Set Profile > Chambers of Susan Hunter > Bristol, England
Chambers of Susan Hunter Offices
St John's Chambers
101 VICTORIA STREET
BRISTOL
BS1 6PU
England
Chambers of Susan Hunter > The Legal 500 Rankings
Clinical negligence
St John's Chambers is home to one of the preeminent clinical negligence teams in the region, with its members acting for both claimants and defendants across a wide range of complex cases. Key areas of work include delayed or mis-diagnoses, negligently performed surgery, and dental negligence, an area in which Robert Mills recently secured a record £160,000 damages for a claimant.
Leading Juniors
Commercial, banking, insolvency and Chancery law
St John's Chambers is home to a large team of commercial practitioners who are instructed in a wide range of cases including professional negligence and breach of contract claims. The set also reports a substantial increase in the number of wills and trusts-related instructions received in the past year, with the set being praised by solicitors as 'the go-to chambers outside London' for this area of work. In one representative instruction of note, Leslie Blohm QC and Natasha Dzameh recently acted for the parents of a millionaire who died intestate, and where his wife was alleged to have forfeited her claim by unlawfully killing the deceased.
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Construction, planning and environment
St John's Chambers is particularly strong on large scale construction disputes, including adjudications, breach of contract claims, and high-value international arbitrations, where Andrew Kearney is a highly regarded practitioner. In a recent highlight, James Pearce-Smith represented the defendant developer in a dispute against a construction company; the claim settled following a counterclaim against the contractor for failure to supply appropriate heating systems.Leading Juniors
Costs
James Marwick and Darren Lewis at are the key members for costs work at St John's Chambers and are particularly experienced in costs arising from personal injury or clinical negligence claims. Marwick recently acted for the paying party in a case involving fixed recoverable costs in which the judge had allowed for significant counsel's fees over and above the fixed costs threshold.
Leading Juniors
Court of Protection and community care
Members of St John's Chambers frequently appear in the Court of Protection in cases concerning capacity to consent, deputy disputes, health and welfare proceedings, along with property and affairs.
Leading Juniors
Family and children law
St John's Chambers is home to a large contingent of specialist family barristers, who provide 'great depth' across public and private children law cases, as well as all aspects of divorce and financial remedy work. Areas of specialism include international assets in finance cases, non-accidental injury matters involving complex causation evidence, and child maintenance, where Jody Atkinson is the key name to note.
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Inquests and inquiries
St John's Chambers is the preeminent set for inquest work in the South West, with specialist areas including deaths in custody, care deaths, and fatal accidents. Notable recent instructions include self-inflicted custody death Re: Jeffery Griffiths, and Re: Christopher Clarke, which concerned a fatal workplace accident.
Leading Juniors
Personal injury
The personal injury team at St John's Chambers reports an increase in defendant work, with members acting for government departments, insurers, and employers, in addition to claimant work. Key areas of work include catastrophic injury, road traffic accidents, and cases involving allegations of fundamental dishonesty, as well as more niche areas such as Animals Act claims, where Richard Stead is the key practitioner. Industrial disease and workplace injury specialist Andrew McLaughlin successfully defended the Ministry of Defence in a £1.5m stress at work claim brought by a former RAF sergeant.
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Property
St John's Chambers property group is home to a large number of specialist members, who are experienced in commercial, agricultural, and residential property cases. In a recent highlight, Leslie Blohm QC and John Sharples recently acted for the respondent in the easements case of Haddock v Churston Golf Club.
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Regulatory, health and safety, and licensing
St John's Chambers regulatory team are predominantly focused on health and safety and licensing matters. On the latter, Roy Light is particularly experienced on taxi and adult establishment licensing, acting for all parties in such cases as well as taking instructions for alcohol licensing work. On the health and safety front, Simon Morgan prosecuted Bridgend County Borough Council following a fatal accident involving a 15-year-old student at a school overseen by the local authority; the manner in which the parking area had been constructed some years earlier exposed pupils to significant risks.
Leading Juniors
Set overviews: England and Wales
For some, St John's Chambers is ‘unquestionably the go-to set for private client litigation in the South West’, while others say it is ‘a must instruct for personal injury and clinical negligence’, as well as covering the gamut of other practice areas including commercial, construction, and property law. In recent chambers news, dual-qualified Ryan Morgan, formerly of Queen Square Chambers, joined the family and divorce team. The ‘excellent’ clerks are ‘always helpful and approachable, they are a main cog in the process of the great communication between instructing solicitor and barrister – they just get it’; chief executive Derek Jenkins heads the team that ‘makes the lives of instructing solicitors so much easer, making the set feel like an extension of the solicitors’ own departments and not a standalone body’. Practice managers Rob Bocock, Luke Hodgson, and Annette Bushell manage the commercial, family, and personal injury teams respectively. Offices in: Bristol
Regional Bar > Western Circuit > Clinical negligence
St John's Chambers is home to one of the preeminent clinical negligence teams in the region, with its members acting for both claimants and defendants across a wide range of complex cases. Key areas of work include delayed or mis-diagnoses, negligently performed surgery, and dental negligence, an area in which Robert Mills recently secured a record £160,000 damages for a claimant.
Leading Juniors
Regional Bar > Western Circuit > Commercial, banking, insolvency and Chancery law
St John's Chambers is home to a large team of commercial practitioners who are instructed in a wide range of cases including professional negligence and breach of contract claims. The set also reports a substantial increase in the number of wills and trusts-related instructions received in the past year, with the set being praised by solicitors as 'the go-to chambers outside London' for this area of work. In one representative instruction of note, Leslie Blohm QC and Natasha Dzameh recently acted for the parents of a millionaire who died intestate, and where his wife was alleged to have forfeited her claim by unlawfully killing the deceased.
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Regional Bar > Western Circuit > Construction, planning and environment
St John's Chambers is particularly strong on large scale construction disputes, including adjudications, breach of contract claims, and high-value international arbitrations, where Andrew Kearney is a highly regarded practitioner. In a recent highlight, James Pearce-Smith represented the defendant developer in a dispute against a construction company; the claim settled following a counterclaim against the contractor for failure to supply appropriate heating systems.Leading Juniors
Regional Bar > Western Circuit > Costs
James Marwick and Darren Lewis at are the key members for costs work at St John's Chambers and are particularly experienced in costs arising from personal injury or clinical negligence claims. Marwick recently acted for the paying party in a case involving fixed recoverable costs in which the judge had allowed for significant counsel's fees over and above the fixed costs threshold.
Leading Juniors
Regional Bar > Western Circuit > Court of Protection and community care
Members of St John's Chambers frequently appear in the Court of Protection in cases concerning capacity to consent, deputy disputes, health and welfare proceedings, along with property and affairs.
Leading Juniors
Regional Bar > Western Circuit > Family and children law
St John's Chambers is home to a large contingent of specialist family barristers, who provide 'great depth' across public and private children law cases, as well as all aspects of divorce and financial remedy work. Areas of specialism include international assets in finance cases, non-accidental injury matters involving complex causation evidence, and child maintenance, where Jody Atkinson is the key name to note.
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Regional Bar > Western Circuit > Inquests and inquiries
St John's Chambers is the preeminent set for inquest work in the South West, with specialist areas including deaths in custody, care deaths, and fatal accidents. Notable recent instructions include self-inflicted custody death Re: Jeffery Griffiths, and Re: Christopher Clarke, which concerned a fatal workplace accident.
Leading Juniors
Regional Bar > Western Circuit > Personal injury
The personal injury team at St John's Chambers reports an increase in defendant work, with members acting for government departments, insurers, and employers, in addition to claimant work. Key areas of work include catastrophic injury, road traffic accidents, and cases involving allegations of fundamental dishonesty, as well as more niche areas such as Animals Act claims, where Richard Stead is the key practitioner. Industrial disease and workplace injury specialist Andrew McLaughlin successfully defended the Ministry of Defence in a £1.5m stress at work claim brought by a former RAF sergeant.
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Regional Bar > Western Circuit > Property
St John's Chambers property group is home to a large number of specialist members, who are experienced in commercial, agricultural, and residential property cases. In a recent highlight, Leslie Blohm QC and John Sharples recently acted for the respondent in the easements case of Haddock v Churston Golf Club.
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Regional Bar > Western Circuit > Regulatory, health and safety, and licensing
St John's Chambers regulatory team are predominantly focused on health and safety and licensing matters. On the latter, Roy Light is particularly experienced on taxi and adult establishment licensing, acting for all parties in such cases as well as taking instructions for alcohol licensing work. On the health and safety front, Simon Morgan prosecuted Bridgend County Borough Council following a fatal accident involving a 15-year-old student at a school overseen by the local authority; the manner in which the parking area had been constructed some years earlier exposed pupils to significant risks.
Leading Juniors
Chambers of Susan Hunter > Firm Profile
St John’s Chambers is one of the largest and most prestigious barristers’ sets in the South West, with 9 silks and 82 juniors attracting high-quality work in all major areas of civil law. We were voted ‘Regional Set of the Year 2018’ by Legal 500 and ‘Chambers of the Year 2018‘ by Bristol Law Society, these awards endorse our position as a stand-out national set. Chambers has recently been shortlisted ‘Regional Set of the Year’ by Chambers UK Bar Awards 2019.
We demonstrate excellence and innovation in the provision of legal services having been involved in a number of landmark decisions in the High Court and Court of Appeal. As one of the go-to chambers for legal advice outside London, we receive high level complex instructions from law firms across the UK, multi-national businesses, high net-worth individuals and people from all walks of life. The leading directories describe us as a ‘Western Circuit Powerhouse’ (Legal 500) and ‘Like having London-quality barristers on your doorstep.’ (Chambers UK).
Our commitment
Whether you are a law firm, a business, a public sector organisation or a private individual, you can be sure you will receive legal expertise and client care of the very highest standards from St John’s. Our barristers are described by peers as easy to work with and committed to delivering quality advice on time. They will prepare the strongest possible case and keep all parties informed at every stage. As part of our commitment to our clients, we make sure all communications are timely, clear and concise.
Our clients
Our client base includes regional and national law firms, representing and advising prominent businesses and private individuals. We also provide advice and representation under the public access scheme to members of the public and individual professionals and executives such as planning consultants, managing directors and doctors.
Areas of work
We have top tier expertise in: agriculture and rural affairs, clinical negligence, commercial, construction and engineering, Court of Protection, employment, family and divorce, health & safety, inquests and public inquiries, international arbitration, licensing, personal injury, planning, professional negligence, public and administrative law, real estate, tax, wills and trusts. Chambers UK consistently ranks us in Band 1 for our main practice areas. Each core practice area has a dedicated clerking team to advise clients on the most suitable barrister for their case. Read more
Mediation
For cases where mediation is appropriate, we have a team of 23 qualified mediators available to assist in the capacity of adviser, advocate or mediator. Our modern, purpose-built office premises include rooms that are designed specifically for mediations.
Seminars and events
We are committed to providing first class CPD courses in all major areas of law. Clients have described our seminars as
“an excellent day and one of the best I have ever been on.”
St John’s Chambers provides full, half-day and evening events, short tailored talks, bespoke courses and seminars in conjunction with law firms, charities and insurance companies. We offer outstanding hospitality at venues selected for their comfort, convenience and excellent catering.
Due to the pandemic having an effect on how we conduct seminars, we have been busy putting on a number of 30 minute – 1 hour long webinars from all areas of law. We have made it a priority to maintain professional relationships with solicitors in this way and have been overwhelmed with excellent feedback.
History
St John’s Chambers opened in 1978 in Broad Street, Bristol with five members; the life expectancy of the business was six months. Forty years on, the business is one of the leading sets in the South West, with over 85 members and recognised as top tier in all major areas of law.
Our offices
Our modern purpose-built offices in the centre of Bristol are easily accessible, close to the City’s historic harbour and major road links and just a short walk from Bristol Temple Meads train station.
Our recent charitable commitments include:
- Raised £3,200 for Headway UK at the 2020 Brain Injury Conference
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief executive | Derek Jenkins | ||
| Head of Marketing & Events | Emily Dalton | ||
| Office manager | Isabelle Mills | ||
| Key clerking contacts | Rob Bocock (commercial and Chancery) | ||
| Key clerking contacts | Luke Hodgson (family) | ||
| Key clerking contacts | Annette Bushell (personal injury and clinical negligence) | ||
| Members of Chambers | SHARP QC, Christopher (1975) | ||
| Members of Chambers | BLOHM QC, Leslie (1982) | ||
| Members of Chambers | SKELLORN QC, Kathryn (1993) | ||
| Members of Chambers | WILSON-SMITH QC, Christopher (1965)* | ||
| Members of Chambers | ORNSBY QC, Suzanne (1986)* | ||
| Members of Chambers | PHILLIPS QC, Matthew (1993) | ||
| Members of Chambers | GODWIN QC, William (1986)* | ||
| Members of Chambers | O'SULLIVAN QC, Derek (1990)* | ||
| Members of Chambers | GRICE, Timothy (1975) | ||
| Members of Chambers | BLACKMORE, John (1983) | ||
| Members of Chambers | STEAD, Richard (1979) | ||
| Members of Chambers | NEILL, Robin (1979) | ||
| Members of Chambers | AULD, Charles (1980) | ||
| Members of Chambers | WADSLEY, Peter (1984) | ||
| Members of Chambers | DUTHIE, Catriona (1981) | ||
| Members of Chambers | HUNTER, Susan (1985) | ||
| Members of Chambers | MILLER, Nick (1994) | ||
| Members of Chambers | MORGAN, Simon (1988) | ||
| Members of Chambers | DAS, Kamala (1975) | ||
| Members of Chambers | LEEPER, Tom (1991) | ||
| Members of Chambers | SHARPLES, John (1992) | ||
| Members of Chambers | KEARNEY, Andrew (2007) | ||
| Members of Chambers | MARTIN, Dianne (1992) | ||
| Members of Chambers | LIGHT, Prof Roy (1992) | ||
| Members of Chambers | McLAUGHLIN, Andrew (1993) | ||
| Members of Chambers | MAXWELL, Adrian (1993) | ||
| Members of Chambers | PHILLIMORE, Sarah (1994) | ||
| Members of Chambers | REGAN, David (1994) | ||
| Members of Chambers | PEARCE-SMITH, James (2002) | ||
| Members of Chambers | DICKINSON, John (1995) | ||
| Members of Chambers | EVANS, Judi (1996) | ||
| Members of Chambers | WHITE, Matthew (1997) | ||
| Members of Chambers | O'REGAN, Matthew (2015) | ||
| Members of Chambers | HARRISON, Graeme (1997) | ||
| Members of Chambers | ZEB, Emma (1998) | ||
| Members of Chambers | HORNE, Julian (1998) | ||
| Members of Chambers | TROUP, Alex (1998) | ||
| Members of Chambers | BOND, Abigail (1999) | ||
| Members of Chambers | VALENTINE, Justin (1999) | ||
| Members of Chambers | THORNTON, Delia (1999} | ||
| Members of Chambers | MCKINLAY, Vanessa (2000) | ||
| Members of Chambers | HUSSAIN, Zahid (2001) | ||
| Members of Chambers | RUSSELL, Rachel (2001) | ||
| Members of Chambers | REED, Lucy (2002) | ||
| Members of Chambers | ELFORD, Caroline (2002) | ||
| Members of Chambers | BELYAVIN, Julia (2003) | ||
| Members of Chambers | SAUNDERS, Zoe (2003) | ||
| Members of Chambers | TAYLOR, Rebecca (2003) | ||
| Members of Chambers | JONES, Christopher (2004) | ||
| Members of Chambers | LEWIS, Darren (2004) | ||
| Members of Chambers | COMMINS, Andrew (2004) | ||
| Members of Chambers | ATKINSON, Jody (2005) | ||
| Members of Chambers | GOLD, Richard (2006) | ||
| Members of Chambers | WEST, Patrick (2007) | ||
| Members of Chambers | HANDY, Ben (2008) | ||
| Members of Chambers | PIKE, Olivia (2008) | ||
| Members of Chambers | BARBER, Jimmy (2008) | ||
| Members of Chambers | MARWICK, James (2008) | ||
| Members of Chambers | CLARKE, Michael (2009) | ||
| Members of Chambers | WOODING, Oliver (2009) | ||
| Members of Chambers | NORMAN, Richard (2009) | ||
| Members of Chambers | POINTON, Nick (2010) | ||
| Members of Chambers | DZAMEH, Natasha (2010) | ||
| Members of Chambers | NEWINGTON-BRIDGES, Charlie (2011) | ||
| Members of Chambers | HUGHES, James (2011) | ||
| Members of Chambers | BOYLE, Adam (2012) | ||
| Members of Chambers | HARRIS, Jack (2012) | ||
| Members of Chambers | COATES-WALKER, Marcus (2013) | ||
| Members of Chambers | GROVES, Asha (2013) | ||
| Members of Chambers | SEGAL, Rachel (2013) | ||
| Members of Chambers | MILLS, Robert (2014) | ||
| Members of Chambers | KNIGHT, Joss (2014) | ||
| Members of Chambers | LARGE, Iain (2016) | ||
| Members of Chambers | Scarsbrook, Bethany (2014) | ||
| Members of Chambers | RILEY, Oliver (2013) | ||
| Members of Chambers | Smith-Holland, SOPHIE (2015) | ||
| Members of Chambers | Dudbridge, HARRIET (2015) | ||
| Members of Chambers | Sampson, ANNIE (2017) | ||
| Members of Chambers | Lindfield, JONATHAN (2017) | ||
| Members of Chambers | Thompson, GEORGINA (2017) | ||
| Members of Chambers | Jones, RHODRI (2017) | ||
| Members of Chambers | Forster, DAVID (2018) |
Lawyer Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
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Jody Atkinson | View Profile | |
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Charles Auld | View Profile | |
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Jimmy Barber | View Profile | |
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Julia Belyavin | View Profile | |
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John Blackmore | View Profile | |
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Leslie Blohm QC | View Profile | |
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Abigail Bond | View Profile | |
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Adam Boyle | View Profile | |
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Michael Clarke | View Profile | |
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Marcus Coates-Walker | View Profile | |
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Andrew Commins | View Profile | |
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Kamala Das | View Profile | |
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John Dickinson | View Profile | |
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Catriona Duthie | View Profile | |
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Natasha Dzameh | View Profile | |
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Caroline Elford | View Profile | |
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Judi Evans | View Profile | |
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Richard Gold | View Profile | |
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Timothy Grice | View Profile | |
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Asha Groves | View Profile | |
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Ben Handy | View Profile | |
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Bethany Hardwick | View Profile | |
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Jack Harris | View Profile | |
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Graeme Harrison | View Profile | |
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Julian Horne | View Profile | |
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Susan Hunter | View Profile | |
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Zahid Hussain | View Profile | |
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Christopher Jones | View Profile | |
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Joss Knight | View Profile | |
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Iain Large | View Profile | |
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Tim Leader | View Profile | |
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Tom Leeper | View Profile | |
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Darren Lewis | View Profile | |
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Prof Roy Light | View Profile | |
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Dianne Martin | View Profile | |
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James Marwick | View Profile | |
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Adrian Maxwell | View Profile | |
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Vanessa Mckinlay | View Profile | |
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Andrew Mclaughlin | View Profile | |
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Nick Miller | View Profile | |
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Robert Mills | View Profile | |
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Simon Morgan | View Profile | |
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Robin Neill | View Profile | |
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Charlie Newington-bridges | View Profile | |
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Richard Norman | View Profile | |
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Mr Matthew O’Regan | View Profile | |
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James Pearce-smith | View Profile | |
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Sarah Phillimore | View Profile | |
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Nicholas Pointon | View Profile | |
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Lucy Reed | View Profile | |
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David Regan | View Profile | |
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Oliver Riley | View Profile | |
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Rachel Russell | View Profile | |
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Zoe Saunders | View Profile | |
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Rachel Segal | View Profile | |
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Christopher Sharp QC | View Profile | |
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John Sharples | View Profile | |
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Kathryn Skellorn QC | View Profile | |
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Richard Stead | View Profile | |
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Rebecca Taylor | View Profile | |
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Delia Thornton | View Profile | |
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Alexander Troup | View Profile | |
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Justin Valentine | View Profile | |
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Peter Wadsley | View Profile | |
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Patrick West | View Profile | |
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Matthew White | View Profile | |
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Oliver Wooding | View Profile | |
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Emma Zeb | View Profile |
Top Tier Set Rankings
Set Rankings
- Regional Bar Clinical negligence
- Regional Bar Commercial, banking, insolvency and Chancery law
- Regional Bar Construction, planning and environment
- Regional Bar Costs
- Regional Bar Court of Protection and community care
- Regional Bar Family and children law
- Regional Bar Inquests and inquiries
- Regional Bar Personal injury
- Regional Bar Property
- Regional Bar Regulatory, health and safety, and licensing
- London Bar Set overviews: England and Wales