Set Profile > Blackstone Chambers > London, England
Blackstone Chambers Offices
Blackstone Chambers
1 Garden Court, Temple
London
EC4Y 9BJ
England
Blackstone Chambers > The Legal 500 Rankings
London Bar > Administrative and public law (including elections) Tier 1
Highly regarded as 'one of the best and brightest sets', Blackstone Chambers houses 'top quality barristers able to advise on a range of issues', with consistent visibility on important judicial reviews cases and matters that attract a great deal of public attention. Members of chambers led for all parties in R (Elan-Cane) v SSHD, a Supreme Court case seeking the issuance of passports with the sex field marked "X": Kate Gallafent QC, Tom Mountford and Gayatri Sarathy represented the claimants, while Monica Carss-Frisk QC and Rachel Jones represented the intervener Human Rights Watch, and the 'tremendous silk' James Eadie QC represented the government in his capacity as Treasury Devil, the government's first-choice outside counsel. In addition, Hanif Mussa and Daniel Cashman successfully represented the government in R (Andrews) v Minister of the Cabinet Office, defeating a challenge to the use of tactile voting devices for blind voters, which numbered candidates (without naming them).Rising stars
Leading Silks
2020 Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘Probably the best set for public law in the UK. They have a range of highly responsive, knowledgeable and hard-working barristers and work hard to provide the best possible service, often to unreasonable deadlines.’
‘Blackstone are obviously a fantastic set with some excellent public lawyers.’
‘Blackstone is the number one administrative and public law set.’
‘Brilliant barristers – one of the best and brightest sets.’
Clerking
‘Billy Brian and Lewis Walker are both responsive and commercial, and a pleasure to deal with.’
‘The clerking is of a high quality, as you would expect from a market-leading set.’
‘Very good, helpful and efficient, tech-savvy.’
‘First rate. Highly responsive and engaging. Adam Fuschillo has always looked after us very well with excellent service.’
London Bar > Civil liberties and human rights (including actions against the police) Tier 1
Blackstone Chambers is lauded as 'incontrovertibly the stand out public law chambers in the country' and 'packed with talent from top to bottom'. In a landmark case arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic, Naina Patel represented a claimant in R (JCWI) v President of the UT (IAC), resulting in a declaration of unlawfulness of the COVID-19 guidance of the President of the Upper Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber, by which the norm of oral error of law appeal hearings was replaced with a default of paper determinations. In another significant hearing, Charlotte Kilroy QC was instructed by the Public Law Project to represent Medical Justice before the Court of Appeal in Medical Justice v Home Secretary, finding that the Home Office’s ‘no-notice’ removals policy, a policy under which around 40,000 removals had been effected between 2015 and 2019, was ultra vires. James Eadie QC continues to be the first port of call for the government in his role of Treasury Devil.Leading Silks
2020 Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘Blackstone is an exceptional chambers with talent that represents both government and claimant lawyers.’
‘Undoubtedly one of, if not the, public law sets in London. You can instruct any one of their barristers with the complete confidence that you have one of the best public law practitioners available.’
‘Chambers are excellent, with probably the most talented pool of public lawyers at the bar and members suitable for and capable of representing the most diverse range of clients.’
Clerking
‘The quality of the clerks’ room is second to none. Nothing has ever been too much trouble. The clerks are all excellent – always meeting all of our needs and always available. Gary Oliver and Danny Compton deserve particular mention.’
‘Clerks room under Gary Oliver – who is a straightforward and totally reliable clerk who says it exactly as it is – are very good indeed.’
‘Very helpful and prompt, technically able.’
London Bar > Employment Tier 1
Blackstone Chambers‘ employment group has been at the forefront of litigation involving foreign exchange trading, zero hours workers, and cross-border enforcement of restrictive covenants. Paul Goulding QC‘s highlights include Benyatov v Credit Suisse, in which he defended Credit Suisse against a £60m claim brought by a former employee following his conviction in Romania while working there. Also in the banking sector, Diya Sen Gupta QC represented three Cantor Fitzgerald employees, who sought a stay of English High Court proceedings against them for bonus repayments. Recent growth includes senior junior Craig Rajgopaul and rising star Navid Pourghazi joining from Littleton Chambers and Cloisters, respectively.Rising stars
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘Blackstone is my go-to Chambers as the depth and quality of counsel, whether junior or senior, is the best there is.‘
‘Blackstone has an excellent reputation for employment law.‘
‘Everyone we have used from Blackstone has been of a very high calibre.‘
‘Have used them all my professional life – extremely reliable on quality.‘
‘They are a brilliant set for employment work.‘
Clerking
‘All the clerks I have worked with are friendly, down to earth, and understand my needs and those of my clients.‘
‘The clerks are great- helpful and responsive. You know you are in safe hands with the Blackstone clerks.’
‘Very good and responsive. They don’t sell me a pup, when offering me an alternative to my preferred choice, and are sensible on fees.‘
‘They get the job done without any fuss.‘
‘Clerk Daniel Compton has made sure everything has run smoothly and is a pleasure to work with.‘
London Bar > European Union law Tier 1
In the words of one client, 'for EU law matters, Blackstone Chambers is one of the best sets, able to offer the brightest, most highly skilled advocates', and the set houses specialists in jurisdiction issues, customs, sanctions, employment and immigration. Members are routinely instructed on the most innovative and significant cases in the English courts; as an example, Paul Luckhurst acted as sole counsel in Langton v DEFRA & Natural England, an important Court of Appeal case regarding the correct application of the Habitats Directive. Emily Neill had a particularly busy year which included acting in a £500m group litigation claim against Royal Mail for VAT “hidden” in the price of postal services under EU VAT rules. In Luxembourg, Brian Kennelly QC, leading Jason Pobjoy, successfully acted in Mohamed Hosni Elsayed Mubarak and others v Council of the European Union as the CJEU annulled sanctions imposed on the claimant. James Segan QC took silk in 2020.
Leading Silks
2020 Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘Really good chambers for all aspects of a commercial litigation practice.’
‘I enjoy working with barristers from Blackstone. The juniors are approachable and very easy to work with; they are enthusiastic and always keen to help. From my experience it is abundantly clear that they have particular strengths in aviation, European law and regulatory matters, but they have shown the ability to turn their hand to just about any dispute we can throw at them. There is real strength in depth at Blackstone and when our preferred Counsel is unavailable, Blackstone is never short of other options.‘
‘For EU law matters, Blackstone Chambers is one of the best sets, able to offer the brightest, most highly skilled (yet practical) advocates. Availability can, however, be a challenge and the clerks have a tendency to over-commit Counsel.’
‘Blackstone is without doubt one of the leading chambers for EU law. It has many leading practitioners and is a ‘go to’ chambers for Linklaters for instructions on EU as well as UK litigation cases.’
‘The go to set for European, public and administrative law.‘
Clerking
‘Danny Compton is great. Really hardworking.’
‘Marc Armstrong is excellent – always extremely helpful and responsive.’
‘The clerks at Blackstone are very helpful and good to work with. I have particular experience of working with Billy Brian, who is fantastic. Billy is always contactable and never fails to help me out at short notice when we need urgent assistance. He is friendly, personable and always professional.’
‘Very professional particularly Derek Sutton.’
‘Organised and punctual.’
London Bar > Financial services regulation Tier 1
The 'excellent' Blackstone Chambers is 'a go to set for financial services regulation work'. The set is home to an impressive range of silks and juniors who are well versed in contentious and non-contentious matters, including advice to regulators such as the FCA, as well as representing individuals and financial services companies before regulatory tribunals. Andrew George QC and Daniel Burgess are acting for the FCA in tribunal proceedings concerning Keydata Investment Services and £475m worth of structured financial product investments it sold to over 37,000 investors. Andrew Green QC represented a major hedge fund in a market abuse investigation by the FCA; the investigation was discontinued. In another matter, Javan Herberg QC acted for the FCA concerning Carillion's mis-statement of information to the market prior to its insolvency.
Rising stars
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘Blackstone is a first-rate set. All the barristers I have worked have been highly intelligent with excellent analytical skills.’
‘Very strong for contentious financial services work.’
‘Blackstone is very much the leading set in the contentious financial services area with the most heavyweight of QCs, in particular Andrew Green QC and Javan Herberg QC, and leading juniors such as Simon Pritchard.’
‘The have a number of very impressive contentious regulatory QCs and juniors‘.
Clerking
‘Derek Sutton is extremely user friendly.’
‘Excellent and extremely responsive.’
‘Blackstone are really well run and clerked. I love working with the chambers director Julia Hornor and senior clerk Gary Oliver, both exceptionally talented and authentic people.’
‘Gary Oliver is superb, professional and responsive.’
‘I mainly deal with Adam Sloane who is always available and I consider to be first class. You can always have a sensible conversation with Adam.’
London Bar > Fraud: civil Tier 1
Blackstone Chambers has 'some exceptional fraud advocates' and is commended for being 'very strong from top to bottom'. Civil fraud has always been a key area of focus, and this is reflected in the calibre of cases that the silks and juniors are regularly instructed on. Members often work together on cases, as was the case in Organic Grape Spirit Limited v Nueva IQT where Tom Weisselberg QC and Peter Head successfully represented the appellant in a case with major implications for freezing orders applied to emerging businesses. Another highlight was Privatbank v Kolomoisky and ors in which Robert Anderson QC and Andrew Hunter QC were co-lead counsel for claimant Ukrainian bank.
Rising stars
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘Blackstone Chambers is the leading set in commercial and fraud litigation, housing some of the finest barristers in the UK and highly efficient clerks. Their first rate webinars are also extremely informative and much appreciated across the industry.’
‘Blackstone has some exceptional fraud advocates. ‘
‘Blackstone Chambers is a first-rate set, and I have never been disappointed by their members or clerks. ‘
‘Blackstone is right in the top rank of chambers for commercial fraud.’
‘Blackstone Chambers are excellent across the board. Whenever the first choice is unavailable, they produce a list of excellent alternatives who never let you down and who then become regular counsel of choice.’
Clerking
‘Adam Fuschillo is particularly easy to deal with and very responsive.’
‘The clerks are responsive and deal with queries promptly.’
‘The clerks at Blackstone go above and beyond in terms of flexibility, communication and transparency.’
‘The clerking is a dream; friendly, helpful, understanding and their fee levels are commercially realistic for such a top chambers. Derek Sutton is just superb to work with and the eminent Gary Oliver is friendly and supportive in every way possible.’
‘Always excellent. Adam Sloane is very user-friendly and always available.’
London Bar > IT and telecoms Tier 1
The ‘go-to set for public law or IT & telecoms regulatory-related matters’, the barristers at Blackstone Chambers remain leaders in acting for major communications operators and consumers, and for against regulators such as Ofcom. Before the UK Supreme Court, in the FRAND case Unwired Planet & Conversant v Huawei & ZTE, James Segan QC acted for Huawei and successfully defended against a claim brought by Conversant, a licensing entity connected to Nokia. In Virgin Media Limited v Ofcom, Javan Herberg QC represented Ofcom in dismissing an appeal brought by Virgin Media against Ofcom’s decision to impose a £7m fine for breaching the General Conditions of Entitlement. In addition, Brian Kennelly QC acted for CK Telecoms UK Investments in CK Telecoms UK Investments Ltd v European Commission, where the court annulled the Commission’s decision to block CK Hutchison’s acquisition of O2 UK from Spain’s Telefonica.
Telecoms (Regulatory) - Leading Silks
Telecoms (Regulatory) - 2020 Silks
Telecoms (Regulatory) - Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘Everyone I have ever worked with at Blackstone has been extremely impressive.’
‘Go-to set for public law or IT & telecoms regulatory-related matters; strength in depth across QCs and junior counsel.’
‘The go-to set for public law or IT & telecoms regulatory matters.’
Clerking
‘I cannot praise Lewis Walker highly enough. He is efficient, responsive, and dogged in his determination to get you what you need, but also thoroughly charming and a pleasure to work with. He is everything you are looking for in a Practice Manager.’
‘Clerks are responsive and easy to work with.’
‘Very user-friendly and responsive.’
‘User-friendly; responsive; commercial on fees.’
London Bar > Media and entertainment (including art and cultural property) Tier 1
The ‘go-to set for media-related work’, the large group of barristers at Blackstone Chambers act for music and newspaper publishers, film production companies, composers, artists, authors, and performers in matters ranging from licensing rights and copyright infringement to partnership claims and royalty disputes. In Sheeran & Ors v Chokri & Ors, Ian Mill QC is acting for the singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran and his creative collaborators, who are seeking a declaration that they have not infringed copyright of the defendants in the writing and exploitation of the song “Shape of You”. In Jon Moss v Culture Club, Tom Weisselberg QC (leading Celia Rooney) represents Jon Moss, the former drummer in Culture Club, in partnership claims against his former bandmates, including Boy George, following his ejection from the group.
Media And Entertainment – Rising Stars
Media and entertainment - Leading Silks
Media and entertainment - 2020 Silks
Media and entertainment - Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘An excellent set for commercial work and for art litigation. Their barristers understand the art market better than most.’
‘Excellent for Media and Entertainment issues.’
‘Blackstone are a very strong set with some excellent barristers.’
‘Blackstone, as a set, is hugely impressive. Its strength in depth is probably unparalleled and it has built a reputation to match.’
‘They have a good range of barristers with experience in copyright/media matters.’
Clerking
‘All the clerks are excellent.’
‘Excellent. Gary Oliver and Derek Sutton are both consummate professionals and very responsive and helpful. Julia Hornor and Mat Swallow (respectively the Chambers Director and Deputy Director) are both also a pleasure to deal with.’
‘Gary Oliver and Adam Sloane are very strong.’
‘Experienced, well connected, and professional.’
‘I have always found the clerks’ room very responsive and pleasant to deal with.’
London Bar > Public international law Tier 1
Blackstone Chambers has long been one of the pre-eminent chambers for public international law, particularly in the crossover with public law and human rights law, as well as related areas of state and diplomatic immunity. Maurice Mendelson QC remains a leading figure in the market, while Timothy Otty QC has built upon his superb reputation for human rights matters and is increasingly active on the investment treaty side. Several leading juniors are also making strong names for themselves. Paul Luckhurst managed a Supreme Court victory in Janah and Benkharbouche v Secretary of State, a matter concerning National Minimum Wage claims by staff at the Sudanese embassy in London, and is currently pursuing the UK for damages in the European Court of Human Rights. Jason Pobjoy successfully defended the Foreign Secretary's position on diplomatic immunity in R (Charles) v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, a High Court case concerning the death of motorcyclist Harry Dunn, who was killed in 2019 after he was struck by a car being driven by the wife of an alleged CIA operative.
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
London Bar > Sport Tier 1
Widely considered as ‘leaders in the field’, Blackstone Chambers ‘remains the go-to set for all sports law matters’ from governance and regulation through to employment, human rights and commercial exploitation matters. Nick De Marco QC is a specialist in sponsorship, competition, personal injury and financial fair play matters, among many others; he representing Newcastle United its ownership dispute with the Premier League, as well as advising several Premier League clubs on the "Project Restart" resumption of the 2019-20 season. Kate Gallafent QC and Celia Rooney successfully defending the FAW in a challenge to its decision to terminate the 2019-20 Cymru Premier brought by The New Saints, who were four points behind Connah's Quay Nomads with six games left in the title race when the season was ended. Away from football, Adam Lewis QC advised Premiership Rugby on its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and Thomas de la Mare QC and Rooney represented Racing Point in the investigation in to the team's 2020 Formula One car, which featured brake ducts, among other parts, that replicated the previous year's championship-winning Mercedes W10.
Rising stars
Leading Silks
2020 Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘Blackstone is the leading set for sports disputes and we use them almost exclusively on our matters. They have someone for every type of sporting dispute and I have not had anything other than a positive experience with everyone I have instructed.’
‘Blackstone Chambers is our go-to set for sports-related disputes. They have a number of barristers with expertise and experience in the sports sector and we find them excellent to work with.’
‘Blackstone Chambers are the gold standard for barristers in sport. They have some of the best lawyers in the sports industry, who are involved in most of the biggest cases.’
‘The set is top-drawer; it does not get any better than Blackstone. The sports offering is stellar across the board: from silks to junior juniors, and from sports regulatory/disciplinary to sports commercial/IP.’
‘Blackstone are the best set for sports work. The set has many barristers with a deep knowledge of the field and each has their own qualities depending on the case in question.’
Clerking
‘Highly responsive. Adam Sloane is always dependable and brilliant to work with.’
‘The clerking service is excellent. Adam Sloane in particular is first-rate and makes using Blackstone very easy.’
‘The clerks are the engine room of a well-oiled machine, cooperative and flexible; they are great to work with. ‘
‘The clerks are always helpful and on the ball. The one used most of all is Lewis Walker who is always personable and good to deal with.’
‘Very helpful always. Adam Sloane and Gary Oliver always willing to go above and beyond.’
London Bar > Commercial litigation Tier 2
Blackstone Chambers has 'top quality barristers at every level' and is praised for its versatility, marrying commercial litigation 'with expertise across many disciplines'. The set is especially noted for its impressive roster of juniors. Members are regularly called upon in headline-grabbing cases, particularly those with an international, regulatory or public law angle. Notable highlights included representing a Thai political exile against defendants across multiple jurisdictions in Suppipat & Others v Narongdej & Others, a dispute between Thai parties concerning the sale of two energy companies, in which Victoria Windle and Shane Sibbel were both led by Anthony Peto QC for the claimants. Several members have also been involved in the Ingenious Group Litigation, including Robert Anderson QC, Andrew Green QC and Andrew Hunter QC.
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘Very strong set of chambers. Almost all of the barristers there are first rate.A large range to choose from.’
‘An excellent set – I instruct a number of their barristers. Without exception they are all first rate. The set has strength and depth to field enquiries for wide ranging disputes at short notice.’
‘Amazing. They have everything you need at the top level with incredible junior support. If I was only allowed to instruct one chambers again in my career it would be Blackstone.’
‘Blackstones is our preferred Chambers without a doubt. The ‘client experience’ is second to none and replicates our approach to our own clients. They have real strength in depth and understand our preferences as a firm to ensure they offer us those individuals who offer not only superb experience but also will work well with us.’
‘Outstanding quality of work and experience in the field of commercial litigation. Barristers can be counted on to marry technical expertise with commercial acumen.’
Clerking
‘I have known Derek Sutton for over 10 years. He goes out of his way to get things done for you.’
‘The clerks look after us very well. They make the effort to get to know us and respond to our needs. Derek Sutton stands out in terms of his client care and pragmatism.’
‘Gary Oliver is very user friendly and supports us to get the right counsel.’
‘Excellent experience of Danny Compton in the clerks’ room. Very responsive, user-friendly and sensible.’
‘I have always had a great experience with the Blackstone clerks’ team. Extremely prompt, friendly and approachable – they are the city’s standout clerks’ room from my perspective. In particular: Billy Brian is very personable, prompt and accommodating; Danny Compton is similarly prompt, pragmatic and has a very commercial approach to time sensitive and urgent matters. Adam Sloane is extremely knowledgeable, friendly and approachable.
London Bar > Competition Tier 2
Blackstone Chambers is a 'great set of chambers-across the board', and includes a number of barristers with extensive expertise in all areas of competition law. Brian Kennelly QC enjoyed a particularly strong year, having acted for the claimant in CK Telecoms UK Investments Ltd v European Commission before the General Court, which saw the court deliver a landmark judgment overturning the Commission's decision to block the proposed merger between UK mobile networks Three and O2. In the English courts, James Segan QC, having taken silk in 2020, acted for Huawei in Unwired Planet & Conversant v Huawei which concerned FRAND issues and standard essential patents. Emily Neill acts unled on behalf of major companies such as Ryanair in price control cases, while Paul Luckhurst is contesting two collective class action applications relating to foreign exchange manipulation.
Leading Silks
2020 Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘Counsel are responsive and proactive and have been very flexible in terms of accommodating client matters given current circumstances. Advice is always sensible and commercial.‘
‘For competition matters, Blackstone Chambers is one of the best sets, able to offer the brightest, most highly skilled (yet practical) advocates.’
‘Blackstone remain one of my favourite Chambers for barristers specialising in competition litigation. They can offer barristers with a very diverse range of personalities and advocacy styles. The best barristers are in high demand but that also means they are often very efficient which is good from a costs perspective, especially on the larger and longer-running cases.’
‘Simply one of the best in Public Law areas – and top in my view on Competition.’
‘Blackstone is without doubt one of the leading chambers for competition law. It has many leading practitioners and is a ‘go to’ chambers for Linklaters for instructions on competition litigation cases.‘
Clerking
‘The clerks service is very strong – they are responsive and candid about availability and strength of the barristers.’
‘Great clerks‘
‘I have mostly dealt with Lewis Walker who is friendly and great to work with.’
London Bar > Environment Tier 2
Blackstone Chambers is ‘the leading public law practice’ and clients note that ‘the variety of people it has is helpful when considering who would be a good fit for a particular matter’. The set handles the full scope of environmental law cases, drawing in great depth of expertise in public, regulatory, local government, competition, energy, EU, procurement, planning and civil liberties law. Members continue to be involved in high-profile cases, including the group action against Volkswagen Group Limited concerning the use of defeat devices to mask pollution from its diesel cars, in which Thomas de la Mare QC is taking a lead role. Among the juniors, Emma Dixon remains a prominent practitioner in environmental law, and she is currently involved in a landmark air pollution case, R (ClientEarth) v Secretary of State, in both the Supreme Court and in the European Court of Justice, arguing for a declaration that the UK is in breach of EU air quality limits for nitrogen dioxide in London and other major urban areas.
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘I have been part of teams instructing different barristers from Blackstone over the years and the variety of people they have is helpful when considering who would be a good fit for a particular matter. They are very professional.’
‘Blackstone Chambers is the leading public law practice. We would go there first with any public law needs.’
Clerks
‘I have been very impressed by the clerks room. I have regular contact with Billy Brian, who is hardworking, very approachable and a pleasure to work with.’
‘The clerks are generally helpful and responsive when needed.’
‘Clerks reply promptly.’
London Bar > Immigration (including business immigration) Tier 2
Blackstone Chambers' immigration set features barristers operating 'at the forefront of legal challenges', covers an 'extremely broad range' of issues and is 'trusted by claimant and defendant alike'. Informed by expertise in public law and human rights, it has in-depth knowledge of asylum claims, refugee law, deportation and citizenship. In particular, recent highlights include Naina Patel's successful representation of the claimant in R (JCWI) v President of the UT (IAC), a matter which declared COVID-19 guidance proposing to hear large numbers of tribunal cases on papers unlawful, Jason Pobjoy's work for the UN Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism in the high-profile R (Begum) v Special Immigration Appeals Commission case (in which Sir James Eadie represented the government in his capacity as Treasury Devil) and Isabel Buchanan's role in a judicial review challenging citizenship application fees.
Rising stars
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
“Blackstone Chambers is the best set in the country in my opinion. It really does represent the best of best in all the areas that they practice. Their barristers are at the forefront of legal challenges.”
“This is probably the preeminent set of public law lawyers covering an extremely broad range and trusted by claimant and defendant alike for sharp, incisive, critical thinking.”
“Blackstone are the number one administrative and public law chambers and strong on immigration.”
“Very good – real depth in the set.”
Clerking
“The Clerks at Blackstone Chambers are all very helpful and always willing to assist with bookings and confirm Counsels’ availabilities. Adam Fuschillo in particular is most helpful and possesses sound knowledge on legal aid billing rates etc.”
“Very easy to deal with and responsive to requests.”
“I have always found the clerks to be knowledgable and friendly. Their recommendations with regards to suitable counsel for a particular case are always helpful and they are keen to show flexibility with regards to counsel fee which makes a real difference whilst dealing with clients with a limited budget.”
London Bar > Banking and finance (including consumer credit) Tier 3
Blackstone Chambers has a first class generation of silks with excellent credentials for general banking and finance disputes. This is in addition to its clear strengths in financial services regulatory matters. Javan Herberg QC is one of the leading silks in the market for the regulatory side, but also handles an impressive selection of litigation claims, and represented UK Asset Management/Northern Rock Asset Management on the 'mortgage prisoner' group litigation, Davis v Lloyds. Other leading silks include Andrew George QC who successfully acted for the claimant in Pipia v BGEO, a high-profile case involving alleged asset stripping and intimidation by the London parent of a Georgian banking group, in which Andrew Hunter QC represented the defendant. Andrew Green QC is poised for a busy 2022, representing HSBC in the Ingenious Litigation.
Leading Silks
Testimonials
Set
‘Blackstone remain my go-to chambers. The quality of the barristers is incredible. Their recent virtual Covid training events have been fantastic.’
‘Blackstone are a leading commercial set, particularly strong in relation to financial services regulatory work. They have a formidable line up of silks and juniors who are regularly instructed by the regulators and defence counsel alike.’
Clerking
‘Excellent service from the clerks’ room. Very efficient and easy to deal with.’
London Bar > Data protection Tier 3
Blackstone Chambers acts in a wide range of data protection and FOIA cases. Key practitioners include James Eadie QC and Thomas de la Mare QC, and Kate Gallafent QC who is recommended for information privacy work. Ravi Mehta continues to act for Big Brother Watch, Open, Rights Group, and English PEN, and a prominent German internet campaigner in Big Brother Watch and ors. v United Kingdom, which relates to an application to the European Court of Human Rights challenging the UK’s legislation governing the surveillance of communications, following the Edward Snowden leaks.
Leading Silks
London Bar > International arbitration: counsel Tier 3
Blackstone Chambers has several leading silks who are highly sought after for major international disputes. This expertise extends to investment treaty arbitrations, where public international law specialists such as Maurice Mendelson QC are held in particularly high regard. Other members of note include Andrew Hunter QC, who has been representing a Chinese alumina supplier in a London Metals Exchange arbitration, and Robert Howe QC , who is instructed on a set of LCIA arbitrations involving a $650 million shareholder dispute linked to the development of a Caribbean island. Among the juniors, Robert Weekes has built up an extremely good track record in this area.
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘Very good breadth of work and depth of experience.’
London Bar > Professional disciplinary and regulatory law Tier 3
Blackstone Chambers is ‘absolutely outstanding for all public law and regulatory matters‘. Members are regularly instructed by a wide range of prominent regulatory clients, including the General Medical Council, the General Optical Council and Solicitors Regulatory Authority in a range of regulatory proceedings. In recent instructions of note, Ivan Hare QC appeared before the Divisional Court in GMC v Zafar, a case concerning contempt of court by expert witnesses and the admissability of fresh evidence on appeals against a sanction by the GMC; the court substituted erasure for the suspension awarded by the original tribunal.Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘Blackstone is my go to Chambers as the depth and quality of counsel, whether junior or senior, is the best there is.’
‘Very efficient set, with excellent barristers and good availability of barristers.’
‘Clearly expert in disciplinary and regulatory matters.’
Clerking
‘Gary Oliver is great, very efficient and responsive.’
London Bar > Public procurement Tier 3
Blackstone Chambers maintains an active administrative and public law set, with members active in a range of cases in England and Wales and beyond. Emily Neill is called to both the Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland Bars – south of the border, she represents McAllister Bros Limited, the successful bidder, in Boyne Waste Services v Irish Water, in a challenge by a losing bidder to a significant procurement exercise for pipe cleaning services. James Segan QC and Hanif Mussa are also noted.2020 Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘Blackstone’s breadth of talent from juniors to seniors is quite remarkable.’
London Bar > Tax: corporate and VAT/indirect tax Tier 3
Blackstone Chambers is a 'well-run set' with 'impressive individuals' that include the likes of Sam Grodzinski QC and Kieron Beal QC , who often appear in cases at the interface of tax and more mainstream public law. Grodzinski is 'very thorough' and is regularly instructed both for and against HMRC; he is acting for Uber in the high profile HMRC v Uber case, in addition to the related claim for judicial review concerning Uber's VAT liability. Beal is a 'fantastic advocate' and is acting against HMRC in St George’s University v HMRC, a case concerning VAT in relation to educational services.
Tax: corporate - Leading Silks
Tax: VAT - Leading silks
Testimonials
Set
‘Blackstone is a well run set.’
Dispute resolution > Mediators Tier 3
Charles Flint QC – Blackstone Chambers Blackstone Chambers‘ Charles Flint QC, who is also at IPOS Mediation, has established a strong reputation as a commercial and human rights mediator, and has particular expertise in financial services. Flint is 'calm and measured throughout, and able to identify the key issues and facilitate meetings between the parties'.
Mark Shaw QC – Blackstone Chambers Well-regarded for his aptitude for 'ensuring that mediations are kept on track', Blackstone Chambers' Mark Shaw QC is also a panel member at IPOS Mediation. An accredited mediator since 2008, his experience includes mediations arising from contract, tort, costs, immigration, employment, public sector and public procurement disputes.
London Bar > Energy Tier 4
Blackstone Chambers is ‘the leading chambers for constitutional and public administrative law’, and its members frequently handle commercial litigation, regulatory, environmental and public law matters relating to the highly-regulated energy industry. Alan Maclean QC has a broad commercial and public law practice includes numerous energy cases, a recent example of which is his work for Ofgem in a high-profile judicial review challenge brought by British Gas against the new tariff price cap for default rate gas and electricity consumers. Hanif Mussa is an impressive junior for commercial and regulatory cases involving energy and natural resources - He recently supported a tidal lagoon operator in a possible challenge to a controversial decision by the UK government to refuse to support a project for a new tidal lagoon project in Wales.
Rising stars
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘The leading chambers for constitutional / public administrative law.’
‘Blackstone has offered a fantastic online training schedule during the pandemic.’
London Bar > Intellectual property Tier 4
Blackstone Chambers' 'strength and breadth of available expertise is excellent'. The set has an established reputation for its capabilities in soft IP work, however it is equally adept at handling instructions involving hard IP matters. Robert Howe QC is regularly instructed by major record companies, media organisations, and high-profile musicians and music groups. In recent work, James Segan QC is acting for Chinese technology company Lenovo in an ongoing FRAND-related dispute, concerning whether the client must take a licence under patents declared to be standard-essential by InterDigital.
Leading Silks
2020 Silks
Testimonials
Set
‘Amazing depth of barristers in chambers. I have used many different people and they have always been very good.‘
‘Blackstone is modern, responsive and helpful – a go-to set for IP work.‘
‘Fees are always consistent, which is a big plus.‘
‘Blackstone is generally excellent and a pleasure to work with.‘
Clerking
‘The clerks have always been very good.‘
‘The clerks are deeply helpful.‘
‘The clerks are great, particularly deputy senior clerks Derek Sutton and Adam Sloane.‘
‘A special mention to Adam Sloane, who is always responsive and helpful.‘
‘Billy Brian is excellent.‘
London Bar > Offshore Tier 4
Blackstone Chambers has its strengths in public law and commercial disputes, as well as trusts matters, which translate to a solid slate of offshore work across the Caribbean and other commonwealth countries. Sir Jeffrey Jowell QC is noted for advice to governments of the British Overseas Territories on their highest sensitivity matters, and public law expert Tim Parker has recently been instructed in a number of matters in the Caymans involving Hong Kong based companies, and is able contribute experience practicing in the SAR as a full member of Denis Chang’s Chambers.
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘Deservedly a top ranked set.‘
‘I have only had very good experiences of the set as a whole.‘
Clerking
‘Clerks from Blackstone Chambers are very friendly and often reachable.‘
‘Gary Oliver and Derek Sutton in particular are very impressive.‘
London Bar > Education
London Bar > Company and partnership
London Bar > Police law (defendant)
London Bar > Insolvency
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
London Bar > Insurance and reinsurance
Leading Silks
London Bar > Pensions
Leading Juniors
London Bar > Aviation
Leading Juniors
Blackstone Chambers > Set Profile
Blackstone Chambers is a distinguished set with a pre-eminent reputation across all areas of commercial, public, regulatory, employment and international law. We are a diverse community of barristers, including more than 50 Queen’s Counsel, with a longstanding commitment to excellence and equality. Clients value our breadth of expertise, quality of advocacy and global reputation.
Blackstone Chambers has been instrumental in the development of public law and has deep roots in commercial law, where the expertise of our barristers spans a range of specialisms including civil fraud, asset recovery and injunctive relief, banking and financial services, insurance and reinsurance, conflict of laws, jurisdictional challenges and international arbitration. Strengthened by our unique heritage, additional areas of specialist expertise include EU and competition, civil liberties and human rights, environment, media and entertainment, mediation, rule of law and international trade and development, sanctions, sport, tax and telecommunications.
We are fully committed to the principle of equality of opportunity without discrimination and we participate in a range of initiatives to help facilitate increased access to and diversity at the Bar. Since December 2019, we have commissioned the use of the Rare Contextual Recruitment System. Rare is a multi-award-winning diversity company using big data to map the social, financial and educational background of candidates and make sure that brilliant but disadvantaged candidates are identified and given the chance to flourish.
In the past year, Blackstone Chambers, with five other sets of Chambers, helped to launch ‘Mentoring For Underrepresented Groups: a scheme run by Commercial Barristers’ Chambers’, and we are a founding partner and sponsor of Bridging the Bar, a new charity established to improve access to the bar for students from non-traditional backgrounds. In a unique collaboration with Guy Fox, a history charity, and year 4 pupils at Snowsfields Primary School in London Bridge we produced and published a children’s book titled ‘History Rocks: Women in Law’ to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act of 1919 and to celebrate the impact that women have made on the legal system.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior clerk | Gary Oliver | ||
| Chambers director | Julia Hornor | ||
| Deputy Chambers Director | Mat Swallow | ||
| Members of Chambers | CARSS-FRISK QC, Monica (1985) | ||
| Members of Chambers | PETO QC, Anthony (1985) | ||
| Members of Chambers | EDWARD KCMG QC, Sir David (1962) | ||
| Members of Chambers | BRODIE QC, Stanley (1954) | ||
| Members of Chambers | LORD WOOLF OF BARNES (1955) | ||
| Members of Chambers | BELOFF QC, Michael (1967) | ||
| Members of Chambers | DONALDSON QC, David (1968) | ||
| Members of Chambers | ENGLEHART QC, Robert (1969) | ||
| Members of Chambers | HUNT QC, David (1969) | ||
| Members of Chambers | DOHMANN QC, Barbara (1971) | ||
| Members of Chambers | MENDELSON QC, Maurice (1965) | ||
| Members of Chambers | HARVIE QC, Jonathan (1973) | ||
| Members of Chambers | LORD PANNICK QC (1979) | ||
| Members of Chambers | JOWELL KCMC QC, Sir Jeffrey (1965) | ||
| Members of Chambers | NATHAN QC, Stephen (1969) | ||
| Members of Chambers | HOWELL QC, John (1979) | ||
| Members of Chambers | LORD KEEN OF ELIE QC (1980) | ||
| Members of Chambers | FLINT QC, Charles (1975) | ||
| Members of Chambers | BLOCH QC, Michael (1979) | ||
| Members of Chambers | MILL QC, Ian (1981) | ||
| Members of Chambers | SALVE QC, Harish (2013) | ||
| Members of Chambers | GOULDING QC, Paul (1984) | ||
| Members of Chambers | SHAW QC, Mark (1987) | ||
| Members of Chambers | ANDERSON QC, Robert (1986) | ||
| Members of Chambers | ROSE QC, Dinah (1989) | ||
| Members of Chambers | FORDHAM QC, Michael (1990) | ||
| Members of Chambers | OTTY QC, Timothy (1990) | ||
| Members of Chambers | EADIE QC, James (1984) | ||
| Members of Chambers | HOWE QC, Robert (1988) | ||
| Members of Chambers | LEWIS QC, Adam (1985) | ||
| Members of Chambers | MACLEAN QC, Alan (1993) | ||
| Members of Chambers | GREEN QC, Andrew (1988) | ||
| Members of Chambers | HERBERG QC, Javan (1992) | ||
| Members of Chambers | GRODZINSKI QC, Sam (1996) | ||
| Members of Chambers | HUNTER QC, Andrew (1993) | ||
| Members of Chambers | DE LA MARE QC, Thomas (1995) | ||
| Members of Chambers | BEAL QC, Kieron (1995) | ||
| Members of Chambers | WEISSELBERG QC, Tom (1995) | ||
| Members of Chambers | MULCAHY QC, Jane (1995) | ||
| Members of Chambers | GALLAFENT QC, Kate (1997) | ||
| Members of Chambers | GLEDHILL QC, Andreas (1992) | ||
| Members of Chambers | GEORGE QC, Andrew (1997) | ||
| Members of Chambers | BRIGGS QC, Adrian (1989) | ||
| Members of Chambers | WHITE QC, Gemma (1994) | ||
| Member of Chambers | KENNELLY QC, Brian (1999) | ||
| Member of Chambers | FATIMA QC, Shaheed (2000) | ||
| Member of Chambers | JAFFEY QC, Ben (1999) | ||
| Member of Chambers | HARE QC, Ivan (1991) | ||
| Member of Chambers | CROXFORD QC, Tom (1992) | ||
| Member of Chambers | CALLAGHAN QC, Catherine (1999) | ||
| Member of Chambers | DE MARCO QC, Nick (2001) | ||
| KILROY, Charlotte (1999) | |||
| Member of Chambers | SEN GUPTA QC, Diya (2000) | ||
| Member of Chambers | HICKMAN QC, Tom (2003) | ||
| Member of Chambers | SEGAN QC, James (2004) | ||
| Member of Chambers | PIEVSKY QC, David (2001) | ||
| Member of Chambers | POLLARD, Joanna (1993) | ||
| Member of Chambers | COLLIER, Jane (1994) | ||
| Member of Chambers | DIXON, Emma (1994) | ||
| Member of Chambers | PALMER, Stephanie (2000) | ||
| Member of Chambers | POWELL, Leona (2000) | ||
| Member of Chambers | WINDLE, Victoria (2001) | ||
| Member of Chambers | VINALL, Mark (2002) | ||
| Member of Chambers | WILKINSON, Sarah (2003) | ||
| Member of Chambers | WEEKES, Robert (2003) | ||
| Member of Chambers | DONNELLY, Catherine (2003) | ||
| Member of Chambers | STEELE, Iain (2005) | ||
| Member of Chambers | PATEL, Naina (2005) | ||
| Member of Chambers | RICHARDS, Tom (2000) | ||
| Member of Chambers | BARADON, Adam (2006) | ||
| Member of Chambers | MCCRUDDEN, Christopher (1996) | ||
| Member of Chambers | MUSSA, Hanif (2007) | ||
| Member of Chambers | PRITCHARD, Simon (2007) | ||
| Member of Chambers | BOYD, Jessica (2007) | ||
| Member of Chambers | LOWE, David (2008) | ||
| Member of Chambers | NEILL, Emily (2008) | ||
| Member of Chambers | HEAD, Peter (2008) | ||
| Member of Chambers | LUCKHURST, Paul (2008) | ||
| Member of Chambers | CLEAVER, Tom (2009) | ||
| Member of Chambers | MOUNTFORD, Tom (2009) | ||
| Member of Chambers | PARKER, Tim (2017) | ||
| Member of Chambers | SCOTT, Andrew (2010) | ||
| Member of Chambers | SIBBEL, Shane (2010) | ||
| Member of Chambers | CAMPBELL, Fraser (2010) | ||
| Member of Chambers | MEHTA, Ravi (2010) | ||
| BURGESS, Daniel (2011) | |||
| RAJGOPAUL, Craig (2010) | |||
| ADAMSON, Harry (2012) | |||
| POBJOY, Jason (2007) | |||
| SADLER-FORSTER, Jana (2012) | |||
| DAVIS, Kerenza (2012) | |||
| COATES, Tom (2013) | |||
| KRISHANAN, Eesvan (2013) | |||
| CASHMAN, Daniel (2013) | |||
| RATAN, Ajay (2014) | |||
| ROBERTSON, Flora (2014) | |||
| ROONEY, Celia (2015) | |||
| MOLYNEAUX, George (2015) | |||
| BUCHANAN, Isabel (2015) | |||
| POURGHAZI, Navid (2015) | |||
| TROTTER, Andrew (2016) | |||
| HIGGINS, Hollie (2016) | |||
| HOWELLS, Dominic (2016) (2016) | |||
| SIMONSEN, Natasha (2016) | |||
| SARATHY,Gayatri (2017) | |||
| LAU, Timothy (2017) | |||
| JONES, Rachel (2013) | |||
| CONTE, Carmine (2017) | |||
| FITT, Warren (2018) |
Barrister Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
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Harry Adamson | Barrister specialising in commercial, employment, sport, public law and human rights. Full… | View Profile |
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Robert Anderson | Barrister specialising in commercial (including civil fraud); insurance/reinsurance; professional negligence; entertainment and… | View Profile |
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Adam Baradon | Barrister specialising in commercial litigation, arbitration, civil fraud, professional negligence and insurance… | View Profile |
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Lord Woolf of Barnes | The former master of the Rolls and Lord Chief Justice of England… | View Profile |
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Kieron Beal | All areas of commercial and civil work, especially European law, competition law,… | View Profile |
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Michael Beloff | Barrister specialising in public law; employment law; commercial law; education law; EC/human… | View Profile |
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Michael Bloch | Barrister specialising in commercial, arbitration, intellectual property, and media and entertainment. Full… | View Profile |
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Dr Jessica Boyd | Specialises in commercial law, EC law, employment and disciplinary, public law and… | View Profile |
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Adrian Briggs | Barrister specialising in commercial law, especially private international law, jurisdiction and recognition… | View Profile |
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Stanley Brodie | Barrister specialising in financial/commercial law; private international law; lotteries and competition and… | View Profile |
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Isabel Buchanan | Barrister specialising in civil liberties & human rights, public international law, public… | View Profile |
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Daniel Burgess | Barrister specialising in commercial law; financial services; public law and human rights;… | View Profile |
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Catherine Callaghan | Barrister specialising in public and administrative law; professional discipline and regulation; employment;… | View Profile |
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Fraser Campbell | Barrister specialising in public law and human rights, employment, commercial, professional discipline… | View Profile |
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Monica Carss-Frisk | Barrister specialising in public law (including regulatory, commercial judicial review, immigration), human… | View Profile |
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Daniel Cashman | Barrister specialising in commercial litigation, EU & competition, public & regulatory, employment,… | View Profile |
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Tom Cleaver | Barrister specialising in public law and human rights, commercial, media and entertainment,… | View Profile |
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Tom Coates | Barrister specialising in public & regulatory, commercial litigation, EU & competition, telecommunications,… | View Profile |
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Jane Collier | Barrister specialising in public law (including environmental, education, freedom of information, data… | View Profile |
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Tom Croxford | Specialist in all aspects of employment law, commercial, banking and financial services.… | View Profile |
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Kerenza Davis | Barrister specialising in public law and human rights, sport, commercial, media and… | View Profile |
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Nick De Marco | Barrister specialising in commercial law (including media and entertainment and regulatory); employment… | View Profile |
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Emma Dixon | Specialist in environmental law, administrative and public law, and human rights and… | View Profile |
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Barbara Dohmann | Barrister specialising in banking; commercial arbitration (domestic/international); commercial fraud (civil); company law;… | View Profile |
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David Donaldson | Barrister specialising in commercial law; banking; insurance; reinsurance; financial services; private international… | View Profile |
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Dr Catherine Donnelly | Specialist areas of practice include administrative and public law, public international law,… | View Profile |
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James Eadie | Barrister specialising in public law, human rights/civil liberties and commercial and regulatory… | View Profile |
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Sir David Edward KCMG PC | Specialist arbitrator and CEDR accredited mediator. Full professional career details can be… | View Profile |
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Robert Englehart | Barrister specialising in commercial; media, entertainment and broadcasting; regulatory; EU and competition;… | View Profile |
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Shaheed Fatima | Barrister specialising in commercial law; public law and human rights; public international… | View Profile |
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Charles Flint | Barrister specialising in financial services. Full professional career details can be found… | View Profile |
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Michael Fordham | Barrister specialising in administrative and public law, civil liberties and human rights,… | View Profile |
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Kate Gallafent | Barrister specialising in administrative/judicial review; human rights; employment law; sports law; discrimination;… | View Profile |
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Andrew George | Barrister specialising in commercial litigation, financial services, professional negligence and civil fraud.… | View Profile |
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Andreas Gledhill | Barrister specialising in commercial litigation, including in the fields of restructuring and… | View Profile |
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Prof Guy S. Goodwin-Gill | Barrister specialising in public law (with particular reference to human rights, immigration… | View Profile |
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Paul Goulding | Barrister specialising in employment law, sports law and commercial law. Full professional… | View Profile |
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Andrew Green | Barrister specialising in commercial law and, particularly, insurance and reinsurance, financial services,… | View Profile |
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Sam Grodzinski | Barrister specialising in public law, human rights and commercial law. Full professional… | View Profile |
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Ivan Hare | Administrative and public law; civil liberties; employment. Full professional career details can… | View Profile |
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Jonathan Harvie | Barrister specialising in commercial law (especially commercial fraud); professional negligence; judicial review;… | View Profile |
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Peter Head | Barrister specialising in commercial litigation, civil fraud, restructuring and arbitration. Full professional… | View Profile |
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Javan Herberg | Barrister specialising in commercial law, financial services and city regulation, civil fraud,… | View Profile |
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Tom Hickman | Barrister specialising in administrative and public law, human rights, commercial litigation (including… | View Profile |
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Robert Howe | Barrister specialising in commercial law (including civil fraud, arbitration and conflicts of… | View Profile |
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John Howell | Public law including judicial review, local government (incorporating local government finance), human… | View Profile |
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David Hunt | Barrister specialising in commercial arbitration; commercial fraud (civil); commercial shipping (dry work);… | View Profile |
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Andrew Hunter | Barrister specialising in commercial law (including insurance/reinsurance; financial services; civil fraud; arbitration… | View Profile |
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Ben Jaffey | Barrister specialising in public law; commercial law; regulatory law and financial services;… | View Profile |
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Tristan Jones | Barrister specialising in EU and competition law, telecommunications, public law and human… | View Profile |
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Sir Jeffrey Jowell | Barrister specialising in administrative and public law; human rights and mediation. Full… | View Profile |
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Brian Kennelly | Barrister specialising commercial law, EU and competition, financial services, human rights and… | View Profile |
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Eesvan Krishnan | Barrister specialising in public law and human rights, commercial litigation and employment.… | View Profile |
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Mr Luka Krsljanin | Specialises in commercial law, with expertise in matters arising in a sports… | View Profile |
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Thomas Leary | Specialises in commercial litigation, civil fraud and international arbitration, including investment treaty… | View Profile |
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Adam Lewis | Barrister specialising in public law and human rights; EU and competition; and… | View Profile |
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David Lowe | Specialises in administrative and public law, commercial law, employment law and EU… | View Profile |
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Paul Luckhurst | Barrister specialising in commercial law, public law, competition law, public international law,… | View Profile |
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Alan Maclean | Barrister specialising in commercial, banking and financial services, arbitration, public law and… | View Profile |
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Prof Christopher McCrudden | Advice on public procurement; equality and discrimination; and judicial review. Full professional… | View Profile |
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Ravi Mehta | Barrister specialising in public law and human rights, commercial, media entertainment and… | View Profile |
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Maurice Mendelson | Barrister specialising in territorial sovereignty and public international law, including international litigation… | View Profile |
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Ian Mill | Barrister specialising in commercial law; media and entertainment law; sports law; intellectual… | View Profile |
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George Molyneaux | Barrister specialising in public & regulatory, civil liberties & human rights, commercial… | View Profile |
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Tom Mountford | Barrister in commercial, public and administrative law, employment, media, entertainment and sport,… | View Profile |
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Jane Mulcahy | Barrister specialising in employment law, sport, media and entertainment and regulatory work.… | View Profile |
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Hanif Mussa | Barrister specialising in administrative/public law and human rights; EU law; employment and… | View Profile |
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Stephen Nathan | Barrister specialising in commercial law; arbitration; mediation (CEDR Accredited Mediator); financial services;… | View Profile |
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Emily Neill | Specialises in public law, European and competition law, commercial and employment law.… | View Profile |
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Timothy Otty | Barrister in commercial litigation, public law and human rights law, public international… | View Profile |
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Hugo Page | Barrister specialising in commercial fraud (civil); banking; aviation; carriage of goods; commercial… | View Profile |
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Dr Stephanie Palmer | Barrister specialising in human rights and public law. Full professional career details… | View Profile |
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Lord David Pannick | Barrister specialising in public law, human rights, broadcasting and media law, and… | View Profile |
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Naina Patel | Barrister specialising in administrative/public law and human rights, including immigration and asylum,… | View Profile |
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Anthony Peto | Barrister specialising in commercial and corporate litigation particularly civil fraud and asset… | View Profile |
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David Pievsky | Barrister specialising in public law, civil liberties, human rights, commercial law and… | View Profile |
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Jason Pobjoy | Barrister specialising in public law and human rights, commercial, EU and competition,… | View Profile |
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Joanna Pollard | Barrister specialising in commercial litigation, media and entertainment and private and public… | View Profile |
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Mr Navid Pourghazi | Specialises in employment and discrimination law. Full professional career details can be… | View Profile |
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Leona Powell | Barrister specialising in commercial fraud and asset recovery, banking and professional negligence.… | View Profile |
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Simon Pritchard | Specialist areas of practice include commercial law, employment and disciplinary, banking and… | View Profile |
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Mr Craig Rajgopaul | Specialises in employment law, with expertise in partnership and commercial law. Full… | View Profile |
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Ajay Ratan | Barrister specialising in commercial litigation, financial services, public & regulatory, civil liberties… | View Profile |
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Tom Richards | Commercial law, EC law, employment and disciplinary, public law and human rights,… | View Profile |
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Flora Robertson | Barrister specialising in EU & competition, commercial litigation, public & regulatory, civil… | View Profile |
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Celia Rooney | Barrister specialising in civil liberties & human rights, public & regulatory, sport,… | View Profile |
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Dinah Rose | Practice encompasses administrative and public law, civil liberties and human rights, employment… | View Profile |
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Jana Sadler-Forster | Barrister specialising in public law and human rights, professional discipline and regulation,… | View Profile |
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Harish Salve | For details please go to www.blackstonechambers.com. | View Profile |
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Andrew Scott | Barrister specialising in commercial, EU and competition, arbitration, public law and human… | View Profile |
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James Segan | General commercial, public and human rights, employment, financial services; EU and competition;… | View Profile |
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Diya Sen Gupta | Barrister specialising in all areas of employment law, public law and human… | View Profile |
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Mark Shaw | Barrister specialising in professional disciplinary and regulatory law, judicial review/public law (particularly… | View Profile |
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Shane Sibbel | Barrister specialising in public law and human rights, commercial, employment, EU and… | View Profile |
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Iain Steele | Barrister specialising in administrative and public law, human rights, commercial law, EU… | View Profile |
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Mark Vinall | Commercial law (including media and entertainment; civil fraud; financial services and sport);… | View Profile |
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Robert Weekes | Barrister specialising in commercial law (including arbitration, financial services, media and entertainment… | View Profile |
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Claire Weir | Barrister specialising in public and human rights, regulatory and employment law. Full… | View Profile |
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Tom Weisselberg | Barrister specialising in commercial law (in particular civil fraud), media and entertainment… | View Profile |
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Gemma White | Barrister specialising in public law, with a particular emphasis on the law… | View Profile |
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Sarah Wilkinson | Barrister specialising in employment, commercial (including financial services) and public law. Full… | View Profile |
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Victoria Windle | Barrister specialising in employment, commercial law, professional disciplinary and civil fraud matters.… | View Profile |
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Thomas de la Mare | Barrister specialising in administrative and public law, EU and competition, human rights,… | View Profile |
Languages
Arabic Cantonese Catalan Chinese (Mandarin) Danish Dutch Farsi (Persian) Finnish French German Greek Hebrew Hindi Irish Italian Japanese Norwegian Portugese Punjabi Spanish Swedish UrduDiversity and Inclusion
Blackstone Chambers is fully committed to the principle of equality of opportunity without discrimination on grounds of colour, race, disability, age, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion, sex, marital status, sexual orientation or political persuasion. We undertake and participate in a range of initiatives to help facilitate increased access to and diversity at the Bar.
Since December 2019, Blackstone Chambers has commissioned the use of the Rare Contextual Recruitment System (CRS) for our mini-pupillage and pupillage recruitment processes. Rare is a multi-award-winning diversity company using big data to map the social, financial and educational background of candidates and make sure that brilliant candidates are identified and given the chance to flourish. According to Rare, 61% more disadvantaged candidates were hired when organisations adopted the CRS. This also enables Blackstone Chambers to pursue legitimate interests of fair recruitment (Article 6(1)(e) GDPR).
In July 2020, Blackstone, with five other sets of Chambers, helped to launch Mentoring For Underrepresented Groups: a scheme run by Commercial Barristers’ Chambers. The scheme aims to support and encourage individuals from groups which are underrepresented at the Bar of England and Wales (and in particular the commercial bar) to pursue careers as barristers. Those underrepresented groups include women; people from minority ethnic backgrounds; people with disabilities; LGBT+ people; people who spent time in care; and people from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.
As a Chambers we tend to look for projects that have a degree of intersectionality to them, for example in inner city schools where we are seeking to raise aspirations and encourage candidates from disadvantaged socio-economic groups. Projects that target inner city schools also generally tend to impact a higher percentage of BAME students. We are particularly trying to target a younger audience. One recent example of an outreach project to an inner city school is the publication of History Rocks: Women in Law, which celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act that removed the barriers for women to enter the legal profession. Under the guidance of the education charity, Guy Fox History Project, year four pupils from Snowsfields Primary School in Bermondsey, South London (who all created the drawings that illustrate the book), and barristers from Blackstone Chambers helped develop the book by exploring women’s rights during the Edwardian era, the legislative process that led to the Act’s passage and the lives of the women who have made legal history over the past 100 years.
This was the third partnership between Blackstone Chambers and Guy Fox, having previously collaborated on ‘How the World REALLY Works: Our Legal System’ (2013) and ‘History Rocks: Magna Carta’ (2015).
While proud of the fact that the percentage of BAME junior members of Chambers, at 13 per cent, mirrors the UK population as a whole, we must also acknowledge that we, the commercial bar and the bar as a whole must do more to attract the best BAME talent. We must also recognise that within the BAME category some sub-groups are better represented than others – for example black barristers fare perhaps the least well. For that reason, we have recently become a founding partner and sponsor of Bridging the Bar, a new charity established by a pupil of Blackstone Chambers,
Mass Ndow-Njie, designed to improve access to the bar for students from non-traditional backgrounds especially through work experience/mini-pupillage opportunities.
- Administrative and public law (including elections)
- Civil liberties and human rights (including actions against the police)
- Employment
- European Union law
- Financial services regulation
- Fraud: civil
- IT and telecoms
- Media and entertainment (including art and cultural property)
- Public international law
- Sport
Top Tier Set Rankings
- Commercial litigation
- Competition
- Environment
- Immigration (including business immigration)