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Clinical Negligence

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St John's Chambers
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Guildhall Chambers
Old Square Chambers
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3PB
No5 Barristers Chambers
Queen Square Chambers

Leading Silks

Jonathan Jones QC - No5 Barristers Chambers ‘Calm under pressure, meticulous in his drafting and advocacy, and sympathetic yet realistic with lay clients.’

2020 Silks

Selena Plowden QC - Guildhall Chambers ‘Tactically brilliant, great with clients, and tough but fair with opposition.’

2021 Silks

David Tyack QC-No5 Barristers Chambers‘Unflappable even in the most complex of cases, with client care skills that make him a good choice for vulnerable claimants.’

Leading Juniors

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Hamish Dunlop - 3PB ‘Provides excellent in-depth analysis with an eye for the key facts of the case, and is superb with clients, opponents and judges.’
Tim Grice - St John's Chambers ‘Quick, thorough and practical in his written advice and a powerful advocate in court.’
Sophie Holme - Guildhall Chambers ‘A phenomenally capable counsel who combines intellectual rigour, impeccable judgement, attention to detail, and determination.’
Tom Leeper - St John's Chambers ‘Extremely thorough, with an advocacy style that commands respect from the Bench and instils confidence in clients.’
Mark Lomas - 3PB ‘Very meticulous and knowledgeable, and leaves no stones unturned yet provides his advice in a concise and timely manner.’
Vanessa McKinlay - St John's Chambers ‘Her medical background allows her to really drill down into the issues of a case, particularly in relation to causation disputes.’
Justin Valentine - St John's Chambers ‘Forensic in his investigation of the key issues in a case, with an in-depth knowledge of his brief.’
Emma Zeb - St John's Chambers ‘Always well-prepared, very good with clients in conference and an impressive advocate.’
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Sophie Beesley - Old Square Chambers ‘Combines strong legal knowledge and technical ability with excellent client skills.’
Joanna Lewis - Queen Square Chambers ‘A skilled cross-examiner who is thorough, hard-working, and no-nonsense in her approach.’
Kara Loraine - Old Square Chambers ‘Recommended for negligent obstetric care, delayed diagnoses, and fundamental dishonesty claims.’
James Marwick - St John's Chambers ‘Focused and unflappable, offering high quality advocacy and pragmatic advice.’
Naomi Rees - Old Square Chambers ‘A specialist in clinical negligence matters.’
David Regan - St John's Chambers ‘A very thoughtful advocate who is well liked by clients.’
Lauren Seager - Queen Square Chambers ‘Recommended for a variety of claimant matters.’
Robert Sowersby - Guildhall Chambers ‘Extremely thorough, unflappable, and insightful, with a sensitive and very efficient approach to cases.’
Kriti Upadhyay - Guildhall Chambers ‘A confident and articulate advocate who is persuasive and pragmatic in her application of the law.’
Bella Webb - Old Square Chambers ‘Extremely hardworking. An outstanding advocate. Fights for her clients with tenacity and vigour. Trusted by tribunals. Gets results.’

Rising Stars

Marcus Coates-Walker - St John's Chambers ‘Calm under pressure with a level of knowledge and grasp of technical issues well beyond his years' call.’
Robert Mills - St John's Chambers ‘Wise beyond his call, incredibly practical and pragmatic, and a strong tactician.’

Clinical negligence in Regional Bar

St John's Chambers

St John's Chambers is one of strongest sets in the Western circuit for clinical negligence work, with a range of junior counsel covering both claimant and defendant matters. Vanessa McKinlay is a key practitioner, with recent cases including a £1m cauda equina case on behalf of the claimant, and a successful defence of a £2m claim on appeal, in which McKinlay acted as a led junior. For dental negligence cases, rising star Robert Mills is highly recommended despite his junior call date, while continuing to build a substantial practice in general clinical negligence matters. Justin Valentine undertakes a substantial amount of birth injury and neonatal work, and recently acted for a claimant who suffered Erb's palsy at birth in 1998, in a case which centered on the differing standards for a negligent application of force compared to current practice.

Guildhall Chambers

Guildhall Chambers remains a strong presence in the Bristol clinical negligence market, particularly for claimant work, and has expanded its capacity to take on top-level work in 2020, with Selena Plowden QC taking silk. Sophie Holme remains another stand-out member of the team, with recent cases concerning hospital infections, missed diagnoses, chronic pain disorders, and surgical negligence. Senior junior Robert Sowersby is highly active in this area, and continues to expand his defendant practice, while at the junior end Kriti Upadhyay is building a solid clinical negligence practice, often taking on cases that involve inquests.

Old Square Chambers

Old Square Chambers continues to house a team of experienced clinical negligence barristers who act for defendants and claimants in a range of cases, although recent work has tended more towards the claimant side. Kara Loraine is recommended for claims involving negligent obstetric care and delivery, psychiatric injury claims for parents arising from infant deaths, and serious delayed diagnosis claims. Naomi Rees is another key member of the team, with a heavy claimant focus, while Sophie Beesley is particularly notable for her recent work on the Ian Paterson inquiry, which concluded in early 2020.

3PB

Mark Lomas and Hamish Dunlop are the key names to note in 3PB's clinical negligence team, with a strong background in very serious cases involving birth injuries, surgical complications, and missed diagnoses leading to death or serious injury. Of particular note is Lomas' representation of a claimant who suffered severe neurological injury due to a brain stem tumour which had previously been removed, where the return of the tumour was missed during routine scanning and diagnosis was delayed.

No5 Barristers Chambers

Members of No5 Barristers Chambers continue to undertake complex clinical negligence cases across the western circuit, with Jonathan Jones QC appearing in a range of serious cases including cerebral palsy and other birth injuries, and serious brain or spinal injury caused by delayed diagnoses. David Tyack is another notable member, and recently acted for a claimant who had undergone a below-knee amputation following a failure to act on the signs of post-surgery thrombosis.

Queen Square Chambers

Joanna Lewis and Lauren Seager are the key clinical negligence barristers to note from Queen Square Chambers, which is noted by clients as a 'friendly and approachable set with quality practitioners.' Both barristers primarily act for claimants in a range of matters including actions against social care providers, as well as cosmetic surgery claims and related psychological injuries.