Construction

Atkin Chambers

With ‘unrivalled experience in construction and engineering matters’, Atkin Chambers boasts ’deep bench strength’, and continues to handle major international projects and domestic infrastructure and fire safety matters. In the international arena, Christopher Lewis KC and Manus McMullan KC continue to represent the Panama Canal Authority in disputes arising from the Third Set of Locks project. In addition to the set’s experience in international arbitration, Andrew Fenn KC is currently acting for the claimant in Carillion plc v KPMG LLP & Anor, a large audit negligence case concerning the collapse of the construction contractor. On the domestic side, Dominique Rawley KC, Simon Lofthouse KC, and Jennifer Jones KC are instructed on a high-value structural defects claim in the healthcare sector, while Chantal-Aimée Doerries KC is leading on Sheffield Teaching Hospital Foundation Trust v Hadfield Healthcare Partnership Limited, a multimillion PFI dispute relating to fire safety in a hospital. Stephanie Barwise KC and Dalton Hale continued to represent a group of core participants in the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry. Camille Slow KC took silk in March 2024.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'Clerks as a whole are very helpful, knowledgeable and quick to respond to queries. Andy Burrows in particular is worth a special mention.'
'The service from the clerks room is excellent. Justin Wilson, Andy Burrows and Rick Bulaitis are the 'go to' with David Barnes also accessible if required.'
'Atkin Chambers are a real power house in construction professional negligence. First rate. Real strength in depth.'
'Atkin has unrivaled expertise in construction and engineering matters.'
'The set is very strong and certainly a 'best in class offering', boasting strength and depth.'
'Atkin is one of the premier sets for construction with a reliable stable of thoroughbreds.'
'Atkin has almost unmatchable quality in every area. Their counsel are the top of any list. Superb set.'
'Far and away the best construction set. They have the best silks and juniors in the field. Commercially strong and know their stuff.'

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.

Stephanie Barwise KC

‘Stephanie’s written advice is very clear. She is very detailed and authoritative. She never lets you down.’

Stuart Catchpole KC

‘Stuart is flawless. His meticulous attention to detail, impeccable command of the evidence, and incisive cross examination makes him a force to be reckoned with.'

Chantal-Aimée Doerries KC

'An outstanding silk: calm and authoritative. A really top performer.'

Simon Lofthouse KC

‘Simon is a witness demolition specialist. He does that because he is more prepared than they are and slowly but surely crucifies them on the details.'

Manus McMullan KC

‘Manus has a brilliant mind, puts the dots together in complex matters, and brings unclarities to light in cross-examinations.'

David Streatfeild-James KC

‘David is very bright and great at thinking out of the box. Excellent advocate.’

Andrew White KC

‘Andrew is a phenomenal advocate and his experience shines through. He remains calm under pressure and sees through the vast detail to grasp the points that matter.'

Stephen Dennison KC

‘Stephen is a fantastic advocate who is great with clients and good at getting to the heart of a case.'

Riaz Hussain KC

‘Riaz is a superb advocate especially in cross examination of both lay and expert witnesses. He is always extremely well prepared and demonstrates a great rapport with his client and legal team.’

Fiona Parkin KC

‘Fiona is a very hard worker and very determined.'

Dominique Rawley KC

‘Dominique is razor-sharp on the law with a very good sense of what works in practice. Really good at dealing with witnesses to extract the key information.’

Steven Walker KC

‘Steven is an outstanding advocate. He is calm, forensic, and able to think on his feet. He prepares well and is able to explain tricky concepts and evidential points in a way that lands well with clients! He is a pleasure to work with.'

Martin Bowdery KC

‘Martin provides superb analysis. He is very good on his feet and has the ear of the court. Absolutely top notch.'

Jonathan Acton Davis KC

Jonathan is a powerhouse of a senior advocate who was excellent in setting the tone, and working very well with the solicitor and expert teams.'

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.

Nicholas Collings

Nicholas’ advice is clear and concise and his drafting powerfully persuasive. Nicholas’ grasp of technical issues is first-class.’

Lucie Briggs

‘Lucie is a superb cross examiner: unflappable and clear thinking.'

Patrick Clarke

‘Patrick has excellent analytical skills which inform the basis of a solid strategic posture in litigation. Vast technical experience. Committed to being a proactive team player with his sleeves rolled up.'

Robert Clay

'Robert is a very experienced barrister with clear strategic process in his approach to claims.'

Omar Eljadi

‘Omar's strengths include his deep expertise in construction matters, impressive fact-finding skills and strong attention to details. He has distinguished experience in handling construction disputes. His participation in the legal team as counsel is invaluable.'

Shourav Lahiri

‘Incredible work ethic and excellent advocacy skills.'

Mathias Cheung

‘Mathias drafts very well and is good on his feet - an outstanding junior and definitely one to watch.'

Rónán Hanna

‘Rónán is very bright and capable, as well as being user friendly and responsive.’

David Johnson

‘David is excellent technically and strategically and always delivers on time even in very difficult circumstances.'

Samar Abbas Kazmi

‘Samar is extremely bright and very quick. He has a laser-like focus on the important points, and expresses himself beautifully. He knows when to press a point in argument and when to yield gracefully. He is an excellent junior.'

Zulfikar Khayum

‘Zulfikar is very responsive, client friendly, and very sharp. He is unfailingly helpful and on top of the matter, as well as very likeable.’

Marc Lixenberg

‘Robust, yet polite. Marc is a formidable opponent.'

Katie Powell

'Katie is very responsive and clear and decisive in her advice. She is excellent on the detail, but still able to see the bigger picture.'

Lauren Adams

‘Lauren is exceptional on her feet with complex legal arguments and very much has the ear of the judge. She is at home when pitched against counsel many years her senior, including silks.’

Mischa Balen

‘He is a brilliant barrister and definitely a go-to junior. His written work is outstanding and he is extremely efficient. A real pleasure to work with.’

Simon Crawshaw

‘Simon is very well-versed in planning and construction with quick turnaround times when further instructions are given. He is very proactive and provides detailed advice promptly.'

Felicity Dynes

‘Felicity is extremely bright, laser focused in her written advice and advocacy, a clever cross-examiner and a delight to work with. A top choice junior barrister.'

Caroline Greenfield

‘Caroline is an highly analytical and responsive, with excellent attention to detail. Her written work is of a very high standard and she gives robust and clear advice, focusing on the key points.’

Dalton Hale

‘An extremely able lawyer who is able to deliver his advice clearly and with an eye to the wider commercial aspects of a dispute.’

Laura Hussey

‘Laura produces excellent written legal submissions leading to a successful adjudication result. A team player who is a pleasure to work with.'

Nicholas Maciolek

‘Nicholas is a very good junior counsel, who is able to process large volumes of information rapidly. He is very proactive, and clearly knows his stuff.'

Edmund Neuberger

‘Edmund is easy to work with and extremely responsive. He adopts a hands on approach and simplifies the entire process for those working with him.'

Christopher Reid

‘Christopher is very bright, good at the detail. Very personable.'

Ryan Turner

'Ryan's attention to detail is second to none and he has a fantastic ability to digest and distil huge amounts of information to produce clear and concise advice and drafting. Very accessible and user friendly. A real pleasure to work with an an invaluable part of the team on a very large and complex matter.'

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.