Doughty Street Chambers

Doughty Street Chambers ‘fields leaders in the field at every level of call’ in administrative and human rights law and have a particularly established reputation for claimant-side work. ’The doyenne of public law and human rights work’, Edward Fitzgerald KC acted for the claimant charity in R (John Lyon’s Charity) v Secretary of State for Housing, a challenge to the compatibility of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 with ECHR Article 1 Protocol 1. Jude Bunting KC led in R (Sneddon) v Secretary of State for Justice, a case in the Court of Appeal concerning the rights of prisoners to transfer to open conditions, and the ‘imaginative, collaborative, strategic and very hard working’ Adam Straw KC is active as a special advocate. ’One of the leading figures in human rights law at present’, Adam Wagner KC took silk in 2025.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'Clerks are very helpful, especially Grace Walton.'
'The clerks are exceptional. Incredibly responsive and forthcoming. Grace Walton is particularly brilliant and will always find a solution.'
'Grace Walton the practice manager is always very communicative and willing to help resolve issues and queries.'
'The service is excellent and Grace Walton is particularly stand out - she is incredibly responsive, accommodating and knows her team very well so can suggest well matched barristers for a particular case.'
'The quality from junior to silks is extremely impressive. They're the go-to set for work in this area.'
'Doughty Street is a leader in the field, has a very wide range of expertise which is crucial in cases against public authorities where often multiple areas of fairly niche legal practice intersect.'

Lawyers

Leading Silks

KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.

Edward Fitzgerald CBE KC

'The doyenne of public law and human rights work. Unparalleled experience and court room presence. Extremely thorough and client focused.'

Jude Bunting KC

'Charm personified, in a manner that belies his unmatched court advocacy. A superstar, able to turn his hand to any matter no matter how novel or complex. A relentless work ethic combined with smarts and strategic insight makes him a first choice.'

Adam Straw KC

‘Adam has an encyclopaedic knowledge of caselaw around deaths in state custody and he appears in all the big cases. He is imaginative, collaborative, strategic and very hard working. He has an incredible strategic brain and is always five steps ahead.’

Jamie Burton KC

'Jamie is hugely talented and intelligent. A top-tier silk for social welfare public law and civil claims. Great on his feet. Excellent with the details and with client rapport.'

Laura Dubinsky KC

‘Laura is brilliant. Her oral and written advocacy is compelling and persuasive. She is very client focused.’

Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC

‘Fearless on her feet, a superb advocate who merges passion with clear legal argument and she is highly persuasive.’

Joe Middleton KC

Maya Sikand KC

'Maya is hugely detailed and thorough in her legal analysis and advice, and her advice is always robust and authoritative. She never seems to miss a detail. She is a powerful advocate, making compelling arguments, while displaying a gentleness and empathy to clients when out of the court-room.'

2025 Silks

Adam Wagner KC

‘Adam is one of the leading people in this field. He is a powerful intellect and has a comprehensive knowledge of administrative law and practice and is one of the leading figures in human rights law at present.’

Leading Juniors

Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.

Jacob Bindman

‘He has an easy going and friendly manner which puts clients at their ease and which carries over into his advocacy.’

Stephanie Davin

‘Stephanie is a star of the future in administrative law and human rights. She has an excellent eye for detail and is a careful and intellectually robust member of teams.

Rabah Kherbane

‘Rabah is one of the very best. Constantly in demand by clients, solicitors and silks. His star has risen rapidly for good reason. Frighteningly good on the law with a work ethic that puts others in the shade. A phenomenal talent.’

David Lemer

‘David is a very effective advocate, with the ear of the court. He is absolutely tenacious and has a very wide knowledge of public law.’

Angela Patrick

‘Angela cares deeply about her clients - her preparation is exemplary and her written advice is always incredibly thorough.’

Frederick Powell

‘Very responsive and on top of a lot of strands of work. Good ability to forge collaborative working relationships with opposing counsel which helps with the smooth running of everything.’

Michael Spencer

'Very thoughtful, measured and experienced in public law.'

Sarah Steinhardt

‘She is straight talking and a superb communicator both with instructing solicitors and with clients. On her feet, she is at her most impressive. Her advocacy is really clear, sharp and focused. Even when arguing dry, deeply complex points of law, she manages to keep her advocacy compelling, interesting and engaging.’

Pippa Woodrow

‘Pippa has made an invaluable contribution to a wide number of human rights and public law challenges, particularly for juveniles and women in the criminal justice system. She has an amazing capacity to distil complex factual cases into clear legal submissions and arguments.’

Rising stars

Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.