Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC
‘A wonderfully compelling and passionate advocate who is fearless in the face of anything.’
Doughty Street Chambers‘ inquests and inquiries team is well known for representing bereaved families; Adam Straw KC is representing the family of Dawn Sturgess in the inquiry into her death from novichok poisoning in July 2018. Elsewhere in chambers, Sam Jacobs is acting for the Trades Union Congress in module 2A of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, concerning the Scottish government’s political and administrative decision making in response to the pandemic, while Tom Stoate acts as lead counsel to the Inquiry concerning the procurement and distribution of key healthcare equipment and supplies. Adam Wagner KC took silk in March 2025, and Kirsten Heaven joined the team in September 2025.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Excellent inquiry counsel.'
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.
Jude Bunting KC
‘Excellent advocate, very strategic and user friendly.'
Jamie Burton KC
‘Jamie is hugely talented and intelligent. A top-tier silk.'
Tim Moloney KC
‘Tim is a top silk. He is bright, personable and hard-working.’
Katy Thorne KC
‘A truly awe inspiring KC.’
Aswini Weereratne KC
‘Aswini is an articulate and tactically astute advocate.'
2025 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.
Nick Brown
‘Nick is an excellent lawyer with a deep understanding of the law.’
Kirsten Heaven
‘Kirsten is an excellent advocate, who is tenacious in pursing points on behalf of her clients.’
Sam Jacobs
He is great at getting to the issues at the heart of a case and offering practical and strategic advice. His legal analysis is very strong.’
Angela Patrick
‘Angela is tenacious, and a great advocate to have in your corner.'
Alison Seaman
‘Alison is an excellent advocate, very clear and persuasive.’
Oliver Lewis
Oliver is a very passionate, practical and down to earth advocate. He always offers creative and insightful solutions, clearly cutting to the heart of the issue.'
Amelia Nice
‘She is an exceptional advocate and a force to be reckoned with.’
Laura Profumo
‘Laura is an exceptional inquest lawyer. She’s absolutely meticulous.’
Shanthi Sivakumaran
‘Shanthi is sharp and extremely thorough. She is across all the issues in the cases she works on.’
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.
