Michael Deacon

Michael is regularly instructed by claimants and defendants in a broad range of clinical negligence work.

Selected Cases

• Junior counsel to the Infected Blood Inquiry, also known as the contaminated blood scandal, it has been regarded as one of the most significant adverse public health events in the United Kingdom.
• Raychaudhuri v General Medical Council [2018] EWCA Civ 2027
• Acting for the claimant in a claim against a GP practice for in appropriate gynaecological care.
• Pursuing a claim under the Animals Act 1971 on behalf of a woman left with facial injuries and scarring as the result of a dog bite.
• Representing the family and estate of a former city worker killed while working on a construction site.

Michael is regularly instructed by claimants and defendants in a broad range of personal injury work.

Selected Cases

• Junior counsel to the Infected Blood Inquiry, also known as the contaminated blood scandal, it has been regarded as one of the most significant adverse public health events in the United Kingdom.
• Acting for the claimant in a claim against a GP practice for in appropriate gynaecological care.
• Pursuing a claim under the Animals Act 1971 on behalf of a woman left with facial injuries and scarring as the result of a dog bite.
• Representing the family and estate of a former city worker killed while working on a construction site.

Michael is regularly instructed in inquests by both the families of deceased persons and by interested persons such as GPs and NHS Trusts. He recently represented the family of a former city worker who was killed while working on a construction site in a week-long jury inquest.

Other examples of Michael’s experience in this area include representing a GP in an inquest relating to the death of a woman from an overdose of prescription medication, and acting for an NHS trust in an inquest relating to an alleged causative failure to properly interpret radiology.

Selected Cases

• Pursued a claim for a detailed assessment of a firm of solicitor's costs under sections 68 to 75 of the Solicitors Act 1974, involving preliminary issues relating to whether bills were interim bills or interim statute bills and whether special circumstances pre-vailed so as to allow for assessment.
• Acted as junior to Guy Mansfield KC in defending a wasted costs application made against a barrister acting as an expert witness in relation to the law of Abu Dhabi in family proceedings in England.

Michael is regularly instructed by the government in a range of public law matters. Michael most recently assisted the defence of claims under the Human Rights act 1998 made against the Ministry of Defence by Iraqi citizens. Michael acted for the FCO in the Kenyan Emergency Group Litigation.

Michael is developing his practice in professional discipline, and in particular has assisted senior members of chambers, including David Balcombe QC, in on-going regulatory prosecutions by the Bar Standards Board and the General Medical Council respectively. Most recently, he was led by Robert Kellar KC in Raychaudhuri v General Medical Council [2018] EWCA Civ 2027.

Michael has advocacy experience beyond his level of call, having been a court prosecutor in Scotland prior to coming to the bar and subsequently retained an independent practice in criminal prosecution. He has a skill set well suited to professional regulatory matters.

Michael continues to develop his practice in data protection law. Notably, he was junior counsel for the Home Office, being led by Oliver Sanders KC of this chambers (shortly prior to his having taken silk),in the case of TLT v SSHD [2016] EWHC 2217 (QB), which concerned the tort of misuse of private information, alleged data protection breaches and the application of the principles concerning quantum of damages in such claims as laid down by the Court of Appeal in the phone hacking litigation.