39 Essex Chambers is ‘very well respected in the Court of Protection health and welfare arena’. In a high-profile matter, Vikram Sachdeva KC, Catherine Dobson, Neil Allen and Alexander Ruck Keene KC appeared for various parties in Hemachandran v Thirumalesh, a Court of Appeal case concerning capacity issues regarding making decisions for medical treatment. The Court held that an individual’s belief in the relevant information when making a decision about medical treatment was not a legal requirement of the mental capacity test. In another matter, Victoria Butler-Cole KC acted for a client in Aberdeenshire Council v SF & Ors, a case involving the question of whether a Scottish Guardianship order could authorise a guardian to deprive a person, who was residing in an English supported living placement, of their liberty. Peter Mant KC was elevated to silk in March 2025; Saara Idelbi, Alex Cisneros and Matthew Wyard joined the team in August 2025.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Profile
Position
Barrister specialising in n Administrative & Public Law, Civil Liberties & Human Rights, Healthcare, Commercial Law, Regulatory & Disciplinary, Tax, Media Law, and Costs & Litigation Funding. He is known for creatively pushing the boundaries of the law, and has appeared in a number of important cases in all of these fields up to the Supreme Court. He is often brought in for high profile cases outside his primary fields such as the divorce of the Ruler of Dubai. Cases include: he Supreme Court cases of Tigere (student loans and the right to education), Aintree v James (definition of "futile" medical treatment), NHS v Y (whether court application needed to withdraw CANH if family agrees); and JB v A Local Authority (whether capacity to engage in sexual relations requires an understanding that the other person must consent throughout). He also acted in the Skripal case (whether blood samples could be taken for the OPCW); the Interchange Fee Litigation (whether parties had settled after expiry of the relevant period); advice during the VW and Mercedes Emissions litigation; Smith v Lancashire (declaration of incompatibility against the Fatal Accidents Act leading to a change in the legislation in causing the right to bereavement damages to be extended to cohabitees of 2 years); Ashya King (whether proton radiotherapy should be performed in Czech Republic); Tafida Raqeeb (whether breach of TFEU article 56 not to permit travel to Italy for medical treatment); and the reinterpretation of the Mitchell principles concerning relief against sanction in Denton v White.
Career
Called 1998, Middle Temple; formerly Junior Counsel to the Crown (C, B and A Panels); formerly tutor in Criminal, Tort, and Administrative Law at various colleges in Oxford and Cambridge; medically-qualified (and worked as a doctor); previously Times Lawyer of the Week; formerly Chair of Constitutional and Administrative Bar Association and of Court of Protection Bar Association; member of Independent Review of Administrative Law; Bencher, Middle Temple; Deputy High Court Judge (Kings’s Bench) .
Languages
French, Hindi.
Memberships
ALBA, COMBAR, Chancery Bar Association, JUSTICE (Council Member), ARDL
Education
Oundle School; Clare College, Cambridge (1992 BA; 1996 MA); New College, Oxford (1993 BCL; 1996 BM BCh).
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The client care skills of Sheraton Doyle and Peter Campbell are superb.'
- 'Oscar Redif is a pleasure to work with and always helpful, friendly and working tirelessly to go above and beyond expectations.'
- 'Max Head and Oscar Redif are hugely helpful, friendly and polite.'
- 'The clerks are helpful and attentive. When needed, they move heaven and earth to ensure matters are dealt with by the most suitable barrister. '
- '39 Essex Chambers is a first-class set.'
- '39 Essex Chambers is a firm favourite for Court of Protection work.'
- 'Brilliant. Great strength in depth.'
- 'They have strength and depth at all seniority levels.'