Chambers Review

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Clinical Negligence - London (Bar)

1
Band 1

What the Team is Known For

1 Crown Office Row draws consistent praise from market commentators for providing "excellent client care" and having "extraordinary depth and breadth of knowledge." Members are regularly instructed in the most complex and high-profile cases in the market, and are experienced in the handling of claims relating to injuries of the utmost severity. The team acts for both claimants and defendants, and the set's enviable client list includes several medical defence organisations, hospitals, insurers and individual doctors. The set's barristers have recently handled a number of maximum severity cerebral palsy claims. Members also have considerable experience of appearing at inquests and public inquiries.

Strengths

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Notable Practitioners

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Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel
Star Individuals

Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel KC is revered by peers for the wealth of knowledge she brings to handling clinical negligence and personal injury claims. She is particularly good at cases pertaining to brain damage and injuries at birth. She also routinely handles multi-party actions.

There is nothing Lizanne doesn't know.

Lizanne is extremely experienced and practical.

Her strategic insight and ability to distill intricate evidence into compelling arguments consistently delivers outstanding results.

Lizanne Gumbel KC is the definition of powerhouse. Her fierce intelligence, unparalleled experience, tenacity and practical and constructive approach result in life-changing settlements.

She is simply excellent, with superb legal analysis, as well as a keen awareness of the importance of resolution for the client.

John Whitting
John Whitting
Star Individuals

John Whitting KC is an experienced advocate who is sought after by both claimants and defendants for his skill and expertise in a wide array of clinical negligence matters of varying degrees of complexity and value. He also has significant expertise in professional negligence and product liability matters. He often appears at inquests.

He is highly intelligent, has a wealth of experience in catastrophic cases and he is good tactically. He brings with him a massive amount of experience in representing clients at trials.

John is a brilliant leader and is willing to go the extra mile with sound and pragmatic advice.

John is very knowledgeable. He is calm, collected, unflappable and he gets to the solution directly. He is a calming presence, and cuts through the issues.

1
Angus McCullough
1
Band 1

Angus McCullough KC is an experienced advocate whose expertise stretches beyond just clinical negligence matters, encompassing such areas as health, environmental law and human rights. He is frequently instructed in regulatory and disciplinary matters, and has notable expertise in wrongful birth claims.

He is an all round outstanding silk. He is experienced, provides excellent client care and is a real team player. He is an effective advocate and extremely effective at cross-examination.

Angus takes nothing at face value and he has a fantastic forensic mind. He has a super calming presence and is outstanding.

He is thoughtful and balanced, with the ability to see a clear answer in tricky cases.

Angus is client-friendly, knowledgeable and works extremely hard.

He is personable, incredibly intelligent, accessible, and reliable.

1
Cara Guthrie
1
Band 1

Cara Guthrie handles various claims, including those relating to spinal injury, cerebral palsy and brain injury. She acts on behalf of claimants, as well as the MDU, the MPS and NHS Resolution, in cases ranging in value and sensitivity.

Cara is bright, focused, responsive and technically very good. She is pragmatic where needed but also won't give in on strong points.

Cara Guthrie is a fearsome barrister who you want on your side. Her attention to detail is superb.

Cara has an impressive intellect, she can assimilate information very quickly and is excellent at reaching a pragmatic resolution.

Cara had a refreshing approach to sticky points.

She is exceptionally good.

Clodagh Bradley
1
Clodagh Bradley
1
Band 1

Clodagh Bradley KC has amassed over 20 years' experience practising in the field of medical law, gaining expertise in the most complicated areas of this field. She continues to handle an impressive caseload, including obstetric, infant brain injury and GP negligence claims. She acts for both claimants and defendants.

Clodagh is a calm voice and yet a fierce advocate for her clients.

Clodagh Bradley is a fantastic KC. The depth of her knowledge is vast and she is superb with vulnerable clients. She is so reassuring and just fantastic.

She is brilliant with clients, thoughtful and gives sound advice. She is always exceptionally well prepared with meticulous detail. Her judgement can be trusted. She is an excellent advocate.

She is a charming person, and a real fighter for her clients, she is not afraid to take on difficult points.

Henry Witcomb
1
Henry Witcomb
1
Band 1

Henry Witcomb KC is a distinguished practitioner who is widely recognised for his insightful knowledge and expertise on quantum. His practice encompasses all aspects of clinical negligence, including wrongful death and brain injury. He has also built a substantial personal injury practice, specialising in catastrophic brain and spinal injuries.

Henry Witcomb KC is excellent. He is forensic, hugely experienced and understated.

His advocacy is both compelling and meticulous, ensuring the strongest possible case presentation in court and negotiations.

He is thoughtful and detailed, yet decisive and effective. He is brilliant with clients and achieves excellent results.

He is able to take highly complex cases and distill them down to the key elements.

Henry is clever, good with clients and has a keen eye for detail. He is a top favourite.

1
Margaret Bowron KC
1
Band 1

Margaret Bowron KC is a highly regarded barrister who represents both claimants and defendants in high-value clinical negligence claims. Widely recognised within the clinical negligence community for her specialist expertise, she devotes a substantial part of her practice to claims of the utmost complexity and severity. She has appeared in a number of substantial group actions.

Margaret is very experienced and able to deal with complex claims quickly, and with clarity. She takes a friendly and responsive approach to working with us.

She knows what she is doing and is never flustered.

She is sensible, pragmatic and delivers good results.

She is a really good, safe pair of hands and good to work with.

1
Matthew Barnes
1
Band 1

Matthew Barnes principally focuses on all aspects of medical law, including areas of public law, inquest work and clinical negligence. He devotes much of his practice to representing both claimants and defendants in catastrophic injury claims ranging in both value and complexity. He also acts on behalf of medical staff and families at inquests.

He is a wonderful advocate and excellent at managing complex claims.

Matthew is excellent. He is robust, bright, able and superb on his feet.

He offers good commercial solutions and has a sensible approach to assessing risk.

Matthew Barnes is extremely impressive and does excellent work.

He always adds significant value to any matter he is instructed in. He is remarkably tenacious, and has a knack for cutting through to the crux of the case.

1
Neil Sheldon
1
Band 1

Neil Sheldon KC is frequently sought out by medical professionals for his extensive knowledge and expertise in the clinical negligence field. His experience representing both claimants and defendants before the GDC and GMC has earned praise from peers. He is also an expert in matters pertaining to professional discipline and administrative law. He has appeared in the highest UK and EU courts.

He is absolutely brilliant.

He is an exceptional barrister.

Neil has excellent attention to detail. He is able to grasp complex medical issues and apply them to the confines of the law governing clinical negligence.

1
Paul Rees
1
Band 1

Paul Rees KC is highly revered by his peers and is widely recognised for his involvement in some of the most significant cases tried in the High Court and the Court of Appeal. He also demonstrates flair in personal injury claims, inquests and professional disciplinary tribunals.

He is exceptionally thorough, there is no stone unturned, you are really in safe hands if Paul is acting for you. He is very forensic, but he can also look at the bigger picture.

Always a pleasure to instruct and a great mind to have on your side.

He is excellent to work with and has a brain the size of a planet.

Paul Rees continues to be the go-to for highly technical, high value quantum work.

Richard Booth
1
Richard Booth
1
Band 1

Richard Booth KC has a broad practice encompassing multiple areas of medical law. He also specialises in various other disciplines such as personal injury and sports law. His practice consists of both claimant and defence advocacy, and he is regularly instructed to act for the defence in regulatory hearings.

His expertise, reliability and proactive approach is second to none, and he consistently offers clear and effective support when needed.

He is clear, concise and very sensible.

He is fantastic with the witnesses and experts, to draw out the evidence on liability, and advise accordingly. For high-value quantum work, he is technically able, detailed and also pragmatic.

Richard is very knowledgeable, with a friendly, responsive approach to working with us.

He is a very safe pair of hands who will defend the most complex and difficult cases robustly but with sensitivity. Richard is also enormously personable and approachable.

2
David Evans
2
Band 2

David Evans KC is recognised for his skill in handling clinical negligence matters of the highest value and utmost severity. He represents both claimants and defendants in an array of claims, primarily focusing his practice on spinal cord injury claims and brain damage cases. He also appears in coroners' inquests and public inquiries.

He gives very comprehensive advice, has a good level of responsiveness and is easy to work with.

2
Jeremy Hyam
2
Band 2

Jeremy Hyam KC is a specialist barrister who is well versed in the field of clinical negligence law and highly experienced in all areas of medical law. He is skilled at handling claims relating to serious physical injuries as well as psychiatric harm. He also has significant expertise relating to human rights and professional discipline cases.

He is my first choice for interesting and innovative liability disputes. He is highly intelligent, hardworking and great fun to work with.

Jeremy is a font of knowledge and a very safe pair of hands. His advice is always clear, easy to follow and delivered on time.

2
Martin Forde
2
Band 2

Martin Forde KC has extensive expertise in the full gamut of health law, an area to which he devotes a substantial portion of his practice. Acting for both claimants and defendants, he undertakes clinical negligence claims of the greatest severity. He also appears in disciplinary and regulatory tribunals on behalf of medical professionals such as dentists, doctors and chiropractors.

Martin is very experienced and very formidable but also at the same time, very down to earth and very approachable. His ability to understand complex medical and legal issues is remarkable.

2
Matthew Hill
2
Band 2

Matthew Hill is experienced in clinical negligence law, as well as other areas such as professional discipline and inquests and inquiries. He is instructed by both claimants and defendants.

He is a highly intelligent barrister with fantastic client care.

Matthew is hardworking and forensic in his approach, with strong advocacy and client care skills.

He always gives five star advice and is an excellent advocate.

2
Richard Smith
2
Band 2

Richard Smith is a well-regarded clinical negligence practitioner who represents both defendants and claimants in a wide range of matters. He is experienced in the handling of high-value claims and is regularly called upon to advise on complex liability and quantum issues.

Richard is very strong across the board.

He has a uniquely excellent ability to manage complex issues and clients.

He is a safe pair of hands and very consistent, very measured and thoughtful.

Robert Kellar
2
Robert Kellar
2
Band 2

Robert Kellar KC is an experienced barrister who is noted for his expert handling of a wide range of complex and high-value clinical negligence claims. He is regularly instructed in cases arising from missed cancer diagnoses, amputations and ophthalmology claims, and has considerable experience handling multi-party matters. He acts for both claimants and defendants, including healthcare professionals and healthcare institutions.

Robert was absolutely fantastic; he was incredible and he is one of my top barristers.

If you want a barrister that leaves no stone unturned then Robert Kellar is your man. He is extremely thorough and technically brilliant. His advocacy is top notch and he is pleasure to work with.

He is excellent and very pragmatic. He can see right through the issues of a case and can see resolutions.

Robert Kellar KC is dependable, approachable, creative and has a high level of social intelligence. He is incredibly dedicated to his work and this is demonstrated by his thoroughness.

2
Sarah Lambert
2
Band 2

Sarah Lambert KC is well regarded for her deft handling of a wide range of matters in the clinical negligence market and has experience acting on behalf of both claimants and defendants. She is routinely called upon to handle obstetric birth injury, neurological brain injury and amputation claims. She is also well-versed in handling secondary victim cases and claims arising out of the delayed diagnosis of cancer.

She has been so good with the client, she is quick to respond and gives practical advice.

She is a really brilliant. She is a ferocious cross-examiner and is just superb.

Sarah is absolutely excellent. She is a silk of choice.

3
Andrew Kennedy
3
Band 3

Andrew Kennedy KC acts for claimants and defendants, tackling really complex claims, both in terms of value and difficulty. He has an extensive practice which branches out into professional discipline and other regulatory law. He has appeared in a number of significant GMC inquiries.

He has a masterly grasp of finer details on complex material and a reassuring presence.

3
Owain Thomas
3
Band 3

Owain Thomas KC acts for both claimants and defendants in high-value birth injury and catastrophic injury claims. He is also well regarded for his handling of public law challenges brought against Mental Health Trusts and regularly represents public authorities in inquest proceedings.

He is insanely clever and incisive.

3
Rachel Marcus
3
Band 3

Rachel Marcus handles a wide range of clinical negligence matters including birth and spinal injury claims. She is also noted for her expertise in inquests.

She is very consistent and a very good advocate.

Rachel continues to deliver on every case. She has a keen interest in the litigation strategy of the case and is a robust negotiator. She also makes clients feel reassured and at ease.

Rachel is always willing to go the extra mile to assist and provides robust, sensible and pragmatic advice.

3
Richard Mumford
3
Band 3

Richard Mumford is a highly regarded barrister, noted for his expert representation of both claimants and defendants in high-value clinical negligence cases. He is experienced in the handling of complex birth injury and paraplegia cases and is also regularly called upon to represent his clients in claims arising from delays in diagnosis.

He is very calm, he has a very pleasing manner, and he is a tough negotiator.

Richard provides clear and well-considered advice on a range of matters. Richard is a trusted pair of hands who guides us in the right directions.

His advocacy skills really stood out to me; he is incredibly technical, very commercial about the client's interest and confident in his knowledge.

He is sensible, pragmatic and approachable, and always provides a prompt and helpful service.

3
Shaheen Rahman
3
Band 3

Shaheen Rahman KC is renowned in the market for her ability to provide counsel on complex brain injury cases. She demonstrates particular strength in handling missed diagnosis cases as well as consent-related matters. She routinely represents both claimants and defendants.

She is always incredibly sensible in her advice, always well prepared, organised and a skillful negotiator.

3
Shahram Sharghy
3
Band 3

Shahram Sharghy is experienced in handling a wide variety of clinical negligence matters. He has particular expertise in birth-related claims, spinal injuries and delayed diagnosis of cancer claims.

Shahram is hugely experienced and is always brilliant with clients.

He is a brilliant advocate.

He is an absolute go-to junior if you want your client to be relaxed when dealing with a case of utmost severity.

Shahram is a delight to work with. As a senior junior, he is robust and can digest complexity with ease. He commands the space and can handle even the toughest of expert witnesses.

Shahram has beautiful client manner skills and is excellent on the law.

4
Isabel McArdle
4
Band 4

Isabel McArdle handles a wide range of clinical negligence matters from wrongful birth claims to surgical negligence. She is also noted for her inquest experience and her handling of human rights claims within the healthcare sphere.

She is a senior junior who handles really complex cases, and she is great with clients and experts.

Isabel is an excellent clinical negligence barrister. She is personable whilst able to tackle the most complex of matters with ease. She is definitely someone you want in your corner.

4
Jim Duffy
4
Band 4

Jim Duffy often acts for claimants in cases including failures to diagnose and negligent care. He experience taking cases to trial, including before the High Court.

He is fantastic with clients, he is driven to get the best results, and very personable.

Jim consistently delivers an exceptionally high service. He is incredibly thorough, excellent with clients and a fierce advocate. He is a pleasure to work with.

His advocacy skills are really good and he has an amazing client care skills.

Jim is a thoughtful and meticulous junior with excellent soft skills.

He is extremely knowledgeable and thorough in conference, and he is good with clients.

4
Jo Moore
4
Band 4

Jo Moore is a well-regarded junior barrister who is developing a significant practice in the clinical negligence arena. She has experience handling an impressive range of matters, including misdiagnosis claims and birth injury cases, and is regularly instructed to act on behalf of both claimants and defendants.

She is a standout junior who works well beyond her call. She is a superstar in the making.

She has great legal knowledge and has an ability to be pragmatic, and assist in pushing a claim forward. She is great with clients, and very understanding.

Jo is a superstar. She is a delight to work with for clinical negligence claims or inquests.

She is exceptionally intelligent, sharp and her attention to detail is second to none. She is thoughtful yet decisive and provides clear, sound advice. She has excellent judgement.

She is very empathetic, intelligent and is a pleasure to work with.

4
Judith Rogerson
4
Band 4

Judith Rogerson has over 20 years' experience handling clinical negligence claims. She mainly acts for defendants but also has experience being instructed on behalf of claimants. Her expertise covers neonatal fatalities and birth injuries as well as broader clinical negligence such as failure to diagnose.

Judith stood her ground really well and she was very well prepared. She has given really good advice she gets back to you very quickly.

She is a hard negotiator and very pleasant.

Judith continues to provide pragmatic and sensible advice. She is a pleasure to work with.

Judith is an absolute joy to work with. She is calm, technically excellent, meticulous and she is ferocious when required. She is highly responsive and brilliant with clients.

4
Leanne Woods
4
Band 4

Leanne Woods represents both claimants and defendants in the full gamut of clinical negligence work. She has appeared in both the High Court and County Courts and has a particular interest in mental health claims and sports related claims.

Her sharp legal analysis, clear and persuasive advocacy and thorough understanding of complex medical issues makes her an invaluable asset to any team.

She is a very capable advocate with excellent attention to detail. She takes a measured, thorough and pragmatic approach and is always well prepared.

Leanne is an excellent barrister. She is very thorough and considered in her approach. She is excellent with clients.

She is extremely bright, commercially-minded, thorough, yet also down to earth and a pleasure to work with.

4
Marcus Coates-Walker
4
Band 4

Marcus Coates-Walker acts for both claimants and defendants in a wide range clinical negligence claims including misdiagnosis of cancer, gynaecological and dental cases. He has additional expertise in inquests and personal injury work.

He is a passionate advocate with pragmatism and commercial awareness to boot.

He has excellent client care skills and advocacy.

He is always highly prepared and thorough. He is good with clients and cutting through expert opinions to clarify a case.

Marcus is a reliable barrister who is great with clients and very accessible.

4
Pritesh Rathod
4
Band 4

Pritesh Rathod is noted for his expertise in both clinical negligence and personal injury matters. He acts for both claimants and defendants, and is particularly adept at assessing quantum. He also regularly appears at inquests.

He is an excellent senior junior.

4
Rory Badenoch
4
Band 4

Rory Badenoch boasts a sophisticated workload, regularly acting for both claimants and defendants in clinical negligence work. His experience covers both misdiagnoses and delayed diagnosis as well as birth injuries.

He is great to work with. He is very supportive of his instructing solicitor, and is responsive. He is always highly prepared and has a great manner with clients.

He is a proper, thorough counsel and goes through everything with a fine toothcomb. He has very good client service.

He is an excellent barrister and he has excellent client care. He is responsive and collaborative with instructing solicitors.

Rory is an excellent advocate. He is a passionate and persuasive advocate, and achieves very good results. He has excellent attention to detail and gives robust and sound advice.

He is excellent with clients and experts, has meticulous attention to detail, and is reliable and efficient.

4
Suzanne Lambert
4
Band 4

Suzanne Lambert acts for both claimants and defendants in clinical negligence matters involving serious and catastrophic injuries. She offers additional expertise in inquests and personal injury matters.

She is lovely to work with, very responsive and helpful.

She has excellent attention to detail and is incredibly bright. She is a team player and is willing to go the extra mile.

Suzanne Lambert is very methodical, very pragmatic and she is really experienced with birth injury claims. She is a junior of choice.

5
Dominic Ruck Keene
5
Band 5

Dominic Ruck Keene acts for both claimants and defendants across a broad range of clinical negligence matters. He has been instructed in over 100 rectopexy mesh cases and has further expertise in matters concerning informed consent, military personnel and persons in state/mental health detention.

He is destined for silk in the very near future.

Never scared of a challenge and a go to barrister for complicated cases.

5
Hannah Noyce
5
Band 5

Hannah Noyce is instructed on a broad range of clinical negligence matters and acts for both claimants and defendants. She is well-placed to handle delayed diagnosis claims and regularly appears in the High Court and County Courts.

Hannah demonstrates every quality you want in a barrister. She is supremely intelligent but able to translate complex information to clients with ease.

She is an absolutely brilliant advocate.

Her ability to navigate complex legal arguments and medical intricacies is remarkable, and she consistently delivers clear, effective advice and support.

She has skills beyond her call and is destined for great things in my view.

5
Jessica Elliott
5
Band 5

Jessica Elliott receives instructions from both claimants and defendants in a variety of clinical negligence matters. She has a particular interest in psychiatric injury and secondary victim claims.

Jessica is manifestly easy to work with, clients love her approachable manner. She is forensic but also able to digest complexity and get to the nub of the issues with complete ease.

She is a remarkably talented junior who ticks all the boxes.

She assimilates huge quantities of detail seamlessly and always seems to pick up on that subtle point that makes all the difference.

Jessica is a pleasure to work with. She is extremely clever and thinks carefully about every aspect of the claim.

Jessica does not shy away from a tough case or complex issues, and she is good on her feet and with clients.

U
Jonathan Metzer
U
Up and Coming

Jonathan Metzer has a broad clinical negligence practice, acting for both claimants and defendants. He has experience acting unled in settlement meetings for claims involving such matters as delayed diagnosis and surgical failures.

Jonathan Metzer consistently provides exceptional legal and strategic knowledge. He is able to get to the crux of the issues whilst putting clients at ease.

Jon is a tremendous advocate and a gifted negotiator. He is brilliant with clients.

Jonathan is responsive and his advice is always clear and detailed. He has an excellent rapport with our clients and handles sensitive and contentious work with skill.

Jonathan is a fantastic barrister and very professional.

U
Rajkiran Arhestey
U
Up and Coming

Rajkiran Arhestey has a strong grounding in clinical negligence, based not only in experience acting on behalf of claimants and defendants but also her work editing the Quarterly Medical Law Review and her time seconded to a leading claimant firm. She is confident appearing both led and unled and has acted on complex matters including brain injuries.

She has an impressive ability to analyse case issues and she is a robust advocate in thorny cases.

She is great with clients, and puts both clients and experts at ease.

She is bright, thorough and impressive.

She was very thoughtful, very sympathetic with the client and she is very accessible.

Rajkiran consistently provides an exemplary standard of service, and is one of the best up-and-coming barristers on the scene.

U
Thomas Beamont
U
Up and Coming

Thomas Beamont has a growing practice in clinical negligence. He has notable experience on claims arising out of the management of hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic and acts for both claimants and defendants.

Thomas is a joy to work with. He is approachable, knowledgeable and unflappable. He also has excellent soft skills. Lay clients really appreciate his thoughtful and sensitive approach.

Thomas is a very conscientious and meticulous barrister with brilliant client care skills.

He is an excellent barrister.

Ranked Barristers at
1 Crown Office Row

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Band

Silks (KC)

London (Bar)

Clinical Negligence

Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel KC
Star Individuals
John Whitting KC
John Whitting KC
Star Individuals
1
Angus McCullough KC
1
Band 1
Clodagh Bradley KC
1
Clodagh Bradley KC
1
Band 1
Henry Witcomb KC
1
Henry Witcomb KC
1
Band 1
1
Margaret Bowron KC
1
Band 1
1
Neil Sheldon KC
1
Band 1
1
Paul Rees KC
1
Band 1
Richard Booth KC
1
Richard Booth KC
1
Band 1
2
David Evans KC
2
Band 2
2
Jeremy Hyam KC
2
Band 2
2
Martin Forde KC
2
Band 2
Robert Kellar KC
2
Robert Kellar KC
2
Band 2
2
Sarah Lambert KC
2
Band 2
3
Andrew Kennedy KC
3
Band 3
3
Owain Thomas KC
3
Band 3
3
Shaheen Rahman KC
3
Band 3

Juniors

London (Bar)

Clinical Negligence

1
Cara Guthrie
1
Band 1
1
Matthew Barnes
1
Band 1
2
Matthew Hill
2
Band 2
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