Temple Garden Chambers

TGC is a long established and market leading common law and specialist international law set with chambers in London and The Hague. TGC and its members have a reputation for providing first class services.

TGC has 17 silks and 60 juniors who pride themselves on providing the highest quality advice and advocacy. Fourteen of our juniors have been appointed to the Attorney General’s Civil Panels who, together with a number of our silks, undertake work on behalf of the Crown. In addition several members are on the CPS extradition panel as well as the Equality and Human Rights Commission panel. Members of chambers are supported by a very experienced, commercially astute and approachable clerking team.

Work undertaken
Clinical negligence and professional liability: Chambers undertakes all areas of clinical negligence work, often in high value, complex cases. Counsel are instructed on behalf of both claimants and defendants/NHS trusts. In the recent past counsel have acted in claims arising out of obstetric and gynaecological injuries, including those resulting in maximum disability; diagnostic failures (such as compartment syndrome and false aneurysms (resulting in amputation), as well as cancer and MCL cases); negligent treatment of post-surgical infections leading to kidney failure; negligent eye and laser surgery; failure to diagnose retinal detachment; failure to convey to hospital; negligence during colorectal surgery; general practitioner negligence in failing to  refer or diagnose (such as meningitis, sepsis, encephalitis and suspected pulmonary embolism (resulting in death)); negligent nursing care of vulnerable patients in hospital; failure correctly to advise of surgical risks or alternative treatment (application of Montgomery); and diagnostic and treatment failures following urgent admissions to hospital.

Costs: Temple Garden Chambers is a leading set in the field of costs litigation. Its members regularly appear before the Senior Courts Costs Office and Regional Costs Judges, in leading cases in the higher courts, up to and including the Supreme Court, and in relation to costs disputes which follow substantial litigation (including group actions and commercial litigation). Members of the costs team are sought after for their advisory work by solicitors (from high street through to nationwide and City firms), litigation funders and insurers. We regularly advise such clients on a broad range of both litigation funding issues and in relation to points which arise in contentious litigation. Our costs barristers regularly speak at industry-wide conferences, while TGC is well known for its industry-leading costs newsletter, which boasts a substantial circulation.

Extradition: The Temple Garden Chambers extradition team bring an unrivalled wealth of experience prosecuting and defending extradition cases at all levels from the Magistrates’ Court to the Supreme Court and the CJEU. Members of the team appear on behalf of requested persons, judicial authorities, the National Crime Agency and foreign governments in some of the leading cases, including the first extradition case before the Supreme Court in 2018. Further, Counsel have experience in related matters such as judicial review, habeas corpus, mutual legal assistance and European Investigation Orders. Drawing on complementary expertise in domestic public law and international criminal law, they are excellently placed to advise and represent in extradition cases post-Brexit.

TGC have appeared in most of the Supreme Court cases concerning extradition recently, including Goluchowski v Poland [2016] UKSC 36, Konecny v Czech Republic [2019] UKSC 8 Zabalotnyi v Hungary [to be heard in February 2021]. Members are often instructed in heavy-weight requests on behalf of the US, including Sanchez v United States of America [2020] EWHC 508 (Admin), Wyatt v USA [2019] EWHC 2978 (Admin, Scott v USA [2018] EWHC 2021 (Admin) and Motiwala v USA (ongoing).

Fraud (Civil): TGC has forged a reputation as the leading set for advising and representing insurance companies in defeating fraudulent claims. This work encompasses a wide range of dishonesty, from fraud rings, staged and contrived collisions and committals, to opportunistic claims, low velocity impact and conscious exaggeration. Its members have regularly been involved in important cases that have pushed the boundaries of the law in the field, eg the leading case on the meaning of ‘fundamental dishonesty’ (LOCOG v Sinfield). Through its market-leading ’Fraud Update’ newsletter its members regularly provide analysis of the law and key decisions, along with updates on the general judicial attitudes to such claims in the County Courts.

Health and safety: A team of members are at the forefront of work in this specialist area, especially advising and representing corporate and individual defendants in criminal investigations and prosecutions. Members are routinely instructed in high profile cases including the first prosecution under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 and leading cases in the Court of Appeal. Members are currently instructed on behalf of individuals and organisations in the ongoing investigations following the fire at Grenfell Tower and the collapse of Didcot Power Station.

Inquests: TGC is a leading set in the field of coronial law and inquests. Members have been instructed in virtually every high-profile inquest of recent years, and in many of the resulting judicial reviews.  We often have multiple members of chambers instructed for different interested persons and/or as counsel to the Inquest in such cases. Recent examples include the inquests into those killed in the terrorist attacks at Westminster Bridge, London Bridge and the Manchester Arena (including when the latter was converted into a public inquiry), the Shoreham Air Disaster inquests, the Salisbury Novichok attack, the Inquest into the deaths of the victims of Stephen Port and the Croydon Tram fatalities.  An increasing proportion of our instructions are for families and we have a well-established track record for advising and representing coroners.  Our involvement in high-profile inquests goes back many years (examples include: the Tunisia inquests, the Hillsborough inquests, Vauxhall Helicopter crash, Litvinenko inquest, the 7/7 London Bombings Inquests and the inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales). Members of Chambers routinely appear and advise in military, police, custodial,  workplace and RTA inquests. Our inquest work dovetails with our expertise in health and safety; prisons, personal injury, clinical negligence,  military and national security work; and large-scale public inquiries.

Inquiries: TGC is highly regarded in this field with extensive experience of virtually all major public inquiries. We have a number of members of chambers currently instructed in connection with The Grenfell Tower Inquiry, The Manchester Arena Inquiry, The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, The Undercover Police Inquiry, The Infected Blood Inquiry and The Brook House Inquiry.  In the past, members have been instructed in The Independent Jersey Care Inquiry, The Litvinenko Inquiry, The Leveson Inquiry, and The Detainee Inquiry.

Insurance: Counsel at TGC specialise in motor and property insurance, credit hire, insurance fraud, and professional and product liability insurance.

Personal injury: TGC has, for many years, been recognised as a leading set for personal injury. One of the major strengths of chambers’ personal injury team stems from the balance of work undertaken:  both collectively, and as individuals, members are experienced in representing injured claimants as well as the insurance industry. The full range of personal injury work is undertaken, ranging from multi-million pound catastrophic injury work, regularly handled by many of the more experienced members (including spinal injury, traumatic brain injury, amputation and fatal accidents claims), through to the more straightforward fast track and portal claims dealt with by the junior members of the team. Chambers offers genuine expertise in topical areas of medical and legal controversy such as mild traumatic brain injury claims, chronic pain cases, claims involving allegations of (fundamental) dishonesty and the admissibility of the recording of expert appointments, in addition to more niche areas including group litigation (such as the on-going Hillsborough Stadium claims), sporting injury claims, military claims, aviation claims and CICA cases. The strength of chambers has rightly been recognised with the successes of individual juniors winning ‘junior of the year’ at leading industry awards in recent years. Several members of the PI team also have invaluable experience in related practice areas including costs, product liability, health and safety, inquests, public inquiries, clinical negligence and civil fraud. Recent cases featuring members of chambers include Swift v Carpenter;  Cable v London Victoria Insurance Co. Ltd;  Macdonald v Burton; Labbadia v Alitalia and Hibberd-Little v  Carlton.

Product liability: Chambers provides representation and advice on all product liability issues, both in the commercial sphere and also in bringing its expertise in injury law to bear on the multiplicity of different claims to which defective products give rise.  As well as representing accident victims, we regularly act for insurers, manufacturers, producers and retailers, both large and small.

We have individual members with experience of product liability litigation in relation to a wide range of products/industry sectors including: aviation, automotive (including relating to motor vehicles and motorcycle), sports equipment including bicycles, domestic white goods and other appliances, televisions, industrial equipment, medical equipment and implants, tobacco, and foodstuffs. Members have particular experience of explosion and fire claims.

We are able to provide counsel at all levels of seniority for work ranging from small unitary claims to high value and / or group actions in both the personal injury and commercial arena. Where necessary, chambers can provide a full team of counsel to deal with the often challenging legal and logistical issues that large scale litigation presents. Chambers also provides advice and representation in relation to criminal prosecutions and coronial inquests related to defective products.

Public international law: Chambers specialises in all areas of international criminal law, international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international public law.  Counsel regularly act in cases at the highest levels internationally, including at the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, the United Nations and in other international tribunals. Members act on behalf of governments, heads of states, international organisations, civil liberties groups and victims. Members of chambers are also routinely instructed in interstate disputes, international prosecutions and defences, as well as in civil claims with an international component. Our premises in The Hague operates as a hub for many of our international cases.

Public law: Members of Temple Garden Chambers have extensive experience in a wide range of public law fields, with particular emphasis on national security, immigration, extradition, prison law, European law, inquests and public inquiries. Several members of chambers are currently on the Attorney-General’s civil panels of junior counsel.

Professional regulation and discipline: Chambers’ team sits as legal advisors to professional disciplinary panels including the General Medical Council, General Dental Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council, General Optical Council, Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and Social Work England.