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St Philips Chambers

St Philips Chambers

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England - Regional Bar • Midland Circuit

2

Family: children and domestic abuse

Christopher Adams, who regularly acts for local authorities, parents, and children in cases surrounding serious injuries to children, and Christopher Watson, who is experienced in international adoption and inherent jurisdiction cases, jointly head up the children law group at St Philips Chambers, within which sits specialist family practitioner Sara Lewis KC, who is often in the High Court due to her ‘fantastic knowledge of the medical issues’, representing clients in cases of the upmost seriousness surrounding complex medical evidence and allegations of causing catastrophic and fatal injuries to children, as well as sexual abuse and fabricated and induced illness cases. The set is praised for having ‘top-class barristers’, and head of the family team as a whole is Carolyn Jones, a ‘formidable advocate’ who handles both public and private law matters. The ‘sagacious and highly experienced’ Gemma Bowes has considerable strength in proceedings surrounding forced marriages, fabricated illness, and extremism. Nicholas Brown boasts expertise in care proceedings, with particular expertise in cases regarding FGM; he has an ‘eye for detail and is extremely knowledgeable about the law and procedure’. Yolanda Pemberton exclusively acts in public law matters and is highly equipped to act in cases surrounding historic sexual abuse, neglect, and radicalisation. William Horwood predominately acts in public law proceedings and is sought after for his expertise in handling cases regarding the placement of children outside of the UK.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'All the clerks are helpful, particularly Mark Mansell and Kelly Fullwood, who are excellent. Experienced and know the individual strengths of their barristers.'
  • 'Mark Mansell, Anthony Burgess, and Kelly Fullwood are all very capable clerks. Their response times are fast and they work hard to ensure continuity of counsel wherever possible.'

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.

Sara Lewis KC
1
Sara Lewis KC
‘Sara is the KC you want on your case for any complex care proceedings involving non-accidental injury; she is the full package. Her knowledge of the area is impeccable, her research is deep and thorough, her client manner is sympathetic, but firm and realistic, and her advocacy really is exceptional.’
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.

Yolanda Pemberton
1
Yolanda Pemberton
‘Yolanda is a very capable junior and she is extremely well-prepared for every case, often putting other advocates to shame by her knowledge of the case papers and the relevant law. She is often instructed in complex cases where she displays a real mastery of medical records or mobile phone evidence, and she is extremely professional and well-liked by judges, opponents, solicitors and lay clients alike.'
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.