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Leading Silks

Dijen Basu KCSerjeants’ Inn Chambers ‘Dijen is like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He is unassuming but it is an absolute marvel to witness him on his feet. He does not shy away from challenging a witness even when the subject matter is extremely sensitive. He also takes no prisoners when it comes to attacking the position of opposing counsel. Fearless, there is no other word.’ 
Andrew Warnock KCDeka Chambers ‘Andrew is an exceptional advocate and a leader in his field in duty of care cases. His knowledge of the law is second-to-none and he is able to communicate his analysis succinctly and clearly to clients.’
Fiona Barton KC5 Essex Chambers 'Fiona has immense knowledge of police law. Peerless.' 
Gerard Boyle KCSerjeants’ Inn Chambers ‘Gerard is a true leader in police law. He is an outstanding court advocate with excellent client handling skills. He knows just how to calibrate very sensitive points in high-stakes cases.’
Hugh Davies OBE KC  –Three Raymond Building ‘One of the top police law silks.’
Alan Payne KC39 Essex Chambers ‘Alan’s work is exceptional. He never fails to provide outstanding advice and advocacy. Solicitors always, without fail, receive lovely comments from lay clients about how he is the best‘.
Anne Studd KC5 Essex Chambers 'Anne is highly intelligent and always provides clear and detailed advice.'
Matthew Butt KCThree Raymond Buildings ‘Matthew’s forensic ability and power to shape the facts of any case is outstanding. He is also a powerful cross-examiner and delivers submissions with real weight, charm and gravity. He is intimidated by nothing and no one. ‘
Alisdair Williamson KCThree Raymond Buildings ‘Alisdair is renowned and very experienced in this field. A top notch leader in police cases.’

2023 Silks

Francesca Whitelaw KC5 Essex Chambers 'Francesca is very hard working, sensible, and amiable.' 

Leading Juniors

Kevin BaumberThree Raymond Buildings ‘Kevin is increasingly regarded as a leading authority, if not the authority, in matters relating to police misconduct.’
James BerrySerjeants’ Inn Chambers ‘James is incredibly approachable, good with clients of all ranks and matches this with an excellent grasp of police law. His advocacy is understated - which suits the subject matter - but highly effective.’
Beatrice Collier5 Essex Chambers 'Beatrice is an excellent advocate, who prepares her cases really well. She is hard-working and resilient.'
Elliot GoldSerjeants’ Inn Chambers 'Elliot is very astute and intelligent individual with an attention for detail. He is technically excellent.' 
Mark Ley-MorganSerjeants’ Inn Chambers 'Mark's knowledge and understanding of the law is outstanding. His advocacy is excellent and second to none. He is clear, accurate and never misses any point out. 
Susannah StevensQEB Hollis Whiteman 'Susannah is an extremely robust advocate. She fights ferociously for her clients’ best interests. Often, her approach achieves excellent results.'
George ThomasSerjeants’ Inn Chambers 'George has an excellent level of knowledge and recall. He is a public order policing expert and a great advocate, especially with juries.'
Colin BanhamNo5 Barristers’ Chambers 'No barrister knows more or has more experience than Colin in acting on behalf of individual police officers, whether that be in criminal matters, misconduct cases, associated appeals or High Court challenges. He truly has made this field his own, and has a complete understanding of the numerous laws and regulations, including some of the more obscure ones.' 
Jonathan Dixey5 Essex Chambers ‘Jonathan is skilled at being able to dissect and analyse complex areas of law, assess litigation risk and provide pragmatic and helpful advice to clients. He works well under pressure and is unflappable.'
Russell Fortt5 Essex ChambersRussel is bright and a team player. He is a lateral thinker which reaps rewards in challenging claims.’ 
Guy LadenburgThree Raymond Buildings ‘Guy is clear and unambiguous in his advice, clients know where they are with him and his advice.’   
Frances McClenaghanSerjeants’ Inn Chambers 'Frances offers great knowledge, attention to detail, and high quality written advice.'  
Stephen MorleySerjeants’ Inn Chambers 'Stephen is extremely knowledgeable and provides honest and detailed advice.' 
Aaron RathmellSerjeants’ Inn ChambersAaron is a passionate barrister and has incredible advocacy skills and is excellent at presenting cases in both misconduct matters and employment tribunals. He is always across the detail but able to see the bigger picture.’ 
Edwin BuckettDeka Chambers 'Edwin is an excellent advocate and very methodical in his approach to the legal issues involved in a case. Very personable with clients and able to make them feel at ease whilst still able to explain any difficulties in the case.'
Ian ClarkeDeka Chambers 'Ian has an in-depth knowledge of police law and is able to advise on practical as well as legal solutions to resolve actions brought against the police.'
Robert Cohen5 Essex Chambers 'Robert has a particular aptitude for difficult and complex claims relating to GDPR and the Data Protection Act.'
Thom Dyke – Deka Chambers ‘Thom is a delight to work with and always provides top drawer advocacy and advice.’
Cicely Hayward5 Essex Chambers 'Cicely is a highly effective advocate. She exhibits a balance of knowledge, skill, experience and persistence which in an adversarial situation make her a counsel of choice.' 
Peter Laverack 5 Essex Chambers 'Peter has an ability to remain steadfast and cool-headed when faced with testing opposition.'
Jennifer OborneDeka Chambers 'Jennifer is a highly skilled and experienced barrister practicing in the field of police law. With a strong background in the breadth of matters police law covers, she has a particular passion and talent for misconduct and civil actions, which has meant she has established herself as a trusted advocate in the policing community.'
Claire Palmer – 5 Essex ChambersEarly, clear case strategy based on case merits and wider issues of concern to the police client, such as maintaining public confidence in the service. Claire builds excellent rapport with senior officers, engendering their full confidence.’ 
Robert Talalay5 Essex Chambers 'Robert is a true expert. Dedicated, hard working and always has the right answer when on his feet. He is also very likeable and gives everything at trial to get the right result.' 
Mark Thomas5 Essex Chambers 'Mark is excellent in every respect. He is personable, affable and his intellect and attention to detail are hugely impressive.' 
Andrew Waters5 Essex ChambersAndrew's cross-examination of officers is particularly impressive. His style as akin to an iron fist in a velvet glove, and he knows just when to ask the killer question.’
Jennifer Wright  – 5 Essex Chambers ‘Jennifer is a very courteous individual which goes down well in court. She has a great knowledge of the area of law she works in.’

Rising Stars

Remi Reichhold11KBW ‘Very hard working with a good grasp of details. Tactically very astute.’

Police law (forces and constables) in London Bar

5 Essex Chambers


‘The best police law chambers in the country for police forces’, 5 Essex Court offers considerable depth and breadth of expertise across the full spectrum of areas, encompassing civil and Human Rights Act claims, judicial reviews, inquests, public inquiries, and misconduct and discipline matters. Jason Beer KC represented the Metropolitan Police Service in R (W80) v IOPC, with the Supreme Court judgment deciding that the civil law test of self-defence, rather than criminal, applied in police misconduct proceedings. ‘Highly intelligent and always provides clear and detailed advice’, Anne Studd KC is acting for a police force in the Undercover Policing Inquiry, with numerous civil cases arising from undercover officers forming relationships with members of groups they were tasked to infiltrate. Francesca Whitelaw KC represented the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis in an appeal before the First-Tier Tribunal, which was brought by a journalist seeking information about alleged police payments to informants relating to Black Lives Matter and environmental protests.

Referenzen

The clerks are generally excellent. I work very regularly with Dan Waple in particular. He always goes above any beyond whenever I call counsel.’ 

Mark Waller is an excellent clerk and has support from some very good junior staff who are all good communicators.’ 

In general all clerks are approachable, helpful and have a good response time. Mark Waller in particular is very helpful, fully understands his counsels skill set to recommend suitable counsel and always responds quickly. 

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Serjeants' Inn Chambers


At the top of the tree for police law’, Serjeants’ Inn Chambershas an excellent reputation in representing police forces, whether it be civil claims, inquests, employment law or regulatory matters’. Acting for all police forces around the country, the set is also regularly trusted to represent the NCA, IOPC, and Police and Crime Commissioners. In Watson v PSNI, John Beggs KC represented the respondent as the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland ruled that police officers in that jurisdiction could not face disciplinary proceedings in relation to pre-attestation misconduct. ‘A true leader in police law’, Gerard Boyle KC is representing the NPCC in the Undercover Policing Inquiry, as well as acting for West Midlands Police in the inquest into the death of Sean Fitzgerald during a police raid. Acting on behalf of the Chief Constable of West Mercia Police, Dijen Basu KC prosecuted a police constable before a police misconduct hearing panel regarding an allegation she used excessive force on former Aston Villa footballer Dalian Atkinson, who died after being shot with a Taser by the force.

Referenzen

The clerks are a pleasure to deal with and very responsible. Lee in particular goes out of his way to assist and offer an excellent service, making recommendations as appropriate and fitting in matters where possible. ‘ 

The clerks are generally prompt, efficient and courteous – providing exactly what is needed.’

‘Excellent clerking, in particular senior clerk Lee ,who is very approachable and straightforward.’

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Deka Chambers


Deka Chambers offers ‘an impressive line up of counsel’, with members regularly sought after to handle complex civil disputes, police misconduct, operational matters, judicial reviews and public inquiries. After successfully representing the police in the Court of Appeal, Andrew Warnock KC appeared before the Supreme Court in Tindall v Thames Valley Police, with the judgment set to clarify whether police services will be held to have assumed a duty of care in tort when attending an accident scene. ‘Extremely knowledgeable on the complexities of police and public authority law’, Paul Stagg KC successfully represented the appellant in The Chief Constable of Essex v Carter; with the judgment clarifying that a custody sergeant exercising their searching powers pursuant to section 54 of PACE only requires a subjective, not reasonable belief, that it is necessary.

Referenzen

‘Clark Chessis is very efficient and prompt.’

‘Excellent service from the Clerks who will go the extra mile for you when needed.’ 

Lauren is one of the junior clerks but an absolute super star in what she does.’ 

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Three Raymond Buildings


Three Raymond Buildings has ‘incredible strength in the area of police law’, with members well versed in a broad range of matters from major inquests and public inquiries, to advising and representing forces and chief constables on significant policing failures. Hugh Davies OBE KC was instructed to intervene on behalf of the Police Federation of England and Wales in Watson v PSNI, with the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland ruling that PSNI officers cannot be disciplined over alleged misbehaviour prior to joining the force. Alisdair Williamson KC represented a police officer in the high-profile gross misconduct hearing arising from the stopping of athletes Bianca Williams and Ricardo dos Santos in their car.

Referenzen

Eddie Holland is a joy to work with and he can always point you in the right direction when it comes to needing a recommendation of someone to instruct.’ 

It is the preeminent chambers for police misconduct defence work, with strength and depth at every level. They defend in all the important and newsworthy cases.’

Three Raymond buildings is extremely strong in the field of police disciplinary/misconduct work and this runs through the whole set from the silks to the junior tenants.’

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