12 King's Bench Walk

12 King’s Bench Walk is ‘a leading personal injury set’, predominantly handling high-value catastrophic injury, fatal accident and sport injury claims. Additionally, the set garners praise as ‘a heavyweight in claimant asbestos disease work’. The ‘formidable’ William Audland KC is ‘at the absolute top of his game’. Michael Rawlinson KC is highly regarded for his expertise in industrial disease claims. Turning to the juniors, Spencer Turner is well versed in advising on high-profile fatal accident claims, disputes concerning serious injuries in the military and professional sport areas, and asbestos claims. Recent developments at the set include John-Paul Swoboda KC taking silk in March 2025 and Simon Browne KC joining the team in April 2025.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'Oliver Parkhouse is a real star.'
'Oliver Parkhouse, Rob Palumbo, George Boggis and Isaac Ayliffe are outstanding.'
'Rob Palumbo is really on the ball and dependable. Knows his stuff.'
'George Boggis and Rob Palumbo are swift and well organised.'
'Oliver Parkhouse is excellent as Director of Clerking, overseeing a great team. I have most dealings with Tristan Whigham who without fail finds a way to address my requests and he does this very promptly, going the extra mile to find a solution. I also regularly deal with Daniella Evans and Lily Baker, who are also both excellent in their roles with a very friendly approachable manner. Client care and service are obviously top priorities for all the clerks.'
'The Clerks regularly allocate counsel without difficulty and at short notice. Matthew Dowdall is always helpful.'

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.

William Audland KC

‘A skilled and sharp advocate who is a go-to in cases of the utmost complexity.’

Simon Browne KC

Michael Rawlinson KC

‘He always seems to be two steps ahead of his opponents.’

Steven Snowden KC

‘Steven's ability to simplify the most complex work is a real asset.’

Stephen Worthington KC

Paul Russell KC

‘Paul adopts a very forensic approach and is able to distil the relevant issues for clients very quickly. He is tenacious with opponents, and always fights the critical issues.'

Marcus Dignum KC

‘Marcus is at the top of his game. He is a pragmatic and insightful individual.’

William Featherby KC

Andrew Hogarth KC

Andrew Roy KC

‘He is analytical, precise, and always very well prepared.’

Patrick Vincent KC

2025 Silks

John-Paul Swoboda KC

‘He is a highly skilled advocate, well prepared, thorough, tenacious and works effectively under pressure.’

Personal injury - 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.

Henry Charles

‘Henry is an extremely intelligent and experienced barrister.'

Patrick Kerr

‘Patrick is very passionate in his representation of claimants. He will try and find solutions in tricky cases to achieve success for them.’

Nigel Lewers

‘Nigel is always well organised and thoroughly prepared. He offers pragmatic and commercial advice that is appreciated by insurers.’

Niall Maclean

‘He is ferociously hard-working, excellent with clients and outstanding in court.’

Philip Mead

‘Philip is wise and experienced. His style is unflappable and always full of good humour.’

David Sanderson

Gemma Scott

‘Gemma has excellent knowledge of brain injury cases. She is very easy to talk to and grasps the issues very quickly.'

Daniel Tobin

‘He has a brilliant handle on client care and clients instantly warm to him.'

Michael Brace

‘Very precise and quick to deal with all matters. He has a robust approach.’

Hugh Hamill

‘Hugh has an excellent ability to think quickly and anticipate a judge’s approach to a case.’

James Sullivan

David White

Ivan Bowley

‘He is vastly experienced and cuts through the most technical cases, proving sound, clear advice.'

James Candlin

‘James is very experienced, measured and sensible. He knows which cases to fight and which to settle.'

Angela Frost

She is a great negotiator.'

Joel Kendall

‘He is able to quickly assimilate and distill all the key issues in a case and provide clear,comprehensive and robust advice. His drafting skills are first rate and he is an excellent advocate.'

Andrew McLaughlin

‘Andrew is talented, extremely detailed and tactically astute.'

Rachit Buch

‘Rachit's client care skills are commendable, ensuring that clients feel informed and supported throughout the process. His thorough approach and extensive legal knowledge makes him a highly trusted and respected figure in the field of asbestos disease claims.'

David Green

‘David is adept at getting to the heart of the issues involved in a case. He provides clear, concise and practical advice.'

Isaac Hogarth

‘Very thorough, and his knowledge of the legislation is excellent.'

Andrew Lyons

Catherine Peck

‘She is very impressive. She is very personable and very smart.’

Charlotte Reynolds

‘Charlotte is first-class. She handles difficult conversations with clients with ease.'

Nina Ross

‘A direct and experienced junior.'

Oliver Rudd

‘He is commercially sensible and provides well-structured arguments.'

Charley Turton

‘Charley is a clear and confident advocate. She is brilliant.'

Thea Wilson

‘Thea is able to absorb vast amounts of complex evidence and forensically pick out the key points. Clients respect her judgement.’

Lois Aldred

‘Lois' advocacy is exceptional. Her preparation is extremely thorough.'

Thomas Banks

‘In court he is captivating and makes his arguments clear and convincingly.’

Arun Katyar

‘Arun is a star. His commerciality and approachability make him stand out.’

James Pickering

‘James has meticulous attention to detail, which shines through in his written advocacy.’

Edward Ramsay

‘A very intelligent and client-friendly junior.’

Charles Robertshaw

'Charles is very user-friendly. He works in a very collaborative manner, and it feels like a team effort.'

Anna Symington

‘Anna is excellent.'

Spencer Turner

‘Spencer is very good with clients, and he is very calm and approachable.’

Personal injury - 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.