5 Essex Chambers

The set: 5 Essex Chambers is a top tier set of chambers recognised for exemplary client service, depth and breadth of experience in its specialist areas and outstanding quality of counsel. Chambers has a formidable reputation in its core areas of practice – police law, public/administrative law, public inquiries, inquests, professional disciplinary/regulatory, information law, employment law and civil liberties and human rights. Members, many of whom are recognised as leaders in their field, have appeared in some of the UK’s most significant civil law cases, inquests and inquiries over the last decade. Chambers represents a broad range of clients in both the public and private sectors and across the United Kingdom. The public accountability of many of the set’s clients is always a key consideration and members deploy measured, forensic advocacy coupled with an accessible, efficient and practical approach.

Areas of expertise
Police law: Pre-eminent in this field, chambers is consistently recommended as the leading set for police law. The strength in depth of the police law team is highlighted by the large number of members ranked at all levels of call in this area of expertise. 5 Essex Chambers' highly regarded specialists are instructed by every police force in England and Wales and by Police Scotland on all aspects of police law. They have a formidable and unrivalled record of appearances in almost every case, inquest or inquiry of substance concerning police law to Supreme Court level.

Public / administrative law: Legal challenges to public bodies have been at the core of 5 Essex Chambers' work for more than half a century. Our barristers are often involved in public law cases that break new legal ground. Our public and administrative law team has considerable experience in acting in cases involving government departments. Numerous members have been appointed to all levels of the Attorney General’s Panel of Civil Counsel. Members of the public and administrative law team are particularly known for their work in cases that have a civil liberties, human rights or criminal justice dimension.  These include high profile challenges to the government, police, the Crown Prosecution Service and prison Governors. They arise in many contexts including Coroners’ inquests and regulatory or disciplinary proceedings.

Public Inquiries: 5 Essex Chambers continues to lead in this area with members instructed in most major inquiries including the Covid Inquiry, the Post Office Inquiry, the Brook House Inquiry, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, the Renewable Heat Inquiry, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and the Undercover Policing Inquiry. The public inquiries team represents a broad range of clients and members are also regularly instructed as counsel to the inquiry. Public inquiries are inherently high profile and members are consistently praised for their effective handling of the sensitivities and challenges facing clients who are often in the spotlight for an extended period.

Inquests: Recognised as a leading set in this area, 5 Essex Chambers offers a comprehensive service covering all stages of an inquest. The team comprises a large number of recommended specialists including a senior coroner. In addition to their renowned expertise involving the police, members have extensive experience of representing clients from a range of sectors including other emergency services, healthcare providers, government departments, local authorities, prison services, security firms, publicly listed and private companies. Members of the inquest team have appeared in the most high-profile inquests of recent years, both as counsel to interested persons and as counsel to the inquest, including: Deepcut, London Bridge Attack, Westminster Terror Attack, Birmingham Pub Bombings, Perepilichnyy, Poppi Worthington and Maughan.

Data protection and information law: From national security to cyber security, 5 Essex Chambers' team regularly provides advice and advocacy in matters relating to information and data protection law, with extensive experience acting for government, police forces, businesses and regulators.

Members of our team appear in UK courts and tribunals from the Supreme Court down in some of the highest-profile cases involving information law. Significant matters include R (Bridges) v Chief Constable of South Wales Police in the first ever legal challenge against the use of automatic facial recognition technology. Sir Cliff Richard v BBC, R (Miranda) v Secretary of State for the Home Department, R (Catt & T) v Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis, HM v Secretary of Department (data protection challenge to seizure of mobile phones from small boat migrants) and in proceedings brought by the press challenging the failure of the Conservative party to disclose information relating to the party election process.

The information law team provides practical advice and excellent advocacy at all stages, from time-sensitive crisis management through to complex and high-value litigation.

Employment law: Chambers has a team of talented and experienced employment law specialists recognised for providing practical advice and representation across the full spectrum of employment law issues.

5 Essex Chambers' barristers are renowned for representing Chief Constables, NHS trusts and public bodies as well as companies of all sizes including national retailers and blue-chip financial institutions.

Our employment law specialists represent and advise both employers and employees and apply their vast experience to some of the most contentious and complex employment cases when appearing in the Employment Tribunals and the higher courts up to Supreme Court level.

The team is recognised for giving sound and pragmatic advice with a number of our barristers having pursued other careers in industry before joining the Bar.

Human rights: 5 Essex Chambers is instructed in many of the leading Human Rights challenges in England and Wales, up to and including in the Supreme Court. Members have worked on cases concerning the use of facial recognition, police shootings, prison conditions, stop and search, and freedom of expression. The team is skilled, robust and creative in dealing with claims which push the boundaries of human rights jurisprudence. The experience of members of the team includes international law and Commonwealth human rights litigation.

Disciplinary/regulatory: Building on its widely recognised expertise in police misconduct, 5 Essex Chambers has a strong presence in the wider regulatory context. Members of the team represent regulators, companies and individuals across a range of sectors, including healthcare, energy and professional services, and in all manner of proceedings concerning regulatory law issues. These include professional discipline, civil claims, public inquiries and inquests.