Paul Bleasdale KC
No5 Barristers’ ChambersNo5 Barristers’ Chambers is widely praised as ‘an exceptionally strong set’ that hosts a wide range of ’barristers with unparalleled talent’ when it comes to personal injury work. Jonathan Jones KC regularly handles high-value claims for both claimants and defendants, often involving consideration of periodical payments, provisional damages, statutory funding, and capacity. Teresa Hargreaves’ broad practice covers asbestos-related cases, RTAs, and workplace injury claims. Esther Gamble is noted for her ‘very detailed’ approach to medically complex cases, with her experience encompassing brain and spinal injuries, amputations, and fatalities. Robert Smallwood is routinely involved in complex and high-value cases – he is currently representing an amateur athlete who sustained catastrophic injuries as a result of falling from a cliff during a running-swimming duathlon, with the case raising novel issues regarding the duty owed to participants by sports event organisers and the extent of risk accepted by participants in such events.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The clerks' room is good - Clare Radburn stands out for her fast, efficient, mature and clear approach.'
- 'The clerks are excellent; helpful and exceedingly well organised. It is always a pleasure to do business with them. William Theaker, Peter Motram, and Tracey Witherford are all excellent.'
- 'William Theaker and Morgan Smith are excellent. The clerking team will do what they can to find you appropriate counsel even at short notice.'
- 'No5 Chambers is an exceptionally strong set. They have a depth of barristers with unparalleled talent for personal injury work. They offer comprehensive, detailed and interesting training seminars for all lawyers of all levels.'
- 'No5 Chambers offers an excellent service. They have a full range of specialists for almost every type of claim and issue as may arise. They also provide excellent, helpful and engaging training programmes, which always also offer a great opportunity for networking.'
- 'The Personal Injury Group at No5 Chambers offers a friendly, adaptive and professional service. They have an excellent depth of experience within the set and encourage and promote each other. Their approach to providing excellent client service is very much appreciated by clients.'
- 'No5 Chambers is a strong set and offers a range of barristers with broad depth of experience in this field.'
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.
Jonathan Jones KC
No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Jonathan is an excellent lawyer, extremely thorough in his preparation and with a terrific grasp of all of the issues in detailed and complex cases. He takes special care to ensure that the client is fully involved and engaged in the presentation and decision making about their case, and is a skilled tactician and negotiator.'
John Coughlan KC
No5 Barristers’ ChambersChris Bright KC
No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Chris has all the qualities expected from an impressive silk. He has excellent client care skills, the ability to deliver difficult advice and has an enviable depth of knowledge. He offers incredible support when dealing with the most complex clients and really is a team player, encouraging those that work with him to excel in their own careers. He offers the safe pair of hands that in difficult litigation you need and does it all with an incredible warmth and humour.’
David Tyack KC
No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘David is technically superb and incredibly conscientious. He is genuinely concerned for the wellbeing of clients and superbly polite and helpful. He is a superb advocate.'
Henry Pitchers KC
No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Henry is excellent all round. Notwithstanding his thoroughly deserved seniority now, he has kept his feet firmly on the floor, is modest, approachable and liked by all clients, yet weighted with being an excellent advocate, pragmatist, and a true specialist in his field and beyond.’
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
Malcolm Duthie
No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Malcolm is a commanding and imaginative advocate with a great knowledge of the law. He is extremely capable on his feet and inspires confidence in clients and easily builds an amiable rapport.'
1
Matthew Brunning
Temple Garden Chambers ‘Matthew has the ability to grasp a technically complex and difficult issue, break it down in a way clients can follow and understand. His attention to detail is astounding. He is also tactically astute, often thinking about the bigger picture for clients. Matthew is comfortably able to hold his own against (and often exceed) KCs.’
1
Paul Evans
No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Paul is simply the complete package. He is excellent technically, thoroughly prepared, wonderful with clients and brilliant on his feet in court. He is a leader, capable of operating alone even in the most serious of cases.'
1
Esther Gamble
No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Esther is a formidable advisor and advocate. She balances a sharp legal mind with exemplary client care. She has built a reputation as a leading advisor, who is ready and able to take on cutting edge cases. She takes a true team approach and is always happy to discuss strategy.'
1
Richard Moat
No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Richard has a good eye for detail and his ability to remember all aspects of a case always amazes. His advice is always clear - he will often give the good news early providing solutions on how to deal with the more complex or tricky cases. He is approachable and always willing to help where he can.'
1
Robert Smallwood
No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Robert has fantastic attention to detail that makes a real difference in complex cases. He is superb in conference with experts and very robust in JSMs with opponents. His trial advocacy is best in class.'
1
Nick Xydias
No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Nick is a clever, experienced, and compassionate barrister who always sees the bigger picture. He quickly gains the confidence of clients and families alike. He puts clients at ease and leaves them with a sense of confidence that he will take on the fight. Nick is also a formidable advocate.’
2
Steven Fisher
No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Steve's application of case facts to the relevant law is exceptional. He is very personable and puts clients at ease. He presents cases in a straightforward manner which is often appreciated by the judiciary.'
2
Jamie Gamble
No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Jamie has excellent communication skills and is a very persuasive advocate.'
2
Karl Hirst
No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Karl is a powerful advocate. He is one of the best negotiators around and also brilliant with clients, making them feel comfortable and reassured they are in very safe hands.'
3
Teresa Hargreaves
No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Teresa is able to grasp crucial issues immediately. She is extremely well prepared and able to give pragmatic advice to clients on a level they can understand. She is extremely down to earth, which is crucial when dealing with personal injury clients. She is a go-to barrister.’
3
Louisa Denning
No5 Barristers’ Chambers3
Stephen Goodfellow
No5 Barristers’ Chambers3
Alexander Mellis
No5 Barristers’ Chambers 'Alex’s analytical abilities are excellent. He not only shows an understanding of what clients want and why, but is able to extract what is important and relevant from what can often be significant amounts of information. Alex has very good judgement and takes a commercial and pragmatic approach which is something that clients appreciate.'
3
Jodie Kembery
No5 Barristers’ Chambers3
Lucy Coulson
No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Lucy is a tenacious advocate. She gets straight to the heart of cases and can pull any witness apart with her forensic cross-examination.'