JUNIOR PROFILE
Cicely Hayward

Cicely Hayward

UK Bar 2026

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Ranked in 2 practice areas

About

Provided by 5 Essex Chambers

Practice Areas

Cicely’s practice encompasses police law, inquests and inquiries, public law, human rights law, prison law, data protection and general common law including high value personal injury and clinical negligence claims, equalities law and employment law.

Cicely was appointed to the Attorney General’s C panel of counsel (the panel from which Government departments instruct counsel in civil law matters) in 2013 and to the B panel of counsel in July 2018.

In recent years Cicely has been instructed in the Manchester Arena Inquiry by the Home Office, the Undercover Policing Inquiry, the East London Inquests (inquests into the deaths of the 4 men murdered by Stephen Port) as junior counsel to the Inquest, Inquest into the death of Pte Geoff Gray (Deepcut Barracks) by the Ministry of Defence, Inquest into the death of Katie Locke by the National Probation Service, the Abdelhakim Belhaj litigation by HMG and the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (Child Migration strand) by the Department of Health.

Cicely was called to the Bar in 2009 and has always practised at 5 Essex Chambers. She has developed a huge amount of experience across the breadth of Chambers’ core practice areas. Cicely has particular expertise in handling complex, document heavy, multi-party cases both in adversarial and non-adversarial matters.

Cicely regularly writes articles and delivers training on police law and inquests and inquiries.

Please visit the 5 Essex Chambers website for Cicely’s profile, which sets out full details of her practice including relevant work of note.

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

UK Bar

Police Law: Mainly Defendant - All Circuits

Band 1
Band 1

Individual Editorial

Cicely Hayward represents the police in civil claims concerning false imprisonment and other torts, including those arising from investigative failings. Her practice also covers judicial reviews. She is additionally an excellent choice for prominent inquest work.

Inquests & Public Inquiries - London (Bar)

Band 2
Band 2

Individual Editorial

Cicely Hayward is a highly able barrister frequently sought out to act on behalf of police forces, government departments and local authorities, as well as families and coroners. She is instructed in both public inquiries and high-profile inquests, with issues typically including the handling of police investigations or other operations.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • Cicely Hayward is a very good advocate, very sensible. She can tailor the case in the way that it develops. She is also very good in court. She provides good written advice, and is concise.

    Police Law: Mainly DefendantUK Bar
  • Cicely Hayward is fantastic to work with. She is very good at understanding the key points of complex cases. She is also an effective advocate.

    Police Law: Mainly DefendantUK Bar
  • Cicely Hayward is so, so good. She is very effective and all over the detail. As a junior, she does stuff without you even asking; she is outstanding.

    Police Law: Mainly DefendantUK Bar
  • Cicely Hayward is excellent, I rate her very highly.

    Police Law: Mainly DefendantUK Bar
  • Cicely has a rare combination of dogged pursuit for the client and being great to work with. She has a real eye for detail and is never fazed in a crisis.

    Inquests & Public InquiriesUK Bar
  • Cicely is responsive, thoughtful and completely dependable. Her written work is outstanding and her strategic instincts are spot-on.

    Inquests & Public InquiriesUK Bar

Ranked Barristers at 5 Essex Chambers (72)

All Circuits

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