Outer Temple, Mark Howard QC win Bar's top awards

Outer Temple Chambers won Chambers of the Year at The Lawyer Awards last night (24 June), while Mark Howard QC of Brick Court scooped Barrister of the Year.

The common law set pipped Brick Court and Maitland Chambers to the Award for its exceptional increase in turnover, with commercial work increasing by 181 per cent and bringing in more than £500,000 in six months through direct public access.

Another winning factor for Outer Temple was setting up its permanent prescence in the Middle East - the first chambers to launch in Abu Dhabi.

The set’s individual barristers have also pushed forward with their own creative ideas. Richard Lissack QC, for instance, co-founded the Financial Services Lawyers Association.

In addition to these achievements, Outer Temple, headed by Philip Mott QC, has been involved in many of the year’s high-profile cases, including the Damilola Taylor inquiry, the Ladbroke Grove train crash inquirí, the Equitable Life Group action and the Norris case.

Meanwhile, Howard beat Clare Montgomery QC of Matrix Chambers and Stuart Catchpole QC of 39 Essex Street to win Barrister of the Year.

Howard won for his exceptional work including successfully defending Royal Sun Alliance against an insurance case brought by General Motors, acting as the counsel to Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer partner Barry O’Brien on his disciplinary tribunal following Philip Green’s failed takeover of Marks & Spencer.

The silk also won cases including for British Energy against Ampere and Credit Suisse in the High Court in a dispute over the financing of the Eggborough power plant and defending Goldman Sachs in the Court of Appeal against IFE Fund in a battle over a loan.

For the law firm, in-house lawyer, barrister, employment team and litigation team of the year awards click here, for the Editor's Award for Outstanding Achievement click here and for the real estate winners click here.

For the full list of winners, click here