Administrative law and human rights

Brick Court Chambers

‘Very strong set’ Brick Court Chambers is home to ‘a full range of highly talented counsel’ in the public law arena. The ‘tenacious’ Paul Bowen KC has ‘impressive knowledge of the law of human rights’, and James McClelland KC‘s ’tactical advice is spot on‘. Victoria Wakefield KC represented the Church Commissioners for England before the Privy Council in All Saints Spring Park Parochial Church Council v Church Commissioners for England, an appeal concerning the issue of whether the Church could be considered as a public authority for Human Rights Act matters. Malcolm Birdling is ’a star of the administrative Bar‘; he and Jagoda Klimowicz successfully represented the claimants in R (L J Fairburn & Son and others) v Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, a challenge to the legality of the policy of compensation payable to farmers for the cull of poultry to curb avian influenza, which was alleged to be in violation of Article 1 Protocol 1 rights. Yaaser Vanderman joined the team in July 2024.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'Jo Francis is excellent.'
'Jo Francis and Hannah Rayner are wonderful to deal with.'
'Jo Francis has been a joy to work with.'
'Hannah Rayner is exceptional.'
'The clerks are professional, pragmatic and very responsive.'
'Brick Court is stacked with talent, at every level of call.'
'Excellent public and admin law set.'
'Strength in depth for public law.'

Silks

Leading Silks

KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.

Paul Bowen KC

Brick Court Chambers

'He is a bold advocate who puts forward his clients' cases with gusto and passion. He is able to spot unusual and important human rights and public law issues that others may miss.'

Jemima Stratford KC

Brick Court Chambers

'A supremely clever silk.'

Marie Demetriou KC

Brick Court Chambers

'A silk with excellent judgement, who provides clear and concise advice.'

Maya Lester KC

Brick Court Chambers

'Her advocacy is well-balanced, always well-thought-through, and compelling.'

Victoria Wakefield KC

Brick Court Chambers

'A superb advocate, who earns and maintains the trust of the court.'

James McClelland KC

Brick Court Chambers

'His advocacy is a brilliant blend of measured and persuasive.'

Juniors

Leading Juniors

Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.

Malcolm Birdling

Brick Court Chambers

'He enjoys the intellectual challenge of a difficult case, and he easily applies his deep knowledge of the law to the facts of his cases, and the issues in dispute.'

Tim Johnston

Brick Court Chambers

'Tim is a match for any silk. He is a formidable advocate, equally comfortable with novel legal issues and with challenging factual cases.'

David Heaton

Brick Court Chambers

'David is a dedicated, hard-working and tenacious advocate.'

'She has a brilliant brain.'

Jennifer MacLeod

Brick Court Chambers

'Jennifer is extremely intelligent and she applies her formidable intellect to every case in which she is involved. She has a phenomenal work ethic.'

Rising stars

Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.