With a reputation for being ‘the leading public and administrative law set’, Blackstone Chambers is also highly regarded for its ‘strong core of human rights work’. In a prominent case highlight, Sir James Eadie KC (as "Treasury Devil", the government's first-choice external counsel), Thomas de la Mare KC, Tom Leary and Hollie Higgins appeared for various parties in the Divisional Court in Liberty v Secretary of State for the Home Department, a judicial review challenging the Public Order Act 1986 (Serious Disruption to the Life of the Community) Regulations 2023, which were found to be ultra vires as it defined a threshold of "serious disruption" as "more than minor". Lord Pannick KC garners praise as ‘one of the outstanding legal minds of his generation’, and Monica Carss-Frisk KC is ‘one of the most persuasive advocates at the Bar’. Tristan Jones KC was elevated to silk in March 2024.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Gary Oliver is a star. He knows the business and very commercial.'
- 'Gary Oliver is always available for any queries.'
- 'Mat Swallow and Adam Sloane have always gone the extra mile.'
- 'Billy Brian is very organised, responsive, and lovely to work with.'
- 'A strong team of clerks. Dean Tolman is highly capable and helpful. A real pleasure to work with this team.'
- 'The clerks are always helpful and pragmatic.'
- 'The service is always of a high standard.'
- 'Blackstone has incredible strength-in-depth.'
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.
Lord Pannick KC
Blackstone Chambers 'He commands the court with a unique presence and is strategically brilliant.'
Kate Gallafent KC
Blackstone Chambers 'She has brilliant technical knowledge, and commands the trust and respect of the court.'
Monica Carss-Frisk KC
Blackstone Chambers 'An outstanding leader. Judges respect her highly, and listen to every argument.'
James Segan KC
Blackstone Chambers 'James is as urbane in court as he is with clients. He instinctively knows which points to take and which to let lie, and will invariably deliver his points with panache.'
Ivan Hare KC
Blackstone Chambers 'His knowledge of the law is exceptional and he has an easy, understated advocacy style.'
Sam Grodzinski KC
Blackstone Chambers 'For his opponents, Sam is depressingly good. He has a tendency to make his case sound irresistibly correct.'
Jessica Boyd KC
Blackstone Chambers 'She is an exceptional advocate. She has a great ability to identify the key legal and tactical issues in a case and her advice is always well judged and considered. Judges appreciate the clarity of her advocacy, which is always well pitched.'
Hanif Mussa KC
Blackstone Chambers 'A consummate advocate with a huge intellect. He is insightful and very persuasive.'
2023 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.
Tom Richards KC
Blackstone Chambers 'Tom's ability to identify all the pertinent issues in each case, and relay the same to judges in a digestible manner, is remarkable. He is a calming presence in court.'
2024 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.
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.
Jason Pobjoy
Blackstone Chambers ‘Jason has a brilliant mind, allied to very strong emotional intelligence, and provides a wonderful service to instructing solicitors.’
Naina Patel
Blackstone Chambers 'Naina is a compelling advocate, who is able to cut through to the heart of a case.'
Celia Rooney
Blackstone Chambers 'Celia is wise far beyond her year of call. She is confident making difficult calls under pressure.'
Blackstone Chambers
'A junior with meticulous attention to detail.'
George Molyneaux
Blackstone Chambers 'An incredibly clever and astute barrister, who has an enviable combination of technical knowledge and tactical acumen.'
Tom Coates
Blackstone Chambers 'A client focused barrister, who always provides very thoughtful, timely advice.'
Sarah Wilkinson
Blackstone Chambers 'A very approachable and engaging junior with a calm and measured demeanour.'
Hollie Higgins
Blackstone Chambers 'Hollie gets on top of the issues really quickly. An incredibly responsive junior.'
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.
