1 King’s Bench Walk
‘Richard is extremely intelligent and insightful, which shines through in his advice to clients and advocacy.’
1 King’s Bench Walk is ‘one of the strongest sets for family law work with highly-talented leaders and juniors’. Richard Harrison KC is a ’very clever, persuasive and strategic advocate’ with exceptional finance silks and expert at dealing with international cases involving complex issues of jurisdiction, while ‘expert cross-examiner’ Charles Howard KC’s main expertise is high net-worth financial disputes arising from divorce. Christopher Pocock KC is a ’fantastic and impressive’ advocate experienced in financial remedy cases involving corporate and business assets. Other key members of the team include the ‘highly knowledgeable’ Richard Castle and Katherine Kelsey , who is praised for her ’brilliant mind and written advocacy’.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The clerks are always willing to go above and beyond to help. They ensure they can provide a variety of options of available counsel for a hearing. In particular, Mark Betts, Nicola Cade, Lewis Hicks and Chris Young do ensure that a good rapport is maintained and provide outstanding service when dealing with an instructing solicitor.'
- 'The clerks are fantastic and responsive. Chris Young and Lewis Hicks are standout clerks.'
- '1 King’s Bench Walk is a go-to chamber. It has excellent and knowledgeable barristers at all levels specialising in all aspects of family law-related matters.'
- '1 King’s Bench Walk is a magic circle of family sets, with a strong roster of barristers at all levels in money and children's work.'
- '1 King’s Bench Walk is the best family law chamber. It is unique in having industry leaders in financial work and is particularly adept at providing teams who can work across all issues.'
- '1 King’s Bench Walk is the heavyweight of the family BaR. The best family law set which can handle financial and children work with equal ease from silks to pupils.'
- '1 King’s Bench Walk is an extremely strong set. All the barristers are very strong on technical legal knowledge and extremely approachable.'
- '1 King’s Bench Walk is an impressive and a leading set in family law.'
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 King’s Bench Walk
‘Charles is an exceptionally gifted barrister. He has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law and is very much on top of the detail.’
Philip Marshall KC
1 King’s Bench Walk1 King’s Bench Walk
‘Christopher is wonderful with clients. He provides clear and robust advice and is not afraid to ask difficult questions. His advocacy is clear and effective without being pompous. Judges trust and like him.’
1 King’s Bench Walk
‘Deborah is a true powerhouse. She has a determination to achieve the client’s goals, robust, determined, knowledgeable, and a formidable advocate.’
1 King’s Bench Walk
‘Frank is a gifted advocate with the ability to identify the key issues in a case and present even highly complicated arguments in an accessible and ultimately persuasive way.’
1 King’s Bench Walk
‘Harry is extraordinarily numerate and can handle complex financial cases with expertise beyond his peers. He is a fantastic and hard-hitting advocate who also brings strategy and sense to the negotiating table. He is simply brilliant with analysing disclosure.’
1 King’s Bench Walk
‘James is conscientious personified. He is very responsive and can pick up and run complex cases. He provides clear and to-the-point advice and leaves no stone unturned.’
1 King’s Bench Walk
‘Deepak has forensic attention to detail. His knowledge of international law is unmatched. He is hugely technical, works extremely hard and is all over the papers. He is a fierce advocate and a great team player.’
2022 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 King’s Bench Walk
‘Alexander is patient with clients. He knows the law. He knows how to address a judge tellingly. He is very quick to respond and works hard for the client.’
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.
1 King’s Bench Walk
‘Katherine is an incredibly safe pair of hands. She delivers realistic, focused and pertinent advice and exudes confidence putting the most anxious client at ease.’
1 King’s Bench Walk
‘Richard has a superb knowledge of the law. He has a strong instinct in relation to the merits of a case and is very accessible, and great bedside manner. His advocacy is extremely polished and persuasive. He is never flustered and his case law recall is sublime.’
1 King’s Bench Walk
‘Peter is a superb advocate, quick on his feet and puts clients at ease with his calm and confident manner.’
1 King’s Bench Walk
‘Charlotte is an absolute superstar. She is clever, astute, over detail and good with clients. She is highly respected by opponents and judges alike and is a standout.’
1 King’s Bench Walk
‘Caroline is extremely intelligent and diligent, at the same time as being very approachable. She has a strong advocacy style and is particularly persuasive.’
1 King’s Bench Walk
‘Kate is well-prepared and poised in her approach to negotiations. She is thorough and articulate in presenting her client’s case to the court.’
1 King’s Bench Walk
‘Jennifer is pragmatic and quick on her feet. She can grasp complex issues and finds practical and sensible solutions which are in the client’s best interests. She is a formidable advocate with a subtle and effective style.’
1 King’s Bench Walk
'Imogen has an excellent client manner and is well-liked by clients. She is efficient and pragmatic. She is constantly looking for a way forward and helps move matters along. Her written work is exceptional.'
1 King’s Bench Walk
‘Juliet is an extremely diligent and hard-working advocate. Her written work is of the highest quality, and her judgement is extremely good.’
1 King’s Bench Walk
‘Stephen has considerable experience in complex divorce financial cases, bringing his expertise and knowledge to the client. He handles cases professionally, particularly when dealing with highly conflicted parties. He is strong in attention to detail and always approachable and personable.'
1 King’s Bench Walk
‘Christopher is a fighter, clever, and a pleasant opponent out of court.’
1 King’s Bench Walk
'Anna is very pragmatic, and clients really like her down-to-earth approach. She is very good at thinking outside the box to find creative and commercial solutions.'
1 King’s Bench Walk
‘Alex has meticulous attention to detail and succinct presentation. His advocacy is calm and thorough and always very well prepared.’
1 King’s Bench Walk
'Laura is an excellent advocate. She is always thoroughly prepared and can cope with even the most challenging of opposition.'
1 King’s Bench Walk
'Jennifer is all over the detail, highly numerate, measured, a consummate professional, and fabulous. She is super hard-working, has a phenomenal work ethic and is unflappable under pressure.'
1 King’s Bench Walk
‘Mandy has excellent client care and interacts with instructing solicitors brilliantly. Her written and oral submissions are fantastic -her advocacy is calm, collected and has great attention to detail.’
1 King’s Bench Walk
‘Lucia has an extremely constructive approach to her advocacy. She cuts straight to the point and ensures court time is used efficiently and to her client’s advantage. Her written advocacy is clear and precise, and her proportionate view of cases leads to effective resolution.’
1 King's Bench Walk
'Nicholas is all-around great to work with. He is always well prepared, and his preparation for court and advocacy is always polished and perfect. He responds well on his feet. Clients love his straight talking and clarity. '
1 King’s Bench Walk
‘Nicola is an absolute powerhouse and genuinely flawless. Her paperwork is always excellent and prepared. She has a masterful and commanding court presence, impressive client and solicitor handling skills, and deep knowledge of the law. ‘
1 King’s Bench Walk
‘Perican is brilliant. She possesses an unwavering commitment to all her clients, providing excellent client care, always empathetic and reassuring, but not afraid to provide realistic advice. She is an exceptional advocate, tenacious and never gives up.’
1 King’s Bench Walk
‘Max is incredibly pragmatic and thoughtful. He is very good at seeing cases from several different angles and coming to a considered and proportionate solution. His knowledge of the legal precedents is brilliant, especially for someone of his call.’
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 King’s Bench Walk
'Emma is a fantastic and hard-working barrister. She is always thoroughly prepared and consistently gets straight to the issues in the matter regardless of any complexities. Her written work and advocacy are of an extremely high quality. She is always technically strong but also runs her cases creatively and personably.'