Our Members practise in an exceptionally wide range of civil law specialisms as listed in the "areas of law" section of this site. This gives our junior Members scope to develop before specialising. It also means that Members can draw on a wider experience than most when considering the merits of a particular case or presenting that case at Court.
High-level advocacy skills are a particular hallmark. Many of our more senior Members honed such skills early in their careers when practising criminal law, but in more recent years it has been the breadth of civil law subjects within chambers which has enriched us as advocates.
We are now one of the largest London-based sets to be regularly rated in the top 30 sets in England. Our growth in recent years has been particularly rapid. But growth in itself has never been a strategic aim of Chambers. It is not easy to obtain a tenancy here and very high standards are always set when considering tenancy for our pupils or others. We have expanded recently because of the excellent quality of our pupils and barristers coming to us from other sets.
Indicators of the high level professional skills are our growing numbers of QCs and the high number of members currently appointed to the Attorney General's A, B and C Panels (no fewer than 23 in 2008). Such appointments are highly prestigious and awarded by open competition.
While we are recognised, in particular, as having unrivalled expertise in medical law (clinical negligence and personal injury in particular), we are not and have no plans to be a niche or single specialism set. In recent years, our professional disciplinary and public and administrative law practices have grown rapidly as have other areas ranging from matrimonial finance to VAT.
Commitment to the Community
The set has a long tradition of active engagement in the legal and wider community. Two current Members (Robert Seabrook QC and Guy Mansfield QC) and one former Member (Sir Robert Owen) have been Chairmen of the Bar; we provide annual financial support for both the Bar Pro Bono Unit and the Free Representation Unit and Members regularly provide their time free of charge to support cases passed to us by those Units; and we provide free of charge, as a public service, the comprehensive and widely acclaimed Human Rights Update service at www.humanrights.org.uk. Former Members have continued this tradition of service while holding some of the highest judicial positions in the country.
Members write extensively on their areas of expertise and lecture widely both in the UK and overseas (with close and growing links with the legal sector in China and Hong Kong).
We also take seriously our commitment to encouraging equality and diversity at the Bar. 36% of our Members are female, including three silks, and 7 Members have an ethnic minority background.
We are committed to being as environmentally friendly in our practices as we can realistically be eg by recycling our waste, using recycled paper and conserving energy.
Clerking, Administration and Facilities
Rapid growth has required a progressively more sophisticated approach to managing Chambers. The set's management and clerking procedures passed the high standards set by Legal Service Commission with the award of their Quality Mark for the Bar in 2006.
We have an extremely experienced clerking team led by Matthew Phipps who has been a clerk in these Chambers for nearly 25 years. Our relatively low staff turnover means that our clerks have had the time to build close relationships with clients enabling them to understand their needs and to be "helpful and responsive" (Legal 500 2006). The Chambers Director, Bob Wilson, appointed in 1999, has brought with him a wealth of management experience gained from outside the Bar. He has applied this in modernising the management and training of staff, the application of modern IT and other technologies and business management tools without compromising the basic friendliness and approachability that has always characterised the way in which Chambers deals with its clients.
The set occupies all five floors of 1 Crown Office Row and an Annexe at Pump Court in the Temple together with three floors of Blenheim House in Brighton. All are linked by a modern IT system, including an intranet for Members, which is accessible remotely. Excellent conference facilities exist in both London and Brighton and there is a video-conferencing facility in London.
Since 2002, Chambers has run the unique Human Rights Update website at www.humanrights.org.uk. This contains a database compiled since 1998 comprising over 800 commentaries and analyses of human rights cases, updated weekly, in a fully searchable format – all free of charge. The site has nearly 12,000 registered users and is readily accessible through the "Resources" section of this site.
Types of Work
Members have been recognised as leading practitioners in a wide range of areas including clinical and other professional negligence and disciplinary work; personal injury; public and administrative law; healthcare; environmental law; matrimonial finance and property; costs and VAT. They also have successful practises in the following areas; employment; immigration and asylum; multi-party actions; public inquiries; technology and construction; and sports law. There is also a team of 18 accredited mediators, eleven of whom are silks.
In clinical negligence, Chambers acts for both claimants and defendants representing individuals and groups and numerous health authorities, NHS Trusts, GPs and consultants nationwide. Landmark cases include Gregg v Scott; Crouch v King's Healthcare NHS Trust; Hucks v Cole; Bolitho v City & Hackney Health Authority; Wells v Wells; Briody v St Helens & Knowsley Health Authority; and Burke v GMC as well as the group actions arising out of radiotherapy treatment for breast cancer, benzodiazepine administration, femodene use, organ retention and MMR.
Chambers is regularly involved in disciplinary work involving all types of medically qualified and related staff and internal inquiries into the competence and conduct of clinicians. Recent cases include Ghosh v Secretary of State for Health; Ruscillo v Council for Regulation of Healthcare Professionals and the prosecution of Professor Sir Roy Meadows. Some Members also practise in medically related and other specialist crime.
Recent healthcare work has included: the right to treatment abroad on the NHS (Watts v Secretary of State for Health), whether guidance on the withdrawal of artificial nutrition and hydration is compatible with patients' human rights (Burke v GMC), whether DoH guidance as to a young girl's right to prevent her parents being notified that she is seeking an abortion is in breach of her parents' human rights (Axon v Secretary of State for Health) and whether a PCT is obliged to provide one of its patients with a new breast cancer drug (Rogers v Swindon PCT).
Chambers also handles personal injury litigation for either party to an action and regularly represents insurers, local authorities, trade unions, health authorities and the police as well as individuals. Significant cases include Sowden v Lodge, Crookdale v Drury, Heil v Rankin and a series of cases involving sexual abuse of boys by priests, including A v Archbishop of Birmingham.
The human rights practice is supported by the expertise gained in running the human rights website - several members also co-authored An Introduction to the Human Rights Act and the Common Law. Significant cases include Pretty v DPP; Cooper and Grieves v UK; Ullah v Special Adjudicator; R v Spear and Wingrove v UK.
Chambers has wide experience and expertise in public law, in particular in cases concerning health, the environment, education, inquests, human rights, immigration and asylum, and mental health. Seventeen members of Chambers are currently on one of the Attorney General's Panels of Civil Counsel as were most of Chambers' public law silks. Important recent cases included Source Informatics and Rogers (Health), Ullah and Singh (immigration and asylum), a range of cases involving CRHCP and CHCRE including Ruscillo (disciplinary), Goodson, Khan and Touche (inquests), Begbie (education), Razgar (human rights) and South West Water (environmental).
Chambers has long experience of public inquiries, including the Victoria Climbie, Alder Hey (organ retention), and Bristol Royal Infirmary inquiries and the Southall and Ladbroke Grove rail inquiries.
The environmental practice includes test cases on the applicability of new pollution regulations (United Utilities Water Plc v Environment Agency); measures to mitigate the problem of dolphin bycatch in fishing nets (Greenpeace v Secretary of State for the Environment); flooding claims; claims for water and methane escape from mines; waste (Castle cement) and land fill (Parkman) issues; asbestos and groundwater pollution (Cambridge water v Eastern Counties Leather); aircraft noise; dust pollution and interference with TV reception (Hunter v Canary Wharf); and judicial review of abatement notices (Falmouth).
The professional negligence practice covers solicitors, doctors, architects and engineers, surveyors and valuers and accountants. Important actions in which Chambers has appeared include: Kandari v J R Browne; Smith v Bush; White v Jones; Cancer Research v Ernest Brown; Carr-Glynn v Frearsons; Corbett v Bond Pearce and Ridehalgh v Horsefield.
Publications
Members are current authors of a number of textbooks, either as single authors or in multi-author publications including, for example, "Clinical Negligence - A Practitioner's Guide" (published by Oxford University Press) and "Child Abuse Compensation Claims" (published by the Law Society) both co-authored by Lizanne Gumbel QC; "Contributory Negligence" by Justin Levinson; "Civil Partnership" (published by Family Law) co-authored by Martin Downs; four contributors to "Clinical Negligence" (editors Powers & Harris); five contributors to "Personal Injury Handbook" (editors Brennan & Curran); four contributors to "Professional Negligence and Liability"; and 14 contributors to "Human Rights and the Common Law".
History
The formation of Chambers can be traced back to the 1930's in premises in Fig Tree Court (which was destroyed in the War); post-war, it then moved to 3 Temple Gardens and, briefly, Cloisters. In 1956, under the leadership of Stanley Rees (later Mr Justice Rees), it moved for the first time to One Crown Office Row where it has been ever since.
Chambers had always been active on the South Eastern Circuit and has many excellent clients based in Sussex. In order better to serve those clients at a time when more and more regional sets were opening, Chambers resolved in 1972 to open a permanent annexe in Brighton. Robert Seabrook QC and Simon Coltart (now a local judge) were among its founding members. Its current location at Blenheim House is its third home and its original membership of 3 has grown to well over 30.
From the very beginning, leading Members of Chambers have gone on to successful careers as judges and have participated actively in the running of the Bar. In more recent times, three members have served as the elected Chairman of the Bar –
Robert Seabrook QC in 1994 (also Treasurer of Middle Temple in 2007 and former Head of Chambers, 1993 to 2006)
Robert Owen QC in 1998
Guy Mansfield QC in 2005
The following former Members have left Chambers to join the judiciary. They are affectionately referred to as "the old boys" within Chambers and often join us for Chambers social events reflecting the strong and enduring personal friendships which characterise the relationships between Members to this day -
High Court and above
Lord WOOLF (Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, 2000 to 2005)
Sir John WOOD (High Court Judge - 1977 to 1993)
Sir John ALLIOTT (High Court Judge - 1986 to 2001 and former Head of Chambers, 1981 to 1986)
Sir Scott BAKER (Lord Justice of Appeal, 2002 to present, Treasurer of Middle Temple, 2005, and former Head of Chambers 1986 to 1988)
Sir David LATHAM (Lord Justice of Appeal, 2000 to present)
Sir Rodger BELL (High Court Judge, 1993 to 2006 and former Head of Chambers, 1988 to 1993)
Sir Robert OWEN (High Court Judge 2001 to present)
David FOSKETT (High Court Judge 2007)
Circuit and District Judges
His Hon Christopher ODDIE
His Hon Michael KENNEDY QC
Judge Simon COLTART
Judge Duncan MATHESON QC
Judge Anthony NIBLETT
District Judge Keeley Bishop
Associate Members
We have the following Associate Members (or door tenants) -
In the UK:
Andrew EDIS QC (also at Atlantic Chambers, Liverpool)
Robert F. OWEN QC (also at Ropewalk Chambers, Nottingham)
Overseas:
Mr Justice SCOTT (Fiji)
Isaac MARRACHE (Gibraltar)
Joseph HAMED (Sierra Leone)
Ian BENJAMIN (Trinidad)
William CLOHERTY (USA)
Raymond LEUNG Wai Man (Hong Kong)
Michael WILLIAMS SC (Sydney, Australia)
Mohan BHARWANEY (Hong Kong)
Corinne REMEDIOS (Hong Kong)
