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Clinical negligence

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1 Crown Office Row

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A ‘leading clinical negligence set’, 1 Crown Office Row is highlighted for ’strength in depth‘ across the whole of the range of clinical litigation the set’s silks and juniors operate in. The team is active in disputes involving NHS, private healthcare providers, along with medical defence organisations in both domestic and cross-border cases. Typically active in complex, multi-layered disputes, the set represents clients and defendants in birth injury mandates, including severe cerebral palsy cases. In addition, the set’s practitioners are experienced in a range of spinal cord, surgical errors, cardiac and medicinal issues litigation. Notably, Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel KC and Neil Sheldon KC represented a claimant in CDE v Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, a high value birth injury case that reached the Court of Appeal involving the application of the Bolam and Bolitho tests.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Service is second to none. John McClaren and Andrew Tull lead their juniors really well, and are completely in control of what is going on in the clerks room.'
  • 'Andrew Tull is great. He always manages to fit you in if you need an urgent conference.'
  • 'John McLaren and Matthew Phipps have in particular been excellent (and especially when I have needed some last minute, urgent advice).'
  • 'All the clerks at 1COR provide an excellent level of service.  They are responsive, personable and always keen to help.'
  • '1 Crown Office Row are the leading clinical negligence set in the Country and rightly so in my opinion. Their strength in depth in unparalleled against their competitors at both silk and junior level.'
  • 'This set has been excellent- very responsive and I have also been very impressed with the knowledge and expertise with this set as a whole'
  • 'My go to set for clinical negligence cases due to the breadth and depth of expertise across chambers.'
  • 'Superb set of chambers with depth and quality across its barristers - always can be relied upon to deliver; superb training and understanding of the market they support.'
  • 'It is a fantastic set as a whole, with many excellent barristers.'

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.

1
Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel KC
‘Lizanne is the definition of powerhouse. Driven by a passion to improve the lives of children and young adults who have suffered serious injury as a result of negligence, she applies herself with huge energy to some of the most difficult and complicated cases.'
1
Philip Havers KC
‘Excellent at identifying the issues in the case and a very skilled negotiator at round table meetings, achieving excellent results for clients. A pleasure to work with.'
1
Paul Rees KC
He combines exceptional attention to detail with an unrivalled work ethic.'
1
John Whitting KC
‘John is simply the best. Few barristers understand clinical negligence work as well as he does. He delivers great results every time.’
2
Angus McCullough KC
'
2
Shaheen Rahman KC
'Always on top of the details, but blended with adaptability and her responsiveness stand out.'
2
Henry Witcomb KC
‘Forensic and hugely experienced.’
3
Richard Booth KC
‘Divine to work with, thorough and confident, oozes seniority and expertise and brilliant with clients.’
3
Clodagh Bradley KC
‘Clodagh is an absolutely fantastic barrister. Her attention to detail is second to none, and she has a real empathy with clients which really helps to make clients feel at ease. She is incredibly switched on in all areas, and is a fierce advocate.’
3
Jeremy Hyam KC
‘Jeremy is highly intelligent, thoughtful, hard working and approachable. He is a top choice for tricky cases involving involved legal points.’
3
Robert Kellar KC
‘Robert has an excellent eye for detail. He is a strong tactician. His pleadings are detailed and well drafted. He is responsive and very good with clients. He is fantastic at negotiations and RTMs. He gets exceptional results for clients.’
3
Andrew Kennedy KC
‘Andrew’s advocacy is highly effective and engaging. He is adept at witness handling and cross-examination, in particular of expert witnesses. In addition his ability to craft an excellent closing speech is impressive as is his ability to think on his feet in court and adapt strategy.’
3
Sarah Lambert KC
‘Despite her remarkable legal expertise, Sarah possesses a down-to-earth demeanour that instantly puts clients at ease. Her pragmatic perspective cuts through the complexities of the law, offering clear and practical solutions tailored to the individual needs of each case.’
3
Owain Thomas KC
4
Margaret Bowron KC
4
David Evans KC
'Excellent advocate - terrifyingly good at cross-examination. Good with clients, witnesses and experts in conference. Very thorough and detailed case analysis. Written pleadings are extremely persuasive.'
4
Neil Sheldon KC
‘Neil has a sharp mind, makes clients feel at ease and explains complex issues in an understandable way. He is a tough negotiator and has been responsible for some of his instructing solicitors' biggest successes - they cannot rate him highly enough.’

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.

1
David Manknell KC
'David is first class; he is extremely knowledgeable and thorough with incredible attention to detail.'

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.

1
Cara Guthrie
‘Cara is incredibly thorough in her preparation, with excellent attention to detail. Her advocacy skills are superb.’
2
Paul Reynolds
‘Paul is very forensic, very considered and does not let anything slide. he is a big brain for sure. he is also very responsive and approachable. his advocacy is also excellent- he is like a dog with a bone.’ 
3
Matthew Barnes
‘Matthew is extraordinarily intelligent and cuts through to the heart of the issues in any case. He is a forceful and eloquent advocate and a formidable opponent.’
3
Gideon Barth
‘Gideon's advice is always clearly articulated and he is able to handle difficult expert witnesses with aplomb.’
3
John Gimlette
‘John is simply superb. He has excellent legal and strategic knowledge, is always on hand to answer any queries or concerns and his standard of work is exceptional.'
3
Pritesh Rathod
‘Excellent client care and attention to detail, particularly quantum issues.’
3
Judith Rogerson
'Judith is incredibly thoughtful, well prepared and collegiate in her dealings with her instructing solicitors. Judith is unflappable, thinks very quickly on her feet and is a formidable ally in any situation, including settlement meetings and at trial.'
3
Dominic Ruck Keene
‘Very organised and with an excellent grasp of complex medical issues across a large group of claims. Works constructively at settlement meetings, more than holding his own in negotiations.’ 
3
Shahram Sharghy
‘Empathetic with lay client and very well prepared in advance of conference. Skillfully manoeuvred through very complex causation expert evidence. Confident with good attention to detail.’
3
Richard Smith
‘On his feet, Richard is an excellent advocate, able to keep things simple and precise and not get caught up in the detail and peripheral battles.’
3
Leanne Woods
Leanne is commercial in her advice and pragmatic in her approach. She is a pleasure to work with - friendly, down to earth, and extremely switched on.’
4
Rory Badenoch
‘Immense attention to detail and extremely thorough.’
4
Marcus Coates-Walker
‘Marcus’ genuine passion for his work means he quickly builds trust with lay clients, even in the most challenging of circumstances. He’s a highly skilful advocate with top notch questioning strategy and instincts.’
4
Darragh Coffey
 ‘Darragh has a wonderful ability to distil pages of information into succinct and convincing legal arguments and to identify and focus on the key issues of a case.’
4
Jim Duffy
‘Jim is fantastic - he has a real way with clients that puts them at ease and feel confident in his abilities. He is superb with experts and really gets to the crux of cases.’
4
Jessica Elliott
4
Emma-Louise Fenelon
4
Matthew Hill
'Excellent advocate, has a really good manner with clients, aggressive negotiator.'
4
Suzanne Lambert
‘Incredible attention to detail plus excellent drafting skills. Also a real team player and very good with clients.’
4
Rachel Marcus
Very clever, through excellent on her feet - formidable in a settlement meeting, really impressive.’
4
Isabel McArdle
'She is a brilliant communicator, very forensic with the experts.'
4
Jo Moore
‘Jo is excellent. She is extremely bright and incisive and her pleadings and judgement in relation to quantum matters are spot on.’
4
Richard Mumford
‘Impressive advocate with superb cross examination skills and ability to think well on his feet.’
4
Hannah Noyce

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.

1
Rajkiran Barhey
Rajkiran is personable and approachable. She is great with clients, and her work and advocacy is thorough and excellent.’
1
Thomas Beamont
Very clear and focused. Understands key concerns and team player.’