Alexander Hutton KC
‘Alexander has immense experience in costs law. He instils confidence with a strong presence in court.’
Hailsham Chambers ‘stands out as a pre-eminent set in the field of costs law, particularly across high-stakes and technically demanding matters.’ The members have been particularly active in the collective proceedings regime in the Competition Appeal Tribunal, Dieselgate and the fallout of the Russian and Ukrainian aircraft insurance claims. Alexander Hutton KC is acting in a proposed group action of potentially hundreds of thousands of PPI claimants, whilst Jamie Carpenter KC is representing Rebekah Vardy, wife of Premier League Golden Boot winner Jamie, in costs litigation after her unsuccessful libel claim (dubbed "Wagatha Christie" in the popular press) against Coleen Rooney, wife of former Plymouth Argyle manager Wayne. Dan Stacey represented Hyundai, Kia and Volvo in the Pan Nox Diesel Emissions Litigation, successfully reducing the claimants’ budget of around £250m to nearer to £50m. Acting in the major group litigation, Municipio de Mariana v BHP Group (UK) Ltd, Mark Friston represents the claimants. Following over 35 years at the bar, Andrew Post KC retired in April 2024, whilst the set welcomed Camilla Avery as the Head of Operations.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The service provided by Hailsham Chambers is consistently excellent. A notable feature of the Hailsham clerks’ room is their role in supporting and facilitating the set’s exceptional in-house training programme. The clerks and support staff are closely involved in organising bespoke seminars, briefing sessions, and more informal knowledge-sharing events, often tailoring these to client needs. This integrated approach between the barristers and clerking team adds real value and reinforces the set’s reputation for thought leadership and client service.'
- 'Hailsham have the best reputation of all costs sets, in our view and from speaking with industry peers. Strength-in-depth is a strong point, but outcomes are what influence their reputation the most.'
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.
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.
Mark Friston
‘Mark provides robust analysis combined with truly specialist expertise. He is a master of his field and his written advocacy is fluent and persuasive.'
Dan Stacey
‘Dan is always very well-prepared and has an excellent ability to build a good rapport with clients. In court, his advocacy skills are something to behold, calmness personified but with a ruthless streak to ensure that a client's case has the best possible chance of success.'
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.
Thomas Mason
‘Thomas has a great blend of highly effective skill sets and is always a great asset to have on your side. He knows how to apply focussed legal arguments but is commercially astute and so has good peripheral vision at all times that allows matters to be resolved effectively. He is a risng star and one to watch over the next couple of years for sure. '