Set Profile > Byrom Street Chambers > Manchester, England
Byrom Street Chambers Offices
Byrom Street Chambers
12 BYROM STREET
MANCHESTER
M3 4PP
England
Byrom Street Chambers > The Legal 500 Rankings
Clinical negligence Tier 1
Byrom Street Chambers is a specialist set of chambers home to a large number of senior clinical negligence specialists, with a particular focus on claimant work. The set has an embarrassment of riches at the silk end, with the likes of Christopher Melton QC, David Heaton QC, Andrew Lewis QC, Sally Hatfield QC, Simon Kilvington QC, and Rhiannon Jones QC all highly regarded by instructing solicitors and clients alike. Also at the silk end, head of chambers Winston Hunter QC was recently involved in a case involving very complex, high-value claims brought by a claimant with learning disability who suffered grave injuries in the course of giving birth to a child with severe learning and physical disabilities. The claim's value was in excess of £7.5m. James Rowley QC is 'an expert on birth injury and clinical negligence cases of the highest value'. At the junior end, Mary Ruck specialises in clinical negligence, serious personal injury, and fatal injury cases and is described by one client as having an 'amazing attention detail and forensic approach to complex cases'. Recommended for his 'tactical approach' to cases is Darrel Crilley, as is the 'knowledgeable and practical' Jason Wells.
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Personal injury Tier 1
Byrom Street Chambers' personal injury team is home to a number of well-regarded barristers, especially at the silk end where they have been further strengthened relatively recently following the elevation of Peter Burns QC in 2019. Head of chambers Winston Hunter QC is instructed in significant cases arising out of claims for personal injuries, and is described by one client as having 'outstanding intellect'. Rhiannon Jones QC acts for both claimants and defendants in all types of personal injury claims but with particular expertise regarding quantum in spinal and brain injury claims. In one example of his work, Christopher Melton QC acted for a 19-year-old boy whose arm was caught in machinery at a waste recycling plant resulting in the arm having to be amputated in situ by a local surgeon. A five-day trial found the claimant to be 10% at fault, a decision which was later overturned on appeal for the client. At the junior end, Darrel Crilley 'is a highly-skilled, technical barrister' who works across the entire spectrum of claims ranging from serious brain injury through functional neurological disorders to life-changing polytrauma.
Leading Silks
2019 Silks
Leading Juniors
Commercial litigation
Byrom Street Chambers' Simon Myerson QC is experienced across a broad range of commercial disputes. Recent instructions of note include acting for the defendants in allegations of civil fraud in the context of the purchase of shares of a private company and representing the claimant in a £2m claim for negligent performance of a contract to remove asbestos from a Grade 1 listed art deco house, which contaminated the entire property.
Leading Silks
Set overviews: England and Wales
Manchester-based Byrom Street Chambers is a multidisciplinary set which is particularly noted for its strength-in-depth and expertise in clinical negligence and serious personal injury cases.
Clerks:
Testimonials
Clerks:
A first class act. Matt Tudor is particularly approachable and friendly.
All of the clerks are super responsive and cannot do enough to help.
All very reliable, efficient, user friendly. Steve Price and Matt Tudor are usual points of contact but also have good support from Lucy Smith, Kyle Scott (fees) and Michelle Glover (training).
Always deliver a first class service. Always really helpful to me. I can really rely on them
Clerks are second to none; completely adept at balancing the solicitors needs and demands with Counsels commitments and requirements.
Efficient and personable clerking at all times. Possibly not as commercially proactive as other clerks in similar sets of chambers.
Excellent and professional. Matt Tudor and Steve Price are excellent
Matt Tudor is always available and goes out of his way to assist wherever possible.
Particular high standard of clerking. Service is excellent. The best I have seen by a distance
Steve and Matt are both exceptional. They are easy to get hold of, quick to offer a solution should any issues arise and know their Counsel very well.
Steve Price is an excellent Head Clerk and he is well assisted by Matt Tudor. Both have a good knowledge of ongoing cases and even the particular difficulties experienced by individual clients.
Steve Price leads by example and heads up a team of very professional clerks. The team as a whole is equally proactive and responsive.
Matt Tudor and Steve Price are at the top of their game.
The clerking is excellent. Timely, responsive, flexible and amenable. There is always someone on hand to help out.
The clerking is excellent: Steve Price will always move heaven and earth to fit in with instructing solicitors’ requirements.
The clerks are all extremely helpful. They do their best to fit in with needs on cases. They are efficient and always do what they say they will in a sensible period. Steve Price and Matt Tudor are excellent and they are well supported by the other clerks including Emma Darlington, Lucy Bardsley and the chambers’ administrator, Michelle Glover.
The clerks are Byrom Street Chambers are second to none: they are experts in their own right, go out of their way to make cases work and make it a pleasure and an ease to instruct counsel there.
The clerks are keen to help and IT-savvy.
The whole team is worthy of praise, but Steve and Matt are always particularly on the ball and helpful.
Very good and helpful clerks room, always willing to assist and work with you as a team as issues arise.
Very helpful clerking service. Emma Darlington goes out of her way to help.
Set:
A very strong set. Clerks know their counsel and Solicitors very well. Great to work with. Relevant updates provided by annual conferences delivered by leading counsel.
A very well known set of chambers renowned in the field of catastrophic injury cases – for both PI and clinical negligence. Extremely experienced silks.
Absolutely excellent in that it offers a number of exceptional QCs in the area of claimant clinical negligence
An extremely strong set with an unrivalled team of personal injury silks, all of whom are friendly and approachable.
An extremely strong set. They are mainly QC’s so there expertise is not surprising. They have several barristers who I would have no hesitation instructing on behalf of a client as I know that excellence is guaranteed. They run excellent, in depth training sessions.
Byrom St have an impressive number of top QC’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 in the vast majority of cases, be secure in the knowledge that their clients are in safe hands.
Top barristers, who perform consistently well supported by excellent clerks.
Byrom Street Chambers are the go-to chambers for the leading cases in this field. They match up to any of the London chambers.
Byrom Street Chambers is in my opinion outstanding with a number of different barristers from the set being instructed in my most catastrophic of cases.
Byrom Street deliver excellent training programmes – the best updates to attend for a proper grounding.
Byrom Street has an excellent selection particularly at QC level.
Byrom Street have the best Personal Injury silks in the country. They have numerous members being capable of dealing with the most difficult and complex cases.
Excellent. Efficient. Friendly. On the ball and always eager to assist. Great set and our go to set for catastrophic injury injury.
It is a great set with huge amounts of experience in clinical negligence.
Professional and a group of highly skilled individuals. Very experienced set in the field of medical negligence. Well organised with a large number of excellent barristers.
Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Clinical negligence Tier 1
Byrom Street Chambers is a specialist set of chambers home to a large number of senior clinical negligence specialists, with a particular focus on claimant work. The set has an embarrassment of riches at the silk end, with the likes of Christopher Melton QC, David Heaton QC, Andrew Lewis QC, Sally Hatfield QC, Simon Kilvington QC, and Rhiannon Jones QC all highly regarded by instructing solicitors and clients alike. Also at the silk end, head of chambers Winston Hunter QC was recently involved in a case involving very complex, high-value claims brought by a claimant with learning disability who suffered grave injuries in the course of giving birth to a child with severe learning and physical disabilities. The claim's value was in excess of £7.5m. James Rowley QC is 'an expert on birth injury and clinical negligence cases of the highest value'. At the junior end, Mary Ruck specialises in clinical negligence, serious personal injury, and fatal injury cases and is described by one client as having an 'amazing attention detail and forensic approach to complex cases'. Recommended for his 'tactical approach' to cases is Darrel Crilley, as is the 'knowledgeable and practical' Jason Wells.
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Personal injury Tier 1
Byrom Street Chambers' personal injury team is home to a number of well-regarded barristers, especially at the silk end where they have been further strengthened relatively recently following the elevation of Peter Burns QC in 2019. Head of chambers Winston Hunter QC is instructed in significant cases arising out of claims for personal injuries, and is described by one client as having 'outstanding intellect'. Rhiannon Jones QC acts for both claimants and defendants in all types of personal injury claims but with particular expertise regarding quantum in spinal and brain injury claims. In one example of his work, Christopher Melton QC acted for a 19-year-old boy whose arm was caught in machinery at a waste recycling plant resulting in the arm having to be amputated in situ by a local surgeon. A five-day trial found the claimant to be 10% at fault, a decision which was later overturned on appeal for the client. At the junior end, Darrel Crilley 'is a highly-skilled, technical barrister' who works across the entire spectrum of claims ranging from serious brain injury through functional neurological disorders to life-changing polytrauma.
Leading Silks
2019 Silks
Leading Juniors
Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Commercial litigation
Byrom Street Chambers' Simon Myerson QC is experienced across a broad range of commercial disputes. Recent instructions of note include acting for the defendants in allegations of civil fraud in the context of the purchase of shares of a private company and representing the claimant in a £2m claim for negligent performance of a contract to remove asbestos from a Grade 1 listed art deco house, which contaminated the entire property.
Leading Silks
Regional Bar > Set overviews: England and Wales
Manchester-based Byrom Street Chambers is a multidisciplinary set which is particularly noted for its strength-in-depth and expertise in clinical negligence and serious personal injury cases.
Clerks:
Testimonials
Clerks:
A first class act. Matt Tudor is particularly approachable and friendly.
All of the clerks are super responsive and cannot do enough to help.
All very reliable, efficient, user friendly. Steve Price and Matt Tudor are usual points of contact but also have good support from Lucy Smith, Kyle Scott (fees) and Michelle Glover (training).
Always deliver a first class service. Always really helpful to me. I can really rely on them
Clerks are second to none; completely adept at balancing the solicitors needs and demands with Counsels commitments and requirements.
Efficient and personable clerking at all times. Possibly not as commercially proactive as other clerks in similar sets of chambers.
Excellent and professional. Matt Tudor and Steve Price are excellent
Matt Tudor is always available and goes out of his way to assist wherever possible.
Particular high standard of clerking. Service is excellent. The best I have seen by a distance
Steve and Matt are both exceptional. They are easy to get hold of, quick to offer a solution should any issues arise and know their Counsel very well.
Steve Price is an excellent Head Clerk and he is well assisted by Matt Tudor. Both have a good knowledge of ongoing cases and even the particular difficulties experienced by individual clients.
Steve Price leads by example and heads up a team of very professional clerks. The team as a whole is equally proactive and responsive.
Matt Tudor and Steve Price are at the top of their game.
The clerking is excellent. Timely, responsive, flexible and amenable. There is always someone on hand to help out.
The clerking is excellent: Steve Price will always move heaven and earth to fit in with instructing solicitors’ requirements.
The clerks are all extremely helpful. They do their best to fit in with needs on cases. They are efficient and always do what they say they will in a sensible period. Steve Price and Matt Tudor are excellent and they are well supported by the other clerks including Emma Darlington, Lucy Bardsley and the chambers’ administrator, Michelle Glover.
The clerks are Byrom Street Chambers are second to none: they are experts in their own right, go out of their way to make cases work and make it a pleasure and an ease to instruct counsel there.
The clerks are keen to help and IT-savvy.
The whole team is worthy of praise, but Steve and Matt are always particularly on the ball and helpful.
Very good and helpful clerks room, always willing to assist and work with you as a team as issues arise.
Very helpful clerking service. Emma Darlington goes out of her way to help.
Set:
A very strong set. Clerks know their counsel and Solicitors very well. Great to work with. Relevant updates provided by annual conferences delivered by leading counsel.
A very well known set of chambers renowned in the field of catastrophic injury cases – for both PI and clinical negligence. Extremely experienced silks.
Absolutely excellent in that it offers a number of exceptional QCs in the area of claimant clinical negligence
An extremely strong set with an unrivalled team of personal injury silks, all of whom are friendly and approachable.
An extremely strong set. They are mainly QC’s so there expertise is not surprising. They have several barristers who I would have no hesitation instructing on behalf of a client as I know that excellence is guaranteed. They run excellent, in depth training sessions.
Byrom St have an impressive number of top QC’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 in the vast majority of cases, be secure in the knowledge that their clients are in safe hands.
Top barristers, who perform consistently well supported by excellent clerks.
Byrom Street Chambers are the go-to chambers for the leading cases in this field. They match up to any of the London chambers.
Byrom Street Chambers is in my opinion outstanding with a number of different barristers from the set being instructed in my most catastrophic of cases.
Byrom Street deliver excellent training programmes – the best updates to attend for a proper grounding.
Byrom Street has an excellent selection particularly at QC level.
Byrom Street have the best Personal Injury silks in the country. They have numerous members being capable of dealing with the most difficult and complex cases.
Excellent. Efficient. Friendly. On the ball and always eager to assist. Great set and our go to set for catastrophic injury injury.
It is a great set with huge amounts of experience in clinical negligence.
Professional and a group of highly skilled individuals. Very experienced set in the field of medical negligence. Well organised with a large number of excellent barristers.
Byrom Street Chambers > Set Profile
Byrom Street Chambers is a unique and specialist set practising within the heart of Manchester’s recently developed business and legal centre at Spinningfields. Chambers is situated in close proximity to the Civil Justice Centre and the Crown Court. Members also practise from Crown Office Chambers in London. According to The Legal 500, Byrom Street Chambers is ‘the place to go for silks in clinical negligence and serious personal injury’. The set is composed of silks and senior-juniors (Peter Burns making the transition from the latter category in 2019) who are ‘all extremely helpful and approachable’, making it, according to some observers ‘the best clinical negligence set in the UK’. The ‘excellent team of clerks always go above and beyond’ including the ‘excellent – very efficient and helpful’ Steve Price and Matt Tudor, who is ‘always available to address any queries’.
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, a video-conferencing suite, the latest information technology with wireless connection and an extensive library.
Three members of chambers currently sit as Deputy Judges of the High Court, seven 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.
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. They practise regularly in the fields of personal injury (with an emphasis on catastrophic cases, group and class actions, clinical negligence and disease litigation), health and safety, professional negligence, financial services, commercial, human rights and civil fraud.
Sample cases:
Supreme Court: Armes v Nottingham County Council; International Energy Group Ltd v Zurich Insurance Plc UK Branch; Dunhill v Burgin; Woodland v Essex CC; Sienkiewicz and Willmore.
House of Lords: Fairchild v Glenhaven; Tomlinson v Congleton.
Court of Appeal: 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: Shipman; Alder Hey; Hillsborough; North Wales Child Abuse.
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 | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior clerk | Steve Price | ||
| Deputy senior clerk | Matt Tudor | ||
| Head of Chambers | HUNTER QC, Winston (1985) | ||
| Deputy Head of Chambers | MELTON QC, Christopher (1982) | ||
| Members of Chambers | MYERSON QC, Simon (1986) | ||
| Members of Chambers | ROWLEY QC, James (1987) | ||
| Members of Chambers | HEATON QC, David (1983) | ||
| Members of Chambers | LEWIS QC, Andrew (1985) | ||
| Members of Chambers | HATFIELD QC, Sally (1988) | ||
| Members of Chambers | ALLEN QC, Darryl (1995) | ||
| Members of Chambers | JONES QC, Rhiannon (1993) | ||
| Members of Chambers | KILVINGTON QC, Simon (1995) | ||
| Members of Chambers | BURNS QC, Peter (1993) | ||
| Members of Chambers | RUCK, Mary (1993) | ||
| Members of Chambers | CRILLEY, Darrel (1996) | ||
| Members of Chambers | WELLS, Jason (2007) | ||
| Members of Chambers | MCNAMARA, Stephen (2008) |
Barrister Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Darryl Allen | Queen’s Counsel specialising in personal injury and clinical negligence litigation. Personal injury… | View Profile |
|
Peter Burns | Peter specialises in complex catastrophic injury and large loss claims, with particular… | View Profile |
|
Darrel Crilley | Personal injury, industrial disease and clinical negligence in serious injury claims. Acts… | View Profile |
|
Sally Hatfield | Sally has for many years specialised in medical law.Her principal area of… | View Profile |
|
David Heaton | Acts for both claimants and defendants in catastrophic, complex and high value… | View Profile |
|
Winston Hunter | Practice Areas: General common law with particular expertise in insurance, contractual disputes,… | View Profile |
|
Rhiannon Jones | The full range of personal injury work, in particular spinal and brain… | View Profile |
|
Simon Kilvington | Catastrophic, serious and complex personal injury, including catastrophic brain and spinal injuries,… | View Profile |
|
Andrew Lewis | Andrew has vast experience of all areas of personal injury and clinical… | View Profile |
 |
Stephen McNamara | Stephen practises in the fields of clinical negligence and serious personal injury,… | View Profile |
|
Christopher Melton | Personal injury, clinical negligence, professional negligence, coroners, industrial disease. Recent trials include:… | View Profile |
|
Simon Myerson | Human Rights/Group Litigation: lead counsel on the Kenyan Emergency Group Litigation (Kimathi… | View Profile |
|
James Rowley | Personal injuries: Moreira v Moran and others [2021] EWHC 1800 (CA); Faisal and… | View Profile |
|
Mary Ruck | Specialises in clinical negligence, medical law, human rights and healthcare (including regulatory work) and catastrophic personal… | View Profile |
|
Jason Wells | View Profile |
Diversity/Community
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.