Inquests and inquiries

1 Crown Office Row

1 Crown Office Row, an ‘excellent chambers with huge depth of barristers’, combines experience of human rights law, clinical negligence, and personal injury with stand-out expertise in inquests and inquiries: Peter Skelton KC is currently acting in a number of major inquests and inquiries, including for families of victims in the Thirwall Inquiry into deaths connected to the murder of babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital, and for the Metropolitan Police in the Undercover Policing Inquiry. Neil Sheldon KC is acting for UK Government Investments (the government-owned holding company which is the Post Office's sole shareholder) in the Police Office Horizon IT Inquiry, while in inquests work, Matthew Hill acts for the families of the deceased in the 2020 Reading terror attack. Leanne Woods, experienced in inquests, was instructed for the Department of Health and Social Care in the infected blood inquiry.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'The clerks at 1COR are superb - particularly John McClaren. They are very organised and responsive to any enquiries and go out of their way to meet the needs of Counsel's instructing solicitors.'
'Matthew Phipps leads a tight team of clerks who all do their barristers proud. Andy Tull, John McClaren and Chloe Turvill make the whole operation seamless and always go the extra mile. '
'1 COR remain our 'go to' chambers. The clerks are responsive, professional and sensible about fees and this combined with the wide range of counsel available at all levels of call make them a stand out set of chambers. '
'I am always confident instructing Counsel from 1 Crown Office Row, particularly in relation to inquests. They are knowledgeable, approachable, and I can be assured that they will offer support and guidance with even the most complex cases. '
'The clerks are approachable, helpful and commercial and really understand their role.'
'1 COR have amazing strength and depth both at junior and senior level'
'The clerks at 1 Crown Office Row are knowledgeable, helpful, and approachable. They work hard to find the right barrister for each case and are very helpful when scheduling conferences. They are a pleasure to work with. '
'1 COR are excellent Chambers with huge depth of barristers with excellent experience and knowledge. I never have any concerns regarding a recommended barrister. '

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.

Peter Skelton KC

Peter is a first rate draftsman with a real flair for capturing complicated questions in clear and easily-understood prose.'

Neil Sheldon KC

‘Neil is brilliant. He is calm and focused in what can be very distressing and difficult circumstances.'

Clodagh Bradley KC

‘A superb advocate, Clodagh is articulate and so empathic to families: they feel she is fighting their corner.'

Sarah Lambert KC

Sarah is incredibly approachable, and has an excellent way about her with clients, experts and clinicians. She is very knowledgeable and you feel that you are in safe hands when you instruct her.'

Shaheen Rahman KC

Shaheen is a brilliant advocate and excellent on her feet. She has a real skill for making sure the family feel like they have a voice.'

Oliver Sanders KC

Jeremy Hyam KC

2024 Silks

David Manknell KC

David has extremely good attention to detail and has a calming presence with clients.'

2025 Silks

Amy Mannion KC

‘Amy is a Silk in all but name. She is meticulously prepared and a font of knowledge. An outstanding barrister.’

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.