Nick Goodwin KC
Harcourt Chambers 'Nick is an exceptional and skilful barrister who prepares thoroughly before hearings. He explains legal issues in an easy-to-understand manner to clients who highly respect and value his advice.'
With physical presences in Oxford and London, Harcourt Chambers is a ‘go-to set’ for family law matters on circuit and has an extensive roster of ’intellectually strong barristers who go above and beyond to achieve client goals’. Nick Goodwin KC has long-standing experience of handling both public and private law proceedings, and successfully represented the local authority in N (Children: Revocation of Placement Orders), Re, a Court of Appeal case related to a placement order for two children. John Vater KC is a ‘powerhouse of energy and commitment in court’ who has a track record of representing parents facing the most serious allegations of child abuse. Aidan Vine KC specialises in complex child abduction and fatal injury cases, while the ’extremely bright and hard-working’ Sara Granshaw represented the council in Wokingham Borough Council v Mother & Ors, a matter related to alleged sexual abuse. Alex Forbes has recently handled cases involving allegations of fabricated or induced injury, and Simon Miller is a ‘tough cross-examiner’ who assisted the local authority in the Court of Appeal with care orders made for three children against the father’s wishes in J & Ors, Re (Children: Interim Removal). Jason Green MCIArb is highly regarded for his ’thorough and extremely sharp analysis of legal issues’ and advised a father seeking the return of his daughter following the death of the mother in B v G, a Hague Convention case brought against the child’s grandmother, who took the child from Spain to the UK after the child’s mother’s death from cancer. Damian Garrido KC, as was, is now a High Court judge.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Matthew Molloy, Laurie Amron and Darcey Cunnew are all fantastic, helpful and quick to respond.'
- 'The clerks are all extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Laurie Amron and Matthew Molloy have always been extremely helpful.'
- 'Matthew Molloy is very efficient and always on hand to assist.'
- 'Harcourt is well known for their strength in international family law.'
- 'Harcourt is a very strong set both for children and financial matters. The barristers are of a very high caliber. They are one of the best sets.'
- 'Harcourt is an excellent go-to set for children working domestically and internationally.'
- 'Harcourt is a high-quality set that offers a wide range of expertise on family and childcare law matters. Their barristers and clerks are approachable and friendly.'
- 'Harcourt is a quality set with several excellent barristers. They are well-prepared and deliver consistently high-quality advocacy.'
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 Sampson KC
Harcourt Chambers 'Jonathan is an exceptional advocate. He is sharp-minded with an encyclopedic knowledge of the law and procedure. He has the ability to grasp the facts quickly and process them, enabling him to command respect from both judges and clients alike.'
John Vater KC
Harcourt Chambers 'John has a highly focused mind and a breadth of experience, enabling him to get to the nub of cases he is involved in. He employs a range of techniques in cross-examination, from forensic excellence to street-smart guile. He is a very hard-working and conscientious barrister of high standing.'
Aidan Vine KC
Harcourt Chambers 'Aidan is a tenacious advocate in written documents that are always detailed and well-researched and in oral advocacy, where he will pursue his argument as far as he can.'
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
1
Jason Green
Harcourt Chambers 'Jason is exceptionally bright and able to handle the most complex of cases. He is a standout advocate.'
1
Sara Granshaw
Harcourt Chambers 'Sara is an effective communicator. She is courteous to her opponents and the court. Her calm approach is effective in obtaining a good outcome for her client.'
1
Alex Forbes
Harcourt Chambers2
Cecilia Barrett
Harcourt Chambers 'Cecilia is an outstanding barrister - a class act every time. She does exceptional paperwork and can navigate the most complex cases with ease.'
2
Edward Kirkwood
Harcourt Chambers 'Edward is articulate and well-prepared. He is calm, approachable and knows this area of law extremely well.'
2
Emily Rayner
Harcourt Chambers ‘Emily is always well-prepared, knowing the cases inside out. She goes above and beyond for her clients. She is able to grasp the main issues of cases instantly, and her advice is firm but fair. Her advocacy is methodical and well-thought-through.’
3
Eleanor Howard
Harcourt Chambers 'Eleanor is outstanding. She has an excellent manner with clients and is willing to go above and beyond to try and get the best results. She is thorough in her preparation, and in court, she is robust and able to manage difficult opponents.'
3
Martha Gray
Harcourt Chambers 'Martha is meticulous with her preparation of cases. She provides excellent skeleton arguments and builds up a rapport with clients very easily. She is very skilled in her advocacy and well-prepared in her submissions.'
3
Emma Gatland
Harcourt Chambers ‘Emma is a first-choice barrister for complex children matters. She is a barrister at the top of her game. She is fiercely intelligent, an exceptional advocate and always two steps ahead of everybody else. She has a thorough and tactical approach to the case from the outset.’
4
Mavis Amonoo-Acquah
Harcourt Chambers 'Mavis is meticulous in her preparation for hearings and a strong advocate.'
4
Matthew Brookes-Baker
Harcourt Chambers 'Matthew is a fearless advocate with an exceptional work ethic. His ability to digest voluminous medical evidence is impressive; his cross-examination of medical experts is extremely thorough and effective. His knowledge of case law is encyclopaedic, and he runs legal arguments with enthusiasm and great skill.'
4
Matthew Stott
Harcourt Chambers 'Matthew is an incredible advocate. He is able to pick up extremely complex matters and run with it. He is very efficient and meticulous in all the work.'
4
Alex Perry
Harcourt Chambers ‘Alex is an exceptional advocate. He is calm, measured, intelligent, well-prepared, professional and has an excellent manner. His written work is also outstanding, as his ability to get to grips with the key facts and issues.’
4
Jane Campbell
Harcourt Chambers ‘Jane is extremely sensitive to clients’ needs and delivers difficult advice tactfully and supportively. Her advice is pragmatic and accurate.’
5
Oliver Powell
Harcourt Chambers 'Oliver shows empath and understanding to lay and professional clients. He is extremely thorough in his reading of the papers and forensic in his approach to each matter, identifying the issues and the applicable legal principles.'
5
Alison Williams
Harcourt Chambers5
Sian Cox
Harcourt Chambers ‘Sian has a relaxed style supported by preparedness and excellent legal knowledge. She is a strong advocate in court, direct and passionate about representing clients and children and protecting those at risk.’
5
Julia Shillingford
Harcourt Chambers ‘Julia is excellent, always the first choice for complex children matters. She engages so thoroughly with the clients that no stone is left unturned.’
5
Anna Yarde
Harcourt Chambers ‘Anna is an excellent barrister who has an exceptional way of communicating with clients. Her legal advice is easy to understand and very helpful.’
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.
Natasha Miller
Harcourt Chambers 'Natasha is knowledgeable. She is always on hand to offer advice and support to instructing solicitors and clients before, during and after hearings. She is compassionate with the client and has the judge's ear. She is very calm, collected and a top-class advocate.'
Adam Kayani
Harcourt Chambers 'Adam is knowledgeable and efficient and is a skilled advocate, presenting clients' positions confidently and accurately whilst demonstrating a thorough understanding of the law.'
Fazeela Ishmael
Harcourt Chambers 'Fazeela is excellent with clients. She is hugely conscientious and always very well-prepared.'