39 Essex Chambers

39 Essex Chambers is ‘a strong set of good quality and specialised Court of Protection barristers who practice solely in these areas of law’. Fenella Morris KC is ’very good on mental health and healthcare regulatory aspects and complex matters involving novel points of law’ and recently acted for the Royal College of Nursing before the Court of Appeal in Abbasi v Newcastle upon Tyne Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Haastrup v King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, cases concerning the decisions about end of life of children and vulnerable adults. Jenni Richards KC also handles cases concerning medical interventions throughout life, including cases involving pregnant women who lack capacity. Neil Allen is representing the claimant in a case addressing whether a husband could divorce his wife and, if he could, if the divorce was in his best interests.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'The clerks are extremely helpful, particularly Anthony King and Oscar Redif.'
'Anthony King is very quick to respond and always provides helpful responses.'
'The clerks are always helpful. In particular, Sheraton Doyle, Peter Campbell and Oscar Redif.'
'The clerks are excellent. Sheraton Doyle, Oscar Redif and Peter Campbell are notable stars.'
'The clerks are very good. Peter Campbell is a star of the clerks' room.'
'39 Essex Chambers is a very good set with side breadth of expertise and levels of experience.'
'39 Essex Chambers has excellent breadth of counsel expertise and availability generally, particularly when it comes to all public law matters.'
'39 Essex Chambers has a number of excellent barristers in the field of Court of Protection.'
'39 Essex Chambers has excellent depth of experienced counsel.'
'39 Essex Chambers is a very strong set with a wide range of experience in Court of Protection matters from KCs to juniors.'

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.

Fenella Morris KC

'Fenella is fantastic at managing difficult representatives and sticking to the client's position.'

Jenni Richards KC

Vikram Sachdeva KC

'Vikram is a go-to silk for medical treatment issues in the Court of Protection. He has an in-depth understanding of a medical aspect of the case and invaluable insight into the way clinicians approach medical treatment on the ground.'

Victoria Butler-Cole KC

'Victoria has a trustworthy and balanced view on extremely complex matters, is excellent at problem solving and has an ability to cut to the crux of issues very quickly. She has a wealth of knowledge of relevant law to draw from and can clarify complex academic points quickly.'

Parishil Patel KC

'Parishil is very good and is a robust advocate in complex cases.'

Alexander Ruck Keene KC (Hon)

2024 Silks

Steve Broach KC

'Steve is incredibly knowledgeable and great to work with. He can cut through to the points of a case with ease.'

2023 Silks

Nicola Greaney KC

'Nicola is a good communicator. She is quick to grasp complex instructions and deliver clear advice.'

Fiona Paterson KC

'Fiona is a fierce advocate and a keen protector of the rights of vulnerable clients. She is intelligent and can grapple with complex and novel legal issues.'

2025 Silks

Peter Mant KC

‘Peter is intelligent, compassionate and dependable. His drafting and advocacy in the most complex cases is spot on.’

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.

Neil Allen

‘Neil has a vast and deep experience of Court of Protection work. He is an excellent communicator in court.’

Ian Brownhill

'Ian is good at ensuring the best interests of the subject of the proceedings. He is clear and precise in his submissions to the court and good with clients.'

Annabel Lee

Mungo Wenban-Smith

'Mungo is knowledgeable and capable of identifying the issues. He provides realistic advice to his clients, and his advocacy to the court is clear, concise and constructive.'

Sian Davies

'Sian is exceptionally good in all respects. She is responsive, efficient, and thorough. She is thoughtful and sensitive to unfairness. Her manner is calm, measured and firm.'

Nicola Kohn

'Nicola is knowledgeable and a go-to barrister in the area of law. She is a strong and tenacious advocate, focused on getting the best possible results for her clients.'

Katharine Scott

‘Katharine is very knowledgeable and reliable. She commits herself fully to all cases and has an excellent, reassuring manner with clients.’

Jack Anderson

‘Jack is a very knowledgeable practitioner in Court of Protection work.’

Katherine Barnes

'Katherine is very bright, personable, a great attention to detail and is a good communicator. She is accessible and responsive even in the most complex and high-pressure cases.'

Catherine Dobson

Adam Fullwood

'Adam is an excellent advocate who is robust when needed. He is particularly good with clients, approaching them with understanding. He is persuasive in the pre-hearing stages and is good at judging the arguments to take and not take.'

Alexis Hearnden

'Alexis is always well-prepared and thorough. She gives clear and well-thought-out advice and is not afraid to tackle the issues in a case. She is a clear and eloquent advocate.'

Arianna Kelly

'Arianna has a pragmatic and sensible approach. Her ability to liaise with clients is fantastic.'

Anna Bicarregui

'Anna is extremely personable and pragmatic. She is an experienced practitioner and a safe pair of hands.'

Stephanie David

‘Stephanie is a brilliantly effective advocate. She is quick and can shape her analysis of the problem at hand.’

Eliza Sharron

'Eliza is knowledgeable, good with vulnerable clients and thorough in her advice. Her drafting is brilliant, and she often identifies very technical and effective legal arguments.'

Legal 500

FAQs

Marketing

Careers

Contact us

Court of Protection: health and welfare