Serjeants’ Inn‘s members are regularly instructed in high-profile inquests and inquiries by bereaved families, government bodies, NHS trusts and the Armed Forces. John Beggs KC is acting for the Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police in the inquiry into the death of Dawn Sturgess from novichok poisoning in July 2018. Bridget Dolan KC acted as counsel to the Inquest into the death of Brian Ringrose, who died in January 2021 after being restrained by police officers in a hospital emergency department. Paul Spencer represented the Derbyshire County Council in the inquest into the death of 16-year old Rhianan Rudd, who was the youngest person ever to be charged with terror offences in the UK. In a boost to the senior end of chambers, James Berry KC and Rachel Spearing KC were elevated to silk in March 2025 - Spearing KC was appointed to the role of Attorney-General of Anguilla, effective January 2026.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'Great strength and depth and a fabulous clerking team.'
'Very well organised.'

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.

Nageena Khalique KC

‘She is a first-class advocate.'

Debra Powell KC

Debra is a very cool head in what can be very difficult cases. She is straightforward, distils the issues and makes things simple and clear.'

Claire Watson KC

Claire is phenomenal. She is a powerhouse.’

Dijen Basu KC

Sarah Clarke KC

‘A hugely collaborative advocate. A real pleasure to work with.’

Katharine Gollop KC

‘She is a wonderful advocate and a good team player.’

2025 Silks

Rachel Spearing KC

James Berry KC

‘James has excellent attention to detail and is meticulous in his preparation. His advocacy is excellent.’

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.

Edward Pleeth

‘A firm but calm advocate.’

Paul Spencer

‘Paul is a highly skilled advocate, who provides pragmatic advice.’

Cecily White

‘Cecily is industrious, very clever, and very knowledgeable. She is a future silk in the making.’

Briony Ballard

‘Briony is a really excellent advocate. She is a safe pair of hands, knowledgeable and calm, with a pragmatic approach.’

Scott Matthewson

‘A seasoned barrister who has huge experience of complex and sensitive inquests.’

Sebastian Naughton

‘He has great analytical abilities.’

Aaron Rathmell

‘Aaron is a very strong all rounder. His preparation is meticulous.'

Sarah Simcock

‘Sarah is very thorough in her preparation. She is straightforward and clear in her advice.’

Oliver Williamson

‘Oliver is immensely intelligent, with an excellent eye for detail.’

Michael Walsh

‘Michael is a very thorough barrister, with a careful eye for detail.’

Frances McClenaghan

‘She is knowledgeable and technically very strong.’

Matthew Holdcroft

Kevin Baumber

‘His cross examination of witnesses is simply superb.‘

Anthony Searle

‘Anthony is amazing with clients, witnesses and judges. He is incredibly intelligent with practical solutions to issues.’

Alexander dos Santos

His work product and grasp of the issues is deeply impressive.’

Jake Rylatt

‘Jake is clear and concise in his advice and advocacy.’

Jamie Mathieson

‘Jamie is a very calm and well prepared advocate.’

Clare Hennessy

‘Clare is an exceptionally hard worker, very diligent and wanting to ensure that she has pushed as far as she can for her clients.’

Rhys Hadden

‘An incredibly personable barrister, whose calm, competent approach achieves excellent results for his clients.’

Patricia Londono

Patricia is an extremely knowledgeable individual.’

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.

Rachael Gourley

'An exceptionally talented, up and coming junior.'