Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Administrative & Public Law - London (Bar)

3
Band 3

What the Team is Known For

39 Essex Chambers, a set with "public and administrative law heavyweights, able to take on high-profile and complex work", is exceptionally well established across the full scope of public law work, and is as notable for the volume of Administrative Court advocacy its barristers undertake as for their appearances in the leading Supreme Court appeals. The set houses "an excellent array of top-quality" counsel who are firm favourites of government departments and local authorities, and who additionally act for claimants and charities. Chambers continues to demonstrate a marked affinity for work involving the provision of health or social care. Barristers from the set have led in a high-profile Supreme Court appeal concerning the rights of clinicians to lifelong anonymity and have been involved in numerous judicial review proceedings challenging the government's provision of accommodation for migrants and asylum seekers.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

S
Nigel Pleming KC
S
Senior Statespeople

Nigel Pleming KC maintains a diverse public and administrative law practice which includes acting in regulatory, local government, environmental and human rights challenges.

Nigel is astute and works at lightning speed.

Nigel is very knowledgeable.

1
Lisa Giovannetti
1
Band 1

Lisa Giovannetti KC is routinely instructed by government defendants in significant judicial reviews which involve human rights law. She is an especially strong choice for cases concerning immigration and national security.

Lisa is a fantastic and tactical advocate. She is really easy to listen to and gives strategic advice underpinning her points.

Lisa is very experienced and can really command the respect of clients. She is very good in court and for really difficult cases.

Lisa combines intellect with a down-to-earth and kind personality. In public law, she is one of the leaders, especially in immigration law and national security law.

2
Fenella Morris
2
Band 2

Fenella Morris KC typically handles administrative and public law cases which arise in the healthcare setting. She acts for claimants, NGOs, NHS bodies and local authorities. Recent mandates include challenges to pensions regulation for medical professionals.

Fenella is an excellent KC with a calm yet powerful advocacy style.

Fenella is clear, robust and decisive. Her advice is practical and client-focused.

Fenella is an unwavering choice for all areas that she covers. She is a clear and precise advocate. She is excellent with clients and is unrivalled at explaining complex issues in a digestible way.

2
Jenni Richards
2
Band 2

Jenni Richards KC's wide-ranging public and administrative law practice focuses on major judicial reviews challenging aspects of health and community care provision. She is frequently instructed by individuals, NGOs and trade unions. She has also acted as lead counsel to the Infected Blood Inquiry.

Jenni's knowledge and expertise in healthcare regulation is excellent.

Jenni is a complete all-rounder who is great on her feet. She is very good in contentious cases and she is willing to make bold points.

Jenni is outstanding, combining technical expertise with clear, persuasive advocacy, and she is so down to earth.

Benjamin Tankel
3
Benjamin Tankel
3
Band 3

Benjamin Tankel is a well-respected barrister who operates a varied public law practice. Key areas of focus include cases concerning healthcare provision and asylum accommodation. He acts in judicial reviews for public authorities and commercial entities.

Benjamin is excellent and really hard-working. He is a very important part of the team and is very easy to get along with.

Ben is extremely thorough and gets to grip quickly with the detail of any matter, and he gives excellent commercial advice on the tactics to be adopted.

Ben is fantastic with both his written advice and his oral advocacy skills. He can advise clients on very complex matters in an easy-to-understand and practical way.

3
Jack Anderson
3
Band 3

Jack Anderson has significant experience acting for central and local government, as well as businesses, in complex judicial review challenges. Areas of focus in his practice include housing, immigration and welfare.

Jack does excellent work and is hard-working.

Jack is an effective advocate and makes good points without overdoing it.

3
James Strachan
3
Band 3

James Strachan KC handles administrative and public law cases on behalf of claimants and defendants. He is experienced in claims arising in the criminal justice and financial services spheres, and his expertise in human rights and planning law strongly complements his public law practice.

James is a very smooth, courteous and clear advocate. He is very good at strategy and you know he has got your back.

James is one of the most formidable advocates in the market, with a genuine intellectual gift.

3
Jennifer Thelen
3
Band 3

Jennifer Thelen is frequently sought out to act on and advise on public law matters relating to immigration, human rights and healthcare. She often represents central government, including the Home Office, as well as NHS organisations and trade unions.

Jennifer Thelen is an excellent and highly pragmatic barrister who is a trusted adviser on tactical matters as well as advocacy requirements.

Jennie is excellent to work with: she is incisive, commercial and responsive.

Jennifer is an excellent barrister who always provides clear, pragmatic and expert advice.

3
Kate Grange
3
Band 3

Kate Grange KC's practice encompasses a wide range of public law proceedings, from judicial reviews relating to national security and terrorism, to her work as counsel to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

Kate is a highly rated and very impressive all-rounder.

Kate is a great barrister who is really respected.

Kate handles witnesses very sensitively and deals with intensely complicated issues really well.

3
Rory Dunlop
3
Band 3

Rory Dunlop KC is an acclaimed silk who has notable recent experience, as A-Panel junior counsel, representing various government departments in judicial reviews of wide-ranging importance. Recent areas of focus include disputes relating to immigration and asylum and the provision of childcare.

Rory is very user-friendly and responsive. He knows this area of the law and practice well.

The breadth of Rory's practice is impressive. He has such a wide scope of understanding and can apply it to whatever he's doing.

Rory was phenomenal; he cut through the complex technical issues. He was astute, ergonomic and refined the issues quickly. A real strong performer.

Rory is very technically knowledgeable and a very strong performer.

Rory shows great leadership skills and is very good at reacting to fact-paced events.

3
Vikram Sachdeva
3
Band 3

Vikram Sachdeva KC is a respected silk with a strong background in healthcare judicial review. As a former doctor, he brings an unusual depth of knowledge to the field, and is regularly instructed in a wide range of administrative and public law matters.

Vikram is really good on his feet. He is really relaxed and engaging.

Vikram is a very smooth and straightforward operator.

4
Alexander Ruck Keene KC (Hon)
4
Band 4

Alexander Ruck Keene KC focuses his administrative and public law practice on the scope and application of mental capacity and human rights law. He regularly acts for applicants in novel legal challenges. He has extensive experience handling judicial reviews concerning deprivation of liberty and the refusal of life-sustaining treatment.

Alexander is very bright and has a great eye for detail.

4
Charlie Cory-Wright
4
Band 4

Charles Cory-Wright KC is renowned for his work as Special Advocate. He is often involved in sensitive cases regarding terrorism, national security and allegations of state-sanctioned torture.

Charlie has a very bright mind. He is hard-working and very committed.

4
Deok Joo Rhee
4
Band 4

Deok Joo Rhee KC is a highly respected silk who possesses notable expertise in major public law cases with elements of EU and human rights law. She regularly represents central government departments and local authorities in immigration, constitutional and discrimination-related judicial review.

Deok Joo demonstrated great technical skills and very good client management on a complex case.

4
Emily Wilsdon
4
Band 4

Emily Wilsdon boasts a highly regarded public law practice that regularly sees her representing claimants and government bodies, with particular expertise in immigration cases. She is a member of the Attorney General's B Panel.

Emily’s advocacy is crisp and always reaches the issues at the forefront of the judge's mind. She defends her clients robustly but does it persuasively and personably.

Emily is supremely bright, pragmatic and approachable.

Emily is fantastic with judges and clients. She is fiercely intelligent and very hard-working.

Emily is very diligent and has a very nice drafting style. She is easy to work with.

Emily is an excellent public lawyer who is on the rise.

4
Jack Holborn
4
Band 4

Jack Holborn is a go-to junior barrister for various government departments and private clients across a breadth of administrative and public law matters. He possesses considerable expertise in matters concerning prisons, welfare and immigration.

Jack is very impressive and able to get on top of issues very quickly.

Jack is an articulate and persuasive advocate.

Katherine Apps
4
Katherine Apps
4
Band 4

Katherine Apps KC excels when representing claimants and defendants in complex judicial reviews. She is particularly proficient at public law claims invoking equality, human rights and EU law. She typically acts for central government in challenges to public policy and decisions.

Katherine is absolutely rigorous. She really knows the law inside out and is very clever and astute. She is pragmatic and can calibrate from heavy law to very practical issues.

Katherine has a quick analytical mind. Her commitment to complex cases is exceptional.

Katherine is an extremely knowledgeable KC who has excellent experience of public law.

Katherine Barnes
4
Katherine Barnes
4
Band 4

Katherine Barnes uses her expertise across a range of areas, from community care to planning, to bolster her public law practice. She is particularly regarded for cases that involve a crossover of legal sectors.

Her ability to get to grips with all of the issues and yet still see the wood for the trees and remain focused on key issues is excellent.

Katherine is very responsive and clear. She condenses large issues into something clear and to the point. She can cut through the mess to steer everyone to the central issues.

Katherine is simply excellent. Brainy, courageous and always up for a challenge, she is my top choice for any complicated judicial review that requires someone with a cross-section of experience.

4
Nicola Kohn
4
Band 4

Nicola Kohn is a well-respected barrister who operates a varied public law practice. Key areas of focus include healthcare judicial reviews. Kohn also garners instructions from central government in matters relating to defence and immigration.

Nicola consistently delivers all the characteristics you could want in a barrister.

She has an eye for detail and puts her submissions crisply and appropriately forcefully. Her knowledge of the law, particularly healthcare challenges, is always excellent.

Nicola is an advocate who you want on your side. She's dynamic, passionate and goes the extra mile for her clients.

4
Sam Fowles
4
Band 4

Sam Fowles is a highly regarded public law barrister who regularly represents both claimants and defendants in judicial reviews, particularly with regard to public policy. He is a director at the Institute for Constitutional and Democratic Research.

Sam is very charismatic and big-thinking. He is very much in the trenches.

Sam is outstanding. He is clever, articulate and principled.

Sam is very smart and creative. He thinks of things that others haven't addressed, which is such a valuable skill.

Scarlett Milligan
4
Scarlett Milligan
4
Band 4

Scarlett Milligan is frequently instructed by central government bodies and regulators. She works on a range of public law proceedings including judicial reviews relating to prisons.

Scarlett is extremely hard-working and a very good drafter.

Scarlett's written work is meticulous, thorough and very well researched. She is very responsive and gives a high level of service.

Scarlett has the ability to get on top of lots of work in a very short space of time. She is very well prepared.

Steve Broach
4
Steve Broach
4
Band 4

Steve Broach KC has considerable experience of bringing challenges against local and central government decisions. He is particularly committed to handling cases involving disabled claimants and is active in challenges involving healthcare provision and housing allocation by local authorities.

Steve combines his expert knowledge with his enthusiasm and vigour to achieve results for the clients.

Steve is an excellent barrister. He's extremely intelligent and hard-working, and he has an incredible knowledge of the law.

Steve is extremely responsive and understands needs of the clients and the bigger picture. He is always happy to talk things through and see challenges. He is clear, concise and persuasive.

Steve is always our go-to barrister for anything complex relating to community care and public law, including significant policy challenges and decisions of wider impact to disabled people.

4
Steven Kovats KC
4
Band 4

Steven Kovats KC predominantly defends controversial decisions of the UK government. His wide-ranging experience in public and administrative law encompasses cases about criminal justice, foreign affairs, national security, immigration and human rights. He appears in the appellate and European courts on behalf of government departments, local authorities and other public bodies.

Steven is an assertive advocate.

4
Victoria Butler-Cole
4
Band 4

Victoria Butler-Cole KC commands great respect among clients and peers for her vast expertise and impressive advocacy. Her broad health and social care practice includes a substantial number of administrative and public law cases. She is particularly prominent for handling appeals to community care provision and deprivation of liberty challenges.

It is always a joy to have Tor on the case.

Victoria is very good at digesting all the difficult facts in a very document-heavy case. She provides clear advice concisely, and her bird's-eye view is very helpful.

Victoria is astute, incredibly knowledgeable but ultimately completely pragmatic. Clients appreciate her reassuring style.

Ranked Barristers at
39 Essex Chambers

Provided by Chambers
Filter by
Band

Silks (KC)

London (Bar)

Administrative & Public Law

S
Nigel Pleming KC
S
Senior Statespeople
1
Lisa Giovannetti KC
1
Band 1
2
Fenella Morris KC
2
Band 2
2
Jenni Richards KC
2
Band 2
3
James Strachan KC
3
Band 3
3
Kate Grange KC
3
Band 3
3
Rory Dunlop KC
3
Band 3
3
Vikram Sachdeva KC
3
Band 3
4
Charlie Cory-Wright KC
4
Band 4
4
Deok Joo Rhee KC
4
Band 4
Katherine Apps KC
4
Katherine Apps KC
4
Band 4
Steve Broach KC
4
Steve Broach KC
4
Band 4
4
Steven Kovats KC
4
Band 4
4
Victoria Butler-Cole KC
4
Band 4

Juniors

London (Bar)

Administrative & Public Law

Benjamin Tankel
3
Benjamin Tankel
3
Band 3
3
Jack Anderson
3
Band 3
3
Jennifer Thelen
3
Band 3
4
Alexander Ruck Keene KC (Hon)
4
Band 4
4
Emily Wilsdon
4
Band 4
4
Jack Holborn
4
Band 4
20 of 24 results