Oriel Chambers

Civil Law, Commercial & Chancery Law, Family Finance, Costs

Harry is an energetic and diligent Junior and is approachable and knowledgeable. His academic background is in Company Law and Healthcare Law. He willingly travels across England and Wales and is known to turn his paperwork with quality and in good time. Prior to
coming to the bar Harry worked in the construction industry.

Personal Injury: Harry has an extensive practice in Defendant EL and PL personal injury claims including high value and high loss claims.

He is experienced for acting for the Claimant in asbestos claims. His PhD and teaching experience has allowed him to develop a growing clinical negligence practice. He is known for a speedily turn around of his papers.

Media and Communications:  Actions / Data Protection Breaches. Harry has steadily been increasing his practice in this area in recent times. He is well acquainted with actions brought under both the 1998 Act and 2018 Act and currently accepts instructions from both Defendant’s and Claimant’s.

Housing: He has extensive knowledge when acting on behalf of social housing authorities seeking injunctions against tenants or in housing disrepair cases. He often acts for Housing Authorities seeking Anti-Social Behaviour Injunctions.

Cavity Wall Insulation Claims: Dovetailing with his commercial, civil and prior experience in construction, Harry has developed a practice in CWI claims, as they become a particularly more burdensome area for Defendant’s. He is well versed on the nuanced causation arguments that arise, as well as the more helpful interpretations of the British Board Agrèment with regard to installation and survey techniques. He is particularly interested in assisting Defendants to develop and plead a more effective Defence in these Claims and how to develop the issues surrounding causation.

Financial Remedy/Co-Habitation Claims : Harry has established a bespoke financial remedy practice for those clients seeking settlement throughout marital disputes and the divorce process and is happy to provide advice, advocacy and to advise in conference or on the papers throughout the lifetime of the claim and to final hearings. His work is complemented by his civil experience and property work, ToLATA claims and cohabitee disputes.

Construction : His experience ranges across construction, engineering, professional negligence and planning matters, including adjudication; more pertinently the civil enforcement of adjudicator’s decisions and he is well versed in all of the main standard forms including JCT, NEC and RIBA forms. In particular his prior experience has given him a working and intimate understanding of JCT form contracts.

Harry came to the Bar from a previous career working in construction as a main contractor, running a small main contractor firm with an annual turnover of circa £4.5 million. His work was predominantly tendered through privately engaged Contract Administrators working for the NHS, Education sector and also directly through Local Authorities in London and the South East. He has hands on experience with contracts in the value of £1.5 – 2 million pounds and the practical issues arising from disputes with sub-contractors, Contract Administrators and clients. He understands the technical, and less technical, language and aspects of the construction process.

He currently pitches himself as junior barrister who is an economic alternative in matters of the value he has personal experience in, where professional legal costs may be often appear disproportionate; whilst providing detailed, professional and practical advice in quick time  and without fuss. He is always happy to offer informal advice or engage in exploratory dialogue, by telephone if necessary.

Harry regularly appears in the County Court in both fast track and multi-track matters and undertakes all manner of drafting and the provision of advice, including applications for enforcement of adjudicators decisions.

Costs : Having taken the time to undertake and complete the 3 year Association of Costs Lawyers Qualification during his first years as a tenant he now provides advocacy and advice in all forms of inter partes costs disputes together with drafting and advisory services in relation to litigation funding; from CFAs and DBAs through to third party and commercial funding and costs insurance. He also undertakes non -contentious advisory and drafting work.

Harry appears in detailed assessments and section 71 solicitor-client assessments; advising in relation to solicitor’s liens, and delivery up of client files. He often appears in cost budgeting hearings. He regularly argues points concerning the enforceability of retainers and issues surrounding departing from the approved costs budget as well as pre-action conduct and its impact on costs.

Commercial and Chancery : His Chancery and Commercial practice ranges from commercial debt work, insolvency, bankruptcy and sale of goods work. He advises in all aspects of Landlord and Tenant, including commercial leases, residential housing and possession claims. Boundary disputes, easements and adverse possession.

Harry's Chancery, Commercial and Family practices overlap in areas such as Inheritance Act (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 disputes; Wills, Trusts, and Probate; and claims brought under the Trusts of Land and Appointment and Trustees Act 1996.

Family Finance and ToLATA : Providing advice, appearing in FDA, FDR and Final Hearings, Harry has created a bespoke Financial Remedies practice which complement’s his ToLATA and Probate work.

Financial Remedy / Co-Habitation Claims: Harry has established a bespoke financial remedy practice for those clients seeking settlement throughout marital disputes and the divorce process and is happy to provide advice, advocacy and to advise in conference or on the papers throughout the lifetime of the claim and to final hearings. His work is complemented by his civil experience and property work, ToLATA claims and cohabitee disputes.

Called 2014

Association of Costs Lawyers - 2018 ACL Qualified

• PhD – Medical Neg / Crime / Ethics - 2013 University of Southampton • BPTC - 2013 BPP Holborn • LLM Res – Company Law - 2008 Lancaster University • LLB (Hons) - 2007 Lancaster University

Intermediate French and Italian

Middle Temple Association of Costs Lawyers

Association of Costs Lawyers - 2018 ACL Qualified

• PhD – Medical Neg / Crime / Ethics - 2013 University of Southampton • BPTC - 2013 BPP Holborn • LLM Res – Company Law - 2008 Lancaster University • LLB (Hons) - 2007 Lancaster University