Professional Discipline
UK Bar Guide 2025 : London (Bar)
Band 3
About
Provided by Outer Temple Chambers
Outer Temple Chambers has a well-established team of barristers who specialise in leading and significant professional disciplinary cases across a wide range of sectors including: Healthcare, Financial Services, Transport, Legal Services (solicitors and barristers), and Sports Law.
As well as having a wide range of sector expertise, OTC has real ‘strength in depth’ across the call bands in this area from silks through to a range of juniors.
Importantly, OTC’s practitioners are drawn from a range of backgrounds and can call upon expertise in not only professional discipline and regulatory work, but also criminal, public law, clinical negligence and employment experience. This makes OTC unique amongst its competitors in this field of work. Our practitioners both defend and prosecute in these cases.
Members are instructed by all of the recognised expert solicitors in the professional healthcare discipline in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and has a very well established relationship with the Medical Protection Society, the Medical Defence Union, Dental Protection, Dental Defence Union, and the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland.
Members appear before all of the major regulators, and in matters before the High Court, First-Tier Tribunal, and the Upper Tribunal.
Internationally, we represent clients before the internal disciplinary tribunals of multi-lateral organisations such as the World Bank and International Criminal Court.
Chambers Review
Outer Temple Chambers has notable capability in disciplinary work across a broad spread of regulated professions. The barristers tackle prominent regulatory cases in both branches of the legal profession, and have strong experience in the defence of doctors, dentists and nurses. Additional sectors covered are financial services and sports. Key recent instructions include acting for a radiologist before the GMC and the representation of an A&E doctor in a sensitive case concerning a sexual relationship with a patient before the GMC.
Rebecca Priestley is the set's chief executive.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"The clerks have good response times and are usually able to be flexible, which is beneficial for clients."
"The clerks are all very efficient."
"The clerks respond in good time and are very friendly."
"The clerks have good response times and are usually able to be flexible, which is beneficial for clients."
"The clerks are all very efficient."
"The clerks respond in good time and are very friendly."
Notable Practitioners
Fiona Horlick KC is a respected silk who prosecutes and defends professionals in the healthcare sector. She demonstrates a superior command of fitness-to-practise hearings as well as appeals in the Administrative Court, and is a strong choice for representation where there are allegations of serious sexual misconduct. She is also adept in the representation of individuals in financial services.
"Completely brilliant, she is just such a good advocate and a joy to watch."
"Fiona is phenomenally intelligent and can digest and assimilate information like no other. She is amazing, and her cross-examinations are second to none."
Matthew McDonagh is an esteemed professional discipline barrister offering deep expertise in the healthcare and legal sectors. He routinely acts on behalf of both professionals and their regulators. He is particularly experienced in proceedings before the GDC, General Optical Council and SRA.
"Matthew gets properly stuck in; he will take every point and leave no stone unturned. His clients love him for it."
"Matthew is very good at identifying the key points in a case and putting them forcefully to the judge. The way he holds himself is highly impressive."
"He is passionate advocate, very hard-working and very ambitious for his clients. He's person you would go to for a really robust defence."
Michael Uberoi is an esteemed barrister who excels at representing financial professionals in proceedings before regulators, including the FRC and Pensions Regulator. He is also skilled in disciplinary proceedings involving sports, in particular those relating to anti-doping.
"Michael understands the needs of an individual client and is empathetic while providing sensible, robust legal advice in a lay-friendly manner."
James Counsell KC is an accomplished advocate with an extensive history of appearing in significant High Court appeals. He has excellent knowledge of disciplinary schemes across a wide range of professions, including medical practitioners, accountants, solicitors, barristers and actuaries.
"James's expertise is second to none. He really is a class act."
"A true gent, his persuasive advocacy brings everyone on board."
"Extremely responsive and pragmatic in his approach, he is a lovely man to work with."
Sophie has a strong professional discipline practice. She is regularly instructed to act on behalf of those in the financial services and medical professions in respect of misconduct investigations and contentious proceedings.
"She's really excellent and a delight to work with."
"Sophie provides an excellent overall service."
Ranked Barristers at
Outer Temple Chambers
Silks (KC)
London (Bar)
Juniors
London (Bar)
Members
Provided by Outer Temple Chambers
Chaitanya Kediyal
Courtney Step-Marsden
Edward Morgan
Imogen Egan
Jeremy Scott-Joynt
Joshua Cainer
Monique Bouffe
Olinga Tahzib
Robert Rhodes
Sapandeep Maini-Thompson
Industries
Provided by Outer Temple Chambers
Accountancy
Financial Services
Healthcare
International Courts
Legal
Public Services
Sports Professionals
Transport