Lincoln House Chambers > Manchester, England > Set Profile
Lincoln House Chambers Offices
Lincoln House Chambers
TOWER 12, BRIDGE STREET, SPINNINGFIELDS
MANCHESTER
M3 3BZ
England
Lincoln House Chambers > The Legal 500 Rankings
Northern Circuit > Crime (general and fraud) Tier 1
The members at the ‘excellent’ Lincoln House Chambers includes members highly experienced a wide range of criminal law matters, spanning across road traffic offences, sexual offences, violence, drug offences and financial crime. The set houses the reputable Kate Blackwell KC who has a thriving criminal law practice and Richard Dawson has an impressive practice and has been active in multiple injury and death by dangerous driving cases. Simon Csoka KC is also notable and has considerable expertise handling cases involving organised crime, fraud, and murder. Simon Gurney has a well established practice and has particularly expertise in defending individuals facing substantial fraud prosecutions, as well defending allegations of historic sexual abuse. Rachel Cooper has a broad criminal law practice and is often instructed on cases where defendants have significant mental health needs. She recently represented the defendant charged with death by dangerous after a collision decapitated a back seat passenger.Rising stars
Leading Silks
2021 Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘Lincoln House Chambers are one of the best sets outside of London. Their choice of barristers is extremely strong and instructing solicitors feel confident in instructing their barristers in any area – crime (general and fraud), professional discipline or regulatory matters.’
‘The set is excellent – they are a preferred set of chambers and there is always a selection of experienced Counsel to choose from. Where possible, they will strive to clear diaries to ensure counsel can be available for all hearings so clients have continuous representation. The set has experienced and well respected barristers who can cover a wide range of criminal offences.’
‘Lincoln House Chambers is always on hand to provide cover for a hearing and will ensure they have done all they can to meet the needs of our clients. They have also on numerous occasions allowed the use of their offices for conferences, which is most helpful.’
‘A strong set – barristers at every level of experience and wide ranging practice across criminal and regulatory work, no problems with availability. Offer topical training sessions too.’
‘Lincoln House Chambers is one of the best chambers in Manchester. In testing times of late for the profession as a whole, they continue to offer an excellent service and the quality of barristers available is second to none.’
Clerking
‘Instructing solicitors cannot speak highly enough of the service offered by Lincoln House Chambers. Their clerks go out of their way to help you, in particular David Wright.’
Work highlights
Northern Circuit > Business and regulatory crime (including health and safety) Tier 2
Lincoln House Chambers’ regulatory team has substantial expertise in handling both prosecution and defence work in Environment Agency, Trading Standards and DEFRA cases, as well as health and safety cases, including death in custody inquests and gross negligence manslaughter matters. Health and safety enforcement specialist Austin Welch represents clients from the construction, retail and transport industries and is defending Eddie Stobart Ltd in a prosecution relating to asbestos exposure. Leila Ghahhary’s practice focuses on local government, regulatory, health and safety, trading standards and licensing matters. Lee Hughes has a strong health and safety practice, handling cases involving fatalities. Craig Hassall KC joined the set from Park Square Barristers Ltd. in August 2021.Rising stars
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘Lincoln House goes beyond any other set in terms of all-round quality, with all the barristers possessing great intelligence, skill and expertise.’
‘Lincoln House Chambers are a fantastic set based in the North West with a national outreach.’
‘Lincoln House Chambers is very accommodating and reliable when it comes to instructing appropriate counsel.’
‘Lincoln House are the go-to set for criminal defence and regulatory work in the North West. They are always willing to discuss cases before an instruction to ensure the best possible barrister is allocated to the case.’
‘Lincoln House Chambers has a strong business and regulatory team. The breadth and depth of knowledge at Lincoln House places it as a leading regional set.’
Clerking
‘The team of clerks headed by David Wright are amongst the best in the business. They are polite, courteous and responsive, and always endeavour to provide a top quality service.’
Northern Circuit > Inquests and inquiries Tier 2
The members at Lincoln House Chambers provide a ‘strong offering’ as well as ‘clear strength in depth’. Kate Blackwell KC is a prominent member of the set, handling major, high-profile inquiries. Austin Welch‘s strong practice includes work for both companies and individuals. Welch also has a particular focus on inquests and inquiries regarding health and safety issues, and has been instructed on the Manchester Arena Public Inquiry and the Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse. The set is also home to Leila Ghahhary, who has a thriving inquiries practice.Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘Lincoln House Chambers provides excellent support, with excellent communication and willingness to assist where possible.’
‘The set has clear strength in depth across a variety of areas.’
‘Chambers has a strong offering in this area and in associated areas.’
‘Lincoln House Chambers are a fantastic set based in the North West with national outreach.’
‘Lincoln House is one of the strongest sets in the country for regulatory law. It contains a number of well thought of specialists.’
Clerking
‘David Wright is excellent. He responds quickly to queries and is always open and transparent.’
Northern Circuit > Immigration
Rising stars
Northern Circuit > Professional disciplinary law
Leading Juniors
Lincoln House Chambers > Set Profile
Lincoln House Chambers is a barristers chambers based in Manchester. For over 45 years Lincoln House has provided advocates of distinction. The set is renowned for its strength in depth, high quality advice, robust advocacy and outstanding client service.
We are a multi-disciplinary set with specialist teams providing a service in the areas of Criminal Defence & Prosecution, Inquests and Public Inquiries, Professional Discipline, Health & Safety, Environmental, Fraud, Personal Injury, Tax Tribunal, Health Care Regulation and several other related areas. We are uniquely placed to deal with complex cases in which multiple areas of law are overlapped.
With 19 experienced silks and 63 skilled juniors, our members have been involved in many leading cases locally and nationally and are renowned for our expert advice and skilled representation. Solicitors regularly point not only to our ability in Court but also to our efficient service and tremendous strength in depth. As a result, we have retained instructions from many leading firms over the last 45 years.
Our relationships with leading specialist solicitors, and expert witnesses, in our areas of expertise, allow us to help clients in identifying the best legal teams for the case. We regularly assist clients with professional recommendations, and make introductions, to help facilitate effective communication channels.
Both Lincoln House Chambers and many of the individual members are regularly ranked in the leading Legal Guides for being leaders in the fields and providing a first-class service.
The members and staff at Lincoln House Chambers are strongly committed to our core values, diversity and accessibility are widely championed.
Types of work undertaken
Crime: Chambers remains a strong resource for those needing advice and representation in all fields of criminal practice, members are regularly instructed in cases of the utmost gravity and public interest. Members are often involved at an early stage when strategic advice is required about the investigation itself, or challenging restraint orders. Chambers has attracted praise for its work in business crime and fraud.
Regulatory: Chambers has a deserved reputation as a leader in criminal regulatory work. A strong team is fielded in health and safety litigation and in waste and environmental hazard work. The team is routinely instructed in cases that give rise to fatalities and there is particular expertise in the niche area of corporate responsibility. Additionally, members of chambers have also appeared in cases that arise in a medical context.
The combination of specialisms available through chambers ensures any complex technical issues are understood and mastered. Members have advised for both the regulators and the professionals accused.
Inquiries and Inquests: Members are frequently instructed in issues arising in ancillary jurisdictions, notably inquests and public inquiries. Ten members are engaged on the Covid Inquiry, eleven members of chambers were instructed in the Manchester Arena Inquiry, six members of chambers were instructed to act in the Hillsborough inquests (predominantly for senior police officers) and chambers has a presence in many of the more substantial public inquiries and inquest hearings nationally. Members have been instructed by the Home Office and Department of Health to undertake leading roles within substantial public and independent inquiries. The work undertaken in other regulatory areas (CQC, H&S, police and medical practitioner disciplinary) often extends to representation in Coroners Courts.
Civil: The civil team unites a number of fields of practice. The work covered includes general common law but there is an established specialist team with a national reputation that concentrates on complex personal injury, including industrial disease work (eg British coal respiratory disease litigation, miners’ knee litigation, and surface dust) and catastrophic injury claims. Members have experience of the conduct of actions for and against the police, and the public law team regularly challenges unlawful decisions that arise in a criminal context by way of judicial review. Members also welcome instructions in a range of tribunals (e.g. immigration, VAT/employment/Traffic Commissioners).
Professional disciplinary: LHC barristers advise and appear regularly in General Medical Council cases (both prosecution and defence), nursing and dental councils, HCPC, accountancy issues through the AADB, or police disciplinary issues.
Main Contacts
Department | Name | Telephone | |
---|---|---|---|
Director of Clerking | David Wright | ||
Criminal Clerk | Andy McGuinness | ||
Regulatory & Civil Clerk | Ty Price | ||
Criminal Clerk | David Gibbons | ||
Regulatory, Criminal & Civil Clerk | George Hooley | ||
Regulatory & Criminal Clerk | Abigail Lockett | ||
Equalities & regulatory Compliance Manager | Sigourney Lomax | ||
Accounts Manager | Bernadette Duggan | ||
Members of Chambers | BLACKWELL KC, Katherine (1992) | ||
Members of Chambers | THOMAS KC, Andrew (1989) | ||
Members of Chambers | WEBSTER KC, Alistair (1976) | ||
Members of Chambers | GOZEM KC, Guy (1972) | ||
Members of Chambers | WRIGHT KC, Peter (1981) | ||
Members of Chambers | PICKUP KC, James (1976) | ||
Members of Chambers | REID KC, Paul (1973) | ||
Members of Chambers | CSOKA KC, Simon (1991) | ||
Members of Chambers | DAW KC, Christopher (1993) | ||
Members of Chambers | ROBERTS KC, Lisa (1993) | ||
Members of Chambers | IQBAL KC, Abdul (1994)* | ||
Members of Chambers | HARRISON KC, John (1994)* | ||
Members of Chambers | KEALEY KC, Simon (1991)* | ||
Members of Chambers | FORD KC, Mark (1991) | ||
Members of Chambers | STORRIE KC, Timothy (1993) | ||
Members of Chambers | NAWAZ KC, Mohammed (1995) | ||
Members of Chambers | LEACH KC, Alexander (2001) | ||
Members of Chambers | LASKER, Jeremy (1976) | ||
Members of Chambers | NUTTALL, Andrew (1978) | ||
Members of Chambers | ELIAS, Robert (1979) | ||
Members of Chambers | NADIM, Ahmed (1982) | ||
Members of Chambers | BLOOMER, Charles (1985) | ||
Members of Chambers | STUART, Mark (1985) | ||
Members of Chambers | BUTCHER, Richard (1985) | ||
Members of Chambers | TAYLOR, Alan (1986) | ||
Members of Chambers | McMEEKIN, Ian (1987) | ||
Members of Chambers | JOHNSON, Kathryn (1989) | ||
Members of Chambers | BARTON, Hugh (1989) | ||
Members of Chambers | FRYMAN, Neil (1989) | ||
Members of Chambers | BOWLEY, Ivan (1990) | ||
Members of Chambers | SIMONS, Richard (1991) | ||
Members of Chambers | KEHOE, Emma (1991) | ||
Members of Chambers | BOYD, Philip (1993) | ||
Members of Chambers | USHER, Neil (1993) | ||
Members of Chambers | DORAN, Gerard (1993) | ||
Members of Chambers | BLACKSHAW, Henry (1993) | ||
Members of Chambers | HOLDEN, Philip (1994) | ||
Members of Chambers | HOLLAND, Ricky (1994) | ||
Members of Chambers | WILLIAMS, Paul (1994) | ||
Members of Chambers | HACKETT, Martin (1995) | ||
Members of Chambers | RIGGS, Samantha (1996)* | ||
Members of Chambers | DUCKWORTH, Shirlie (1997) | ||
Members of Chambers | PIERPOINT, Katherine (1998) | ||
Members of Chambers | KITCHIN, Louise (1998) | ||
Members of Chambers | WHITE, Rachel (2000) | ||
Members of Chambers | ASHCROFT, Clare (2001) | ||
Members of Chambers | DAWSON, Richard (2001) | ||
Member of Chambers | POJUR, David (2001) | ||
Members of Chambers | FRIEND, Mark (2002) | ||
Members of Chambers | ENGLISH, Richard (2003) | ||
Members of Chambers | JONES, Katie (2003) | ||
Members of Chambers | FARYL, Alaha (2003) | ||
Members of Chambers | WELCH, Austin (2005) | ||
Members of Chambers | THOMAS, Daniel (2005) | ||
Members of Chambers | HEYWORTH, James (2006) | ||
Members of Chambers | GURNEY, Simon (2006) | ||
Members of Chambers | BARBOUR, Laura (2006) | ||
Members of Chambers | HUGHES, Lee (2006) | ||
Members of Chambers | COOPER, Rachel (2007) | ||
Members of Chambers | O'LEARY, Brendan (2007) | ||
Members of Chambers | GILSENAN, Emma (2008) | ||
Member of Chambers | FILLETTI, Rebecca (2009) | ||
Members of Chambers | COWEN, Louise (2010) | ||
Members of Chambers | GHAHHARY, Leila (2010) | ||
Member of Chambers | OBRUSIK, Kimberley (2010) | ||
Members of Chambers | ASPINALL, Heather (2011) | ||
Members of Chambers | JONES, Samuel (2011) | ||
Members of Chambers | MCCAFFREY, Lara (2011) | ||
Members of Chambers | THOMAS, Isobel (2012) | ||
Member of Chambers | RONAN, Neil (2012) | ||
Members of Chambers | KHAN, Anam (2013) | ||
Members of Chambers | ALTON, Marianne (2014) | ||
Members of Chambers | SHAW, Ellen (2014) | ||
Members of Chambers | HOWARTH, Matthew (2016) | ||
Members of Chambers | CHESTNUTT, Anna (2016) | ||
Members of Chambers | MAGILL, Sarah (2016) | ||
Member of Chambers | NELSON, Holly (2017) | ||
Members of Chambers | WORSFOLD, Thomas (2019) | ||
Member of Chambers | FINNEGAN, Darren (2019) | ||
Member of Chambers | HALLIWELL, Constance (2021) | ||
Member of Chambers | RISHTON, Graham (2022) |
Barrister Profiles
Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | Mr Joe Allman | Joe is an experienced and tenacious advocate, with a track record of… | View Profile |
![]() | Ms Marianne Alton | Marianne is a diligent and persuasive advocate who prides herself on meticulous… | View Profile |
![]() | Ms Heather Aspinall | Heather primarily practices in two main areas, namely Personal Injury and Coronial… | View Profile |
![]() | Laura Barbour | Barrister specialising in criminal law, with an equal division between prosecution and… | View Profile |
![]() | Hugh Barton | Barrister specialising in general crime, public law and actions against the police. | View Profile |
![]() | Mr Henry Blackshaw | Henry Blackshaw is a specialist criminal Barrister who acts for both prosecution… | View Profile |
![]() | Kate Blackwell | Kate is one of the UK’s leading silks specialising in criminal law… | View Profile |
![]() | Kate Blackwell | Kate is one of the UK’s leading silks specialising in criminal law… | View Profile |
![]() | Charles Howard Bloomer | With over 30 years of experience in a variety of fields, Charles is… | View Profile |
![]() | Ivan Bowley | At Lincoln House Chambers, Ivan Bowley is an established force in industrial… | View Profile |
![]() | Philip Joseph George Boyd | Joe came to the Bar in 1993 having originally been a Branch… | View Profile |
![]() | Mr Richard Butcher | Richard was called to the bar in 1985 and is a highly… | View Profile |
![]() | Ms Anna Chestnutt | Anna enjoys a busy Crown Court practice, with a healthy mixture of… | View Profile |
![]() | Rachel Cooper | Rachel has a common law practice encompassing all areas and levels of… | View Profile |
![]() | Louise Cowen | Crime, personal injury, clinical negligence, immigration, housing law. | View Profile |
![]() | Simon Csoka | Simon specialises in all aspects of criminal law, in particular homicide, serious… | View Profile |
![]() | Chris Daw | Chris Daw QC was called to the Bar in 1993 and was… | View Profile |
![]() | Richard Dawson | Richard Dawson is an expert trial lawyer, specialising in road traffic law,… | View Profile |
![]() | Gerard Doran | Gerard is an extremely popular and sought after senior junior who specialises… | View Profile |
![]() | Shirlie Duckworth | Shirlie was called to the Bar in 1997 but in 2002 transferred… | View Profile |
![]() | Robert Elias | Bob Elias is one of the most senior juniors on circuit. He… | View Profile |
![]() | Mr Richard English | Richard is a skillful and persuasive advocate who prides himself on providing… | View Profile |
![]() | Ms Alaha Faryl | Alaha has a successful public law practice which includes employment, family and… | View Profile |
![]() | Mark Ford | Mark joined Lincoln House Chambers in 2010. He specializes in all types… | View Profile |
![]() | Mark Friend | Mark has rapidly developed an extremely busy Crown Court practice, covering all… | View Profile |
![]() | Neil Fryman | Neil Fryman joined Lincoln House in October 2008, after developing a considerable… | View Profile |
![]() | Leila Ghahhary | Leila is an established and well-regarded junior who specialises in public, regulatory… | View Profile |
![]() | Ms Emma Gilsenan | Emma is an experienced and versatile barrister practising in regulatory law with… | View Profile |
![]() | Guy Gozem | A very experienced criminal advocate, who has dealt regularly with murder, gross… | View Profile |
![]() | Simon Gurney | Simon is consistently recognised as a leading Junior in both the leading… | View Profile |
![]() | Martin Hackett | Martin Hackett is an experienced Criminal Law Barrister who specialises in the… | View Profile |
![]() | Mr John Harrison | John Harrison KC is both a regulatory law and criminal law specialist… | View Profile |
![]() | Mr Craig Hassall | An A-List Specialist Regulatory Advocate, Craig prosecutes and defends in a wide… | View Profile |
![]() | James Heyworth | James practices predominantly in criminal law: acting for defendants in the Crown… | View Profile |
![]() | Phil Holden | Philip has a substantial criminal defence practice that encompasses all areas of… | View Profile |
![]() | Rick Holland | Rick joined Lincoln House in 1994 having been a solicitor with the… | View Profile |
![]() | Mr Matthew Howarth | Matthew started practice in 2014 with the Banking and Finance litigation team… | View Profile |
![]() | Mr Lee Hughes | Lee is considered a “rising star” in business and regulatory crime by… | View Profile |
![]() | Mr Abdul Iqbal | Abdul Iqbal KC is a favoured choice of counsel among both solicitors… | View Profile |
![]() | Kathryn Johnson | Kathryn was called to the bar in 1989, joining Lincoln House as… | View Profile |
![]() | Mr Samuel Jones | Samuel was called to the Bar in 2011. He became a tenant… | View Profile |
![]() | Katie Laura Jones | Katie was called to the Bar in 2003 and has been a… | View Profile |
![]() | Mr Simon Kealey | Simon Kealey was appointed Queens Counsel in 2017. He is an extremely… | View Profile |
![]() | Ms Anam Khan | As an established practitioner with a multidisciplinary practice, Anam is able to… | View Profile |
![]() | Louise Kitchin | Having worked for one of Manchester’s leading criminal firms and later successfully… | View Profile |
![]() | Jeremy Lasker | Hugely experienced in all aspects of criminal advocacy and with an enviable… | View Profile |
![]() | Alexander Leach | Alex is one of the leading criminal practitioners in the North,… | View Profile |
![]() | Ms Sarah Magill | Sarah Magill specialises in serious organised crime, courts martial, service discipline, professional… | View Profile |
![]() | Ms Lara McCaffrey | Lara is a capable and diligent junior known for her excellent writing… | View Profile |
![]() | Ian McMeekin | Ian McMeekin was called to the bar in 1987. He joined Lincoln… | View Profile |
![]() | Mohammed Nawaz | Mohammed Nawaz was called to the bar in 1995 and has specialised… | View Profile |
![]() | Andrew Peter Nuttall | Andrew specialises in: Serious crime, fraud, regulatory crime, disciplinary tribunals and inquests.… | View Profile |
![]() | Brendan O'Leary | Brendan O’Leary is credited as being an advocate who combines excellent courtroom skills… | View Profile |
![]() | James Pickup | He has long been established as a specialist in commercial fraud defence… | View Profile |
![]() | Katherine Pierpoint | Katherine has been a member of Lincoln House Chambers since she was… | View Profile |
![]() | Paul Campbell Reid | Paul is a criminal specialist who appears for the prosecution and the… | View Profile |
![]() | Ms Samantha Riggs | Samantha Riggs is an established and well regarded leading junior advising and… | View Profile |
![]() | Lisa Roberts | Leader of the Northern Circuit. Lisa Roberts QC specialises in regulatory law,… | View Profile |
![]() | Mr Jonathan Sandiford | Jonathan Sandiford KC has maintained his reputation as a top-class advocate throughout… | View Profile |
![]() | Ms Ellen Shaw | Ellen Shaw is an established and well regarded junior who specialises in… | View Profile |
![]() | Richard Simons | Richard Simons has a predominantly defence based practice. He is instructed in… | View Profile |
![]() | Tim Storrie | Tim Storrie QC has an established reputation for work across the spectrum… | View Profile |
![]() | Douglas Mark Stuart | Mark Stuart has one of the largest criminal practices on the Northern… | View Profile |
![]() | Alan Taylor | As an experienced practitioner, Alan has built a successful Criminal and Regulatory… | View Profile |
![]() | Andrew Thomas | Andrew Thomas QC was called to the Bar in 1989 and awarded… | View Profile |
![]() | Ms Isobel Thomas | Isobel Thomas prosecutes and defends in a wide range of criminal matters;… | View Profile |
![]() | Dan Thomas | Dan Thomas practices in commercial litigation, regulatory, and white collar defence and… | View Profile |
![]() | Neil Usher | Neil has a busy criminal practice, divided fairly evenly between defending andprosecuting.… | View Profile |
![]() | Alistair Webster | Alistair’s recognised excellence and client care across the spectrum of criminal and… | View Profile |
![]() | Austin Welch | Austin Welch specialises in public inquiries, inquests and health and safety and… | View Profile |
![]() | Ms Rachel White | Rachel is a criminal specialist with 18 years of experience. Her practice… | View Profile |
![]() | Mr Paul Williams | Paul specialises in regulatory work, inquests and crime.In regulatory, Paul regularly presents to the… | View Profile |
![]() | Mr Thomas Worsfold | om became a tenant of Lincoln House in December 2020 and has… | View Profile |
![]() | Peter Wright | Peter Wright is a highly respected and extremely experienced advocate who has… | View Profile |
Diversity
Compliance
Lincoln House Chambers is fully compliant with the Equality Act 2010 and Equal Opportunities Legislation.
Chambers Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity action plan and strategy is devised by Chambers Equalities and Regulatory Compliance Manager – Sigourney Lomax, who has undertaken comprehensive training including the Bar Council’s advanced training in equality and diversity.
Chambers policies and processes are monitored, reviewed and rectified with positive actions to align with laws and legislations.
Diversity data is collected every 3 years and is published on Chambers website for the purposes of transparency.
Chambers commitments to Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity
Collectively as a Chambers we are committed to promoting equal opportunities for all, whilst eliminating all forms of discrimination and encouraging inclusive cultures and environments.
Equal opportunities are promoted in terms of access, recruitment, progression and retention for all. We engage with recruitment programmes and ensure that those at Chambers who have involvement in recruitment processes have undertaken fair recruitment training. We are committed to offering equal opportunities for experience and progression and strive to retain where possible.
Chambers Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity committees and working groups actively work towards various initiatives and schemes which support those with protected characteristics, including those from diverse, socio economic backgrounds.
Many members of Chambers offer and provide their services on a pro bono basis through Advocate the registered pro bono charity of the Bar.
Training
All members and staff at Chambers receive comprehensive Equality and Diversity training annually. Those who have involvement in Equality and Diversity activities at Chambers receive enhanced training.
Accessibility
Chambers have completed an accessibility audit and are confident that our premises are accessible to those with disabilities. Chambers are happy to assist with requests for reasonable adjustments.