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Doughty Street Chambers
Doughty Street Chambers
53-54 DOUGHTY STREET
LONDON
WC1N 2LS
England

Email firm Visit website 020 7404 1313 020 7404 2283

Inquests and inquiries Tier 1

'One of the go-to chambers in this area', Doughty Street Chambers 'has excellent barristers and the clerks are always responsive and helpful'. In the resumed inquests into the 1974 Birmingham Pub Bombings, Heather Williams QC recently led the team that represented the families of three of the 21 deceased. Also in recent work of note, Henrietta Hill QC is currently instructed as deputy counsel to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (and is leading counsel in four of the inquiry’s investigations); Fiona Murphy acted in the Anthony Grainger Inquiry, which involved a fatal police shooting by Greater Manchester Police; and Alison Gerry represented the sister of Annabella Landsberg, who died in HMP Peterborough's custody. 'Future star of the Bar' Katherine O’Byrne is an up-and-coming member of chambers.

Rising stars

Katherine O’Byrne - Doughty Street Chambers ‘A superb barrister in the field of inquiry and inquest work, and her work rate is phenomenal. Katherine is also intellectually brilliant and razor-sharp - a future star in the field.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Leading Silks

Henrietta Hill QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Has a remarkable work ethic, with a number of heavyweight high-profile instructions ongoing at any one time, and she is a master of organisation with excellent tactical nous.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Heather Williams QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Extremely astute, knowledgeable, tactical and always impeccably prepared. She drills down into the detail of cases, is measured, thoughtful and willing to work collaboratively. At the very top of her game.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Has an enormous amount of respect from clients and legal peers because she approaches everything she does with passion, commitment and a clear strategic approach.’

Ranked: Tier 3

2021 Silks

Adam Straw QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Fantastic drafting and he is great for strategy.’

Leading Juniors

Jude Bunting - Doughty Street Chambers ‘An excellent barrister to instruct in inquest cases; he is incredibly bright, a great jury advocate, writes fantastic submissions, is prepared to be involved in all aspects of a case, and has a great manner with clients.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Jesse Nicholls - Doughty Street Chambers ‘A joy to work with - a real team player who has phenomenal knowledge of the law. His written work is also outstanding, and he is an accomplished jury advocate who is not afraid to ask the difficult questions. It's no wonder he's so in demand - a true star.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Alison Gerry - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Incredibly thorough, conscientious and thoughtful in her approach.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Fiona Murphy - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Unrivalled command of her brief. Fearless, real depth of knowledge, innovative thinker, and fabulous drafting skills. Great judgement and people skills, including handling judges and opponents.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Alex Gask - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Drafting is excellent and his advocacy is great. He is also excellent at questioning witnesses and getting the information needed.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Angela Patrick - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Her strengths are integrity, rigour, intellect, efficiency and, particularly in relation to this area, wide-ranging expertise and insight.’

Ranked: Tier 4

International crime and extradition Tier 1

Doughty Street Chambers 'has an excellent, in-depth extradition team', with particular strength in human rights cases, and is also 'pre-eminent in international criminal law', according to clients. In a recent highlight, 'impressive advocate' Edward Fitzgerald QC represented the appellant before the Supreme Court in Elgizouli v Secretary of State for the Home Department, a challenge to the Secretary of State’s decision to provide mutual legal assistance to the USA for a capital trial, without seeking assurances that the death penalty would not be imposed; the Supreme Court upheld the challenge. In other recent news of note, the 'fearless' Ben Cooper QC took silk in March 2020 further strengthening the set at the senior end. Elsewhere in chambers, the 'meticulous' Amal Clooney is 'tactically first class and a natural lead advocate in cases'; Australia- and English-qualified Megan Hirst has developed 'a preeminent role in acting for victims in international courts'; and Amelia Nice's experience of family law is 'an added bonus and places her ahead of many of her peers when there is an overlap of family law in extradition cases'.

Leading Silks

Edward Fitzgerald QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘An impressive advocate who combines passion with intellectual rigour. His knowledge of the law of extradition is unbeatable and no Counsel can compare to him. The opposition always fear when he is instructed by the defence.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Tim Moloney QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Tim combines a wonderfully engaging courtroom manner with a a very fine intellect. He is thoughtful and cosmopolitan in his approach to the law, which he deploys in clear and lucid submissions. He is warm and empathetic with clients, and quickly gains their confidence.’

Ranked: Tier 2

2019 Silks

Steven Powles QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘A brilliant advocate, dedicated and diligent. Tremendous and unmatched international experience.’

2020 Silks

Ben Cooper QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘He is extremely tenacious and will leave no stone unturned in the defence of his clients. He has immense experience in the field of extradition law. He very often brings a new insight to a case, particularly where issues of human rights are involved.’

Leading Juniors

Peter Caldwell - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Cerebral and measured. Peter is able to quickly grasp the import of evidence and to see how it can be deployed given the relevant legal principles.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Malcolm Hawkes - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Malcom is an extremely experienced and highly regarded extradition specialist. His breadth of knowledge in the field is very impressive. His advice based on extensive knowledge and experience, but he is not afraid to be bold and imaginative. He is fearless in running difficult arguments.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Mary Westcott - Doughty Street Chambers ‘She has a fantastically quick mind and is outstanding with vulnerable clients; an asset to any extradition case.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Amal Clooney - Doughty Street Chambers ‘She is an extremely articulate, careful, thoughtful and pragmatic lawyer. She does not hesitate to dig into the legal merits of issues, always being attentive to potential weaknesses in the case and how best to address them. She is a rare combination of intellectual depth and pragmatism.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Graeme Hall - Doughty Street Chambers ‘A skilled extradition lawyer with considerable experience and technical knowledge, Graeme is an extremely intelligent and gifted advocate. It is always an immense challenge being against him in court and he fights for each client.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Megan Hirst - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Exceptional depth of knowledge and expertise in their field. Incisive legal analysis and argument, combined with a strategic and pragmatic approach. Outstanding teamwork, coordination and interpersonal skills. Add to that a ferocious work ethic and faultless client service.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Amelia Nice - Doughty Street Chambers ‘She is a charming, authoritative yet sympathetic advocate who manages to get the confidence of the tribunal with ease. Extremely client friendly, with an ability to take a holistic approach to what can be the competing complexities of any given case, this is particularly so in the context of the family law/extradition cross over. Good at representing the interests of victims and the vulnerable.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Immigration

Leading Juniors

Paul Draycott - Doughty Street Chambers 'His passion and dedication to his work is second to none, and it shows in the quality of his work, both written and oral. His Grounds of Appeal and Skeleton Arguments are highly intricate and comprehensive, and his oral advocacy is equally impressive, and indeed the breadth of his legal knowledge never ceases to amaze.'

Ranked: Tier 1

Clinical negligence

Leading Silks

Robin Oppenheim QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘A highly intelligent barrister with a fantastic eye for detail.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Data protection

Rising stars

Claire Overman - Doughty Street Chambers ‘She is very confident and authoritive with the client. She has great knowledge, presence and personality.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Public international law

Rising stars

Emilie Gonin - Doughty Street Chambers ‘An excellent and committed junior who is a great team player and a joy to work with, she works seamlessly across French and English, and fights like a tiger for her clients.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Leading Juniors

Amal Clooney - Doughty Street Chambers ‘She is a brilliant legal mind, with strong interpersonal skills - highly diligent and detailed in her work, with a passionate commitment to the law and compassion for the people it serves.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Social housing Tier 1

Doughty Street Chambers has a first-rate reputation acting for individuals (including tenants and homelessness applicants) in many of the leading cases seen in the social housing arena. It has a strong presence in housing cases that interface with issues such as mental health, physical disability, immigration, community care and public law, among others. In 2019, Martin Westgate QC represented Shelter an intervening party at the Supreme Court in R (DA & others) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and DS v SSWP, which involved linked challenges to the revised, lower benefit cap. In another matter, Westgate QC acted for Shelter and Child Poverty Action Group in Samuels v Birmingham City Council, which was a homelessness appeal regarding whether a person can be intentionally homeless if they lose their home through non-payment of rent when they cannot pay their rent without using subsistence benefits. Ben Chataway successfully represented the defendant in Waltham Forest LBC v Saleh, which concerned a local authority's obligations where it sought to house a homelessness applicant outside of its own district.

Rising stars

Daniel Clarke - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Dan is very quick at turning instructions around, he provides in-depth and clear advice, works very well together with the instructing solicitor, he is very sensitive to the client’s specific requirements and needs, he will have great ideas about how to push the current legal boundaries to our clients’ advantage.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Leading Silks

Martin Westgate QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Martin is flawless on his feet and fights tooth and nail to win cases. It is no surprise when a judge accepts his compelling submissions.’

Ranked: Tier 1

2021 Silks

Jamie Burton QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Controlled and convincing. Extremely knowledgeable about cross-over between housing and disability/community care law. Authoritative manner in court.’

Leading Juniors

Lindsay Johnson - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Very clever, creative, unafraid to challenge standard thinking. Very quick and a good choice for urgent cases.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Zia Nabi - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Zia is an outstanding advocate. Zia commands huge respect in the courtroom because of his vast experience and knowledge. He is a great communicator. He is persuasive because he is brilliant at explaining complex legal principles in an easy to understand manner.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Dominic Preston - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Very thorough in preparation of cases and advising. Pragmatic and will give unpalatable advice where needed. Very knowledgeable and experienced in all areas of housing law and my go-to person for unusual cases.’

Ranked: Tier 2

David Carter - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Provides good quality advice given in a timely manner, and sometimes even quicker when there is a requirement for urgent advice. David is an extremely good and reliable barrister.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Jim Shepherd - Doughty Street Chambers ‘A solid counsel. Very experienced and pragmatic. Good procedurally, is efficient and returns papers quickly.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Ben Chataway - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Calm and considered, intelligent and has great judgement.’

Ranked: Tier 4

James Kirk - Doughty Street Chambers ‘He is a strong choice for homelessness proceedings, including both statutory appeals and claims for judicial review, as well as possession cases.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Sarah Steinhardt - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Sarah is highly intelligent, pragmatic and committed. She works incredibly hard. She is a high-quality advocate - she is clear, concise and very persuasive. Her written work is exceptional. She is always happy to discuss the strategy on a case. She is friendly and able to discuss complex legal issues in a way which our clients find easy to understand.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Civil liberties and human rights (including actions against the police) Tier 2

Doughty Street Chambers is considered the 'preeminent set when it comes to the assertion and advancement of human rights' and has an 'excellent' reputation in civil liberties and human rights; particularly in the area of extradition, international law and actions against the state, and is, according to some, 'an impressive chambers with highly intelligent, and politically savvy barristers'. Recent instructions include Edward Fitzgerald QC and Jennifer Robinson representing Julian Assange in his fight against extradition to the United States, whilst Heather Williams QC continues to be engaged in the Undercover Policing Inquiry. 'Fantastic junior' Jude Bunting has an extensive public and police law interface to civil liberties work and acted in a Supreme Court test case pertaining to bail conditions and whether it requires a person to stay indoors throughout the night. Other members of note include Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC who is one of three silks acting in The Hillsborough Victims Litigation. In recent news that has further strengthened the set, Leonie Hirst has joined chambers, along with Maya Sikand and Shu Shin Luh from Garden Court Chambers.

Leading Silks

Edward Fitzgerald CBE QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘His knowledge of the law of extradition is unbeatable and no counsel can compare to him.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘A complete force of nature. She is exceptionally committed to the work that she does and is incredibly dynamic.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Martin Westgate QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Very clever and insightful lawyer. He has an impressive ability to analyse cases and give a concise analysis of the pertinent issues.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Heather Williams QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘One of the foremost silks of her generation and is a leading light in police law.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Nicholas Bowen QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘One of the leading silks in challenging negligence in police cases. He has an enviable appellate practice and an excellent understanding of this area of law. His advocacy style is relaxed, he has an ability to engage with the court and get his point across in a calm and clear way.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Stephen Cragg QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Steve has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law on biometric data retention. As a former solicitor, he has a keen understanding and empathy with solicitors.’

Ranked: Tier 4

2021 Silks

Maya Sikand QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘ Formidable advocate. She is very articulate and persuasive, forcefully putting her client's case, whilst at the same time getting the judge on her side. ’

Adam Straw QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘He is unflappable in the face of unexpected or adverse developments, very strong on his feet and is a formidable opponent.’

Jamie Burton QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Go-to counsel for particularly complex cases involving victims of sexual violence and privacy breaches, as well as discrimination.’

Leading Juniors

Ruth Brander - Doughty Street Chambers ‘She has a brilliant mind and is able to retain complicated detail going back years.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Jude Bunting - Doughty Street Chambers ‘A superstar in court who makes the case sing. Extremely bright and analytical.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Alison Gerry - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Incredibly thorough and detailed and leaves no stone unturned in her advice. Takes on new and untested areas of law and is formidable in court.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Shu Shin Luh - Doughty Street Chambers ‘A force of nature - energetic, creative and industrious. She combines great strategic thinking with creative solutions for clients.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Jennifer Robinson - Doughty Street Chambers ‘A brilliant human rights lawyer, who is willing to take on the most difficult cases, clever in her tactics and prepared to stay with cases for years.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Nick Stanage - Doughty Street Chambers ‘A skilled and calm advocate who has worked across jurisdictions.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Adam Wagner - Doughty Street Chambers ‘A great legal mind who puts a lot of time into his material and gets very good results.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Laura Dubinsky - Doughty Street Chambers ‘A powerful advocate, her ingenuity and ability to come up with novel points of law is unrivalled.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Leonie Hirst - Doughty Street Chambers ‘An expert in complex immigration detention and immigration public law matters. She is thorough but also quick and concise.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Court of Protection and community care Tier 2

Doughty Street Chambers is an ‘excellent set that is always motivated to help. Its barristers are the cream of the crop.’ Also, various clients have praised its webinars during the Covid-19 and have said’ Chambers is well ahead of other Chambers in keeping others updated with the knowledge it has collated and that has been so useful.’ The ‘brilliant’ set is able to handle the full range of community care and Court of Protection matters. One highlight to note is the promoted Martin Westgate QC acting for Liberty R (JCWI) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2019] EWHC 452 (Admin), EHRC, Residential Landlords Association and Liberty intervening. He also acted for the claimant in MK v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2019] EWHC 3573 (Admin), a judicial review challenge to the delays in the process for deciding asylum claims by unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC joins this year's silk rankings, and Ulele Burnham's practice continues to go from strength to strength, while in rising stars Antonia Benfield and Daniel Clarke, the future of the team looks bright.

Rising stars

Antonia Benfield - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Astonishingly bright. Antonia’s strengths include being incredibly fast to grasp all details of the case and having a mastery of every minute detail of the claim. She has amazing analytical skills.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Daniel Clarke - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Very thorough, hard working, goes the extra mile, reliable, provides in-depth advice.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Leading Silks

Martin Westgate QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘A hugely experienced silk.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Hugely intelligent and tenacious, but with tremendous judgement, which makes her incredibly effective.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Aswini Weereratne QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Excellent advocacy skills in terms of being able to set out nuanced arguments, excellent drafting skills.’

Ranked: Tier 3

2021 Silks

Jamie Burton QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘He always gives realistic advice, pointing out the weaknesses of the case, but then fights tooth and nail for what the client needs.’

Leading Juniors

Ulele Burnham - Doughty Street Chambers ‘An excellent advocate: calm but tenacious with great courtroom presence. She has excellent judgement: judges respect her, clients like her.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Shu Shin Luh - Doughty Street Chambers ‘She is my first port of call in trafficking cases for her expert knowledge and quality work. Always willing to help, will respond very quickly. Goes the extra mile to assist on a matter. Cares about the outcomes for the client.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Sophy Miles - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Has a very good eye for detail.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Dominic Preston - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Is a fearless advocate who will work tirelessly to achieve the best outcome on a case. He is quick on his feet and delivers submissions in a succinct and persuasive manner.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Stephen Reeder - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Is very constructive and fights his client’s corner well in court.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Rowena Moffatt - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Rowena is a star in the making. Her specialism is the intersection between immigration and community care law.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Oliver Lewis - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Oliver is committed to protecting the rights of vulnerable people and will always provide advice based on that objective. He is always prepared and provides in-depth advice considering a range of options.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Crime Tier 2

Doughty Street Chambers is 'an excellent set' with 'a huge range of very talented barristers'. Defence work is a core pillar of strength for the set, alongside its established capabilities in criminal appeals and terrorism cases. Katy Thorne QC led Kate O’Raghallaigh in defending Adrian Hoare against charges of manslaughter after her three-year-old son died from asphyxiation after being allegedly crushed to death behind a car seat; Hoare was acquitted of manslaughter but received a two-year sentence for child cruelty. Emma Goodall acted for Sajid Idris, who pled guilty to four counts of distributing terrorist material; he received a suspended sentence. Liam Walker and Benjamin Newton represented Alice Cutter and Mark Jones, respectively, who were convicted of being members of proscribed neo-Nazi group National Action in a retrial after the jury failed to reach a verdict in an earlier trial.

Leading Silks

Joel Bennathan QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Affably authoritative. Excellent on the law and both his written work and advocacy are first class. He focuses on the real issues in the case, fights his client's corner, and has a great jury manner: jurors and others in the courtroom can't help but like him. Truly a leading counsel.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Tim Moloney QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘He is an absolute star to work with. He is thorough in his preparation and very engaging with clients. What is most impressive is his ability to analyse the evidence and develop a case theory - which he then sets about developing in and out of court. He is a superb jury advocate. His approach is very understated but fierce and robust when he needs to be.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Isabella Forshall QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘A clear vision, determination, wonderful advocacy, good lawyer. An iron fist in a velvet glove, which comes out and hits the court, the judge and the jury at a key moment. A brilliant lawyer.’

Ranked: Tier 2

David Bentley QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘David is a calm, tactically astute and diligent QC who goes the extra mile for his clients. He is not a showman but relies on conversational, easy going advocacy to get the best results for his client. He is easy on the ear and accordingly exudes low key authority and reliability to the jury.’

Ranked: Tier 3

James Wood QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Tactically very good and has an excellent manner with clients. He will always stand his ground on issues and will take difficult points with relish. Incredibly bright and formidable in court. Fearless as an advocate and brilliant at tactics. Very approachable, works incredibly hard and keeps in close contact. Turns work around immediatley and totally reliable.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Kirsty Brimelow QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘A painstaking and attentive silk. Counsel is very thorough and attentive to the cases, exploring all avenues and available defences.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Sarah Elliott QC-Doughty Street Chambers‘Her core strengths are having an incredible attention to detail; but also an ability to step back from a case and provide overall strategic advice. Her cross-examination of witnesses perceived as being vulnerable is incredibly skillful. It is an incredibly difficult art; but Sarah is a master of it.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Edward Fitzgerald QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘A brilliant advocate. In a standout market he is exceptional.’

Ranked: Tier 3

David Hislop QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘He is a wonderful lawyer. He is hugely charismatic, massively persuasive and devastatingly effective. Nothing is impossible with David on your side.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Paul Taylor QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Paul is a first-rate criminal appeal barrister. He is meticulous, thoughtful and provides well structured advice.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Katy Thorne QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Combines an eye for detail with a persuasive and engaging court style. Clients always like her and she gets the best from them. Is energetic and enthusiastic with advice in preparation for trial and then has the experience and poise to get results in court.’

Ranked: Tier 4

2019 Silks

Steven Powles QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘A dedicated and passionate barrister. A very impressive advocate.’

2021 Silks

Emma Goodall QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Indefatigable and full of verve. Her intelligence and tenacity make her a brilliant lawyer. She is able to digest huge amounts of information in order to enact clinical cross examination. She is able to deal with high-pressured situations calmly with precision.’

Leading Juniors

Piers Marquis - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Thoroughly prepared and excellent with both lay clients and solicitors. Jury friendly and a great junior. Fights for his clients with every sinew of his body and great passion.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Liam Walker - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Liam is a clever, tactical barrister, a great jury advocate as he presents and speaks as a “man of the people” and is highly regarded and respected by the judiciary. Clients quickly feel confidence in his representation as he gives very clear advice in terms a lay person can easily understand and presents a strategy for each case at the outset showing his consideration and detailed preparation of a case.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Farrhat Arshad - Doughty Street Chambers ‘is the consumate appeals barrister with an instinctive feel for the shape of an appeal. She is a leader in this field.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Kate O’Raghallaigh - Doughty Street Chambers ‘She is succinct, compelling, and formidable.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Richard Thomas - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Richard is hugely clever, sought after barrister. He is always two steps ahead of everyone else. He is great at teasing out fine legal detail and tactics and judges love him.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Garry Green - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Confident, eloquent and persuasive. He is a real safe pair of hands and has unparalleled interpersonal client skills.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Benjamin Newton - Doughty Street Chambers ‘A great strategist. He is a real team player. He never misses a trick, he's always one or two steps ahead of the opponent. He also has an impressive encyclopaedic knowledge of the law, and is one of the most highly skilled advocates I know who is also able to put clients at ease.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Lauren Soertsz - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Lauren is extremely thorough when preparing cases and is very good with all different types of clients. She is able to adapt well depending on the case at hand . She has a very calming effect on clients even when they are charged with the most serious of offences and when they are not particularly easy to deal with. As well as working hard behind the scenes, Lauren is excellent on her feet in court.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Sarah Vine - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Brilliant attention to detail. Fantastic rapport with clients. Very bright and able to identify niche legal argument. Articulate and tenacious advocate. She has a keen eye for niche legal arguments.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Immigration (including business immigration) Tier 2

Doughty Street Chambers is known for its 'outstanding work in human rights law' and for 'providing very high-quality service and client care'. Alasdair Mackenzie acted in ADL v SSHD, a judicial review challenge to the Home Office policy of charging fees for human rights applications; Charlotte Kilroy QC led Michelle Knorr in R (MS) v SSHD, a landmark judgment concerning the SSHD's investigative duties and children's right of review. Catherine Meredith acted for Liberty in its application to intervene as a third party in MS (Pakistan) over the scope of Article 4 ECHR, which reached the Supreme Court. In recent news, Shu Shin Luh and Anthony Vaughan (previously from Garden Court Chambers) have joined the set.

Rising stars

Antonia Benfield - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Antonia's oral submissions are outstanding and very persuasive; she is extremely knowledgeable on all aspects of immigration law.’

Ranked: Tier 1

2019 Silks

Charlotte Kilroy QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Has done really excellent work in developing the law in relation to unaccompanied children and other vulnerable refugees stranded across Europe with family members in the UK.’

Leading Juniors

Laura Dubinsky - Doughty Street Chambers ‘The extent of her knowledge is astounding, covering public law, immigration and detention; her ingenuity and ability to come up with novel points of law is unrivalled.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Joe Middleton - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Joe is a delight to work with - not only does he have a wealth of experience and a tremendous intellect but also an excellent manner with lay clients.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Alasdair Mackenzie - Doughty Street Chambers ‘His written work is immaculately written and both forceful and measured. His advocacy is likewise focused and powerful.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Phil Haywood - Doughty Street Chambers ‘He is highly intelligent, thorough and tactical, putting to excellent use his understanding of the finer points of the law.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Anthony Vaughan - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Technically excellent, great rapport with clients, leaves no stone unturned.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Michelle Knorr - Doughty Street Chambers ‘She provides high-quality written work and is a tenacious advocate.’

Ranked: Tier 4

David Lemer - Doughty Street Chambers ‘His knowledge of UK immigration law is exceptional, as is his understanding of Tribunal procedure and persuasive arguments to pursue.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Shu Shin Luh - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Shu Shin is very committed to public immigration work and her clients, she has strategic approach, is thorough but also very quick, produces high-standard written work and has an excellent track record.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Catherine Meredith - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Catherine is a top barrister in immigration law especially when it applies to victims of trafficking.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Rowena Moffatt - Doughty Street Chambers ‘She is uniformly excellent; she provides strong technical advice and quickly understands the material issues on a file.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Employment

Leading Silks

Henrietta Hill QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Rated very highly; she is always innovative, creative and reliable, with impeccable research and unblemished integrity.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Heather Williams QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘An extremely knowledgeable, heavyweight leading counsel - she is outstanding.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Leading Juniors

David Stephenson - Doughty Street Chambers ‘His advice is clear, frank, sensitive and sensible.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Amanda Hart - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Amanda is a great barrister. She has an exceptional eye for detail, is very client friendly, and has a very effective methodical cross-examination and advocacy style, ensuring she gets across all the points she needs in order to win.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Louise Mankau - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Puts clients at ease, is empathetic and can speak to clients in their language (sometimes quite literally given her fluent German and competence in other European languages).’

Ranked: Tier 5

Kate Annand - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Has a fantastic manner with clients, and is able to deal with difficult issues and give advice sensitively. She always has the client's interests at heart, and as an advocate her diligence and technical brilliance serve her well.’

Ranked: Tier 5

Proceeds of crime (POCA) and asset forfeiture

Leading Silks

Richard Fisher QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Erudite and effective advocacy. He is extremely knowledgeable in both the criminal and the civil POCA regimes. He is utterly professional, whilst being down to earth and friendly to work with at the same time.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Leading Juniors

Jonathan Lennon - Doughty Street Chambers ‘An astute barrister.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Product liability

Leading Silks

Robin Oppenheim QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘He has two brains and is an excellent cross-examiner.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Education

Leading Silks

Nicholas Bowen QC - Doughty Street Chambers 'Good knowledge of law; thinks outside of the box; takes on difficult cases'

Ranked: Tier 2

Leading Juniors

Louise Price - Doughty Street Chambers 'Her attention to detail is second to none. Louise is articulate, fair, and will really fight for her client.'

Ranked: Tier 4

Shu Shin Luh - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Hard-working, motivated, and her drafting and advocacy is very good.’

Ranked: Tier 5

Administrative and public law (including elections) Tier 3

'In terms of admin and public law' Doughty Street Chambers 'has a wealth of talent'. 'The set is very strong, especially at junior level', with members primarily focusing on work representing individuals. Edward Fitzgerald QC represented a number of Chagossians, the community displaced in the 1960s and '70s by the construction of the military base on Diego Garcia, in prolonged litigation concerning their potential return; Martin Westgate QC represented the defendant in RB Kingston v Moss, a High Court case concerning the local authority's selling on of watering and sewerage service at a profit. Unled, Jude Bunting represented the British Pregnancy Advisory Service in a Court of Appeal case concerning the meaning of the "exceeded" in the Abortion Act 1967. In the political space, Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC advised Stella Creasy MP on clearing with the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority the appointment of a "locum" to cover constituency casework during her maternity leave from the house.

Leading Silks

Edward Fitzgerald QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘He is peerless in this field. His unparalleled experience and advocacy skills as well as his commitment to his work place him ahead of all his competitors.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Stephen Cragg QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘He has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law on biometric data retention. As a former solicitor, he has a keen understanding and empathy with solicitors. He is incisive but approachable and friendly too!’

Ranked: Tier 3

Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Caoilfhionn is formidable in terms of written and oral submissions - her preparation and thoroughness is clear and she is highly persuasive. Lay clients love her - she is relatable and authoritative.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Martin Westgate QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘ He is excellent on this feet and judges really respect him.’

Ranked: Tier 3

2021 Silks

Adam Straw QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Adam is one of the best juniors in the area, with fantastic written skills and excellent, focused advocacy.’

Leading Juniors

Jude Bunting - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Jude is a genuine star. He has fantastic judgment and excellent writing skills and is always ready to advise at any stage of a case. He has a varied range of work which allows him to feed in expertise from different areas.’

Ranked: Tier 1

James Burton - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Effective at carving a legal argument out of a mass of facts.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Angela Patrick - Doughty Street Chambers ‘She is confident and takes the measure of her clients, the court and those she is in contention with. She can grasp the essence of a matter quickly and has a tremendous work ethic. She works well as a team including with those she is instructed by.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Adam Wagner - Doughty Street Chambers ‘An excellent junior for public law work.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Ruth Brander - Doughty Street Chambers

Ranked: Tier 3

Laura Dubinsky - Doughty Street Chambers ‘She has a forensic approach to cases and thorough, leaving no stone unturned helping to ensure success.’

Ranked: Tier 4

David Lemer - Doughty Street Chambers ‘He is well organised, good with clients, and has a good knowledge of the law.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Jesse Nicholls - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Jesse is a brilliant all-rounder with an excellent legal mind. He is a clear and forceful advocate and his written work is second to none. He covers all bases.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Katherine O’Byrne - Doughty Street Chambers ‘She has a clear and mature drafting style in written pleadings. She's also a pleasure to work with - responsive, extremely hard-working and organised, practical and very user-friendly from the solicitor perspective.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Shu Shin Luh - Doughty Street Chambers 'Extremely diligent and committed. Provides written work of very high standard. Has the ability to marshal clear arguments in complex cases – has expertise over a wide range of areas.'

Ranked: Tier 4

Defamation and privacy Tier 3

Doughty Street Chambers 'offers a wide range of services' and has a 'deserved high reputation' for domestic as well as international media and information law issues. Recent work saw a number of chambers' members, who are known to 'offer in-depth analyses in their specialist areas', appear in landmark Supreme Court cases: Claire Overman and Jonathan Price were instructed for the claimant and the defendant, respectively, in social media defamation case Stocker v Stocker. Together with Heather Rogers QC, Price also acted for the Media Lawyers Association in Serafin v Malkiewicz, the first defence of publication on a matter of public interest case based on section 4 of the Defamation Act 2013.

Rising stars

Beth Grossman - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Absolutely excellent, very conscientious and focused on a strategic approach.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Leading Silks

Heather Rogers QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Exceptionally forensic, she has a clear understanding of the client's objectives and their needs.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Leading Juniors

Caroline Addy - Doughty Street Chambers ‘An able and experienced senior junior with a broad practice.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Claire Overman - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Exceptionally intelligent, forward thinking, practical, pragmatic, collaborative, insightful, hard working, pleasure to work with, client focused, great knowledge of the wider sector and industry issues.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Jonathan Price - Doughty Street Chambers ‘A fabulous client barrister, technically very good and hugely persuasive and articulate.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Jennifer Robinson - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Calm and very committed, an accomplished lawyer and extremely well connected on the international advocacy circuit.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Fraud: crime Tier 3

'A very good set that has real breadth and depth in terms of expertise' and 'a huge pool of very talented barristers', Doughty Street Chambers' recent instructions include boiler room cases, carbon credit frauds, and tax evasion matters. In recent work of particular note, Benjamin Newton successfully defended Marcus Allen, one of eight defendants on trial for an alleged carbon credits fraud; Allen was acquitted following the trial's collapse when an expert witness was discredited. In August 2020, Jonathan Lennon joined from Carmelite Chambers.

Leading Silks

Richard Fisher QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Richard is a first rate barrister. He has vast experience in financial crime and is well trusted by clients. He is very commercial and a great team player.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Rupert Bowers QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘An excellent silk.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Leading Juniors

Benjamin Newton - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Ben is a phenomenally intellectual person who is very compassionate with clients. He is reliable and dependable. An iron fist in a velvet glove.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Peter Caldwell - Doughty Street Chambers ‘A very cerebral lawyer. He has an extremely calm manner that he is able to put clients at ease coupled with his deep understanding of the law and a good work ethic in term of preparation of cases.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Philippa Eastwood - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Philippa is extremely hardworking and diligent in the preparation of cases and ongoing work throughout the trial process. She is responsive and very easy to work with both individually and as part of a defence team. She has a smart and charming manner with clients and judges.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Jonathan Lennon - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Absolutely outstanding defender in major fraud trials. Good at seeing the bigger picture in a case. He always thinks out of the box to see a new angle or a gap in the prosecution shield wall.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Professional disciplinary and regulatory law

Leading Juniors

Louise Price - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Her attention to detail is second to none. Louise is articulate, fair and will really fight for her client.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Gemma Hobcraft - Doughty Street Chambers ‘She is very knowledgeable about the GMC disciplinary process with some useful practical insights.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Sue Sleeman - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Sue has excellent knowledge of regulatory/professional discipline procedure. She very clearly has the client’s best interests at heart. Her advocacy is skilled and she is highly adaptable. She is enjoyable to work with and an asset to a case.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Personal injury, industrial disease and insurance fraud

Personal injury - Leading Silks

Theo Huckle QC - Doughty Street Chambers ‘An irrepressible advocate who really pushes his opponents around with his intellect and knowledge.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Administrative and public law (including civil liberties and human rights)

Doughty Street Chambers is 'a go-to set for police actions and civil liberties work'. With a practice that benefits from experience in international human rights law abroad, Nick Stanage is 'extremely able on his feet, exuding in good measure calm and charisma, and excellent at incisive cross-examination'. Recent instructions for Stanage include the Public Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, the Undercover Policing Inquiry, and acting for the claimant in John Hemming v Chief Constable of Staffordshire Police, a human rights claims in relation to the police's investigation into false allegations of rape made against the former Liberal MP.

Leading Juniors

Nick Stanage - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Nick listens to his Instructing Solicitor and takes time to absorb what is being said rather than just being the one who talks. He writes simply and powerfully and advocates using the same style as well - very simple, straightforward, easy to understand but very effective advocacy style which gets straight to the point of the argument. He has his own unique style of oratory which works for him and grabs the attention.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Crime (general and fraud)

Doughty Street Chambers' crime team has several of the most serious and high-profile cases of alleged homicide and terrorism, including the Manchester Arena bomb attack. A key name in the set's Manchester office, Erim Mushtaq recent cases have included cases involving allegations of terrorism, historic sexual abuse, and organised crime.

Leading Juniors

Erimnaz Mushtaq - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Recommended for terrorism-related offences.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Amos Waldman - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Recommended for drug conspiracy cases.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Employment

At Doughty Street Chambers in Manchester, the set's members are particularly known for their expertise in high value and complex discrimination claims. Paul Draycott has particular specialisms in whistleblowing, TUPE, and discrimination claims and has also handled a number of cases concerning the interplay of the criminal law and employment law. Also of note, Paras Gorasia, working with local advocates, advised on the Manx Sutton v Creechurch Capital case in the Isle of Man, in which a whistleblower was awarded compensation of around £600,000, a sum thought to be a jurisdiction record. Instructing solicitors are full of praise for 'the friendly barrister' Gorasia: 'First and foremost, Paras is an excellent team player. For instructing solicitors, the fact he always makes himself available at short notice to review a document or provide input, or just to give his view, is priceless and makes him stand out from others.'

Leading Juniors

Paul Draycott - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Quickly grasps the key issues in a case.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Paras Gorasia - Doughty Street Chambers ‘Paras is a leading practitioner who is highly knowledgeable and committed to his field. His advice and approach are concise and commercial, which are what our clients want. Above all, he is incredibly personable and I would not hesitate to recommend him to any client. Client feedback is consistently 100% positive.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Personal injury

Doughty Street Chambers' personal injury team in Bristol has recently been strengthened following the arrival of Andreá Risoli from Old Square Chambers. Risoli has a particular focus on high-value claims involving complex medical causation issues and is regularly instructed in cases involving catastrophic injuries and high-value fatal accidents. In recent work of note, he successfully acted for a 39-year-old claimant who suffered lower-limb fracture injuries and a wrist fracture in a road traffic accident; a £900,000 settlement was achieved on the basis of future needs against background ageing and loss of potential self-employment earnings.

Leading Juniors

Andreá Risoli - Doughty Street Chambers ‘I have always been very impressed by Andrea preparation and thorough approach to conferences with the client and experts. He prepares clear and detailed advice in advance of the meetings which enables our lay clients to clear follow and understand the advice given and is manner with the clients is professional yet approachable and understanding.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Set overviews: England and Wales

With offices in London, Bristol, Manchester, and The Hague, Doughty Street Chambers has a wealth of expertise in public, civil liberties, criminal, and associated practice areas, and is among the top ten chambers for most leading junior and rising star rankings in the 2021 guide. Ben Cooper QC was appointed Queen's Counsel in March 2020. The set was further strengthened by a host of new members. In the public law and civil liberties and human rights teams, Stephen Knafler QC has joined from Landmark Chambers, while Maya Sikand, Shu Shin Luh, and Anthony Vaughan arrived from Garden Court Chambers. Sarah Palin joined the media and information law team from 1 Brick Court, while Beth Grossman joined from the now-closed Ely Place Chambers; Jonathan Lennon joined the crime team from Carmelite Chambers, as did Peta-Louise Bagott from Kingsley Napley and Rabah Kherbane from 2 Bedford Row; Leonie Hirst joined the Court of Protection and mental health team; Alice Irving joined the housing and social welfare team. In other news, Stephen Cragg QC and Benjamin Newton have been appointed as Recorders, sitting on the South Eastern and Western Circuit respectively, and David Lammy MP joined as an associate tenant.

Clerks:

Sian Wilkins (Senior Practice Manager, Civil); Matthew Butchard (Senior Practice Manager, Crime); Melvin Warner, Rachel Finch, Callum Stebbing (Practice Managers, Civil); Marc Gilby (Practice Manager, Crime)

Testimonials

Clerks:

The Court of Protection Clerks (Emily, Rachel and Sian) are all excellent. Friendly, responsive and practical.

A very good standard of clerking.

Adam Todd brings a depth of experience to the Clerking team. He has moved mountains for me and stops at nothing to help his clients. It’s a pleasure to do business with him and you know he has your interests at heart.

Adam Todd is a wonder and helpful in every respect. A key individual.

I would say that the service provided both by counsel and the clerks is second to none. Sian Wilkins, Rachel Finch and Emily Norman are all incredibly helpful, efficient and available to meet our needs.

Sam Verner and Richard Vile are very approachable clerks, and will go above and beyond to assist.

Ben Fitzgerald is a fantastic clerk. He is the highest calibre of clerk I have worked with.

Callum Stebbing and Sam Cooper are brilliant and always responsive.

Callum Stebbing is a very capable clerk, but the addition of Melvin Warner has really strengthened the team. Melvin is a very experienced clerk having spent many years at One Brick Court and is widely regarded as a very safe pair of hands.

Callum Stebbing provides a fantastic service. He makes finding and instructing counsel a breeze.

Great clerks who give a personal service – Richard Vile and Matthew Butchard are efficient, friendly and responsive.

Great service from clerks who know their stuff and don’t simply try to fill a barrister’s diary. They clearly listen to who or what we need and respond appropriately.

I believe the clerks’ room is excellent and they are frequently praised by solicitors for their availability and helpfulness. Sian Wilkins, the senior civil clerk, has a particularly high reputation for her judgment and accessibility to solicitors.

I have interacted most frequently with Callum Stebbing and Luke Christmas, who have both been highly professional and very pleasant to work with.

I would like to think I have built up a good relationship with the clerks in the civil team. In particular, the service I have received from Luke Christmas is excellent.

Luke Christmas is unfailingly helpful.

Matt Butchard was a great hire for the team in 2019. He has real integrity and is very straightforward in fee negotiations.

Richard Vile, Marc Gilby and Sam Verner are always reachable and will bend over backwards to help you solve a problem. They are a credit to the excellent barristers that they work with.

The clerks are fantastic and special mention has to go to Rachel Finch, Emily Norman and Sian Wilkins. Not only do they run a tight ship but they’re also extremely friendly and remain calm even during very busy periods. Furthermore, they have even helped solicitors to prepare electronic bundles during Covid-19 where the solicitor/firm does not have the required software. A remarkable service by all accounts.

The clerks are fantastic and very personal. Calling to check how things are going and offering extra help with bundling and other tasks during the Covid-19 pandemic was particularly appreciated.

The employment team, led by Callum Stebbing, are just excellent. Callum is well supported by Sam Cooper who has really impressed over the last 12 months.

Set:

During the Covid19 pandemic they have offered very insightful and relevant training sessions in relation to the Mental Capacity Act

A dynamic set with barristers who particularly stand out for human rights and freedom of expression.

A first class set with a depth of experience and knowledge especially in the areas we cover which is largely unmatched. They simply go from strength to strength. A go-to defence set.

A really good, hard working and friendly team involved in some of the most high profile extradition cases.

An excellent chambers with many wonderful barristers.

Doughty Street have made great inroads into the personal injury and clinical negligence market.

As a whole Doughty Street is an excellent set. Their immigration team is fantastic across the board. If the counsel you ask for is not available they always have a great range of alternatives. They put on excellent training.

During the covid-19, we have been offered and attended many different webinars which have been so useful to keep up to date with the developments during the pandemic. Clearly, Chambers is well ahead of any other Chambers in keeping others updated with the knowledge they have collated.

Doughty Street , like my Chambers ( Garden Court) is one of the pre-eminent defence sets . Very good standard of counsel from top to bottom .

Doughty Street are a forward thinking, professional and dynamic set, focussed on defending individual rights. They provide frequent informative and useful training programmes, which enhance our practice and knowledge of the law.

Doughty Street are an excellent set of chambers and their barristers are the cream of the crop. The clerking team are absolute superstars and seem to always go above and beyond to assist.

Doughty Street are an excellent set who I’ve been instructing regularly since I moved and began to practice in London in 2017. The clerking team are among the most friendly, professional and efficient in the country. Their regular training sessions are always informative. And their counsel are excellent without fail. A real 10/10 chambers.

Doughty Street are an excellent set, I cannot fault them. They provide pertinent training, they have a variety of experienced counsel in the field of Court of Protection and in my view they are the best set and our ‘go to’ set for Court of Protection work. Doughty Street also hold engaging events, such as on International Women’s Day, on regarding LGBTQ issues.

Doughty Street are one of the top London sets. They have first class silks and juniors. Their human rights commitment and progressive political pedigree still marks them out.an rights focused which helps for certain cases that involve civil claims.

Doughty Street Chambers is a formidable set of chambers in civil liberties and human rights and is my go to chambers when considering counsel for inquests, actions against detaining authorities and judicial review. The representation and advice from many barristers I have instructed is of a high quality and standard.

Doughty Street Chambers is a set with an immense breadth of renowned barristers with a broad range of expertise, offering advice and representation in relation to international multi-jurisdiction areas of law.

Doughty Street Chambers is a slickly oiled machine and is very well served by a competent & professional clerking team who are always very quick to react to requests for counsel assistance.

Doughty Street Chambers is an impressive chambers with highly intelligent, smart and politically savvy lawyers that push the law for the benefit of their clients and wider society.

Doughty Street has one of the best teams of barristers for acting for bereaved families in the country, all the barristers I have used in their team have been excellent.

Doughty street have a well deserved reputation as a strong extradition set.

Doughty Street have run incredibly useful training seminars for free during the pandemic.

Doughty street is a class act, across the board. They attract bright and dedicated lawyers so, at every level you have confidence in those offered to you and those you instruct.

Doughty Street is a consistently excellent chambers.

Doughty street is one of the best chambers we have in London.

Doughty Street offer a significant human rights support network.

I have worked with a few barristers at Doughty Street and overall I can safely say that the set does produce high quality barristers and I don’t recall ever having had a bad or negative experience.

They provide useful and well-pitched training sessions, and have recently also been holding very progressive and much-needed sessions on stress management for lawyers and promoting mental health awareness in the legal sector.

They are very down-to-earth for such an established set, and put considerable effort into maintaining genuinely good, friendly and collaborative relationships with instructing solicitors.

The chambers are a top set with an extensive array of very talented barristers, who have a passion for rights and justice. They understand client needs and will try to assist whenever possible.

The chambers are fantastic in all respects, including their extremely approachable/friendly/efficient clerking. They are a joy to work with.

You know that whoever holds a brief on a matter, at Doughty Street, is going to be a first class barrister. I’d say they have the best calibre of barristers, in great depth.

Set overviews: England and Wales

With offices in London, Bristol, Manchester, and The Hague, Doughty Street Chambers has a wealth of expertise in public, civil liberties, criminal, and associated practice areas, and is among the top ten chambers for most leading junior and rising star rankings in the 2021 guide. Ben Cooper QC was appointed Queen's Counsel in March 2020. The set was further strengthened by a host of new members. In the public law and civil liberties and human rights teams, Maya Sikand, Shu Shin Luh, and Anthony Vaughan arrived from Garden Court Chambers. Sarah Palin joined the media and information law team from 1 Brick Court, while Beth Grossman joined from the now-closed Ely Place Chambers; Jonathan Lennon joined the crime team from Carmelite Chambers, as did Peta-Louise Bagott from Kingsley Napley and Rabah Kherbane from 2 Bedford Row; Leonie Hirst joined the Court of Protection and mental health team; Alice Irving joined the housing and social welfare team. In other news, Stephen Cragg QC and Benjamin Newton have been appointed as Recorders, sitting on the South Eastern and Western Circuit respectively, and David Lammy MP joined as an associate tenant.