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

Provided by Chambers

Professional Discipline - London (Bar)

3
Band 3

What the Team is Known For

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 the Bar Standards Board in a case alleging sexual impropriety by a high-profile silk. Instructing solicitors celebrate the set for its "strong pool of experienced counsel".

Rebecca Priestley is the set's chief executive.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

1
Fiona Horlick
1
Band 1

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.

Fiona is an intellectual heavyweight and a valued addition to any case team.

Fiona Horlick KC is fair but can be tricky when she needs to be. She is very experienced on her feet.

She's fabulous. Fiona is very robust with clients and when she's in front of a jury you realise she's just streets ahead of the others.

1
Matthew McDonagh
1
Band 1

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, GOC and SRA.

Matthew's advocacy is the best I have witnessed, in particular when cross-examining vulnerable witnesses in sexual cases.

Matthew possesses very high-level advocacy skills and an eye for detail. He presents thoughtfully and is clearly a very able and experienced barrister.

Matthew McDonagh is an excellent counsel. He's good with clients, good with paperwork and an excellent advocate.

3
James Counsell
3
Band 3

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.

A measured advocate who has the ear of the court.

James is highly professional and very, very smart.

4
James Leonard
4
Band 4

James Leonard KC often defends healthcare professionals in regulatory proceedings brought by the GMC, GDC, GPhC and HCPC. He has been instructed to handle appeals in the High Court and has experience working on judicial reviews relating to interim orders.

Very good and very eloquent.

James Leonard KC is articulate and clever. He's a smooth advocate.

Sophie O'Sullivan
5
Sophie O'Sullivan
5
Band 5

Sophie O'Sullivan 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.

Sophie O'Sullivan is an excellent adviser and advocate in regulatory matters.

Ranked Barristers at
Outer Temple Chambers

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Filter by
Band

Silks (KC)

London (Bar)

Professional Discipline

1
Fiona Horlick KC
1
Band 1
3
James Counsell KC
3
Band 3
4
James Leonard KC
4
Band 4

Juniors

London (Bar)

Professional Discipline

1
Matthew McDonagh
1
Band 1
Sophie O'Sullivan
5
Sophie O'Sullivan
5
Band 5

Industries

Provided by Outer Temple Chambers

Accountancy

Financial Services

Healthcare

International Courts

Legal

Public Services

Sports Professionals

Transport