Set Profile > 5 Essex Court > London, England

5 Essex Court Offices

Chambers of Jason Beer QC
5 Essex Court
TEMPLE
LONDON
EC4Y 9AH
England
Visit website 020 7410 2000 020 7410 2010

5 Essex Court > The Legal 500 Rankings

London Bar > Inquests and inquiries Tier 1

5 Essex Court's team comprises several inquest and coronial law specialists; and in addition to the set's expertise in police-related inquests, its 'high-quality' members represent healthcare providers, emergency services, government departments, local authorities, prison services and the military. Jason Beer QC is currently engaged in four public inquiries, namely Grenfell Tower, Undercover Policing, Magnox, and Post Office Horizon IT; and Fiona Barton QC is one of the country’s leading QCs specialising in police law. At the senior-junior level, Alison Hewitt consistently acts as counsel to inquests in high-profile, complex and sensitive investigations, such as acting for HM Senior Coroner for Avon in relation to Spencer Ashworth (Deceased), who had a history of mental health difficulties and was fatally shot by armed police after driving through three counties, allegedly threatening to shoot other drivers with a handgun.

Rising stars

Aaron Moss - 5 Essex Court ‘ Aaron is knowledgeable, intelligent, a pleasure to work with, and able to provide sage advice in demanding situations with ease and confidence. He has become a go-to junior for inquests work. ’
Ranked: Tier 1

Leading Silks

Fiona Barton QC - 5 Essex Court ‘ Exceptional in all respects. ’
Ranked: Tier 1
Jason Beer QC - 5 Essex Court ‘ A highly respected and formidable senior practitioner in this field. He commands the confidence and respect of clients, judges and colleagues alike, and has the extraordinary ability to make the complex seem simple. Strategically, Jason never takes a wrong turn - he is excellent on the law and excellent on the evidence, as well as being a top-drawer advocate - charismatic, clear, measured, composed, accurate, and in command of the detail and of the big picture. ’
Ranked: Tier 1
Samantha Leek QC - 5 Essex Court ‘ A top-rated QC in inquiry work - intelligent and compassionate, and knows her way round the inquiry law environment like the back of her hand. ’
Ranked: Tier 1
Alan Payne QC - 5 Essex Court ‘ Outstanding and instructed in the most difficult cases. ’
Ranked: Tier 3
Anne Studd QC - 5 Essex Court ‘ Very incisive in terms of assessing documentation. Able to handle vast amounts of material - often dealing with historical situations going back many years where the ability to place oneself in the mindset of the era is important; and Anne has shown herself adept at dealing with this issue as well as being up to date on case presentation and the mindset of the courts. ’
Ranked: Tier 3

Leading Juniors

Alison Hewitt - 5 Essex Court ‘ One of the most respected advocates practising in coronial law. She matches a peerless knowledge and understanding of the law with a straightforward and no-nonsense approach. She sees the answer before anyone else, is always calm under pressure, and quickly establishes a fantastic working relationship with any coroner. I can’t think of anybody better than Alison to represent your interests at a difficult inquest. ’
Ranked: Tier 1
Francesca Whitelaw - 5 Essex Court ‘ Extremely knowledgeable in the law governing inquests and inquiries, and has a wealth of experience in high-profile cases. Her expertise in national security work is particularly notable, her advocacy is impressive, and Francesca works well in a team. ’
Ranked: Tier 2
Georgina Wolfe - 5 Essex Court ‘ Georgina has crystalline clarity of thought, which coupled with a comprehensive knowledge of coronial law and a deep insight into the workings of inquests, makes her the ideal choice of counsel. Her technical skills, as well as the ability to express arguments in writing, are coupled with an appreciation of the wider landscape and the ability to think strategically. She is a go-to choice as a junior on inquests and inquiries. ’
Ranked: Tier 2
Claire Palmer - 5 Essex Court ‘ An extremely persuasive and tenacious advocate. ’
Ranked: Tier 3
Ranked: Tier 3
Bilal Rawat - 5 Essex Court ‘ At the top of his game - one of the leading practitioners in the field of inquests and inquiries, and one of the most senior juniors consistently appearing in the most high-profile cases. Bilal's style is measured but firm when required, and he robustly represents his client's interests - very impressive. ’
Ranked: Tier 3
Jonathan Dixey - 5 Essex Court ‘ Jonathan is an excellent barrister. He is unerringly polite and his courteous manner in court is particularly effective when having to put unattractive evidential points either directly to a witness or in submissions. He is always well-prepared and has an excellent grasp of the law - I highly commend him. ’
Ranked: Tier 3
Mark Thomas - 5 Essex Court ‘ Mark's approach to inquests and families is highly professional - he brings a humane approach to the task. ’
Ranked: Tier 4
Barnabas Branston - 5 Essex Court ‘ Very incisive, and able to deal with voluminous material and get to the core issues. Also exceptionally good with clients and witnesses, with very good presentations to courts, and very eloquent while being down to earth in explaining matters to lay witnesses. ’
Ranked: Tier 4
Robert Cohen - 5 Essex Court ‘ He has a good understanding of the workings of prison and draws upon this for his inquest work - very pleasant to work with and the witnesses like him. ’
Ranked: Tier 4
Cicely Hayward - 5 Essex Court ‘ Top-notch, extremely diligent, enthusiastic, energetic, very intelligent, and with the ability to get to grips with detail without missing the strategic issues. ’
Ranked: Tier 4

Testimonials

Set

‘The set as a whole are leaders in their field.‘

‘Five Essex Court is a powerhouse of coronial lawyers, who lead and inspire younger members of chambers who specialise in this area.‘

‘When I have used other sets, I have felt that the whole service has not matched 5 Essex Court.‘

‘It is rare to have a set of chambers where the reception, clerks, and junior and senior barristers are equally impressive in the service they offer.‘

‘High-quality barristers, a pleasure to work with, well prepared, sensible and without question a safe pair of hands for whoever they are representing.‘

Clerking

‘The clerks are fantastic – always willing to help and responsive.‘

‘Mark Waller is a truly excellent senior clerk.‘

‘The service provided by the clerks room is very good.‘

‘They respond in a timely way and always keep you updated.‘

‘The clerks were very helpful when I sought their assistance to find counsel for an inquest.‘

London Bar > Police law (defendant) Tier 1

5 Essex Court ‘are a pre-eminent set acting for the police‘ fielding ‘a ‘talented team of specialists in all areas of police law‘. Leading cases include representing the Secretary of State for the Home Department and Secretary of State for Justice in the inquests and civil action proceedings arising out of the terror attack at Fishmongers’ Hall and on London Bridge in November 2019, and in Halabi v The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, acting for the Metropolitan Police in a high profile challenge to the national regime for monitoring sex offenders. ‘Leader in her field ‘ Fiona Barton QC  defended the DPP in Young v Chief Constable of Warwickshire Police & Director of Public Prosecutions in a claim for misfeasance, false imprisonment, and breaches of convention rights. Andrew Waters is a top junior in both police and disciplinary law; he acted for Norfolk Constabulary in a disciplinary hearing concerning a firearms officer who was removed from her firearms role following her alleged failure to disclose serious concerns about another officer in the firearms unit.

Leading Silks

Fiona Barton QC - 5 Essex Court ‘ A leader in the field of police work. ’
Ranked: Tier 1
Jason Beer QC - 5 Essex Court ‘ A star performer; he combines an assured manner with a piercing intellect. ’
Ranked: Tier 1
Anne Studd QC - 5 Essex Court ‘ Anne has an exceptional amount of experience and is able to perform well at any level of court or tribunal, also a very confident in dealing with Chief Constables and other senior officers. ’
Ranked: Tier 2
Samantha Leek QC - 5 Essex Court ‘ A practical silk with an authoritative presence. ’
Ranked: Tier 3
Alan Payne QC - 5 Essex Court ‘ Alan's written pleadings and advice is excellent. ’
Ranked: Tier 3

Leading Juniors

Beatrice Collier - 5 Essex Court ‘ Beatrice is an excellent advocate and negotiator. ’
Ranked: Tier 1
Charlotte Ventham - 5 Essex Court ‘ Incisive in her written work and clearly extremely knowledgeable in the area of police law. ’
Ranked: Tier 1
Francesca Whitelaw - 5 Essex Court ‘ Francesca is cerebral, thorough and has excellent judgement and can hold her own among silks. She knows her cases better than anyone and is able to work with all sorts of clients at the highest level. ’
Ranked: Tier 1
Georgina Wolfe - 5 Essex Court ‘ A polished, very talented advocate who commands the confidence of the court. ’
Ranked: Tier 1
Jonathan Dixey - 5 Essex Court ‘ An extremely sharp and intelligent barrister with a good mind for strategy and tactics. ’
Ranked: Tier 2
Robert Cohen - 5 Essex Court ‘ Robert demonstrates a highly impressive command of the evidence in a case with a fine ability to grasp and then focus on the key issues. ’
Ranked: Tier 3
Russell Fortt - 5 Essex Court ‘ A robust advocate with a firm grasp of the law. ’
Ranked: Tier 3
Cicely Hayward - 5 Essex Court ‘ Cicely is incredibly easy to deal with, always conscious of wider strategic issues and very knowledgeable about police practice. ’
Ranked: Tier 3
Robert Talalay - 5 Essex Court ‘ His attention to detail is remarkable. ’
Ranked: Tier 3
Mark Thomas - 5 Essex Court ‘ A measured and affable advocate. ’
Ranked: Tier 3
Ranked: Tier 3

Testimonials

Set

‘One of the the top sets for police work.’

‘Outstanding. I consistently go to 5 Essex Court for police work.’

Clerking

‘Mark Waller is still the ‘go to’ clerk for police work. Excellent knowledge of this area of work and is able advise on the right barrister for the job. He runs a tight and professional team, always friendly, approachable and professional.’

‘Like the barristers, all the clerks are approachable and helpful.’

London Bar > Employment

Leading Juniors

Richard Oulton - 5 Essex Court ‘ Richard is unflappable- a calm and reassuring presence when dealing with complex cases or challenging opposition. He's always willing to take the time to discuss queries and advise at short notice, and is extremely personable and skilled at setting witnesses at ease and guiding them through the tribunal process.  ’
Ranked: Tier 4
Victoria von Wachter - 5 Essex Court ‘ Victoria always demonstrates an impressive ability to assimilate and analyse information, often of great volume, to distil the essential issues. Always impressive, clear and fluent - clearly immensely capable, skilled and fiercely intelligent, but also very personable, approachable and able to put clients from extremely diverse backgrounds, and with different levels of confidence, at their ease. ’
Ranked: Tier 4
Daniel Hobbs - 5 Essex Court ‘ Always positive and friendly, which makes working together enjoyable, and he provides clear and helpful advice. ’
Ranked: Tier 5
Ranked: Tier 5

5 Essex Court > Set Profile

Overview

5 Essex Court is a top tier set of chambers recognised for exemplary client service, depth and breadth of experience in its specialist areas and outstanding quality of counsel. Chambers has a formidable reputation in its core areas of practice – police law, public/administrative law, public inquiries, inquests, professional disciplinary/regulatory, information law, employment law and human rights. Members, many of whom are recognised as leaders in their field, have appeared in some of the UK’s most significant civil law cases, inquests and inquiries over the last decade. Chambers represents a broad range of clients in both the public and private sectors and across the United Kingdom. The public accountability of many of the set’s clients is always a key consideration and members deploy measured, forensic advocacy coupled with an accessible, efficient and practical approach. A number of members accept direct public access work.

Work Undertaken.

Police Law
Pre-eminent in this field, Chambers is consistently recommended as the leading set for police law. The strength in depth of the police law team is highlighted by the large number of members ranked at all levels of call in this area of expertise. 5 Essex Court’s highly regarded specialists are instructed by every police force in England and Wales and by Police Scotland on all aspects of police law. They have a formidable and unrivalled record of appearances in almost every case, inquest or inquiry of substance concerning police law to Supreme Court level. Public/Administrative Law: Legal challenges to public bodies have been at the core of 5 Essex Court’s work for more than half a century. Members are often involved in public law cases that break new legal ground. They regularly advise and act in a wide range of public law cases for individuals, ministers and government departments, local authorities, regulatory authorities and other public bodies. The team includes members of each of the Attorney General’s panels of counsel. Members are particularly known for their work in cases that have a civil liberties, human rights or criminal justice dimension.

Public Inquiries
5 Essex Court continues to lead in this area with members instructed in most major inquiries including the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, the Renewable Heat Inquiry, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and the Undercover Policing Inquiry. The public inquiries team represents a broad range of clients and members are also regularly instructed as counsel to the inquiry. Public inquiries are inherently high profile and members are consistently praised for their effective handling of the sensitivities and challenges facing clients who are often in the spotlight for an extended period.

Inquests
Recognised as a leading set, 5 Essex Court offers a comprehensive service covering all stages of an inquest. The team comprises a large number of recommended specialists including a senior coroner. In addition to renowned expertise involving the police, members have extensive experience of representing clients from a range of sectors including other emergency services, healthcare providers, government departments, local authorities, prison services, security firms, publicly listed and private companies. Members of the inquest team have appeared in the most high-profile inquests of recent years, both as counsel to interested persons and as counsel to the inquest, including: Deepcut, London Bridge Attack, Westminster Terror Attack, Birmingham Pub Bombings, Perepilichnyy, Poppi Worthington and Maughan.

Data Protection and Information Law
 From national security to cyber security, 5 Essex Court’s team regularly provides advice and advocacy in matters relating to information and data protection law, with extensive experience acting for government, police forces, businesses and regulators.

Members of our team appear in UK courts and tribunals from the Supreme Court down in some of the highest-profile cases involving information law. Significant matters in this area include R (Bridges) v Chief Constable of South Wales Police (SWP) in the first ever legal challenge against the use of automatic facial recognition technology. Sir Cliff Richard v BBC, R (Miranda) v Secretary of State for the Home Department and R (Catt & T) v Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis.

The information law team provides practical advice and excellent advocacy at all stages, from time-sensitive crisis management through to complex and high-value litigation.

Employment Law
Chambers has a team of talented employment law specialists recognised for their experience and practical advice and representation across the full scope of employment law issues.

5 Essex Court’s barristers are renowned for their expertise representing government departments, public bodies and Chief Constables in employment law, as well as mainstream private industry companies of all sizes.  They apply their vast experience in some of the most contentious and complex employment cases relating to public bodies as well as all industry sectors, from national retailers and service providers to blue-chip financial institutions.

Our employment law specialists represent and advise both employers and employees from the public and private sectors and regularly appear in Employment Tribunals as well as senior courts up to Supreme Court level. The team is recognised for giving sound practical and pragmatic advice. A number of our barristers pursued other careers such as Industrial relations, in industry before joining the Bar, so we have first-hand knowledge of the commercial issues facing clients.

Human rights
 5 Essex Court barristers appear in some of the most ground-breaking human rights challenges in the courts today. Chambers’ caseload includes challenges to the actions of the police, government departments, prisons and other public bodies in the full range of courts from county level up to the Supreme Court. The team is skilled, robust and creative in dealing with claims which push the boundaries of human rights jurisprudence. The experience of members of the team includes international law and Commonwealth human rights litigation.

Disciplinary/Regulatory
Building on its widely recognised expertise in police misconduct, 5 Essex Court has a strong presence in the wider regulatory context. Members of the team represent regulators, companies and individuals across a range of sectors, including healthcare, energy and professional services, and in all manner of proceedings concerning regulatory law issues. These include professional discipline, civil claims, public inquiries and inquests.

Personal Injury
5 Essex Court’s personal injury team acts for a broad range of private and public sector clients including insurers, corporates, the police, prisons, government departments, and local authorities, as well as direct access clients. Members’ expertise covers the full spectrum of personal injury cases, from the most serious and complex multi-track claims to the simplest small track claims. Clients benefit from the team’s ability to draw on their expertise in other overlapping core areas of practice including employment, regulatory and human rights law.

 

Main Contacts

Department Name Email Telephone
Senior Clerk Mark Waller clerks@5essexcourt.co.uk 020 7410 2000
Member of Chambers BEER QC, Jason (1992)
Member of Chambers BARTON QC, Fiona (1986)
Member of Chambers STUDD QC, Anne (1988)
Member of Chambers LEEK QC, Samantha (1993)
Member of Chambers PAYNE QC, Alan (1996)
Member of Chambers APTHORP, Charles (1983)
Member of Chambers HEWITT, Alison (1984)
Member of Chambers WALSH, Simon (1987)
Member of Chambers WATERS, Andrew (1987)
Member of Chambers OULTON, Richard (1995)
Member of Chambers WAITE, John-Paul (1995)
Member of Chambers RAWAT, Bilal (1995)
Member of Chambers HARRIS, Melvyn (1997)
Member of Chambers HODGE, Alastair (1997)
Member of Chambers VON WACHTER, Victoria (1997)
Member of Chambers HOBBS, Daniel (1998)
Member of Chambers BRANSTON, Barnabas (1999)
Member of Chambers FORTT, Russell (1999)
Member of Chambers VENTHAM, Charlotte (2001)
Member of Chambers CORNELL, Kate (2003)
Member of Chambers PALMER, Claire (2003)
Member of Chambers WHITELAW, Francesca (2003)
Member of Chambers COLLIER, Beatrice (2004)
Member of Chambers LANDAU, Jonathan (2004)
Member of Chambers THOMAS, Mark (2006)
Member of Chambers WOLFE, Georgina (2006)
Member of Chambers HARLAND, Robert (2006)
Member of Chambers DIXEY, Jonathan (2007)
Member of Chambers TAHERI, Peter (2007)
Member of Chambers PRICE, Emma (2007)
Member of Chambers HAYWARD, Cicely (2008)
Member of Chambers IDELBI, Saara (2008)
Member of Chambers COHEN, Robert (2009)
Member of Chambers CLARKE, Amy (2010)
Member of Chambers TALALAY, Robert (2010)
Member of Chambers USTYCH, Alex (2010)
Member of Chambers HODGE, Catriona (2012)
Member of Chambers MEREDITH, Alice (2013)
Member of Chambers MOSS, Aaron (2013)
Member of Chambers GOSS, John (2015)
Member of Chambers REICHHOLD, Remi (2016)
Member of Chambers LAVERACK, Peter (2015)
Member of Chambers JOYCE, Molly (2016)
Member of Chambers MESSLING, David (2017)
Member of Chambers WRIGHT, Jennifer (2018)
Member of Chambers MONIGHAN, Conor (2019)
Member of Chambers DOBBIE, Sarah (2020)
Door Tenant BASSETT, John (1975)
Door Tenant ALLEN, Dr Stephen (1992)
Door Tennat CHECA DOVER, Olivia (2007)

Barrister Profiles

Photo Name Position Profile
Charles Apthorp photo Charles Apthorp Charles’ areas of expertise include police law, employment law, commercial litigation and… View Profile
Fiona Barton photo Fiona Barton Examples of her work include: The London Bridge Terrorist Attack Inquests [2019]… View Profile
Jason Beer photo Jason Beer   Jason often leads teams of counsel in complex, high-profile and sensitive… View Profile
Barnabas Branston photo Barnabas Branston Barney acts for a range of clients including police forces across England… View Profile
Amy Clarke photo Amy Clarke Amy acts on behalf of constabularies across the country in cases involving… View Profile
Robert Cohen photo Robert Cohen Notable cases: R(Hambleton) v HM Coroner for the Birmingham (1974) Inquests (appeal… View Profile
Beatrice Collier photo Beatrice Collier Notable recent work includes: Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse, R. (on… View Profile
Kate Cornell photo Kate Cornell Notable civil cases include: defending a claim for alleged breach of Article… View Profile
Jonathan Dixey photo Jonathan Dixey Jonathan’s clients include police forces, public bodies and coroners. Recent high profile cases… View Profile
Russell Fortt photo Russell Fortt Recent work includes a scoping exercise for the IPCC into the policing… View Profile
John Goss photo John Goss John acts in civil claims, police discipline cases, judicial reviews and has… View Profile
Robert Harland photo Robert Harland Robert is a member of the Attorney General’s B panel and is very… View Profile
Melvyn Harris photo Melvyn Harris He advises and represents both Claimants and Respondents in the private and… View Profile
Cicely Hayward photo Cicely Hayward Ciicely specialises in the areas of Police law, Inquests, Employment law, Public Law and… View Profile
Alison Hewitt photo Alison Hewitt Alison  specialises in inquests and is very experienced in all aspects of… View Profile
Daniel Hobbs photo Daniel Hobbs Dan has been conducting employment cases ever since he qualified in 1998.… View Profile
Alastair Hodge photo Alastair Hodge Alastair has successfully acted for both teachers and head teachers in misconduct… View Profile
Catriona Hodge photo Catriona Hodge Catriona specialises in police and public law, inquests, employment, human rights and… View Profile
Saara Idelbi photo Saara Idelbi She regularly appears and advises on matters in the Tribunals, Coroners’ Court,… View Profile
Molly Joyce photo Molly Joyce Molly regularly acts for police forces before the Crown and Magistrates’ Court… View Profile
Peter Laverack photo Peter Laverack He frequently acts in the High Court, Crown Court, County Court and… View Profile
Samantha Leek photo Samantha Leek Particular expertise in inquests and civil claims arising out of: deaths in… View Profile
Alice Meredith photo Alice Meredith She has particular experience in civil claims including discrimination and ECHR claims,… View Profile
David Messling photo David Messling David joined 5 Essex Court as a tenant in September 2019 after… View Profile
Aaron Moss photo Aaron Moss From 2017 to 2019, Aaron was instructed as junior counsel (CTI) to… View Profile
Richard Oulton photo Richard Oulton Richard specialises in employment, police misconduct, commercial and personal injury law. He… View Profile
Claire Palmer photo Claire Palmer She is regularly instructed by a number of government departments as well… View Profile
Alan Payne photo Alan Payne Alan, who is develop vetted, acts for variety of clients including police… View Profile
Emma Price photo Emma Price Emma’s inquest practice focusses on article 2 inquests into deaths in detention… View Profile
Bilal Rawat photo Bilal Rawat Significant cases include:   Grenfell Tower Inquiry (as counsel to the Inquiry);… View Profile
Remi Reichhold photo Remi Reichhold Remi is currently junior counsel for the Government of Mauritius in relation… View Profile
Anne Studd photo Anne Studd Anne undertakes judicial reviews, civil claims, inquests and inquiries for police forces… View Profile
Peter Taheri photo Peter Taheri Peter’s practice is mainly focused on Inquests and on work across the… View Profile
Robert Talalay photo Robert Talalay Robert has considerable trial experience as well as particular expertise and interest… View Profile
Mark Thomas photo Mark Thomas Having acted as junior counsel for the Metropolitan Police in the landmark… View Profile
Alex Ustych photo Alex Ustych Alex specialises in police law, inquests/inquiries, data protection/information law, employment law, public… View Profile
Charlotte Ventham photo Charlotte Ventham Notable cases: Rees & others v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis… View Profile
John-Paul Waite photo John-Paul Waite In addition to the above areas, John-Paul has a particular specialism in… View Profile
Simon Walsh photo Simon Walsh Simon now focuses his practice on police discipline and regulatory work after many… View Profile
Andrew Waters photo Andrew Waters Representing and advising police forces in England and Wales across the whole… View Profile
Francesca Whitelaw photo Francesca Whitelaw Francesca is appointed to the Attorney-General’s B Panel of Junior Counsel to… View Profile
Georgina Wolfe photo Georgina Wolfe Georgina appears regularly as sole counsel and junior counsel before a range… View Profile
Victoria von Wachter photo Victoria von Wachter Victoria advises a wide range of private and public sector clients on… View Profile

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