Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
‘Fantastic, first-rate senior barrister. He is approachable and makes pragmatic decisions on complex cases, leading through to brilliant results for clients.’
‘Ranald is meticulous in his analysis of evidence, he is always calming and reassuring with clinicians and experts. He has an authoritative and compelling negotiating style.’
‘Peter is very good in Joint Settlement Meetings and definitely raises his game when it matters. He is very astute, and can adapt and respond any challenges that arise on the day extremely well.’
‘Catherine is meticulously forensic and is absolutely someone you want in your corner on a complex claim. A particular strength is speed of response which allows momentum to continue on a case.’
‘Matthew is outstanding. He gives you the best possible defence arguments and has won numerous trials on behalf of his lay clients. He makes the difficult easy and the complex simple.’
'Tejina has an outstanding grasp of even the most complex medical issues. Her thoroughness and attention to detail are first class. She works so well with medics and clients alike. Her advice is always sound and well reasoned. She is simply first class.’
‘Julian is simply brilliant and is top-quality counsel. He is a great advocate who is incredibly experienced at dealing with the most complex of cases. He is very personable and his client care skills are exceptional..’
‘Jane has an excellent reputation for being thorough and detailed in her approach. She understand complex medical reports and can communicate the issues to clients well.’
‘Excellent on quantum. All round very thorough providing good verbal and written advice in a timely manner. Responsive to questions and queries from instructing solicitors.’
‘Tim is a calm, courteous and persuasive advocate who is clearly on top of the issues. He presents his cases in a forensic understated way which is very convincing and clearly impresses judges.’
‘Caroline is very well thought of by clients who admire her tenacity and pragmatic judgement. She is extremely responsive and easy to work with. She is very hard-working.’
‘Incredibly astute and can assimilate a huge amount of information and boil it down to the key elements. His written work always has a feel of real quality his drafting is second-to-none.’
‘Scott is an excellent and empathetic communicator. He is able to explain complicated medical issues in a clear and concise way which clients can understand.'
Tim is well experienced both in and out of court. He is clear with clients, is clear in conference with experts, is a tough negotiator in settlement meetings and has a relaxed and clear advocacy style in court..’
‘Paul is very forensic, very considered and does not let anything slide. he is a big brain for sure. he is also very responsive and approachable. his advocacy is also excellent- he is like a dog with a bone.’
‘Attention to detail: Helen never misses anything, her knowledge in this field is second to none. Helen always provides clear and sensible advice and her drafting is outstanding.’
‘James is extremely thorough and has a really good approach to liaising with clients and experts. His approach at settlement meetings is extremely detailed and he has reasoned arguments.’
‘Has an understated yet steely resolve which is often underestimated by others. A razor sharp focus on key issues and an ability to cut through irrelevant things with great efficiency.’
‘Matthew is extraordinarily intelligent and cuts through to the heart of the issues in any case. He is a forceful and eloquent advocate and a formidable opponent.’
‘Sophie is a formidable advocate who can hold her own against any opponent. She balances this with excellent written work and attention to detail, as well as an incredibly patient and empathetic manner with the most vulnerable of clients.’
‘Relaxed style with clients, calm and measured. Very well prepared with a real eye on the detail and a mastery of the literature and statistics surrounding the issues.’
‘Ben is always thoroughly prepared, fantastic with clients, approachable and sensible, adopting a common sense plan to achieve successful resolution of cases.’
‘Nicola's strengths are her attention to detail, her commercial insights and her decisiveness. She provides clear, persuasive advice and ensures that those instructing her are kept fully up to date with her availability.'
‘Vanessa is incredibly personable and makes all clients feel entirely at ease. She manages conference with many experts and client very well so that it feels relaxed and yet covers the difficult questions in a sensible way.’
‘Emma has excellent command of detail and complex medical issues. I have worked with Emma in mediation settings, where she is robust and compelling in negotiations.’
‘Thomas is extremely responsive and a pleasure to work with, He is charming and his style is direct and robust and his advocacy at JSMs is impressive.’
‘Conor has a calm, considered approach to his advocacy and advice. This approach aligned with his intellect and determination make him a formidable advocate.’
‘His attention to detail is excellent. Always fully prepared for conferences, RTMs and knows his stuff. Approachable and non intimidating approach to experts and witnesses and puts witnesses at their ease.'
'Tom has a firm grasp on the detail of cases and his quantum advice in particular is of an excellent standard. He is extremely diligent and responsive.’
‘Bruno is always very responsive and can turn around instructions in a very short timescale when required. He is very good with experts and clients in conferences, testing evidence in a clear and logical manner.’
‘James works incredibly hard to get fantastic results for his clients in complex clinical negligence claims. He has a fierce eye for detail and is superb with clients and experts.’
‘John is simply superb. He has excellent legal and strategic knowledge, is always on hand to answer any queries or concerns and his standard of work is exceptional.'
‘Carin is clearly very bright and has a firm grip on the complex issues surrounding clinical negligence claims. Her work has been detailed, thorough and well reasoned.’
‘Linda works extremely hard and is very thorough. She is very good at dealing with complex aspects of schedules of loss. Her advocacy is very effective: she is calm when dealing with issues directly with her opponent and has a very good understanding of the issues and how they should be dealt with or resolved.'
‘Jemma is exceptionally detail-orientated but still able to get to the crux of the issue. She is up there with the very best barristers when it comes to client care.’
‘Kate is very calm under pressure. She navigates the expert opinions and medical records with ease and is able to get the best our of experts at conference.’
‘Jamie is a sensible and calm advocate who get to the nub of the issue without fluster. He provides commercially sensible advice, which keeps the client at the centre of considerations.’
‘Justin has an impressive ability to extract the key issues in complex cases. He is excellent with dealing with multiple experts in conference, combined with a robust negotiating style which achieves excellent outcomes for clients.’
‘Colin is the counsel you want fighting for your client in a difficult liability case. He is not afraid of making strategic decisions, that many would shy away from, in order to get the best outcome.’
‘Powerful and clever advocacy, capable of blowing other advocates out of the water. Francesca thinks very quickly on her feet and then delivers calm and considered submissions. Impressive. Not afraid to fight for her clients.’
‘Angus is a very confident and competent senior junior. He does high value work and tackles difficult cases in his stride. A fair but formidable opponent.’
– ‘Helen is good with clients, and always has a good grasp of the case instructed on, as well as the nuances. She is firm with experts in conference and her drafting is impressive.’
'Judith is incredibly thoughtful, well prepared and collegiate in her dealings with her instructing solicitors. Judith is unflappable, thinks very quickly on her feet and is a formidable ally in any situation, including settlement meetings and at trial.'
‘Very organised and with an excellent grasp of complex medical issues across a large group of claims. Works constructively at settlement meetings, more than holding his own in negotiations.’
‘Empathetic with lay client and very well prepared in advance of conference. Skillfully manoeuvred through very complex causation expert evidence. Confident with good attention to detail.’
‘Nigel is extremely pleasant to work with. His pleadings are persuasive, he is good in conference with experts and very responsive. He is easy to work with due to his personable manner, but is a tough negotiator when necessary.’
‘Holly is calm and reassuring in conference. She has an excellent eye for detail and not only identifies the issues but finds solutions. Holly never loses sight of the human element of a claim.’
‘Adam has an excellent level of attention to detail and gets to the bottom of all issues with experts. He is a very calm and measured advocate and has a meticulous approach to drafting pleadings.’
‘James’ advice is always clear and he has a great presence in the court room. Opponents know that they are up against it if James is on the other side.’
‘Attention to detail and strategic thinking. She is excellent in conference testing the evidence of the factual witnesses without alienating or alarming them. She is very much a team-player and happy to work alongside instructing solicitors.’
‘Leanne is commercial in her advice and pragmatic in her approach. She is a pleasure to work with - friendly, down to earth, and extremely switched on.’
‘Rach has an instinct for medicine and a wonderful eye for detail. Calm, friendly, approachable and a great team player. Well-prepared, polite but firm in advocacy.’
‘Marcus’ genuine passion for his work means he quickly builds trust with lay clients, even in the most challenging of circumstances. He’s a highly skilful advocate with top notch questioning strategy and instincts.’
‘Darragh has a wonderful ability to distil pages of information into succinct and convincing legal arguments and to identify and focus on the key issues of a case.’
‘Working with Simon is great. Technically, he is excellent. He is approachable and will always make time. Great with clients and also excellent in RTM.’
‘Ella was extremely calm and put her clients at ease. She is also professional throughout the whole experience. She is clear and direct in her questioning and was able to act accordingly when new information was presented which had not been apparent from the outset.’
‘Adam is great with clients in conference, setting out their cases clearly in language they will understand. His advice is always clear and he has great attention to details.’
‘Jim is fantastic - he has a real way with clients that puts them at ease and feel confident in his abilities. He is superb with experts and really gets to the crux of cases.’
‘Liam is approachable and easily contactable. He is an excellent advocate. He is very good with clients. His pleadings are well drafted and his grasp of medicine is excellent.’
‘Laura is incredibly committed to the clients and the case. She never lets you down. She goes above and beyond to ensure that she supports you. She is always on top of all the papers and has a keen forensic eye.’
‘Perrin gets straight to the heart of a problem and sees through the irrelevant issues very quickly. She is enthusiastic however difficult or small the case may be and provides clear practical advice.’
‘Deirdre's meticulous attention to detail makes her a real asset to complex, high-value cases. Her methodical approach to cases ensures all bases are covered and all issues considered thoroughly.'
‘Mamta is meticulous on her preparation and has a very good eye for detail. She is excellent with experts and with the client, especially in sensitive cases.’
‘As a qualified doctor, David is all over the medical side of things, often operating at a higher level than instructing solicitor and alternate counsel is capable of. His advanced level of understanding enables him to question medico-legal experts in a way which very few counsel are able to do so. He is also a very capable advocate.’
‘David is excellent at written advice and conferences. In a trial, he is very calm, considered and measured in his approach. Experts find him impressive and clients are reassured by him.’
‘Dan’s knowledge is beyond his years of call. His work is always to a very high standard and he is able to turn around complex work in a very short time.’
‘Phenomenal forensic analysis of expert reports, particularly on quantum and an ability to retain details of the minutiae of cases, and to identify deficiencies in evidence.’
‘Martyn has a good eye for detail and is a strong advocate. He is excellent with clients and a top negotiator. He is very approachable and offers clear and helpful advice.’
‘Aneurin's attention to detail is excellent. When acting for claimants, he always goes the extra mile to maximise damages. In addition, he is approachable and good with clients.’
‘David is a very impressive advocate. Always thoroughly prepared, fantastic dealing with liability or quantum. Excellent knowledge of the law and gives sound advice considering all the risks.’
‘Helen is very straight forward and very easy to work with. She gives clear direction and guidance. She is good at judging evidence and seeing beyond the immediate to where the claim might progress.'
‘As well as a fearless advocate, Ed has a fantastic medical and legal brain. He is someone that you want on your side, in this complex and often highly contentious field of practice.’
‘He is empathetic and puts the clients at ease. His analysis of the evidence is excellent and he isolates the key issues in order to enable progression of the claims in the most useful direction. He has tactical expertise.'
‘Hannah has an engaging manner which helps to smooth complex negotiations and she is skilled in focusing on what really matters without getting bogged down in unnecessary detail.’
‘Abigail is an excellent barrister. She is particularly good with medical experts in conference, grasping complex medical issues with ease, and ensures a thorough testing of the evidence.’
‘Gurion has a masterful grasp of the complex issues in TVT mesh claims, both legal and medical. He has a great manner with clients, who are often very upset and emotional at all points in the case where counsel is involved.’
‘Nina has a brilliant grasp of the technical area, especially high value quantum issues on dependency claims. She is very calm and poised which is very reassuring for clients and makes her a formidable opponent.’
‘Andrew is a very capable barrister with a very detailed technical understanding of the law. He marries this ability with a commercial acumen which enables clients to give meaningful instructions on their cases.’
‘Will stands out for his exceptional diligence and meticulous attention to detail, seamlessly blending efficiency with thoroughness. He possesses a keen ability to evaluate evidence in a cost-efficient manner, ensuring no stone is left unturned, while considering the broader implications of the issues at hand.’
‘Emma is a formidable opponent in the court room, calm but precise throughout and always reassuring to the clients.’
Rising stars
Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.
‘Susanna’s legal research was invaluable, as were all other aspects of her contributions to tactical thinking, collating and reporting on documentation and preparing written submissions. Excellent all-round.’
‘Rose is an exceptional talent in the field of clinical negligence. She is always very well-prepared, understands the medicine and the law, is excellent with clients, handles lay and expert witnesses with great skill, and is a formidable advocate.’
‘Paige is extremely approachable and a reliable counsel to have supporting your client's corner. Her advice is practical and client focused, but with a bulletproof understanding of the underlying legal principles.’
‘Matthew is quick on his feet, friendly and personable with clients, and shows excellent attention to detail. His advocacy skills are a real strength, particularly in relation to inquest work.’
‘Excellent technical legal ability and takes a pragmatic approach. She is a trusted advocate; she is clear, persuasive and a beacon of calm in all situations.’