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England - London Bar

1

Administrative law and human rights

Blackstone Chambers

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‘Leaders in public law with real bench strength’, Blackstone Chambers remain at the forefront of the most prominent administrative law cases and have a strong human rights law pedigree. Members of the set have led on some of the highest-profile recent administrative law cases, with James Eadie KC - as treasury devil, the government's first-choice outside silk - and the ’very bright’ Marlena Valles acting on opposite sides of Court of Appeal case R (Castellucci) v Gender Recognition Panel, in which an American who, having been re-issued with a California birth certificate with the sex field changed from male to non-binary, unsuccessfully sought a similar Gender Recognition Certificate in England. ‘The leading silk for administrative law cases’ according to some, Lord Pannick KC is currently acting with the ’simply brilliant’ Paul Luckhurst on a challenge to the Government’s decision to apply VAT to independent school fees in R (ALR and Others) v Chancellor of the Exchequer. Jason Pobjoy KC and Naina Patel KC both took silk in 2025, and each have established public law practices with recent experience acting for both claimants and defendants in a range of courts.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'Clerks have always provided a very good service. Derek Sutton is very helpful and responsive.'
'The clerks are always responsive and helpful, in particular Billy Brian, Adam Fuschillo and Adam Sloane.'
'Clerks have always provided a very good service. Derek Sutton is very helpful and responsive.'
'Chambers are easy to communicate with and the clerks are always helpful.'
'Very very professional. Rolls Royce service from the clerks' room.'
'Blackstone is the leading set in London for administrative law, its members have incredible breadth and versatility and the set is extremely capably clerked.'

Lawyers

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.

Monica Carss-Frisk KC

‘Monica is a superb advocate with an encyclopaedic knowledge of administrative law. She has fantastic judgement and her advocacy is highly persuasive – she always commands the attention of a court. She is an outstanding leader and the natural choice for the most important cases.’

Sir James Eadie KC

‘Tom is a highly experienced public lawyer, with broad knowledge and strong legal instincts. He cuts through to the key issues and offers realistic solutions. He is personable and pleasant to work with.’

Lord Pannick KC

'The leading silk for administrative law cases. Clear, articulate and knowledgeable. A pleasure to work with.'

Dinah Rose KC

Kate Gallafent KC

‘Kate has excellent judgment in dealing with the challenges facing clients. She is very effective as an advocate and gets on very well as part of the team.’

Sam Grodzinski KC

‘Good with clients, very well-respected by judges and a good advocate. Very good at working in a large team and provides sensible, practical advice on even the most complex matters.’

'Ben is one of the most in demand barristers practicing today, he dissects the most complex cases in minutes and his cross-examination is a thing of beauty. Instruct him if you can.'

'James has the confidence of the courts and quickly earns the confidence of clients. His advocacy is highly polished, with smooth delivery resting on thorough preparation. A pleasure to work with.'

'Strong and clear advocate. Very good with clients and explaining difficult concepts clearly. Thinks tactically and how to make the best of a case before particular judges.'

Shaheed Fatima KC

‘Can distil complex issues. Court presentation is incredibly clear and effective. Very responsive.’

‘Understated quality of advocacy.’

Thomas de la Mare KC

'Tom is extremely bright and is a very good persuasive advocate. He is a leading practitioner.'

'Hanif has an encyclopaedia of legal knowledge. He is fast, attentive, creative and always able to come up with solutions for clients no matter how complicated the matter is. He is also a fantastic advocate and would recommend to any other firm or client.'

David Pievsky KC

'David has excellent client handling skills and is very approachable. He takes a well-rounded view of each matters and considers political and commercial factors as well as the legal elements of a claim. His advocacy style is calm and collected and he is able to synthesise and present complex issues with clarity.'

2025 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.

'Very broad public law expertise, thoughtful and very engaging to work with.'

Fraser Campbell KC

'Fraser is a newly appointed KC who has real gravitas in relation to a wide range of public law issues. He is able to apply public law principles to commercial issues and provide clear and effective commercial advice. He is particularly strong at taking a strategic approach which combines legal remedies and commercial drivers to help clients solve complex issues.'

Jason Pobjoy KC

‘Both his oral and written advocacy are truly brilliant, but it is his phenomenal ability to manage and run a case that means he operates in a league of his own. Any case he is involved in is organised and runs like clockwork and his ability to project manage even the most complex claims is astounding. He is a star – truly impressive in every way.’

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.

'Paul is exceptionally bright, has excellent judgement and written work. He is a powerful advocate clearly respected by judges. His attention to detail and responsiveness make him a pleasure to work with.'

‘Ravi is a smart, dynamic and pragmatic counsel. He is highly perceptive, engaging and understanding of the client’s needs, ensuring his advice and advocacy secures the best outcomes for the client.’

'Good clear written advocacy and attention to detail.'

'He's just brilliant - so quick, instantly on top of absolutely everything, always right, and really responsive. Fantastic drafting.'

'Tom is ferociously intelligent and consistently excellent. Tom always delivers. He is thorough, pragmatic, logical and conscientious in his written and oral advice.'

‘Excellent written work. Great team player and very proactive.’

'Tom is a highly intelligent and persuasive advocate. His client demeanour is excellent and he always provides the best service possible. He is able to analyse very complex legal issues and provide a clear and sensible view.'

George Molyneaux

‘In an area of law full of very clever barristers, George still stands out as being a cut above. He really is ferociously bright. Very responsive and easy to deal with. He reads everything and is also happy to listen to other viewpoints. Good with clients. Very calm and sensible.’

Navid Pourghazi

'An exceptional junior with impressive expertise in discrimination issues. He is a pleasure to work with, approachable and fantastic with clients. He is a sharp strategist who provides considered, analytical yet practical advice.'

'Celia’s written work is of an excellent quality and she can quickly master detail.'

'Marlena is highly creative and is always thinking about how to achieve the best outcome for the client - which usually involves being one step ahead in her analysis of the case. She is a real asset to any complex litigation.'

4

Emma Dixon

‘She is an outstanding talent, and is widely praised for her legal brilliance and her meticulous preparation and eye for detail.’

'David gives clear and thorough advice, practical solutions and a helpfully commercial approach to legal problems. He is responsive and reliable.'

Gayatri Sarathy

Natasha Simonsen

'Natasha is a fantastic barrister and her attention to detail, academics and strategic approach are all far beyond her year of call. However, it is her compassion and genuine connection to her clients and commitment to the case which set her apart from her colleagues. She is a confident and careful advocate, deals with witnesses with sensitivity and precision, and leaves no stone unturned in preparation for trial. She is a joy to work with.'

Sarah Wilkinson

‘She is very good with clients, including very stressed ones, and offers a clear and pragmatic way forward. She is clearly an expert on the law, as you would expect, but is able to explain it clearly to clients, including the legal strategy.’