Doughty Street Chambers

Nicholas Bowen KC specialises in damages claims in tort and under the Human Rights Act against the police and a range of other public authorities.  He is also very well known for his administrative and public law work, particularly in the fields of education, community care and the legal rights of children, the family and vulnerable adults; He public authority liability practice focuses on preventable homicide, serious wrongdoing by public bodies; negligence and misfeasance by the police, psychiatric and health services and social workers.

His private law work has helped to establish many principles in education and tort law which though controversial at the time are now widely accepted.  He is one of the few barristers with a genuine expertise in the crossover between private and public law duties on statutory bodies and has numerous reported cases in the specialist and official law reports. He acts mainly for Claimants but is frequently instructed by Defendants.

Year of Call: 1984; Gray’s Inn; Year of Silk: 2009. Current directorships: National Federation for Children with Visually Impaired Children (‘LOOK’)

Nicholas joined Doughty Street Chambers in 2005 and took silk in 2009. He is committed to pushing the boundaries of the law in the interests of his clients and his empathy with family battles against public authorities has been informed by his own family’s fight to ensure a suitable education for his blind sister and niece who has multiple disabilities; this makes him a very popular choice with parents.  His earlier career was in family and general common law work and has conducted many complex child care cases.  He is acknowledged as a powerful, effective and confident advocate.

ALBA; HRLA; Liberty; Committee member of the Law Society Mental Health & Disability Committee, 2001-08; member of the Editorial Board, Community Care Law Reports.

Cardiff High School; Sussex University (1983 BA Law); Council for Legal Education (1984).