Doughty Street Chambers

Heads of chambers: Geoffrey Robertson KC, Edward Fitzgerald CBE QC
Senior practice managers: Sian Wilkins, Matthew Butchard
Tenants: 164

The chambers: Doughty Street Chambers is a set of internationally renowned barristers with a reputation for excellence, passion, and the provision of fresh perspectives on the law. Chambers specialises in many fields across multiple jurisdictions, often in cases with a strong emphasis on human rights and civil liberties. Clients are offered a commitment to hard work and an innovative, multi-disciplinary approach. The set comprises over 160 barristers all with a fundamental commitment to going ‘above and beyond’ for clients. Clients include homeless families, children, victims of trafficking, the socially disadvantaged, the mentally and physically disabled, asylum seekers, those accused of criminal offences, regulated professionals, company directors, magic circle and Big 4 firms, United Nations officials, ministers and heads of government, and sovereign states as well as the instructing solicitors who represent them. Members practise in crime, civil law, public and administrative law, international law, mediation, and arbitration from our offices in London and Manchester.

Types of work undertaken: Doughty Street provides specialist practitioners at all levels of seniority in civil and criminal work, offering advice and representation before all the courts of England and Wales and the rest of the UK as well as in Europe and other jurisdictions worldwide. Members are often involved in high-profile, precedent-setting cases. Principal areas of practice include administrative and public law, civil liberties and all aspects of criminal law including the following:

Actions against the police and public authorities; administrative and public law; clinical negligence and personal injury; climate and environmental justice, community care and health; corporate governance and policy; education law; employment law and industrial relations; equality and discrimination; freedom of information and data protection; housing and social welfare; asylum and personal immigration; business and commercial immigration; inquests and public inquiries; investigations, public and private international law; land and property; media law and defamation; mental health and Court of Protection; national security; prison law and criminal justice; product liability and group actions; professional discipline and regulation; solicitors’ negligence and professional liability; sports law.

Criminal appeals; courts martial; extradition; homicide and related grave offences; international crime; protest cases; regulatory and financial crime; terrorism.