‘The best police law chambers in the country for police forces’, 5 Essex Court offers considerable depth and breadth of expertise across the full spectrum of areas, encompassing civil and Human Rights Act claims, judicial reviews, inquests, public inquiries, and misconduct and discipline matters. Jason Beer KC represented the Metropolitan Police Service in R (W80) v IOPC, with the Supreme Court judgment deciding that the civil law test of self-defence, rather than criminal, applied in police misconduct proceedings. ’Highly intelligent and always provides clear and detailed advice’, Anne Studd KC is acting for a police force in the Undercover Policing Inquiry, with numerous civil cases arising from undercover officers forming relationships with members of groups they were tasked to infiltrate. Francesca Whitelaw KC represented the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis in an appeal before the First-Tier Tribunal, which was brought by a journalist seeking information about alleged police payments to informants relating to Black Lives Matter and environmental protests.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
- Profile
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The clerks are generally excellent. I work very regularly with Dan Waple in particular. He always goes above any beyond whenever I call counsel.'
- 'Mark Waller is an excellent clerk and has support from some very good junior staff who are all good communicators.'
- 'In general all clerks are approachable, helpful and have a good response time. Mark Waller in particular is very helpful, fully understands his counsels skill set to recommend suitable counsel and always responds quickly.
- 'The clerks are great across the board. I always find James Cole, Dan Waple and Ethan Barnett to be enormously helpful and approachable - always clearly trying to help wherever possible.'
- '5 Essex are the go to set for Police Law matters. Their strength in depth is unrivalled in the area. They offer a superb annual Police Law Conference, not only offering excellent training but great opportunities to network with clients.'
- 'My number one chambers for over 30 years. Very strong in terms of knowledge of public interest work, inquests, inquiries, defence of public authorities.'
- 'A go-to chambers for police forces, with barristers from the most junior up to silks taking on this work.'
- '5 Essex Court are the best in the UK for police law'.
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.
2024 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.
2023 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.
Jonathan Dixey
‘Jonathan is skilled at being able to dissect and analyse complex areas of law, assess litigation risk and provide pragmatic and helpful advice to clients. He works well under pressure and is unflappable.'
Russell Fortt
Russel is bright and a team player. He is a lateral thinker which reaps rewards in challenging claims.’
Amy Clarke
Robert Cohen
'Robert has a particular aptitude for difficult and complex claims relating to GDPR and the Data Protection Act.'
John Goss
Cicely Hayward
'Cicely is a highly effective advocate. She exhibits a balance of knowledge, skill, experience and persistence which in an adversarial situation make her a counsel of choice.'
Peter Laverack
'Peter has an ability to remain steadfast and cool-headed when faced with testing opposition.'
Claire Palmer
Early, clear case strategy based on case merits and wider issues of concern to the police client, such as maintaining public confidence in the service. Claire builds excellent rapport with senior officers, engendering their full confidence.’
Robert Talalay
true expert. Dedicated, hard working and always has the right answer when on his feet. He is also very likeable and gives everything at trial to get the right result.'
Mark Thomas
'Mark is excellent in every respect. He is personable, affable and his intellect and attention to detail are hugely impressive.'
Andrew Waters
Andrew's cross-examination of officers is particularly impressive. His style as akin to an iron fist in a velvet glove, and he knows just when to ask the killer question.’
John-Paul Waite
Jennifer Wright
‘Jennifer is a very courteous individual which goes down well in court. She has a great knowledge of the area of law she works in.’