Serjeants' Inn Chambers

Police law, Public and Administrative, Professional Discipline, Inquests and Public Inquiries, Human Rights, Employment, Healthcare, Court of Protection.

James Berry KC is a leading public, civil and regulatory barrister. James took silk in 2025 having been involved in numerous high profile and complex cases in a wide variety of courts and tribunals including the Supreme Court. As junior counsel, James often appeared unled against KCs and acted as leading counsel. He is equally comfortable making detailed legal submissions in a judicial review as he is cross examining witnesses in front of a civil or inquest jury.

James won ‘Professional Discipline Junior of the Year’ at the 2020 Chambers Bar Awards and ‘Public Services and Charities Junior of the Year’ at Legal 500’s UK Bar Awards 2024. He was shortlisted for ‘Public Law Junior of the Year’ in 2022. He was the Times ‘Lawyer of the Week’ in January 2025. Legal Business magazine listed James as one of 10 new KCs to note.

His current cases include the Undercover Policing, Southport and Nottingham Inquiries, a number of important judicial review claims, disciplinary hearings involving Chief Constables and high value civil claims including those arising out of the Manchester Arena Bombing. He has been heavily involved in recent litigation and development of the law in relation to vetting, including the Di Maria litigation.

Called 2006; Lincoln’s Inn.

King’s Counsel

ALBA, PNBA, LBA, COPBA.

University College London (2005 LLB (Hons) 1st). Inns of Court School of Law (2006 BVC). Harvard Law School (2007 LLM).