The Bar - London Bar

Chambers of Adrian Darbishire KC and Selva Ramasamy KC

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QEB Hollis Whiteman is widely regarded as one of the leading crime sets in London, regularly involved in heavyweight cases. Edward Brown KC was recently instructed for the prosecution in a case concerning three police officers charged with distributing grossly offensive messages to other officers in a WhatsApp group, one of whose members was Wayne Couzens, who was convicted of the rape and murder of Sarah Everard. Eleanor Laws KC, ‘the doyen of sexual offences law’, and Orla Daly  represented former Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy (who, after the trial, signed for Lorient), who was acquitted on rape charges over two trials. Appearing in the Isle of Man under a temporary advocates licence, Crispin Aylett KC represented a man who was retried for the 2013 murder of his wife’s lover.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Chris Emmings and Faye Stimpson are a very dynamic duo and work well together. David O’Sullivan is excellent, very accommodating and responsive. Sam Window and James Booth are also very good.'
  • 'Chris Emmings is an excellent clerk who understands the commerciality of practice. The whole team is very professional and the service provided never falls short of the highest standards that one could expect from one of the very best criminal chambers in the country.'
  • 'Sam Window manages to make the unachievable, achievable.'
  • 'QEB Hollis Whiteman remains one of the top crime sets in London.'
  • 'QEB is known for the consistently high calibre of their members and clerking team. Despite many of their members being in high demand, they bend over backwards to accommodate our requests and preferences, which is appreciated. Their seminars and other events are always of a very good quality.'
  • 'QEB are obviously a top set, with real strength in depth.'
  • 'The set has top to bottom quality. There are simply no barristers within the chambers who are not of the highest standard. The chambers has a culture of excellence and ensures that the training of its members is at its forefront. The external training is also always excellent.' 

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.

1

Eleanor Laws

Hall of fameChambers of Adrian Darbishire KC and Selva Ramasamy KC

'Eleanor is at the top of the tree when it comes to sexual offences work. She is a warrior and takes no prisoners. On her feet she is excellent - persuasive, calm, picks up on aspects of the evidence and uses this skillfully in cross-examination. Her closing speeches are excellent.' 

2

Zoe Johnson

Hall of fameChambers of Adrian Darbishire KC and Selva Ramasamy KC

 ‘Zoe is simply a class act. She has outstanding judgement and is tactically very shrewd. Her written work is always of the very highest standard and her personable manner inspires confidence in clients. Her advocacy and cross-examination is disarming and extremely effective. She is at the very top end of the criminal Bar.’ 

Ali Bajwa3

Ali Bajwa

Hall of fameChambers of Adrian Darbishire KC and Selva Ramasamy KC

  ‘There is no one quite like Ali. His work ethic is legendary but it is the ease with which he approaches even the most complex cases that really stands out. He has a phenomenal legal brain allied with an effusive charm that works with clients and juries alike. He is the star of London without doubt.' 

3

Philip Evans

Hall of fameChambers of Adrian Darbishire KC and Selva Ramasamy KC

‘Philip is a bright, competitive and analytical barrister, equally at home prosecuting or defending. He is tactically very astute, seeing the bigger picture in complicated and multi-handed cases, and his advocacy is calm and persuasive and his cross-examination forensic. He is a silk out of the top drawer.'

3

Sean Larkin

Hall of fameChambers of Adrian Darbishire KC and Selva Ramasamy KC

 ‘Sean is a fantastic advocate who brings charisma, confidence and eloquence in equal measure. He works very hard behind the scenes to ensure that he is always completely in control of events in court, and in doing so inspires complete confidence in the team he leads and his client. No matter how difficult the case or the issue he rises to it.'

2023 Silks

Ben Fitzgerald KC

Chambers of Adrian Darbishire KC and Selva Ramasamy KC

‘Ben is a first-rate member of the Bar. His level of preparation and involvement in a case is beyond that of most barristers and he is calm and unwavering in the face of a difficult client, opposition or tribunal. In court Ben’s advocacy echoes the above which leads to a very strong and robust advocate.’ 

2024 Silks

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.

2

Philip Mcghee

Chambers of Adrian Darbishire KC and Selva Ramasamy KC

 ‘Phil is exceptionally smart, extremely well-organised, insightful and vigilant. He has a strength in court that matches his talents. He is confident without being overconfident, careful and thoughtful with his submissions, unafraid to press when needed but never on a bad point. A silk in waiting.'

3

Tom Broomfield

Chambers of Adrian Darbishire KC and Selva Ramasamy KC

 ‘Tom always demonstrates superb preparation in his cases. He always attends court with an exceptional knowledge of the case which fills anyone who instructs him with confidence. In court he is a smooth advocate, picking the right tone for each witness. When mitigating he speaks with purpose and authority.'

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.

2

Philip Mcghee

Chambers of Adrian Darbishire KC and Selva Ramasamy KC

 ‘Phil is exceptionally smart, extremely well-organised, insightful and vigilant. He has a strength in court that matches his talents. He is confident without being overconfident, careful and thoughtful with his submissions, unafraid to press when needed but never on a bad point. A silk in waiting.'

3

Tom Broomfield

Chambers of Adrian Darbishire KC and Selva Ramasamy KC

 ‘Tom always demonstrates superb preparation in his cases. He always attends court with an exceptional knowledge of the case which fills anyone who instructs him with confidence. In court he is a smooth advocate, picking the right tone for each witness. When mitigating he speaks with purpose and authority.'