Byrom Street Chambers > Manchester, England > Set Profile

Byrom Street Chambers Offices

Chambers of Winston Hunter KC
Byrom Street Chambers
12 BYROM STREET
MANCHESTER
M3 4PP
England
Visit website 0161 829 2100 0161 829 2101

Byrom Street Chambers > The Legal 500 Rankings

Northern Circuit > Clinical negligence Tier 1

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.

Leading Silks

Sally Hatfield KC – Byrom Street Chambers ‘Sally is devastatingly effective in achieving successful outcomes in large conferences with experts and in negotiation with the defendant. She is fiercely intelligent and on top of her brief at all times, highly pragmatic in finding great solutions and in moving cases forward, and very efficient with her time and in turning around papers.’
Ranked: Tier 1
Winston Hunter KC – Byrom Street Chambers ‘In addition to being technically excellent, Winston is a very approachable silk who gives clear advice to families who have often gone through, and are going through, an exceptionally traumatic and difficult time. The issues being addressed in these cases are often both complex and at times distressing, but he deals with them with sensitivity and in a clear manner so that the family understand the reasons behind the advice being given.’
Ranked: Tier 1
Christopher Melton KC – Byrom Street Chambers 'Christopher is extremely experienced, knowledgeable, and tactically very proficient. He is lovely with clients and he has an endlessly calm manner that puts clients at ease.'
Ranked: Tier 1
James Rowley KC – Byrom Street Chambers ‘James is hugely experienced and his attention to details makes him a formidable advocate and negotiator. He has in-depth knowledge of cerebral palsy cases and is tenacious in achieving the very best result for his client.’
Ranked: Tier 1
Rhiannon Jones KC – Byrom Street Chambers 'Rhiannon is a formidable advocate. She grasps very complex issues and digests a huge volume of evidence swiftly, she is firm and clear with the client, and she engenders huge respect from everyone.'
Ranked: Tier 1
David Heaton KC – Byrom Street Chambers ‘David's advice is reasoned and thorough in nature. He is always very responsive and he will do all he can to assist.'
Ranked: Tier 1
Darryl Allen KC – Byrom Street Chambers ‘Darryl is always fully prepared and all over the detail, and as a result of which he is totally at ease with the evidence on paper and orally. His cross-examination is laser sharp, his ability to marshal and assimilate large amounts of evidence as the case evolves is second-to-none, his presentation of the evidence is compelling and engaging, and he has a team approach and is totally committed to each case.’
Ranked: Tier 1
Simon Kilvington KC – Byrom Street Chambers ‘Simon gets to grips with very complex matters quickly and efficiently, and he is always thoroughly prepared. He has a very calm and measured approach which reassures clients, and he is excellent at summarising the key issues in terminology clients can easily understand.’
Ranked: Tier 2
Ranked: Tier 2
Lauren Sutherland KC – Byrom Street Chambers 'Lauren brings a calm and intuitive approach whereby she can relate to clients who have suffered hardship, while maintaining a professional integrity and providing top-level advice.'
Ranked: Tier 2

2023 Silks

Mary Ruck KC – Byrom Street Chambers 'Mary is extremely thorough with an eye for detail, leaving no stone unturned. She is excellent at explaining complex legal issues to clients and experts alike.'

Leading Juniors

Darrel Crilley – Byrom Street Chambers ‘Darrel is engaging when it comes to conferences with clients and can get the best out of instructed experts. He is firm but fair with dealings with the defendants, he is well-reasoned with judges, superbly prepared for hearings, and his written advice is succinct and to the point.’
Ranked: Tier 1
Stephen McNamara – Byrom Street Chambers ‘Stephen is incredibly hard-working, he has a wealth of experience, and he leaves no stone unturned in liability investigations. He is down-to-earth with clients, he works collaboratively with instructing solicitors, and the quality of his drafting is excellent.’
Ranked: Tier 1
Jason Wells – Byrom Street Chambers 'Jason is highly analytical and logical, and always forensically reviews a case. He is always happy to discuss cases to get the solicitor's view and his pleadings are very good.'
Ranked: Tier 2

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.’

Northern Circuit > Personal injury Tier 1

Byrom Street Chambers ‘has an enviable set of leading counsel in personal injury litigation, including some of the most experienced and well-respected names on the Northern Circuit’. Winston Hunter KC is Head of Chambers and handles high-value, complex personal injury claims; he represented the defendant in a case concerning a solicitor who claimed that she lost the opportunity to pursue her career at a US law firm as a result of her injuries. Andrew Lewis KC has substantial experience in cases regarding allegations of exaggeration and fraud, and David Heaton acts for both claimants and defendants in catastrophic brain and spinal injury cases. The set is also home to Rhiannon Jones KC, who has expertise in quantum in spinal and brain injury claims, and Simon Kilvington KC, a reputable asbestos litigator. Michael Lemmy joined the team in November 2022 from 9 St John Street Chambers.

Leading Silks

David Heaton KC – Byrom Street Chambers ‘David is meticulous in his approach to analysing volumes and volumes of paperwork and being able to condense that down into easy to understand, bite-sized chunks for clients. He is extremely pragmatic, draws focus to the most important aspects of claims, and then uses his soft skills to bring cases home to the most sensible conclusion.'
Ranked: Tier 1
Rhiannon Jones KC – Byrom Street Chambers ‘Rhiannon is one of the best KCs doing this work and her attention to detail is second-to-none. She has the ability to absorb huge volumes of information quickly and distil it down to the key issues in a clear and easily accessible way, she is calm and reassuring with lay clients, and she is excellent in conference with experts on complex medical issue.’
Ranked: Tier 1
Andrew Lewis KC – Byrom Street Chambers ‘Andrew is as good as it gets. He is charming, sensible, pragmatic, an excellent lawyer, and an opponent that it is a real pleasure to be against.’
Ranked: Tier 1
Christopher Melton KC – Byrom Street Chambers ‘Christopher is calm and collected, extremely experienced, and authoritative. He is persuasive and thoughtful in advocacy, and there is nothing he hasn’t seen, but he retains humility.’
Ranked: Tier 1
Peter Burns KC – Byrom Street Chambers ‘Peter is a first-rate personal injury silk whose depth of knowledge is unrivalled. Nothing is too complex and he has an incredible ability of being able to quickly sift through the detail to pick out the issues that really matter; a great strategic thinker who can always be relied upon to help navigate the most difficult of cases.’
Ranked: Tier 1
Simon Kilvington KC – Byrom Street Chambers ‘Simon is exceptional and the country’s leading barrister on asbestos litigation. He has a calming and reassuring presence with clients and is respectfully persuasive.’
Ranked: Tier 1
Winston Hunter KC – Byrom Street Chambers ‘Winston is quite simply the best leader in dealing with the most complex catastrophic injury cases. He is unbelievably clever, engaging, hard-working, and has brilliant people skills with opponents, clients, and experts, achieving outstanding results time after time on difficult and challenging cases.'
Ranked: Tier 1
Ranked: Tier 2
Ranked: Tier 2
Darryl Allen KC – Byrom Street Chambers ‘Darryl is an exceptional advocate and he is the barrister that you want arguing your case in court. He is always well-prepared with sound strategic advice and he has a great manner with experts in conference, ensuring that all relevant issues in complex cases are addressed with ease.’
Ranked: Tier 2
James Rowley KC – Byrom Street Chambers ‘James is highly experienced and is a go-to barrister for cases involving complex liability and quantum issues. He exhibits unrivalled attention to detail and is able to cut through huge amounts of material in order to identify the key issues.’
Ranked: Tier 2

Leading Juniors

Darrel Crilley – Byrom Street Chambers ‘Darrel demonstrates an in-depth knowledge of complex medical matters leaving no stone unturned. He is well-prepared and gains the confidence of clients and instructing solicitors quickly.’
Ranked: Tier 2

Testimonials

‘The clerks at Byrom Street are excellent, approachable, professional, organised, and attentive. Steve Price and Matt Tudor run a tight and reliable ship.’

‘The chambers are led by a superb clerking team headed by Steve Price. They go out of their way to make things possible and seamless, and they are proactive with fixing dates with the court and with opponent parties.’

‘The clerks are responsive and very easy to deal with. Matt Tudor is absolutely brilliant.’

‘The clerks are exceptionally-led by Steve Price, and the other excellent clerks ensure that matters are looked after in terms of availability and arrangements with court.’

‘Led expertly by senior clerk Steve Price, who is always responsive and accommodating.’

‘Byrom Street boasts a superb set of leading counsel and leading juniors. For high-value, complex personal injury claims, they are the leading set in Manchester.’

‘Byrom Street Chambers has an enviable set of leading counsel in personal injury litigation, including some of the most experienced and well-respected names on the Northern Circuit, making them the ‘go-to’ set for many practitioners, both on the claimant and defendant sides. Their training sessions and materials really are second to none and relied upon by many in their handling of claims of the utmost severity.’

‘This a top-tier set. Each of the counsel are brilliant with their own style and they achieve the very best results for clients.’

Northern Circuit > Commercial litigation

Byrom Street Chambers > Set Profile

Byrom Street Chambers is a unique and specialist set practising within the heart of Manchester situated in close proximity to the Civil Justice Centre. According to the legal directories, “Byrom Street have an impressive number of top KC’s many of whom I use for high value and complex cases. They are known for their professionalism and those who rely upon their input can be secure in the knowledge that their clients are in safe hands.” “They outshine all other chambers around the country.” “All of the clerks are super responsive and cannot do enough to help.” “Clerks are second to none; completely adept at balancing the solicitors needs and demands with Counsels commitments and requirements.” “Steve and Matt are both exceptional.”

The set: Byrom Street Chambers is a forward-thinking set with traditional values, exclusively dedicated to the work of leading and senior junior counsel, who have extensive expertise in high-value and complex cases. Chambers provides a highly individual and personalised service, focusing on clients’ needs, combined with a friendly and open approach to clerking.

Chambers’ premises are modern, purpose-built, DDA-compliant and architecturally designed with particular attention to the needs of both professional and lay clients. Facilities include large comfortable conference rooms, video-conferencing suites, the latest information technology with wireless connection and an extensive online library.

Three members of chambers currently sit as Deputy Judges of the High Court, six members sit as Recorders, one member sits on the Mental Health Review Tribunal, one member sits on the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal and two members sit as Deputy Coroners.

In keeping with their traditional business plan Chambers recently welcomed experienced Counsel Lauren Sutherland KC (Scot) and Michael Lemmy to the Byrom Street team.

Types of work undertaken: Chambers has a reputation for quality and service. Members offer advice and advocacy in a range of specialisations and can provide the depth of cover necessary to conduct litigation in the most complex of cases.

We practise predominantly in the fields of professional negligence, personal injury with an emphasis on catastrophic cases, complex brain, spine, amputation claims and high value fatal injury claims, group and disease litigation. We also have a specialist team that practise in clinical negligence including high value birth injuries including those relating to cerebral palsy, delay in diagnosis of spinal injury or cancer, surgical errors and negligent mismanagement.

Chambers’ seasoned advocates are well-placed to argue highly significant medical cases that reach the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

Sample cases
Supreme Court: Armes v Nottingham County Council; Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board (Scotland); International Energy Group Ltd v Zurich Insurance Plc UK Branch; Dunhill v Burgin; Woodland v Essex CC; Sienkiewicz v Grief and Willmore v Knowsley MBC.

House of Lords: Fairchild v Glenhaven; Tomlinson v Congleton.

Court of Appeal: Raspin v Taylor & Liverpool Victoria Insurance; Swift v Carpenter; Cable v Liverpool Victoria Insurance Co Ltd; McDonald v Dept for Communities; Huscroft v P&O Ferries; Thompstone v Tameside;  Sowden v Lodge; Heneghan v Manchester Dry Dock Ltd.

European Court of Human Rights: RK & AK v Oldham NHS Trust.

Inquiries: Alder Hey; Hillsborough; North Wales Child Abuse.

Ongoing cases of interest: Instructed in the civil litigation regarding to Manchester Arena claims.

Former members of chambers include Sir Brian Leveson, Dame Janet Smith, Sir David Clarke, Dame Caroline Swift, Sir Timothy King, Sir Stephen Stewart and HHJ Richard Pearce.

Main Contacts

Department Name Email Telephone
Senior clerk Steve Price steve.price@byromstreet.com 0161 829 2100
Deputy senior clerk Matt Tudor matt.tudor@byromstreet.com 0161 829 2100
Head of Chambers HUNTER KC, Winston (1985) (KC-2000) winston.hunter@byromstreet.com 0161 829 2100
Deputy Head of Chambers MELTON KC, Christopher (1982) (KC-2001) christopher.melton@byromstreet.com 0161 829 2100
Members of Chambers MYERSON KC, Simon (1986) (KC-2003) simon.myerson@byromstreet.com 0161 829 2100
Members of Chambers ROWLEY KC, James (1987) (KC-2006) james.rowley@byromstreet.com 0161 829 2100
Members of Chambers LEWIS KC, Andrew (1985) (KC-2009) andrew.lewis@byromstreet.com 0161 829 2100
Members of Chambers HATFIELD KC, Sally (1988) (KC-2013) sally.hatfield@byromstreet.com 0161 829 2100
Members of Chambers ALLEN KC, Darryl (1995) (KC-2014) darryl.allen@byromstreet.com 0161 829 2100
Members of Chambers JONES KC, Rhiannon (1993) (KC-2015) rhiannon.jones@byromstreet.com 0161 829 2100
Members of Chambers KILVINGTON KC, Simon (1995) (KC-2016) simon.kilvington@byromstreet.com 0161 829 2100
Members of Chambers BURNS KC, Peter (1993) (KC-2019) peter.burns@byromstreet.com 0161 829 2100
Members of Chambers RUCK KC, Mary (1993) (KC-2023) mary.ruck@byromstreet.com 0161 829 2100
Members of Chambers SUTHERLAND KC, Lauren (1996) (KC-2016 Scot) lauren.sutherland@byromstreet.com 0161 829 2100
Members of Chambers LEMMY, Michael (1994) michael.lemmy@byromstreet.com 0161 829 2100
Members of Chambers CRILLEY, Darrel (1996) darrel.crilley@byromstreet.com 0161 829 2100
Members of Chambers WELLS, Jason (2007) jason.wells@byromstreet.com 0161 829 2100
Members of Chambers MCNAMARA, Stephen (2008) stephen.mcnamara@byromstreet.com 0161 829 2100

Diversity


Chambers is committed to the Equality Guidelines as per the Bar Standards Board Handbook.

Chambers is committed to promoting a culture where the individual is fairly treated and respected.

We also promote a culture where diversity is appreciated.

Chambers is committed to ensuring, both individually and collectively, that it does not practise or permit any form of discrimination, whether direct, indirect, or by way of victimisation, against any person, or any harassment of any person.

Chambers will make reasonable adjustments where a practice, policy or procedure, or physical feature of premises, make it impossible or unreasonably difficult for a disabled person to make use of a service.