Crown Office Chambers

Crown Office Chambers is a leading civil and commercial set widely recognised as a market leader with a reputation for combining high-quality advice and advocacy with a modern, flexible and commercially-minded approach.

The set: Specialist, experienced and innovative clerking teams assist highly-rated silks and juniors provide an efficient, high-quality service for both professional and lay clients. Due to chambers’ specialist experience in a range of practice areas, it is seen as the go-to set for complex and multifaceted cases where these areas overlap.

Types of work undertaken
Commercial: A thriving practice in a range of commercial cases including: products (the sale or supply of goods and commodities), services (the scope and standards of service provided), insurance and reinsurance, directors and fiduciary duties (including breach of confidence and misuse of trade secrets), partnerships, franchises, licensing and distribution agreements (including restraints of trade), share and asset sale agreements (including indemnity and warranty claims) and financing and securities (including indemnities and guarantees). Members advise on an array of legal issues regarding jurisdiction and conflicts of law, tort claims including civil fraud, misrepresentation and economic torts, contractual claims including termination, interpretation and performance and damages and equitable remedies.

Construction and engineering: Members are consistently ranked as leaders in the field for construction and engineering including related professional negligence disputes. Members regularly appear in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court and County Courts across the country, as well as representing clients in arbitration, adjudication and other forms of ADR, both domestically and internationally. Chambers acts for employers, contractors, construction and design professionals, developers, local and central government, concessionaires, funders, suppliers and insurers in all forms of dispute resolution. Our specialist barristers have extensive experience in disputes involving delay (including extensions of time and liquidated damages), disruption, prolongation, loss and expense, defects, variations, design issues, ground conditions, letters of intent, bonds, warranties, guarantees and termination. Due to chambers’ experience in complimentary areas such as insurance, product liability and property damage, we are seen as the go to set for multifaceted cases where these issues overlap.

Criminal regulatory and environmental law: Members of chambers are recognised specialists in the fields of criminal regulatory and environmental law. The team has unparalleled experience in health and safety cases including corporate and individual manslaughter, prosecution of companies and directors under HSWA, appeals against improvement and prohibition notices, consumer and food safety prosecutions, inquests and public inquires. Members are also regularly instructed to defend prosecutions brought by the Environment Agency involving major pollution incidents such as the release of hazardous substances, permit breaches and licence infringements. Notable cases include: Grenfell Tower inquiry, Bosley Mill explosion, Didcot Power Station collapse, Pembroke Refinery explosion, Alton Towers and the UK Listeria Outbreak Investigation.

Healthcare-related litigation: Chambers has broad expertise in healthcare-related litigation including clinical negligence claims for claimants, NHSR, private providers, insurers and medical defence organisations. Many of these claims are of the upmost severity. Crown Office Chambers also represents practitioners at professional disciplinary hearings both before their relevant professional body, at first instance and then through the appropriate court forum for any resultant challenges of those decisions.

Insurance and reinsurance: Insurance remains the cornerstone of chambers’ work. Chambers has strong links with the insurance market and as a result, members are regularly instructed by the major insurers, underwriting syndicates and brokers. Our experience covers the entire range of insurance and reinsurance disputes including: fraud, product liability, professional liability, property damage, construction, EL/PL, D&O, healthcare and medical malpractice and D&O. Members also have experience in diverse issues such as terrorism, kidnap and ransom, fine art and force majeure, as well as being well placed to deal with disputes in emerging markets such as cyber, autonomous vehicles and issues arising from the Internet of Things. Chambers have various members involved in the landmark FCA trial as well as its satellite litigation.

International arbitration: Chambers has a dedicated and sought after team of high-calibre silks and juniors who undertake a range of complex, high-value international arbitration work under ICC, ICSID, SCC, LCIA, DIAC, LMAA, ARIAS, DIA and UNCITRAL rules, together with ad hoc arbitrations. Recent projects and disputes have included: power stations, process engineering, chemical plants, pipelines, road construction, railways, wind farms, oil and gas installations, commercial, insurance and reinsurance contracts, shipbuilding and telecommunications. In addition to appearing on behalf of clients, members of chambers regularly accept appointments as arbitrators in a variety of international disputes.

Personal injury: Chambers is a leading personal injury and industrial disease set. Members are regularly involved in the most serious of cases including brain and spinal injuries, fatal injuries, complex psychiatric and chronic pain, international and travel law and the full gamut of industrial disease claims. As a result of its strength in this area, chambers is often at the forefront of emerging areas of contention, such as aerotoxic syndrome claims, acoustic shock, toxic mould, and immunotherapy points arising from cancer-related disease cases. Recent notable cases include: Aviva Insurance Limited & Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (CoA), BXB v Watch Tower and Bible Tract Society of Pennsylvania (CoA), Bannister v Freemans Plc (QBD) and The Grenfell Tower Fire (Civil Action, QBD).

Product liability: Chambers has acted in virtually every significant piece of litigation in the field since the early days of the Consumer Protection Act. This pedigree is shown by involvement in further key litigation. For example, the landmark case of Wilkes v DePuy International Limited and the successful defence in the DePuy Pinnacle Group Litigation (the most significant product liability trial of recent years) by a team of five counsel from chambers. Members are also involved in current group actions including Seroxat, vaginal mesh and the various vehicle emissions claims.

Professional liability: Members continue to be instructed in some of the leading professional negligence cases. Chambers undertakes a wide range of professional negligence work including, but not limited to, engineers, architects, surveyors, lawyers, accountants, insurance brokers, financial services advisors as well as a whole host of emerging professions. Members’ expertise across a range of complimentary practice areas allows us to offer someone with direct experience of the industry sector from which the alleged negligence originates. Chambers’ reputation has continued to grow as has our instruction in high profile cases, including The Ingenious Film Finance Litigation, one of many cases that displays chambers’ expertise.

Property damage: Chambers has particular expertise in property damage claims and is seen as the leader in this competitive field. Members act for claimants and defendants in cases involving damage to property and consequential losses both in relation to primary questions of liability and issues of insurance coverage. Cases involve fires, floods, explosions, storms (including hurricanes), subsidence (including tree roots), contamination and landslips etc. Members’ additional expertise in construction, insurance, product liability and professional negligence means that they are ideally suited to handling these complex and often multifaceted claims. Chambers is also a leader in the field of business interruption, which has become a contentious topic following COVID-19.