whose practice benefits hugely from his previous experience as a doctor, and Matthew Stockwell is another key name of note, focusing exclusively on brain, spinal, and other life-changing injuries.
Testimonials
‘Neil Wright, Rachel Williams, and Sarah Rotherham are all excellent. They are very responsive and always willing to find a workaround and accommodate requests.’
‘Leigh Daniels is a very approachable and accommodating clerk.’
‘Leigh Daniels is extremely efficient, friendly, and helpful, and always acknowledges instructions or requests promptly. It always feels as if nothing is too much trouble for him.’
‘Leigh Daniels is exceptional in his efficiency, organisational skills, and approachability. He responds with lightning speed to all emails and enquiries.’
‘Neil Wright is an exceptional clerk with fantastic knowledge.’
‘Exchange Chambers are the complete set of barrister’s chambers for clinical negligence work. They also have impressive training programmes in clinical negligence claims.’
‘This is an impressively strong set. They have a strength and depth of knowledge which is unrivalled.’
‘Exchange Chambers is highly rated. The barristers are technically excellent and are very personable, and the chambers offer excellent, high-quality training.’
Kings Chambers
‘A leading clinical negligence set in the Northern Circuit’, Kings Chambers has ‘a fantastic reputation with a well-established practice’. Its members handle claimant and defendant work for instructing solicitors nationally. Sarah Pritchard KC has substantial experience representing clients in birth damage claims, cauda equina cases, and surgical negligence. Nicholas Braslavsky KC handles high-value claims that often concern perinatal asphyxia and cerebral palsy, in addition to misdiagnoses and delayed diagnoses, and negligent surgery. The set is also home to Helen Mulholland KC, who took silk in the 2023 round and she undertakes cases involving birth injury and complex paediatric neurological cases, and Richard Borrett, who represents both claimants and defendants in a variety of matters, including surgical, dental, general practice, and maternity-related cases. Charlotte Law has an established clinical negligence practice, handling complex matters of medicine and law, and Claire Steward is skilled in complicated issues of liability and high-value claims.
Testimonials
‘The clerks are always helpful and work very hard to accommodate difficult or complex requests. Steve Loxton and Paul Clarke both provide helpful, calm, and consistent support.’
‘The clerks are efficient and helpful, particularly Stephen Loxton, who is organised and efficient.’
‘Stephen Loxton and Paul Clarke are excellent, approachable, friendly, and always willing to assist. Leanne Martin and Aaron Smith are also highly recommendable.’
‘Leanne Martin is responsive and provides good service.’
‘The clerks are friendly, helpful, polite, really efficient, and accommodating. Steve Loxton is great and very responsive.’
‘Kings Chambers has a solid reputation in the clinical negligence arena with good quality counsel spanning all levels of qualification. Kings offers breadth and depth.’
‘A leading clinical negligence set in the Northern Circuit. A fantastic reputation with a well-established practice. A good choice of Silks, all with a strong track record in this field.’
‘Kings Chambers is the set of choice. Whoever you instruct will be highly intelligent and will offer good common sense and initiative to the instructions and queries they are sent. Kings Chambers has an extremely professional yet friendly approach towards those instructing them. They commit and work as a team with those instructing them.’
St John's Buildings
St John’s Buildings is praised as ‘an excellent chambers providing a good selection of solid barristers in the clinical negligence field’. One such member is Philip Grundy, who has significant expertise in handling cases around consent and cauda equina, in addition to delayed diagnosis of illnesses. The set is also home to Henry Vanderpump, who works almost exclusively for claimants, and his cases often involve complex surgical procedures and delayed cancer diagnoses. Like Vanderpump, Richard Norton also focuses on claimant work, especially cases regarding surgical negligence and negligent post-operative care. Alastair Wright has a well-established clinical negligence practice, and Rebecca Titus-Cobb is another notable name, acting for claimants and defendants, including NHS trusts.
Testimonials
‘Chris Shaw and Martin Craggs provide a first-class service supporting counsel in this area of law. They add the personal touch to communications with chambers and will always endeavour to do their utmost to facilitate requests.’
‘Martin Craggs and Jennifer Carr are both helpful when arranging diaries and setting up discussions.’
‘The clerks are all very helpful. Chris Shaw and Martin Craggs have a wealth of experience between them.’
‘Martin Craggs is an excellent clerk; very efficient and helpful.’
‘The clerks are very helpful, particularly with new matters and recommending appropriate counsel. Martin Craggs is very friendly and helpful, as well as Paul Reeves, Chris Shaw, and Jennifer Carr. All the clerks at chambers are fantastic.’
‘A great set of chambers with a variety of barristers who have a range of experience to assist on a range of matters.’
‘St John’s Buildings have a diverse range of barristers and on several occasions have been willing to provide barrister cover on short notice for hearings.’
‘St John’s Buildings is an excellent chambers providing a good selection of solid barristers in the clinical negligence field. They offer great training opportunities on a regular basis covering a wide range of medico-legal and procedural topics.’
9 St John Street
9 St John Street has a ‘wide range of skilled counsel’ in the clinical negligence team, which is led by Kirsty McKinlay; she is highly adept at handling cases with complex causation arguments, and matters where there is a suggestion of exaggeration of injuries. Joseph Mulderig mainly represents claimants, but he also represents defendants from the private medical sector. His instructions usually involve large loss and complex medical issues. Julie-Anne Luck is another notable name in the team.
Testimonials
‘The clerks are a pleasure to work with, and Phillip Spencer can always be relied upon.’
‘From Tony Morrissey to Joe Gibson and Phillip Spencer, they are always on hand and will go out of their way to assist, even in difficult cases and with last-minute instructions.’
‘The clerks, particularly Phillip Spencer and Joe Gibson, are always very helpful, professional, and approachable. They deal with queries quickly.’
Atlantic Chambers
The members of the clinical negligence team at Atlantic Chambers act solely on behalf of claimants and they handle a wide range of cases, including complex obstetric, orthopaedic, surgical and neurological cases, matters regarding general practice, psychiatry and dentistry-related cases. Elizabeth Francis almost exclusively works on clinical negligence cases, and is highly skilled in mandates concerning delayed diagnosis. John Benson KC, who is another notable name in the clinical negligence space, leads the team.
Deans Court Chambers
Deans Court Chambers‘ clinical negligence team consists of a ‘good range of clinical negligence counsel at various levels of seniority.’ Victoria Heyworth acts on behalf of both claimants and defendants, and her cases often involve complex causation and procedural and technical difficulty. The set is also home to Michael Smith, who primarily represents defendants in cases involving cauda equina, amputations, and delayed diagnoses of cancer and other conditions. Stephen Grime KC is another key member of the set with considerable experience in cases involving birth injuries.
Testimonials
‘Pete Conwell is particularly helpful.’
‘The clerks at Deans Court Chambers are all very pleasant and helpful, and will try to accommodate short deadlines. They have a number of barristers who specialise in clinical negligence.’
‘Andy Flannigan and Matt Gibbons on are the perfect clerks; polite, courteous, personable, helpful, and impactful.’
Byrom Street Chambers
Testimonials
‘Steve Price is entirely accessible, quick to respond, and appreciative of solicitors’ requirements. He has a good knowledge of listing issues on the circuit and is able to resolve conflicts utilising his particular skills and knowledge.’
‘Byrom Street Chambers is fortunate to have an exemplary senior clerk, Steve Price, who has always impressed with his drive to improve service standards. He is an astute problem solver and his attentive approach is mirrored by all his team. They are by far the best clerking team in the region.’
‘The clerks are outstanding; finding ways to rearrange diaries so as to accommodate conferences often with very limited expert availability or hearings at short notice. Steve Price and Matthew Tudor are particularly exceptional in ensuring the smooth running of Chambers.’
‘The clerks are great and always do their best to meet needs. Lucy Bardsley is particularly brilliant!’
‘The clerks are excellent, in particular Steve Price.’
‘Byrom Street Chambers has been at the top of its game for many years and continues to maintain a high level of service. There are numerous counsel with significant expertise in high-value, complex cases and they each command respect amongst claimant and defendant solicitors and opposing counsel.’
‘Top draw; indeed, quite simply at the top of the excellence spectrum for chambers in Manchester. Their KCs are utilised by both sides and are at the top of their game.’
‘Excellent and well-known set of senior counsel specialising in catastrophic clinical negligence cases. Have been involved in many of the well-known senior courts’ decisions in recent years.’
Exchange Chambers
Exchange Chambers has ‘a strength and depth of knowledge which is unrivalled.’ Its clinical negligence team acts for a range of private and publicly funded claimants, as well as defendants that include hospitals, NHS organisations, medical defence organisations, and insurance bodies. Head of chambers Bill Braithwaite KC represents claimants exclusively, and he handles cases involving catastrophic brain and spinal injuries. David Knifton KC represents claimants in cases stemming from high-value obstetric injuries, failures or delays in diagnosis and consent issues, and claims against alternative medical practitioners. Christopher Barnes KC has a specialism in military-related clinical negligence claims. The set is also home to Kevin Naylor, whose practice benefits hugely from his previous experience as a doctor, and Matthew Stockwell is another key name of note, focusing exclusively on brain, spinal, and other life-changing injuries.
Testimonials
‘Neil Wright, Rachel Williams, and Sarah Rotherham are all excellent. They are very responsive and always willing to find a workaround and accommodate requests.’
‘Leigh Daniels is a very approachable and accommodating clerk.’
‘Leigh Daniels is extremely efficient, friendly, and helpful, and always acknowledges instructions or requests promptly. It always feels as if nothing is too much trouble for him.’
‘Leigh Daniels is exceptional in his efficiency, organisational skills, and approachability. He responds with lightning speed to all emails and enquiries.’
‘Neil Wright is an exceptional clerk with fantastic knowledge.’
‘Exchange Chambers are the complete set of barrister’s chambers for clinical negligence work. They also have impressive training programmes in clinical negligence claims.’
‘This is an impressively strong set. They have a strength and depth of knowledge which is unrivalled.’
‘Exchange Chambers is highly rated. The barristers are technically excellent and are very personable, and the chambers offer excellent, high-quality training.’
Kings Chambers
‘A leading clinical negligence set in the Northern Circuit’, Kings Chambers has ‘a fantastic reputation with a well-established practice’. Its members handle claimant and defendant work for instructing solicitors nationally. Sarah Pritchard KC has substantial experience representing clients in birth damage claims, cauda equina cases, and surgical negligence. Nicholas Braslavsky KC handles high-value claims that often concern perinatal asphyxia and cerebral palsy, in addition to misdiagnoses and delayed diagnoses, and negligent surgery. The set is also home to Helen Mulholland KC, who took silk in the 2023 round and she undertakes cases involving birth injury and complex paediatric neurological cases, and Richard Borrett, who represents both claimants and defendants in a variety of matters, including surgical, dental, general practice, and maternity-related cases. Charlotte Law has an established clinical negligence practice, handling complex matters of medicine and law, and Claire Steward is skilled in complicated issues of liability and high-value claims.
Testimonials
‘The clerks are always helpful and work very hard to accommodate difficult or complex requests. Steve Loxton and Paul Clarke both provide helpful, calm, and consistent support.’
‘The clerks are efficient and helpful, particularly Stephen Loxton, who is organised and efficient.’
‘Stephen Loxton and Paul Clarke are excellent, approachable, friendly, and always willing to assist. Leanne Martin and Aaron Smith are also highly recommendable.’
‘Leanne Martin is responsive and provides good service.’
‘The clerks are friendly, helpful, polite, really efficient, and accommodating. Steve Loxton is great and very responsive.’
‘Kings Chambers has a solid reputation in the clinical negligence arena with good quality counsel spanning all levels of qualification. Kings offers breadth and depth.’
‘A leading clinical negligence set in the Northern Circuit. A fantastic reputation with a well-established practice. A good choice of Silks, all with a strong track record in this field.’
‘Kings Chambers is the set of choice. Whoever you instruct will be highly intelligent and will offer good common sense and initiative to the instructions and queries they are sent. Kings Chambers has an extremely professional yet friendly approach towards those instructing them. They commit and work as a team with those instructing them.’
St John's Buildings
St John’s Buildings is praised as ‘an excellent chambers providing a good selection of solid barristers in the clinical negligence field’. One such member is Philip Grundy, who has significant expertise in handling cases around consent and cauda equina, in addition to delayed diagnosis of illnesses. The set is also home to Henry Vanderpump, who works almost exclusively for claimants, and his cases often involve complex surgical procedures and delayed cancer diagnoses. Like Vanderpump, Richard Norton also focuses on claimant work, especially cases regarding surgical negligence and negligent post-operative care. Alastair Wright has a well-established clinical negligence practice, and Rebecca Titus-Cobb is another notable name, acting for claimants and defendants, including NHS trusts.
Testimonials
‘Chris Shaw and Martin Craggs provide a first-class service supporting counsel in this area of law. They add the personal touch to communications with chambers and will always endeavour to do their utmost to facilitate requests.’
‘Martin Craggs and Jennifer Carr are both helpful when arranging diaries and setting up discussions.’
‘The clerks are all very helpful. Chris Shaw and Martin Craggs have a wealth of experience between them.’
‘Martin Craggs is an excellent clerk; very efficient and helpful.’
‘The clerks are very helpful, particularly with new matters and recommending appropriate counsel. Martin Craggs is very friendly and helpful, as well as Paul Reeves, Chris Shaw, and Jennifer Carr. All the clerks at chambers are fantastic.’
‘A great set of chambers with a variety of barristers who have a range of experience to assist on a range of matters.’
‘St John’s Buildings have a diverse range of barristers and on several occasions have been willing to provide barrister cover on short notice for hearings.’
‘St John’s Buildings is an excellent chambers providing a good selection of solid barristers in the clinical negligence field. They offer great training opportunities on a regular basis covering a wide range of medico-legal and procedural topics.’
9 St John Street
9 St John Street has a ‘wide range of skilled counsel’ in the clinical negligence team, which is led by Kirsty McKinlay; she is highly adept at handling cases with complex causation arguments, and matters where there is a suggestion of exaggeration of injuries. Joseph Mulderig mainly represents claimants, but he also represents defendants from the private medical sector. His instructions usually involve large loss and complex medical issues. Julie-Anne Luck is another notable name in the team.
Testimonials
‘The clerks are a pleasure to work with, and Phillip Spencer can always be relied upon.’
‘From Tony Morrissey to Joe Gibson and Phillip Spencer, they are always on hand and will go out of their way to assist, even in difficult cases and with last-minute instructions.’
‘The clerks, particularly Phillip Spencer and Joe Gibson, are always very helpful, professional, and approachable. They deal with queries quickly.’
Atlantic Chambers
The members of the clinical negligence team at Atlantic Chambers act solely on behalf of claimants and they handle a wide range of cases, including complex obstetric, orthopaedic, surgical and neurological cases, matters regarding general practice, psychiatry and dentistry-related cases. Elizabeth Francis almost exclusively works on clinical negligence cases, and is highly skilled in mandates concerning delayed diagnosis. John Benson KC, who is another notable name in the clinical negligence space, leads the team.
Deans Court Chambers
Deans Court Chambers‘ clinical negligence team consists of a ‘good range of clinical negligence counsel at various levels of seniority.’ Victoria Heyworth acts on behalf of both claimants and defendants, and her cases often involve complex causation and procedural and technical difficulty. The set is also home to Michael Smith, who primarily represents defendants in cases involving cauda equina, amputations, and delayed diagnoses of cancer and other conditions. Stephen Grime KC is another key member of the set with considerable experience in cases involving birth injuries.
Testimonials
‘Pete Conwell is particularly helpful.’
‘The clerks at Deans Court Chambers are all very pleasant and helpful, and will try to accommodate short deadlines. They have a number of barristers who specialise in clinical negligence.’
‘Andy Flannigan and Matt Gibbons on are the perfect clerks; polite, courteous, personable, helpful, and impactful.’