5 Essex Chambers is ‘a great set for inquests’, however the team is also equally strong in acting as counsel in high-profile public inquiries. Jason Beer KC‘s workload includes acting for Counter Terrorism Policing South East in the inquiry into the death of Dawn Sturgess, who died from novichok poisoning in July 2018, as well as appearing in the ongoing Covid-19 and Thirlwall Inquiries. Fiona Barton KC is ’an accomplished tactician‘ and ’incredibly client friendly‘. Among the juniors, Georgina Wolfe is ’a real expert who wears her superb intellect lightly‘. John Goss is acting for the Royal Military Police in the Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan. In a boost to chambers, Bilal Rawat KC took silk in March 2025, and Saara Idelbi left the set in August 2025.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Mark Waller is proactive.'
  • 'They are all incredibly responsive - if you need something urgently you get it.'
  • 'They are always quick to respond and clearly go out of their way to try and help you.'
  • 'Excellent for inquests and inquiries.'
  • 'It has real strength in depth in providing advocates for major inquests and public inquiries.'
  • 'A well respected set.'

Lawyers

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.

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.