4 New Square Chambers remains at the forefront of the professional negligence market. The set continues to be involved with Grenfell Tower litigation, with David Turner KC, Clare Dixon KC, Isabel Barter and Conor Ewing acting for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in claims against contractors, architects and others. Ben Hubble KC, Justin Fenwick KC and Ben Smiley are involved in Abraaj v KPMG, a claim against the auditors of the high-profile Dubai-based emerging markets private equity house which collapsed in 2018. Hubble KC is also acting for the defendants in Afan Valley Ltd & Ors v Lupton Fawcett & Metis, alongside Michael Bowmer, Daniel Saoul KC and Pippa Manby; the case concerns a number of property investment schemes which entered into liquidation. Patrick Lawrence KC and Helen Evans KC are instructed on behalf of the defendant in Discovery Land v Axis, a case which raised questions on the extent of the coverage of solicitors’ insurers on the grounds of dishonesty on the parts of the insured solicitor. Scott Allen was instructed in Bratt v Jones, another case which went to the Court of Appeal concerning the test for valuers’ negligence.
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Career
Isabel practises in Professional Negligence, Product Liability, Property Damage, Group Litigation work, Commercial Fraud, Commercial Dispute Resolution and Private International Law.
She frequently appears as sole Counsel against KCs. In addition, she has been lead junior in complex cases for several years, is adept at dealing with technical expert evidence, and has a real aptitude for absorbing large amounts of information quickly.
She was nominated for Professional Negligence Junior of the Year at the Chambers Bar Awards 2022, and for Group Litigation and Consumer Junior of the Year at the Legal 500 Awards 2022 and 2023. She is recommended in the directories as a leading practitioner for Professional Negligence, Product Liability, Property Damage and Group Litigation work.
Isabel is Associate Editor of, as well as expert contributor to, Mark Simpson, Professional Negligence and Liability (Informa, updated twice yearly), and she is an expert contributor on product liability to Howard Palmer KC, Property Damage (Bloomsbury, 2023). She is also joint General Editor of Bloomsbury’s ‘Journal of Professional Negligence’, published quarterly, and a member of the PNBA Executive Committee.
Prior to coming to the bar, Isabel worked in the charitable sector. She graduated from Cambridge with a BA (Hons) in History. She was also a Major Scholar of the Inner Temple.
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- 'Dennis Peck and Andy Call are model clerks in the old style, which is greatly appreciated by solicitors.'
- 'Dennis Peck, Lizzy Stewart and Andrew Call are all very impressive.'
- 'Dennis Peck is a star.'
- 'Their clerks are extremely helpful and are very contactable for any urgent work. The barristers recommended are always well suited to the case and work is always delivered on time.'
- 'Consistently excellent, and some strong juniors emerging through the ranks.'
- 'The clerks are responsive to queries and upfront on costs. They are always willing to talk through fee estimates and try to accommodate the client's requirements.'
- '4 New Square is an excellent set and a true leader in its field.'
- '4 New Square is easily the premier Professional Indemnity set. Great reputation and strength across the field of barristers.'