3PB

3PB is ‘an excellent chambers and a go-to for family matters'. Among the silks at the set, Lucy Hendry KC is praised as ’one of the best silks on the circuit’; she is a children’s law specialist, frequently handling both public and private law mandates for children, interveners, and Guardians. The set is also home to June Venters KC, the first woman solicitor to be appointed silk before joining the bar. Among the juniors, Sarah O’Hara has appeared before the Court of Appeal, and her practice has a strong focus on injuries to children, including fractures, bruising, and brain injuries. ‘Exceptional advocate' Emma Harman sits part time as a Deputy District Judge, and she practices in both public and private law, the former part of her offering covering neglect, sexual abuse, and fatal injuries to children, and the latter consisting of disputes around contact, the abduction of children, and removal of children to a different jurisdiction. Steven Howard, who is ’always impeccably prepared', is predominantly active in care proceedings, while Elisabeth Hudson has experience in cases surrounding the Hague Convention and moving children to other countries.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'All of the clerks are extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Patrick Steptoe and Jess Street in particular, both of whom have been great to work with. They respond promptly and are happy to help.'
'The clerks' room is excellent. Ian Charlton, Gemma Hyett, Robert Leonard and Philip Jones are exceptional. They will do anything they can to help and are very approachable.'
'Very good, will always go the extra mile to find counsel for you. Mark Heath is excellent.'
'The clerks, especially Sarah Jenking and Rob Leonard, are top tier. They go above and beyond to help.'
'Sarah Jenking is one of the most helpful clerks you can deal with. Nothing is too much trouble and she is almost always able to help, regardless of the short notice or the type of matter requiring assistance. Generally speaking, the clerks room at 3PB is efficient, helpful and extremely competent.'
'Sarah Jenking is particularly good. She is very quick in coming back to you with options of representation. On the whole, the Bournemouth clerks' room continues to provide a very good level of service.'

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.

Lucy Hendry KC

‘Lucy is a confident and robust advocate, her preparation is thorough and she always has a strong grasp of the papers, even in the most complex cases. Her understanding of complex medical issues and her ability to cross-examine experts makes her stand out from the crowd in terms of her advocacy.'

June Venters KC

'June is a remarkable advocate, she is exceptionally hard working, and she knows her case from all directions. She is entirely unflappable in court and has a presence which demands the court's attention, and her ability to read a witness and understand how to get what she needs from them in cross-examination is second-to-none.'

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.

Gemma Chapman

‘Gemma is quick thinking and hard working, she fights tirelessly for her clients and doesn't readily settle and instead she rises to the challenge and keeps pressing forwards to overcome obstacles that may be in her path.'

Emma Harman

‘Emma is an exceptional advocate, well prepared, empathetic and clear about the client's objectives and how they might be achieved. She provides clear advice throughout, and her advocacy is concise and calm, whilst being deeply rooted in her instructions and the law.'

Steven Howard

‘Steven is an exceptionally diligent, thorough and knowledgeable advocate. He is capable of advocating on extremely complex and nuanced medical issues and points of law, to great effect.'

Elisabeth Hudson

‘Elisabeth is very personable and is able to put clients at ease very quickly, which helps them to trust and understand the advice she provides. She always plans her advocacy so she is able to explain to the client the arguments to be made, and the potential pitfalls.'

Nicola Frost

‘Nicola has incredible advocacy skills, a great kindness with clients and is always available to take a call, answer an email or take a brief meeting with a vulnerable client. Her advocacy style is firm when necessary, and she gets the ear of the judge and ensures that the judge has considered her point before moving on.’

Sarah O’Hara

Emma Southern

‘Emma’s advocacy is second-to-none. She is a go-to advocate in the most complex of cases, in particular cases involving non-accidental injuries, and she is empathetic with clients and also meticulous in her analysis of the case papers.’

Esther Lieu

Amy Lush

Sarah Jennings

'Sarah is very organised, she is always well prepared and promptly advises those instructing of the hearing outcome. Sarah is strong, confident and always has a wonderful compassionate manner with clients.'

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.

Kellie Salter

‘Kellie is very organised and well prepared for every hearing. A particular strength is her compassion and interpersonal skills, which helps client's feel supported throughout the court day and in particular Kellie is very good with vulnerable clients with issues such as victims of domestic abuse or mental health difficulties.'

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Family: children and domestic abuse

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