‘One of the leading sets in claimant police law’, Doughty Street Chambers draws on its wealth of experience in human rights and public law to handle the most complex police law cases, both at first instance and on appeal. A number of members represent core participants of the high-profile Undercover Policing Inquiry, which continues to unfold this year with opening statements and the second phase of evidence. In June 2024 Nicholas Bowen KC will appear before the Supreme Court in Tindall v Thames Valley Police, with the outcome determining if the Court of Appeal erred in finding the police did not owe road users a duty of care to protect them from harm. Adam Straw KC is ’one of the best claimant silks out there’ and represents the family of Sean Fitzgerald, who was fatally shot by a police officer, in the on-going inquest and civil claim for damages against the police. Fiona Murphy KC and Nick Brown remain involved in the Hillsborough Victims Misfeasance Litigation.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'The support staff are second to none. Always incredibly helpful, responsive, and very friendly. Cynthia Francis, customer experience manager, is fantastic and the driving force behind the public face of DSC.' 
  • 'The clerks are extremely responsive and helpful, particularly Grace Walton.'
  • 'The clerks at Doughty Street are at the top of their game. Super helpful and responsive.'
  • 'The clerks are excellent and helpful in making sure that timescales are met and papers turned around in good time.' 
  • 'Doughty Street has the widest collective of high quality claimant inquest and civil claim barristers of any set. They cover the full range of expertise and are my go to set when looking to instruct counsel in these areas.'
  • 'Doughty Street Chambers deserve their reputation as leaders in their field. They offer a huge range of highly qualified and dedicated barristers who are brilliant in the work they do.' 
  • 'Doughty Street have a wide selection of some of the best barristers in police law.' 
  • 'The set is one of the leading sets in claimant police law. It has considerable strength in depth and a wealth of experience at every level.' 

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.
Nicholas Bowen KC
1
Nicholas Bowen KC
Doughty Street Chambers
‘Nicholas has a huge depth of knowledge in the field of police and wider public authority claims, and is the go-to counsel in the field. He is a hugely respected, a fierce yet persuasive advocate, with the ear of the court.’
Jude Bunting KC
2
Jude Bunting KC
Doughty Street Chambers
'Jude is ferociously clever and dangerously charming. A behemoth of the police law Bar, he is second to none when it comes to representing claimants. He is very creative, quickly wins the ear of his tribunal and should never be underestimated.'
Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC
2
Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC
Doughty Street Chambers
'Caoilfhionn is incredibly knowledgeable and experienced in this area of law. She is creative, thinks outside the box and brings arguments and points to submissions that others simply would not think of.'
Maya Sikand KC
3
Maya Sikand KC
Doughty Street Chambers
‘Maya is an all around exceptional barrister. She is a straight talking legal power house. Her advocacy is exceptional, as is her litigation strategy and attention to detail. When you have Maya on your team you know your clients are in exceptional hands. ’
Adam Straw KC
3
Adam Straw KC
Doughty Street Chambers
 'Adam is excellent: one of the best claimant silks out there. He has a beautifully understated style, never pushing too far but gaining the ear of the court with his reasonable and well-focused submissions. A really stylish advocate.' 
2023 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.
Fiona Murphy KC
Fiona Murphy KC
Doughty Street Chambers
‘Fiona is a powerful advocate with a huge knowledge of the law, tenacious and determined. One of the stand-out individuals in actions against the police practice.’

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.
Tom Stoate
1
Tom Stoate
Doughty Street Chambers
'Tom is extremely adept and thorough in his work and a pleasure to instruct. He is very detailed in his approach and leaves no stone unturned. He is an excellent and proficient trial advocate.' 
David Lemer
1
David Lemer
Doughty Street Chambers
‘David is analytical, practical, strategic and brings a creative energy to his cases. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of police and public law, with a fabulous work ethic and fierce intellect.’
Alison Gerry
2
Alison Gerry
Doughty Street Chambers
'Alison is an excellent jury advocate. She is able to cut to the key points within huge amounts of material, while keeping the jury engaged. Her cross-examination is particularly powerful and she is also excellent with clients.'
Sam Jacobs
2
Sam Jacobs
Doughty Street Chambers
‘Sam is a go to barrister for actions against the police. He has forensic knowledge of the law, he is responsive and reliable and brilliant with clients.‘
Pippa Woodrow
2
Pippa Woodrow
Doughty Street Chambers
'Pippa is a go-to barrister for her work on behalf of survivors of domestic and sexual abuse. She is passionate but pragmatic and has a brilliant eye for detail.'
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.
Frederick Powell
Frederick Powell
Doughty Street Chambers
‘Frederick has an incredible eye for detail and leaves no stone unturned. He is very quick to respond and can turn around very complex and detailed pleadings in an impressively short amount of time.’