Crown Office Chambers has a broad professional negligence practice that includes claims against construction professionals, accountants, lawyers, insurance brokers, and tax advisors. Ben Quiney KC is acting for the professional indemnity insurers of the architect in Shepherd Construction Limited v Dunnett Craven and CBRE, a complex dispute centering around cladding and fire safety concerns. Described as ‘a master tactician’, Daniel Shapiro KC led Carlo Taczalski in Henry Boot Developments v Burnley Wilson Fish, in which they defended a quantity surveyor. Andrew Rigney KC has extensive experience with professional liability matters in the construction sector; he is actively involved in ongoing civil litigation arising out of the Grenfell Tower fire. Anna Laney KC was appointed silk in March 2024.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The clerks are excellent. Steve Purse leads the professional negligence team and is always very easy to deal with.’
  • ‘Steve Purse is superb.’
  • ‘They have significant strength in depth in most areas, including construction and professional negligence.’
  • ‘Crown Office Chambers is an excellent set. It has strength and depth across many areas of law. It has a superb clerks room.’
  • ‘The barristers are all easy work with and the clerks are first-rate.’
  • ‘It is a very strong set.’
  • ‘They offer a very good service.’
  • ‘The clerks at chambers are attentive and extremely helpful.’

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.
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.

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.
Nicola Atkins
3
Nicola Atkins
Crown Office Chambers
‘Nicola is legally and strategically astute with a consistently approachable and composed manner. Nicola's pleadings are always of the highest caliber.’
Richard Sage
4
Richard Sage
Crown Office Chambers
‘Richard is very easy to work with, clever, and hardworking. His written work is very clear and is a very good strategic thinker.’  
Michael Harper
5
Michael Harper
Crown Office Chambers
‘Michael is a tenacious barrister. He is incredibly diligent and leaves no stone unturned. He makes even the most difficult issues digestible for clients.’
Charles Pimlott
5
Charles Pimlott
Crown Office Chambers
‘Charles is excellent to work with. He is super responsive and always makes himself available. His drafting is first-rate, and his advice on merits and strategy is always spot on.’
Frederick Simpson
5
Frederick Simpson
Crown Office Chambers
 ‘He is an outstanding junior. He is legally and strategically astute with an outstanding eye for detail. He is a real go-to for a junior on construction matters. His style of advocacy is confident and composed.’
David Myhill
6
David Myhill
Crown Office Chambers
‘David is a highly intelligent and dynamic barrister. He is a delight to work with. He is excellent at drafting and has extraordinary attention to 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.
Toby Chandler
Toby Chandler
Crown Office Chambers
 ‘He is very analytical and offers sound commercial advice. His written work is good and he builds a very good rapport with the client.’