Stephanie Barwise KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Stephanie’s written advice is very clear. She is very detailed and authoritative. She never lets you down.’
With ‘unrivalled experience in construction and engineering matters’, Atkin Chambers boasts ’deep bench strength’, and continues to handle major international projects and domestic infrastructure and fire safety matters. In the international arena, Christopher Lewis KC and Manus McMullan KC continue to represent the Panama Canal Authority in disputes arising from the Third Set of Locks project. In addition to the set’s experience in international arbitration, Andrew Fenn is currently acting for the claimant in Carillion plc v KPMG LLP & Anor, a large audit negligence case concerning the collapse of the construction contractor. On the domestic side, Dominique Rawley KC, Simon Lofthouse KC, and Jennifer Jones KC are instructed on a high-value structural defects claim in the healthcare sector, while Chantal-Aimée Doerries KC is leading on Sheffield Teaching Hospital Foundation Trust v Hadfield Healthcare Partnership Limited, a multimillion PFI dispute relating to fire safety in a hospital. Stephanie Barwise KC and Dalton Hale continued to represent a group of core participants in the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry. Camille Slow KC took silk in March 2024.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Clerks as a whole are very helpful, knowledgeable and quick to respond to queries. Andy Burrows in particular is worth a special mention.'
- 'The service from the clerks room is excellent. Justin Wilson, Andy Burrows and Rick Bulaitis are the 'go to' with David Barnes also accessible if required.'
- 'Atkin Chambers are a real power house in construction professional negligence. First rate. Real strength in depth.'
- 'Atkin has unrivaled expertise in construction and engineering matters.'
- 'The set is very strong and certainly a 'best in class offering', boasting strength and depth.'
- 'Atkin is one of the premier sets for construction with a reliable stable of thoroughbreds.'
- 'Atkin has almost unmatchable quality in every area. Their counsel are the top of any list. Superb set.'
- 'Far and away the best construction set. They have the best silks and juniors in the field. Commercially strong and know their stuff.'
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.
Stuart Catchpole KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Stuart is flawless. His meticulous attention to detail, impeccable command of the evidence, and incisive cross examination makes him a force to be reckoned with.'
Chantal-Aimée Doerries KC
Atkin Chambers 'An outstanding silk: calm and authoritative. A really top performer.'
Simon Lofthouse KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Simon is a witness demolition specialist. He does that because he is more prepared than they are and slowly but surely crucifies them on the details.'
Manus McMullan KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Manus has a brilliant mind, puts the dots together in complex matters, and brings unclarities to light in cross-examinations.'
David Streatfeild-James KC
Atkin Chambers ‘David is very bright and great at thinking out of the box. Excellent advocate.’
Andrew White KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Andrew is a phenomenal advocate and his experience shines through. He remains calm under pressure and sees through the vast detail to grasp the points that matter.'
Stephen Dennison KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Stephen is a fantastic advocate who is great with clients and good at getting to the heart of a case.'
Riaz Hussain KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Riaz is a superb advocate especially in cross examination of both lay and expert witnesses. He is always extremely well prepared and demonstrates a great rapport with his client and legal team.’
Steven Walker KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Steven is an outstanding advocate. He is calm, forensic, and able to think on his feet. He prepares well and is able to explain tricky concepts and evidential points in a way that lands well with clients! He is a pleasure to work with.'
Dominique Rawley KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Dominique is razor-sharp on the law with a very good sense of what works in practice. Really good at dealing with witnesses to extract the key information.’
Martin Bowdery KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Martin provides superb analysis. He is very good on his feet and has the ear of the court. Absolutely top notch.'
Jonathan Acton Davis KC
Atkin Chambers 'Jonathan is a powerhouse of a senior advocate who was excellent in setting the tone, and working very well with the solicitor and expert teams.'
Andrew Goddard KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Andrew is very responsive and is able to provide well-thought-out advice to suit client's legal and commercial needs in an expedient manner. He is a skillful advocate whose submissions are succinct and to the point.'
James Howells KC
Atkin Chambers ‘A superb all rounder. Good to work with and excellent with clients, matched with the legal acumen you would expect from a senior silk.'
Serena Cheng KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Serena is absolutely superb. Measured, incredibly bright, tactical, confident in her opinion but very willing to listen, and excellent with clients. She is a cut above the rest.'
Mark Chennells KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Mark is a brilliant all-round KC. He is very hard working and prepares his cases thoroughly and he masters the detail. He is very intelligent and his written submissions are top drawer and he is an excellent advocate. He is also user-friendly and an absolute pleasure to work with.'
Rupert Choat KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Rupert is a fantastic advocate. He really gets into the detail of the case early doors and explains and sets out the key legal points in a comprehensive but client friendly manner. His advocacy is thorough and pointed.'
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.
Camille Slow KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Camille is a clever advocate. She is phenomenally good with technical expert evidence. Her cross examination style is focused.'
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.
Andrew Fenn
Atkin Chambers ‘Andrew is extremely client friendly. First class written advocacy based on mastering of the factual and technical case. The first draft from Andrew rarely requires amendment. Assured and compelling oral advocacy that rivals barristers that are many years his senior.'
Nicholas Collings
Atkin Chambers ‘Nicholas’ advice is clear and concise and his drafting powerfully persuasive. Nicholas’ grasp of technical issues is first-class.’
Patrick Clarke
Atkin Chambers ‘Patrick has excellent analytical skills which inform the basis of a solid strategic posture in litigation. Vast technical experience. Committed to being a proactive team player with his sleeves rolled up.'
Robert Clay
Atkin Chambers 'Robert is a very experienced barrister with clear strategic process in his approach to claims.'
Omar Eljadi
Atkin Chambers ‘Omar's strengths include his deep expertise in construction matters, impressive fact-finding skills and strong attention to details. He has distinguished experience in handling construction disputes. His participation in the legal team as counsel is invaluable.'
Mathias Cheung
Atkin Chambers ‘Mathias drafts very well and is good on his feet - an outstanding junior and definitely one to watch.'
Rónán Hanna
Atkin Chambers ‘Rónán is very bright and capable, as well as being user friendly and responsive.’
David Johnson
Atkin Chambers ‘David is excellent technically and strategically and always delivers on time even in very difficult circumstances.'
Samar Abbas Kazmi
Atkin Chambers ‘Samar is extremely bright and very quick. He has a laser-like focus on the important points, and expresses himself beautifully. He knows when to press a point in argument and when to yield gracefully. He is an excellent junior.'
Katie Powell
Atkin Chambers 'Katie is very responsive and clear and decisive in her advice. She is excellent on the detail, but still able to see the bigger picture.'
Zulfikar Khayum
Atkin Chambers ‘Zulfikar is very responsive, client friendly, and very sharp. He is unfailingly helpful and on top of the matter, as well as very likeable.’
Simon Crawshaw
Atkin Chambers ‘Simon is very well-versed in planning and construction with quick turnaround times when further instructions are given. He is very proactive and provides detailed advice promptly.'
Felicity Dynes
Atkin Chambers ‘Felicity is extremely bright, laser focused in her written advice and advocacy, a clever cross-examiner and a delight to work with. A top choice junior barrister.'
Nicholas Maciolek
Atkin Chambers ‘Nicholas is a very good junior counsel, who is able to process large volumes of information rapidly. He is very proactive, and clearly knows his stuff.'
Edmund Neuberger
Atkin Chambers ‘Edmund is easy to work with and extremely responsive. He adopts a hands on approach and simplifies the entire process for those working with him.'
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Laura Hussey
Atkin Chambers ‘Laura produces excellent written legal submissions leading to a successful adjudication result. A team player who is a pleasure to work with.'
Ryan Turner
Atkin Chambers 'Ryan's attention to detail is second to none and he has a fantastic ability to digest and distil huge amounts of information to produce clear and concise advice and drafting. Very accessible and user friendly. A real pleasure to work with an an invaluable part of the team on a very large and complex matter.'
Lauren Adams
Atkin Chambers ‘Lauren is exceptional on her feet with complex legal arguments and very much has the ear of the judge. She is at home when pitched against counsel many years her senior, including silks.’
Mischa Balen
Atkin Chambers ‘He is a brilliant barrister and definitely a go-to junior. His written work is outstanding and he is extremely efficient. A real pleasure to work with.’
Dalton Hale
Atkin Chambers ‘An extremely able lawyer who is able to deliver his advice clearly and with an eye to the wider commercial aspects of a dispute.’
Caroline Greenfield
Atkin Chambers ‘Caroline is an highly analytical and responsive, with excellent attention to detail. Her written work is of a very high standard and she gives robust and clear advice, focusing on the key points.’
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.
Arthur Graham-Dixon
Atkin Chambers ‘Arthur is an exceptional construction junior. His ability to synthesise a significant factual record in a short timeframe, provide accurate and commercially informed advice, and to produce very high quality written work, is impressive.'
Max Twivy
Atkin Chambers 'Max is extremely detailed, sharp and engaged. He is responsive and is very pleasant to work with. Certainly a name to watch for the future.'