Police Law (claimant)

Leading Silks

Nicholas Bowen KC – Doughty Street Chambers 'Nicholas has a truly first-class legal brain. He fights his cases with passion, commitment and a winning edge. Nicholas has a deep commitment to his clients and is wholly unafraid to speak truth to power.'

Phillippa Kaufmann KC – Matrix Chambers ‘Philippa’s advocacy is outstanding. She is equally adept in front of Supreme Court justices as she is cross-examining corrupt police officers. She is an excellent communicator who advances a case very clearly and persuasively.’

Hugh Southey KC – Matrix Chambers 'Wonderfully supportive and approachable. Completely on top of the facts and knows the case law inside out.'

Leslie Thomas KC – Garden Court Chambers

Jude Bunting KC – Doughty Street Chambers 'Very knowledgeable on the law, very effective advocate, extremely able as a tactician and very collegiate; one of the best in his field.'

Stephen Cragg KC – Doughty Street Chambers 'Fantastic to work with. Such an excellent knowledgeable professional.'

Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC – Doughty Street Chambers 'Caoilfhionn is a phenomenal barrister - she has an unmatched breadth of experience and is incredibly passionate and very bright. She is great with clients.'

Richard Hermer KC - Matrix Chambers

Anthony Metzer KC – Goldsmith Chambers 'Unparalleled advocacy and expertise, arising from representing in both civil and criminal, prosecution and defense. Remarkably approachable and amenable given seniority. Urbane and practical with clients.'

Matthew Ryder KC – Matrix Chambers

Stephen Simblet KC – Garden Court Chambers

Jamie Burton KC – Doughty Street Chambers 'Jamie is incredibly bright, good with vulnerable clients, very detailed in his analysis, leaving no stone unturned. Very clear in his advice and hugely knowledgeable. He is an excellent orator and advocate, calm yet incredibly persuasive.'

Maya Sikand KC – Doughty Street Chambers ‘Maya is incredibly detailed, a powerhouse of knowledge. She is very thorough in her analysis, leaving no stone unturned and very robust in the advice she gives. She is an excellent and powerful advocate. She is a real force to be reckoned with in the court room. Excellent with clients who like her direct, clear and realistic approach.’

Adam Straw KC – Doughty Street Chambers

2023 Silks

Fiona Murphy KC – Doughty Street Chambers ‘Clients absolutely love her. A fierce advocate, incredibly intelligent and always a calming presence. A real joy to work with.’

Leading Juniors

Ifeanyi Odogwu – Matrix Chambers 'He is very bright and excellent with clients.'

Nick Brown – Doughty Street Chambers 'Nick is extremely adept at bringing together complex legal issues into comprehensible language. He is a fierce advocate who is able to think swiftly on his feet in court, and uses a perfectly balanced tone demonstrating controlled assertiveness. He thinks creatively, works extremely hard and communicates effectively.'

Sarah Hemingway – Garden Court Chambers

Nick Stanage – Doughty Street Chambers 'Nick is an amazing advocate. He recently represented at an inquest on a particularly difficult matter. He is extremely persuasive and articulate. His client care is exceptional - and his ability to explain to a bereaved family the intricacies of coronial law second to none. Watching him in court is like watching the very best of court room dramas. Highly recommended.'

Tom Stoate – Doughty Street Chambers

Adam Clemens – 7BR

Iain Daniels – 2 Hare Court ‘Iain is sympathetic to clients and assertive in the court room. His attention to detail is second-to-none. He is an amazing advocate.’

Raj Desai – Matrix Chambers ‘Raj is a very able advocate. He is very bright and an outstanding communicator. His written work is first-rate.’

Alison Gerry – Doughty Street Chambers 'Alison is incredibly knowledgeable, calm and considered and thorough. She has excellent attention to detail and a really good strategic vision. She is an excellent advocate; concise, eloquent and compelling.'

Sam Jacobs – Doughty Street Chambers ‘Sam is an excellent advocate. He is always calm and measured in his approach, which means he gains the respect of the court. He is skilled at cross-examination and solicitors have seen him calmly and effectively demolish police officer witnesses. He knows the points to pursue and does so with great skill. ‘

Helen Law –Matrix Chambers ‘Helen is exceedingly clever, hugely efficient, and her advocacy is excellent. She is incredibly strategic, anticipating issues and problems far in advance and ensuring the claimant legal team is prepared for anything.’

David Lemer – Doughty Street Chambers 'David works at the cutting edge of police-focused work. He is fiercely intellectual, a deep thinker with with a mastery of technical detail. Comfortable arguing a novel point of law before the Supreme Court. He is the full package.'

Una Morris – Garden Court Chambers ‘Una is absolutely brilliant. Her advocacy is exceptional. She is always really well-prepared and she is quick on her feet. She is tenacious and determined, even in the most difficult of cases.’

Jesse Nicholls – Matrix Chambers ‘Jesse is a go-to barrister for actions against the police, he has total mastery of the area. He consistently produces work of a silk standard. Always willing to take on the most difficult arguments, in turn he is very skilled at making those difficult arguments straightforward in court.’

Patrick Roche – Garden Court Chambers 'Patrick is very personable. He has a calm disposition with clients and is able to build a good rapport. He has a fantastic ability to simplify complex areas of law and legal dilemmas. He is a pleasure to work with.'

Rajeev Thacker – Garden Court Chambers 'He combines charm with incisive legal skills - respected by the court and opponents as much as by my clients.'

Rising Stars

Tim-James Matthews – Matrix Chambers 'Innovative and knowledgeable - excellent all round grasp of issues and fantastic written work.'

Police law (claimant) in London Bar

Tier 1 sets

Doughty Street Chambers

Doughty Street Chambers ‘needs no introduction in the world of police work,’ with ‘strength and depth across the board,’ specialising in judicial reviews, Human Rights Act claims, and other actions for damages. Nicholas Bowen KC represented the claimant in DEF v Kirklees MBC and Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police, a case concerning a then twelve-year-old girl prostituted by a gang in Manchester. Jude Bunting KC appears on high-profile and high-value inquest and inquiry work, and instructs on a high number of Supreme Court appeals - he represents two women bringing damages claims against the Metropolitan Police concerning the force's use of coronavirus regulations to break up vigils for Sarah Everard, who was murdered by one of the force's officers. Alison Gerry is representing a schoolgirl and her mother who were arrested by the British Transport Police for taking photographs at Paddington station for a school project.

Les références

‘Ever accommodating and flexible, Sian Wilkins, Callum Stebbing and the team understand the challenges of a busy solicitor practitioner in the field. Fees are rarely if ever an issue. They are efficient, responsive and a pleasure to deal with.’

‘Excellent. Huge range of top quality barristers.’

‘Excellent, hugely strong team, suitable counsel are always found to deal with issues which arise at short notice – my go to Chambers.’

Principaux dossiers

Tier 2 sets

Garden Court Chambers

Renowned for its civil liberties and human rights cases, Garden Court Chambers has a ‘large range of excellent barristers.’ The team also instructs on judicial reviews and represents claimants in police misfeasance and misconduct cases. Leslie Thomas KC specialises in cases involving deaths after contact with the police, as well as instructing on legacy cases involving Northern Ireland. Stephen Simblet KC has advised as lead counsel representing bereaved families in the Hillsborough Disaster inquests investigating emergency police response, and often instructs on a wide range of police related inquests and inquiries. Sarah Hemingway has acted as Deputy First Junior Counsel to the Under Cover Policing Inquiry, while Una Morris represents claimants bringing tort claims against forces.

Les références

‘Strong set, with wide-ranging expertise.’

‘Garden Court Chambers are an excellent set of Chambers. They have great barristers doing great work.’

‘We have used Garden Court for over 25 years, working with numerous barristers from the Chambers. They are the top set for human rights work as far as we are concerned.’

Principaux dossiers

Matrix Chambers

With a ‘very strong cross-section of expertise,’ the police law team at Matrix Chambers instructs on police misfeasance and misconduct, inquest and inquiry work with a specialism in representing bereaved families. Phillippa Kaufmann KC instructs on a breadth of investigatory and correctional cases arising from the criminal justice system, while also advising on false imprisonment and malicious prosecution cases under the Human Rights Act. Hugh Southey KC advises on Article 6 and 8 claims, while Richard Hermer KC provides counsel on high-profile civil claims related to alleged police corruption. Ifeanyi Odogwu represents bereaved families in cases concerning deaths in custody, while Jesse Nicholls represents a number of individuals who have suffered life-changing injuries as a result of police restraint.

Les références

‘Liz Boucher is excellent and very responsive; Simon Gardner’s experience is a real asset; Paul Venables is peerless.’

‘They have a large range of excellent barristers. They are my go-to set for reliably high quality counsel’

‘The police team at Matrix is top drawer – characterised by real talent and commitment.’

Classements par PratiqueLondon Bar