Blackstone Chambers has ‘a superlative administrative law and human rights practice‘, noted for its ‘incredible strength in depth‘; the team attracts praise as being ‘exceptionally knowledgeable in relation to public and administrative law issues‘. The set has an excellent reputation for its expertise in providing advice on public law issues within a commercial context. In a prominent case highlight, Tom Hickman KC, Jason Pobjoy and Gayatri Sarathy were part of a team in chambers who represented the claimants before the Divisonal Court in R (HM) v Secretary of State for the Home Department, a challenge to the legality of the government’s secret and blanket policy to seize, search and retain data from the mobile phones of persons arriving the UK by small boats; the court ruled that the policy breached Article 8 ECHR and data protection laws. In another high-profile case, Lord Pannick KC and Monica Carss-Frisk KC appeared before the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal in Q & Tse v Commissioner of Registration, a case concerning the jurisdiction’s policy on the issuance of ID cards to transgender individuals who had not undergone qualifying gender reassignment surgery – the case also involved issues of the jurisdiction’s rules of temporary admission of English barristers. Paul Luckhurst is ‘an excellent litigator with a fierce intellect‘ who is sought after for his strength in human rights law. The senior end of the group was bolstered by the elevation of Tom Richards KC to silk in March 2023. Sir James Eadie KC, in his role as treasury devil, is the government’s first-choice outside barrister.

‘A very solid and highly reputable set for administrative law‘, 11KBW‘s team is equally strong in handling complex, high-profile human rights cases, with members appearing before the European Court of Human Rights; Jason Coppel KC counts human rights work as a key pillar of his practice. Joanne Clement KC is ‘a go-to counsel for complex and high-value public law disputes‘ with ‘superb knowledge of human rights‘. At the junior end of chambers, the ‘industrious‘ Christopher Knight represented the Advocate General for Scotland before the Supreme Court in Reference by the Lord Advocate of Devolution Issues under the Scotland Act 1998, involving a devolution reference under Schedule 6 of the Act as to whether the Scottish Parliament had the legislative competence to make provision for a second referendum for independence. Stephen Kosmin  is appearing in SSWP v AT, a case concerning whether EU nationals with pre-settled status in the UK are entitled to welfare benefits due to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Clive Sheldon KC, as was, was appointed a High Court Judge in February 2024.

39 Essex Chambers is home to ‘an incredibly strong team of counsel‘ within the public law arena, with the set acting for a diverse range of public bodies and claimants. Recent work highlights include the ‘super‘ Jenni Richards KC, Catherine Dobson and Stephanie David acting for the claimant in Jennings v Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, involving an application for a declaration that it was lawful for the claimant to use an embryo with a surrogate following the death of the claimant’s wife. The claim was brought on the grounds that preventing the use of the posthumous embryo would act as a breach of the claimant’s Article 8 rights; the High Court permitted the declaration. In a separate matter, Richards KC successfully represented the claimant in R (Timson) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, a judicial review challenge to the DWP’s policy of allowing automatic deductions, without presenting the claimant with an opportunity to make representations, from welfare benefits to pay debts to utility providers. Katherine Apps KC and Nicola Greaney KC were elevated to silk in March 2023.

At Brick Court Chambers acts on a range of public law matters, straddling work for both humanitarian  and business claimants, as well as some public bodies. James McClelland KC represented a Yemeni human rights group in R (CAAT) v Secretary of State for Trade, part of the ongoing litigation seeking to challenge the British government’s sale of arms to Saudi Arabia, which operated a military intervention in Yemen from 2015 until a ceasefire in 2022. Paul Bowen KC and Tim Johnston  successfully represented Maples and Calder in a judicial review in the Cayman Islands over the interpretation of the jurisdiction’s 2020 Anti-Money Laundering Rules.

Matrix Chambers is ‘a very strong public law and human rights set‘. Claimant work forms the key pillar of the practice, and the set reports an increase in mandates relating to government policies. Jessica Simor KC ‘clearly and concisely articulates complex legal arguments, and she is always prepared to challenge the status quo‘. In recent work for the team, Simor KC led Emma Foubister for the claimants in R (Friends of the Earth Ltd and others) v Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, a judicial review challenging the legality of the Government’s Net Zero Strategy; the High Court ruled that the strategy breached the Government’s obligations under the Climate Change Act. Edward Craven  is ‘an exceptional barrister with an incredible mind‘. In a boost to chambers, Nick Armstrong KC, Claire Darwin KC and Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC were all elevated to silk in March 2023.

Doughty Street Chambers is a ‘leading human rights set‘ which is also noted for its ‘strong reputation for public law‘. The team of ‘high calibre counsel‘ is well known for its strength in acting for claimants in a wide range of high-profile judicial reviews and complex human rights, administrative and constitutional cases. The ‘highly respected‘ Edward Fitzgerald KC recently appeared before the Privy Council in Attorney General v Rolle, a case concerning citizenship rights for children born in The Bahamas to unmarried parents. Joe Middleton KC, who took silk in 2023, is well versed in advising on cases concerning constitutional challenges to the death penalty in multiple African countries. In another matter, Jamie Burton KC is acting in a judicial review concerning the Secretary of State’s policy about the height of kerbs, contending the policy does not require high enough kerbs for guide dog and white cane users.

Garden Court Chambers is regarded by many as a  ‘leading human rights set‘, and has an excellent track record in representing claimants in complex cases across the public law arena, more broadly as well as in specialised areas such as social housing and immigration. Amanda Weston KC garners praise as ‘an outstanding silk in this area‘ and ‘a very successful and effective advocate‘. 2023 silk appointment Irena Sabic KC has ‘great experience in complex litigation – a persuasive advocate‘. Patrick Roche has ‘exceptional judgement‘ and is highly regarded for representing claimants in challenges brought against state authorities. Public law specialist Gráinne Mellon is ‘a reliably excellent junior‘ who regularly handles judicial reviews and claims for damages brought under the Human Rights Act 1998.

‘Renowned set‘ Landmark Chambers stands out for its expertise in handling prominent civil liberties cases, and members regularly act in administrative law matters before the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. Human rights work has been prominent in the team’s recent caseload. The ‘formidable advocate‘ David Blundell KC and the ‘excellent‘ Yaaser Vanderman appeared for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission before the Supreme Court concerning Reference by the Attorney General for Northern Ireland – Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Northern Ireland) Bill, a challenge case concerning the compatibility of legislation introducing buffer zones, in which protests are prohibited, around abortion clinics in Northern Ireland with Articles 9, 10 and 11 of the European Court of Human Rights; the Supreme Court upheld the legislation. In recent developments for the set, David Lock KC retired from practice in December 2022; Siân McGibbon joined the group from 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square in January 2023; and Alex Goodman KC took silk in March 2023.

Monckton Chambers has ‘strong public law counsel‘, and the team is well known for its solid track record in handling high-profile civil liberties and public interest challenges and judicial reviews, both in the commercial and regulatory arenas. Robert Palmer KC acted for the claimant in R (Independent Monitoring Authority) v SSHD, a judicial review challenge to the implementation of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement’s provisions around those with pre-settled status being required to reapply for settled status. In a separate matter, Palmer successfully defended a judicial review claim brought by the Duke of Sussex regarding his security arrangements in the UK. Nikolaus Grubeck is singled out for his ‘brilliant understanding of international human rights law issues‘. The senior end of the practice was bolstered by the elevation of Ben Lask KC to silk in March 2023.

1 Crown Office Row is a noteworthy set in this space, with traditional strength in acting on behalf of government departments and handling an increased volume of instructions from claimants. National security work is a key strength for members, and is particularly prominent in the workloads of Angus McCullough KC (who has an excellent track record in acting as Special Advocate in cases where evidence is withheld from the claimant's normal representatives), Oliver Sanders KC and Natasha Barnes. Shaheen Rahman KC is another highly regarded Special Advocate in the group, and is very experienced in appearing in prominent human rights challenges.

Human rights matters form a key pillar of Essex Court Chambers‘ practice, often crossing over with its public international law expertise. In a prominent case highlight, Alison Macdonald KC and Amy Sander  are representing the claimants in Duarte Agustinho v Portugal and others, a case brought against 33 member states of the Council of Europe, alleging that the states’ climate change policies violate their rights under articles 2, 8 and 14; the case is due to be heard before the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights. Ben Juratowitch KC is well versed in handling inter-state cases concerning human rights issues, while Edward Brown KC is regularly instructed by the British government in heavyweight human rights litigation before the English courts system.