About

Provided by St John's Chambers

With two leading King’s Counsel (KCs) and over twenty barristers, St John’s Chambers hosts one of the largest and most established Personal Injury teams in the South West. We are recognised for combining intellectual rigour with practical, solution-focused advice. From modest trauma claims to the most complex catastrophic injury litigation, we deliver consistently high-quality advocacy, advisory work, and client service.

Expertise includes: catastrophic injury (spinal/brain) and payment structures; chronic pain (fibromyalgia, CRPS, somatic disorders); historical sexual abuse claims; costs disputes; employers’ liability (including stress at work); equine/animal accidents; fatal accidents and inquests (including Article 2); industrial disease (NIHL, VWF, asbestos-related illness, mesothelioma); insurance and indemnity disputes; motorcycle, road traffic, travel, and maritime accidents; occupiers’ and public liability; personal injury fraud; and product liability.

Our excellence is reflected in consistent recognition by Chambers UK and The Legal 500.

We are thought leaders, delivering seminars, workshops, and bespoke training for solicitors, insurers, and healthcare professionals, with many barristers active in PIBA and widely published.

Our clients include major insurers, trades unions, local authorities, public bodies, and private individuals. We are also panel or preferred chambers for several leading insurers.

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Personal Injury - Western (Bar)

1
Band 1

What the Team is Known For

A market-leading set on the Western Circuit, St John's Chambers is "a set that you can rely on from start to finish". It is well regarded for its formidable personal injury offering and "personable barristers with excellent technical and client facing skills. Its barristers regularly act for and advise both claimant and defendant clients, including numerous key insurance companies, in high-value catastrophic and fatal injury claims. Industrial disease and stress at work claims serve as further sources of instruction for members, and the set houses additional experience in the handling of cases involving allegations of dishonesty and fraud. Recent instructions have seen members represent a farm worker who fell approximately twelve metres into an empty grain silo, suffering life-altering injuries.

Adam Marston and Hugh Maguire lead the personal injury and clinical negligence clerks as joint practice managers.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

1
Andrew McLaughlin
1
Band 1

Andrew McLaughlin is a leading personal injury barrister on the Western Circuit, adept at handling a variety of issues including stress, RTA and industrial disease claims. His cases concern serious injuries sustained during accidents at work.

Andrew McLaughlin fights an extremely good fight. He is a tenacious barrister.

Andrew McLaughlin is fabulous. He is tenacious, robust and great on his feet at trial.

Andrew consistently delivers an excellent level of service that elicits praise from all our clients.

Andrew is faultless. He is a tenacious advocate and forensic in his detailed analysis.

Andrew McLaughlin would be my go-to barrister. He is very accessible and very good with clients.

1
Julian Horne
1
Band 1

Julian Horne handles the full spectrum of personal injury matters, including fatal accident, RTA and employers' liability claims. He predominantly acts on behalf of defendants and insurers.

Julian's written analyses are insightful and thorough and his approach is pragmatic.

Julian Horne is excellent all round.

Julian Horne is extremely good.

Julian has superb knowledge and attention to detail. He is able to see an angle in a case that most others cannot.

1
Matthew White
1
Band 1

Matthew White advises both claimants and defendants on a variety of issues, including asbestos, stress, accident at work and Highway Act claims. He has appeared in a number of inquests relating to Article 2 of the ECHR. His clients include several local authorities and statutory undertakers.

Matthew White is a superb counsel in all respects.

Matthew is a skilled barrister and we will often utilise his services for our more complex cases.

Matthew White has an exceptional eye and understanding for numbers.

1
Richard Stead
1
Band 1

Richard Stead is highly experienced in a variety of issues, including accident at work claims and road accidents. He focuses on matters involving brain and spinal injuries.

Richard really knows his stuff and is a very well-known Bristol-based personal injury barrister.

Richard is very easy to deal with. He is very calm and experienced in court and has a great advocacy style.

Richard Stead is very competent indeed.

Richard provides a first class service. His strength lies not only in the vastness of his experience, but his ability to wield that experience for the benefit of clients.

He is a very impressive courtroom advocate. He is absolutely wonderful.

Ben Handy
2
Ben Handy
2
Band 2

Ben Handy acts for claimants and defendants in complex catastrophic injury cases, including those involving allegations of fundamental dishonesty. He has notable experience handling cases concerning psychological injury and catastrophic spinal injury, and RTAs.

Ben adds value as counsel should. He is really sensible and finds practical ways of working through complex situations.

Ben really cuts to the crux of the issues and clients really like working with him.

Ben is really user-friendly. He is accessible, helpful and knowledgeable.

2
James Marwick
2
Band 2

James Marwick has a strong personal injury practice, with experience handling cases in the High Court and Court of Appeal. He has expertise in pain disorder claims as well as across the span of road accident injuries.

James is very enthusiastic and a huge favourite of my team and our clients.

James is a very gifted advocate who can read a judge and adapt his style accordingly. He can be robust and forensic, but also effective for witnesses and judges.

James Marwick is one of my very go-to people in this area.

James is extremely knowledgeable and practical, putting clients at ease.

James Marwick has a charming way about him which puts clients and witnesses at ease. Despite his friendly approach, James is a tenacious advocate.

Darren Lewis
3
Darren Lewis
3
Band 3

Darren Lewis is an experienced personal injury junior. He is routinely instructed by defendants in brain and children injury matters.

Darren is a first rate trial barrister, out of the top drawer.

Darren's advocacy is excellent and consistently rigorous and tenacious. He is a compelling and persuasive presence in the courtroom.

Darren is a tenacious advocate and works well with clients and witnesses from every type of background, providing sensible advice with a reassuring nature.

Darren is a pleasure to work with. He is commercial, astute, tenacious and thinks outside the box. He is good fun.

It is impossible to find anything bad to say about Darren and the good comments would fill a book.

3
James Hughes
3
Band 3

James Hughes often represents claimants in matters regarding spinal injuries, injuries sustained from RTAs and chronic pain matters. He is also proficient in claims involving amputation.

James Hughes always delivers excellent service. He is good on paper as well as a tenacious advocate, who is very good in court.

James Hughes is an excellent advocate. He makes me feel like a real part of the team, is always available and is very courteous.

James's advice has been really thorough and always spot-on.

James has a good manner with clients, an eye for detail and is a well reasoned advocate.

James Hughes is very robust with clients and very plain-talking, meaning expectations are always well managed.

3
Jimmy Barber
3
Band 3

Jimmy Barber of St John's Chambers focuses his practice on personal injury, industrial disease and clinical negligence matters. He is sought out for his experience dealing with a range of cases, including amputation, broken bones and industrial RTCs.

Jimmy Barber was very aware of client needs and put them at ease while managing expectations.

Jimmy Barber is very much a safe pair of hands, reliable and he has a keen attention to detail.

Jimmy has a great knowledge of the pre-trial settlement procedures in the South East.

Jimmy's attention to detail is unrivalled. He leaves no stone unturned and his detailed advice is always appreciated by both us and clients.

Jimmy's empathy towards my clients and the clarity of his advice in difficult circumstances is impressive.

3
Rachel Russell
3
Band 3

Rachel Russell is a well-respected personal injury barrister who demonstrates expertise in industrial disease, employers' liability and public liability matters. She is instructed on behalf of both claimants and defendants.

3
Rachel Segal
3
Band 3

Rachel Segal acts on behalf of claimants and defendants in a variety of personal injury matters. She has experience with employers' liability as well as a broad range of RTAs including collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists.

Rachel's expertise is second to none. She is a fierce advocate with exceptional attention to detail.

Rachel is brilliant with our clients and very detailed.

Rachel is very knowledgeable and professional.

Ranked Barristers at
St John's Chambers

Provided by Chambers
Filter by
Band

Juniors

Western (Bar)

Personal Injury

1
Andrew McLaughlin
1
Band 1
1
Julian Horne
1
Band 1
1
Matthew White
1
Band 1
1
Richard Stead
1
Band 1
Ben Handy
2
Ben Handy
2
Band 2
2
James Marwick
2
Band 2
Darren Lewis
3
Darren Lewis
3
Band 3
3
James Hughes
3
Band 3
3
Jimmy Barber
3
Band 3
3
Rachel Russell
3
Band 3
3
Rachel Segal
3
Band 3