Chambers UK Bar Guide

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Get ahead of your submissions

Discover how to maximise your chances of achieving a ranking.

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Chambers UK Bar 2024 e-Edition available to download.

Find the top Lawyer and Law Firms across UK Bar 2024 in our e-Edition, now available to download per chapter.

From submission to ranking UK Bar webinar

Watch for a complete view of how to submit to the Chambers UK Bar guide and advice on how to submit to rank.

About the Chambers UK Bar Legal Guide 2024

Welcome to the Chambers UK Bar Guide 2024. Search the legal market’s best chambers and barristers using the search functionality above.  

Chambers UK Bar researches and recommends sets of chambers and individual barristers across the UK using rigorous independent research. Our experienced and dedicated research team conducts thousands of in-depth one-to-one interviews every year with clients, instructing solicitors and barristers to produce our ranking tables, as well as indispensable analysis into the legal market.   

Chambers and Partners provides unparalleled recommendations for those looking to buy legal services in the UK. Our trusted and market-leading rankings provide all the information necessary to make an informed decision that can be relied on for when it matters.   

The Chambers UK Bar guide is released online annually in October.   

To learn more about how we conduct our research and what goes into each stage of our research, please visit our methodology page.  

Chambers UK Bar 2024 Guide Launch

Watch the Chambers UK Bar 2024 guide launch on-demand here.

Chambers UK Bar 2025 Submissions

Submissions for the Chambers UK Bar 2025 guide have now closed, you can view the full schedule here.  

Keep up to date with all of your relevant submission deadlines throughout the year and get personalised submission reminders in your calendar here

Key submission updates for Chambers UK Bar 2025

Referee spreadsheets 

We ask sets to structure their referee spreadsheets in line with our other Chambers publications, with each referee on a single line and all the barristers they are a referee for in the referring lawyer(s) column. This will help reduce administrative issues and allows our researchers more time to focus on the research process. This change will have no negative impact on any ranking decisions. 

Practice areas 

We have updated and added new practice area definitions for the guide to allow sets to understand what is covered in our tables and find the most appropriate area to submit to. 

Construction: Professional Negligence (All Circuits) 

The table formally known as ‘Professional Negligence: Technology & Construction’ has been renamed to reflect its high degree of overlap with the Construction table. For the 2025 submission intake it is called ‘Construction: Professional Negligence’. 

Family: ADR (All Circuits) 

Please note this section only accepts submissions of Family ADR work (see Practice Area Definitions), and is open to barristers in any location within England and Wales. For Family Law work not involving ADR, please submit to ‘Family: Children’ or ‘Family: Matrimonial Finance’ as appropriate, selecting the relevant location [London (Bar), Northern (Bar), etc]. 

UK Sets with The Highest Number of Department Rankings

Discover the top Sets in the UK and how many departments they have ranked this year. 

Chambers UK Bar Guide 2024: Summary

840
Set rankings
9,400
Individual Rankings
234
Up-and-Coming Junior Barrister Rankings

Chambers UK Bar Guide 2024: Highlights

New in UK Bar 2024

Independent Investigations

Our Independent Investigations table is designed to showcase leading roles in conducting internal reviews and investigations, concerning organisational culture, compliance or wrongdoing. It is intended to recognise those barristers most highly sought after for the forensic skills and leadership they demonstrate when conducting independent investigations.   

The section has received a high level of engagement from the market. 37 individual barristers made submissions, resulting in 24 barrister rankings this year. Most of those we interviewed agree this area is generating plenteous instructions for barristers.  

This has been driven by factors including the spotlight on safety, security and wellbeing in organisational settings in the wake of the Me-Too movement. More specifically, some sectors have recently seen new regulations such as the Senior Managers and Certification Scheme in Financial Services. Such trends are reflected in an approach to taking complaints or whistleblowing more seriously. Where there is an imperative to keep matters out of court, a barrister-led investigation can provide the desired credibility and closure without unwanted publicity.

Family: ADR

Family law has long been a pioneer in terms of trying to achieve satisfactory outcomes for parties without resorting to the courts.   

Our new Family: ADR table recognises members of the Bar who handle arbitrations and conduct Private Financial Dispute Resolution (FDR) hearings.   

There are two distinct forms of ADR:  

FDRs are non-binding and without prejudice.  

Family Arbitration offers a binding result; it is a more formal process but still far quicker than traditional court litigation.  

Whilst distinct, both forms are highly effective at easing the burden on the congested Family Law Courts. At present this non-court based resolution table does not include mediators as there are fewer members of the Bar doing them than solicitors. This may change, especially as we note the government’s musings over the compulsory use of mediation in certain circumstances.   

Consumer Finance

A new distinct table covers Consumer Finance, which had previously been subsumed in the wider Consumer Law table. Consumer Finance covers all areas of non-commercial lending, including the core areas of consumer credit and mortgage lending.   

This is a heavily litigated field, with practitioners appearing regularly in courts across the country. Current trends include mortgage prisoner claims, solar panel mis-selling, motor finance claims, undisclosed mortgage brokers’ commission claims, timeshare claims, and the long-running PPI litigation.  

Non-contentious work also features prominently in this sector, and as part of this we’ve looked at practitioners involved in drafting regulated agreements, reviewing statutory notices, and advising on the technical requirements of the FCA Handbook and the Consumer Credit Act 1974. 

Chambers UK Bar 2024 Research Timeline

The Chambers UK Bar 2024 research took place between January 2023 and July 2023.  

Over 80 practice areas are featured covering the full spread of public, commercial and criminal law, and barristers' work both domestically and in foreign jurisdictions is investigated in-depth.   

Latest Legal News: Chambers UK Bar

Post Office Horizon scandal: legal developments
Learn about the legal developments and the barristers involved in the Post Office Horizon case.

UK Supreme Court releases landmark judgment declaring the Rwanda Policy Unlawful
In this article, the Chambers UK Bar team discuss the recent judgement in the case of R v Secretary of State.

Regional growth in the Chambers UK Bar Guide 2024
Discover the areas that reported regional growth in the Chambers UK Bar 2024 guide and the future plans to cover more regional locations.

Client Service at the Bar 2024
Discover the sets commended for providing exceptional client service in the Chambers UK Bar 2024 guide.

Stars at the Bar 2024
Discover the Stars at the Bar, all of whom have been researched and ranked in the Chambers UK Bar Guide 2024.

UK Bar Guide 2024: Up and Coming
Discover the number of up-and-coming and newly ranked barristers during the research of the Chambers UK Bar Guide 2024.

UK Commercial Court dismisses anti-suit injunction related to a French-seated arbitration
Sir Nigel Teare has dismissed an anti-suit injunction related to a foreign-seated arbitration ahead of Russia proceedings due to take place next week.

Chambers Ranked Barrister saves England’s rugby dreams
A leading Chambers ranked barrister was recently at the centre of a disciplinary hearing for a top rugby star. Learn more about the case and the team who represented the rugby player.

Read past legal topics

Rwanda Judgment: Results and Legal Implications
Discover the recent Rwanda appeal and who the barristers involved in the case were in this article.

Euro 1.33 billion bond defeat for Republic of Argentina
Mr Justice Picken has ruled that The Republic of Argentina must repay Euro 1.33 billion to four hedge fund investors in its Euro-denominated securities following a judgement in London’s High Court.

Possible legal first: Extradition case discharged by video-link
A former Doncaster Counsellor has been tried and sentenced in a US Court remotely by video link in the UK, in what is thought to be a legal first.

Growing Crypto Space Prompts Gov Regime Plans
In February this year, the Government launched a consultation into proposals for the UK’s financial services regime for cryptoassets.

Supreme Court find in favour of Ukraine in $3bn loan dispute with Russia
The UK Supreme Court has ruled in favour of Ukraine in its dispute with the Russian Federation over an alleged $3 billion loan.

UK Subsidy Control Regime
Chambers and Partners’ new Principle Research Specialist for Competition law, Michael Foulkes, will be producing a series of articles over the coming months about market trends and other interesting topics in the jurisdiction being researched that month.  To tie in with the research into UK solicitors and UK barristers that is being carried out across January and February, the first article looks at the UK’s new Subsidy Control Regime.

High Court rules on question of Russian sanctions’ – Impact on commercial litigation in the English courts
Mrs Justice Cockerill has ruled that it is lawful for judgment to be entered on claims brought by a party subject to Russian sanctions.  Learn more about this case and what the ruling means.

Top Barristers on Display in Viewing Platform Privacy Case
The Supreme Court has handed down its judgment in Fearn and others v Board of Trustees of the Tate Gallery. Read more about the case and the barristers involved.

Stars at the Bar 2023
The Chambers UK Bar team present the Stars at the Bar, all of whom have been researched and ranked in the Chambers UK Bar Guide 2023.

Personal Injury Legal Insight and Market Analysis
This year, Chambers and Partners has picked up on some interesting market trends in the field of personal injury following the Covid-19 Pandemic. The Chambers UK Bar team share a fascinating look at this area of UK law.

Client Service at the Bar 2023
Discover the sets commended for providing exceptional client service, as researched by the Chambers UK Bar team. 

Changes to the legal profession in light of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
The death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022 will change the shape of the UK in many respects. The Chambers UK Bar team share insights into what this means for the legal market.

Premier League footballer Kurt Zouma given community service for kicking his cat
The result of the legal case against the West Ham United footballer is investigated in this article. Discover which Chambers ranked barrister was involved in the case.

High Court rules discharge of untested COVID patients to care homes was unlawful
The Chambers UK Bar team discusses the outcome of the legal case of discharge of untested  COVID patients to care homes and reveal the top barristers, ranked in Chambers, instructed on the case.

Ed Sheeran wins Shape of You copy right legal case
Read about the high court copyright battle between Ed Sheeran and Sami Chokri over the 2017 hit song, Shape of You, and the judge's outcome and discover which of the top UK barristers were instructed on the case for both parties.

Hewlett-Packard successful against Autonomy founder Mike Lynch in one of the UKs biggest civil fraud trials
The Chambers UK Bar team analyses the Hewlett-Packard case against former Autonomy chiefs. Read more about the case and the leading barristers representing both sides.

Victims of Barry Bennell lose claim against Manchester City
The UK Courts have ruled that Manchester City Football Club is not liable for the abuse suffered by the victims of Barry Bennell. Learn more about this case and the leading injury barristers involved.

Chambers UK Bar Award-winning KC secures conviction of Lord Ahmed of Rotherham
A leading criminal barrister has secured the conviction of Lord Ahmed of Rotherham for serious sexual offences. Read more about this case and the leading barristers in the area of criminal law.

New Practice Areas for Chambers UK Bar 2023
In this latest update from the Chambers UK Bar team, we highlight new areas for ranking in the next release of the guide.

UK court rules that Julian Assange can be extradited to the USA
The UK Court has ruled extradition for Julian Assange. Learn more about this case and the leading barristers involved in the case and in the area of extradition.

Gender in the 2022 UK Bar rankings
The Chambers UK Bar team has continued its efforts to recognise and promote female barristers practising across the UK. Learn more about our efforts and the outcome in the 2022 release of the guide.

Two big cases challenge Google
Recently, two cases challenged Google on their handling of consumer data and antitrust/competition violations. Read about these two cases, the barristers involved in them and the Supreme Courts decisions.

Client Service at the Bar 2022
Discover which sets are particularly commended for their provision of quality client service, as researched by the Chambers UK Bar team.

Stars at the Bar 2022
The Stars at the Bar have proved their excellence across a range of practice areas. Read below for details on these top stars. Read more.

Chambers UK Bar releases Group Litigation barrister rankings
Chambers UK Bar 2022 releases new group litigation barrister rankings as claims appear in new areas such as product liability, environmental, employment and shareholder litigation.

Cryptoassets and Cryptocurrencies Legal Insights and Market analysis
At least 11 barristers represent the cryptocurrency practice areas in the UK Bar Guide. Read more about the legal basis of cryptocurrency in the UK and the list of barristers with different expertise that can advise clients on crypto issues.

Chambers UK Bar Research 2022: Key Findings
Research into the guide's findings saw an impressive 32% growth of practice area rankings per set, emerging new chambers, and many new market trends across the UK Bar. Learn more about the UK Bar team's latest research findings.

Chambers UK Bar 2022 Diversity and Inclusion Statement
Read the Chambers UK Bar 2022 Diversity and Inclusion Statement for details on our efforts in ensuring diversity is a key factor in our research and submissions process and the subsequent results.  

New Ranking in Chambers UK Bar 2022
Discover which new sectors are included in the 2022 release of the Chambers UK Bar guide and legal rankings, and what these new practice areas cover in our ever-growing coverage of the legal market.

Animal Law Coverage in Chambers UK Bar 2022
Read about the new coverage of this emerging practice area in the 2022 release of the guide and learn what this new section focuses on in relation to rankings and market intelligence.  

Meet the UK Bar Head of Research and Research Managers
The UK Bar Research Team bring a mixture of professional and academic experiences. They produce recommendations on sets of chambers and individual barristers across the United Kingdom. Learn more about how they can assist by reading their biographies in this article.

European Court of Justices key ruling on equal pay
In this Legal Topic, we examine the ruling on an equal pay case and look at the UK employment law barristers involved.

The Arbitration market continues to grow despite a global pandemic
Read about how and where the Arbitration market has seen growth, despite the changes enforced by  COVID-19 and discover how the market has adjusted to the remote ways of working.

NHS Trust prosecuted
Following the tragic death of Harry Richford, an NHS Trust pleaded guilty to failing to provide safe care and treatment to the newborn. Read more about the case and a look at the acting barristers who worked pro bono.

Barristers win major Supreme Court employment equal pay case
A look at the success for leading KCs who were instructed to challenge Asda over an equal pay claim from female supermarket workers who claimed they were unfairly paid less than male workers for similar work.

Suez Canal blockage
Insightful analysis of the grounding of the container ship EVER GIVEN in the Suez Canal and a look at the kcs and chambers instructed in the previous major incident.

Top barrister accuses government of mischaracterising findings of the Faulks Review
Learn about why a leading UK barrister challenged the UK Government's reporting of a key inquiry into judicial review and the rule of law.

Meghan Markle takes on the UK tabloid press
We offer a look at the leading defamation lawyers who were instructed to work on the Duchess of Sussexs case against the Associated Newspapers.

The Supreme Court's verdict on the Shamima Begum Case
Learn about the case in which the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the UK Government and discover which top human rights lawyers were involved in the case.

The impacts of  COVID-19 on business interruption policies
In January 2021, the Supreme Court gave its verdict on a landmark case regarding business interruption policies and how they apply to disruption caused by COVID-19. Read the result and find out who the leading barristers on the case were.

Success for the Stansted 15
Protest law is an ever-growing area, as evidenced by the recent case involving the Stansted 15. Read about who they were, why they protested and the outcome of their case.

Leading sets and barristers for and against the government
Discover which leading public law barristers and sets were the most involved in judicial review cases and who were ultimately the most successful.

Meet the Chambers Legal Research Team

James Cowdell Chambers UK Bar Editor
James Cowdell
Head of Research
Contact James
Sam Williamson Chambers UK Bar Deputy Editor
Sam Williamson
Research Manager
Contact Sam
Rebecca Patton
Research Manager
Contact Rebecca
Mary Lobo
Principal Research Specialist
Contact Mary

About our Legal Rankings

Chambers UK Bar recommends sets of chambers and individual barristers across the UK using rigorous independent research. Our experienced and dedicated research team conducts thousands of in-depth interviews with clients, instructing solicitors and barristers in order to draw up and produce our ranking tables, providing the most comprehensive insights and analysis of these ranked chambers and barristers.   

To learn more about how we conduct our research and what goes into each stage of our research, please visit our methodology page.   

Discover the value of being a ranked firm and tips on how to successfully submit for rankings here

In-Depth Overviews

Jurisdiction
CONSUMER FINANCE: An Introduction

 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 – but never before has the consume...

Jurisdiction
CONSUMER LAW: An Introduction

 These are interesting times for consumer-facing businesses. Brexit transition periods are coming t...

Jurisdiction
CRIME: An Introduction

The backlog of 64,000 cases remains, a year on from the settlement of terms of Lord Bellamy’s revie...

Jurisdiction
EMPLOYMENT

Employment lawyers are increasingly called upon to grapple with the legal and political complexitie...

Jurisdiction
EXTRADITION: An Introduction

Extradition is where politics and law collide – it is the coming together of law, human rights and...

Jurisdiction
FINANCIAL CRIME: An Introduction

There are signs that the forthcoming year is to be a year of changes in the sphere of financial cri...

Jurisdiction
GROUP LITIGATION: An Introduction

Group actions are fundamentally about procedure. As such, they are capable of being deployed across...

Jurisdiction
HEALTH & SAFETY: An Introduction

2024 looks likely to see a return to pre-pandemic levels of prosecutions being brought by the Healt...

Jurisdiction
INQUESTS & PUBLIC INQUIRIES: An Introduction

Practice in public inquiries and inquests looks set to continue as a field of increasing importance...

Guide Resources


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