It is unprecedented for the Hot 100 to contain an anonymous figure. However, The Secret Barrister’s contribution to the legal profession last year deserves recognition. His or her book, The Secret Barrister: Stories of the Law and How It’s Broken, did an immense amount to bring the plight of British justice to wider public attention. […]
With over 30 years served at the construction Bar, Stephanie Barwise QC has plenty of experience in all manner of complex disputes. It was perhaps her work on the Ladbroke Grove rail crash inquiry 20 years ago that set her up to take on one of the biggest matters of our generation: she is providing […]
Though he has made a career for himself as a health lawyer on the side of the practitioners, it was an issue far closer to home for 1 Crown Office Row’s Martin Forde QC that dominated the silk’s year. Forde’s work in 2018 focused heavily on the Windrush generation, taking on the role of independent […]
Though Emma Hargreaves was only called to the Bar six years ago, the reputation she has developed in that short time is superb. The Serle Court barrister has carved out an unexpected niche as a specialist Chancery barrister, focusing on major divorce cases for high-net-worth individuals. Last year, she estimates her split of work was […]
3VB’s Christopher Harris QC, who was elevated to silk at the start of 2019, has carved out a strong reputation in investor-state arbitration and the enforcement of treaty awards. He spent much of 2018 leading on substantial investment treaty claims against Bulgaria, Poland, Azerbaijan, Nigeria and Sri Lanka. Two cases have involved significant submissions on […]
In March 2018, Matthew Hill was at a children’s party handing out the jelly when he got an urgent call from the Home Office. Could he come in urgently? They could not say why. It transpired that Hill’s assistance was needed in relation to the Salisbury nerve agent attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal. The […]
Fraud and banking junior Louise Hutton’s practice has gone on to another level since she joined Essex Court Chambers from Maitland Chambers in May 2018, a move that has given her more exposure to top-level banking, insolvency and civil fraud matters. Hutton had already made a name for herself with her successful involvement in the […]
Last year, Jeremy Hyam QC of 1 Crown Office Row (1COR) took on a slew of cases that attracted considerable press attention, including the inquest into the death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, the 15-year-old girl who died after consuming a Pret baguette with sesame in it. This attracted the sort of media storm that put all […]
Taking silk in 2011, Matrix Chambers’ Phillippa Kaufmann QC has developed a niche for herself acting on pivotal public law disputes against bodies such as the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Defence. Switching over from Doughty Street Chambers to Matrix nearly five years ago, Kaufmann had expected to broaden her expertise and win […]
Michael Mylonas QC had 24 hours to secure the extraction and posthumous use of a fatally injured man’s sperm to allow the victim’s wife to become pregnant. A day before the man died, Mylonas collaborated with the doctors involved and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to urgently submit an application to the Court of […]
As one of the most in-demand tax barristers on the circuit today, Jonathan Peacock QC is tackling some of the biggest disputes in the world. From representing a trio of BBC presenters on a dispute with the broadcasting entity that could lead to a deluge of cases, depending on the outcome, to cross-border issues extending […]
When Thomas Plewman arrived at Brick Court 10 years ago, he had to build his UK practice from scratch. Already a successful practitioner in South Africa, particularly on auditor-related litigation, Plewman was called to the Bar in England in 2009 and took silk in 2016. His star has continued to rise in the past two […]