Oriel Chambers

Civil LitigationCrown ProceedingsInquestsEmploymentPublic lawRegulatory

Practising barrister approaching 30 years’ call with a well-established practice in Crown proceedings, civil litigation, inquests and employment.

Member of the A Panel of the Attorney General’s Regional Panel of Counsel to the Crown (Civil) following appointment in 2000 and subsequent reappointments, with 21 years’ continuous experience of Government litigation and Article 2 and jury inquests involving Government Departments and statutory agencies.

Extensive advocacy and advisory experience in both adversarial and inquisitorial contexts, having appeared in courts at all levels up to and including the Court of Appeal, including the Queen’s Bench, Family and Chancery Divisions of the High Court, the Administrative Court and Coroners’ Courts and in a range of Tribunals including Employment Tribunals, the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), the First Tier Tribunal (Care Standards), and the Mental Health Tribunal.

Instructed regularly in civil claims on behalf of both claimants and defendants and, in inquests, on behalf of Government Departments and statutory agencies, Chief Constables, doctors, insurers and bereaved families.

Both civil and inquest practices encompass matters of substantive criminal law, including homicide.

Principal areas of practice:

Crown proceedings, having been instructed on behalf of a range of Government departments and statutory agencies including the Ministry of Justice, Prison Service, National Probation Service, Home Office, Ministry of Defence, Crown Prosecution Service, Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Department for Work and Pensions, Attorney General’s Office, Cabinet Office, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Department for Constitutional Affairs, Department for Transport, Highways Authority and HM Land Registry. Human rights and civil liberties claims, including actions against the Police, the Crown, statutory agencies and others in malicious prosecution, misfeasance in public office, false imprisonment, trespass and related torts and claims under the Human Rights Act 1998; Multi-track personal injury/ industrial disease/ fatal accident claims including public, occupiers' and employers’ liability claims, claims against the Crown, statutory agencies, public authorities and others. Clinical negligence. Inquests, including Article 2 and jury inquests and inquests concerning homicide, suicide, clinical and non-clinical care, deaths in custody and accidental death. Employment, including disability, race, pregnancy and sex discrimination, unfair dismissal, ‘whistleblowing’, harassment, victimisation and unlawful deduction from earnings claims.

Other areas of practice:

Public law, regulatory and immigration as Counsel to the Crown.

Former areas of practice alongside those above:

Family law, including both private and public law work, including care proceedings, fact finding hearings, residence and contact applications. Crime, including Crown Court advocacy and advisory work.

Call:1991 Attorney General’s Regional Panel of Counsel to the Crown (Civil) ('A' Panel): 2000 - Registered as a Pupil Supervisor: 2002 Assistant Coroner: 2018 –

The Coroners' Society of England and Wales The North West and North Wales Coroners' Society Northern Circuit Professional Negligence Bar Association Personal Injuries Bar Association Northern Circuit Medical Law Association (Historical)

1987-1990 BA (Cantab) St John's College, University of Cambridge (Law Tripos) 1990-1991 Inns of Court School of Law, London 1994 MA (Cantab) St John's College, University of Cambridge