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Police Law (defendant)

1
5 Essex Chambers
Serjeants’ Inn Chambers
2
Deka Chambers
Three Raymond Buildings

Leading Silks

1
Dijen Basu KC –Serjeants’ Inn Chambers 'Dijen has an innate ability to gather, assimilate and assess complex information to provide the best advice.'
Jason Beer KC –5 Essex Chambers ‘Jason is a powerful orator with a superb legal mind and the ability to persuade the court to do what he wants. The stand-out silk in his fields.’
John Beggs KC –Serjeants’ Inn Chambers 'John is a titan in the courtroom, his meticulous preparation ensures justice for his clients.'
Gerard Boyle KC –Serjeants’ Inn Chambers
Andrew Warnock KC – Deka Chambers 'Andrew is a top-flight barrister with fantastic legal acumen who commands the attention and respect of the courtroom.'
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Fiona Barton KC –5 Essex Chambers ‘Fiona's legal acumen is matched only by her strategic insight, persuasive advocacy and unwavering professionalism. In court, she is articulate, composed and grounded.’
Matthew Butt KC –Three Raymond Buildings ‘Matthew is a highly intelligent, personable opponent who knows the law inside-out, and has a great eye for that all-important detail at the heart of the case.'
Patrick Gibbs KC – Three Raymond Buildings
Hugh Davies OBE KC  –Three Raymond Building 'Hugh is tactically astute and an incredibly persuasive advocate, leading senior barrister in this practice area.'
Alan Payne KC – 39 Essex Chambers 'Alan is a decent, fair and pragmatic barrister.'
Ian Skelt KC –Serjeants’ Inn Chambers
Anne Studd KC –5 Essex Chambers
Francesca Whitelaw KC – 5 Essex Chambers ‘Francesca is a composed and persuasive advocate who’s fully across the detail but never loses sight of what really counts.’
Alisdair Williamson KC –Three Raymond Buildings 'Alisdair is a brilliant advocate at professional tribunals.'

2024 Silks

Paul Stagg KC   – Deka Chambers ‘Paul is excellent and highly recommended.’ 
Charlotte Ventham KC –5 Essex Chambers ‘Charlotte is one of the best, if not the best courtroom advocates in police law. Her cross-examination of witnesses is a masterclass, and her in depth knowledge and understanding of police law is second to none. You always want her on your team.’

2025 Silks

James Berry KC – Serjeants’ Inn Chambers
Rachel Scott KC - Three Raymond Buildings
George Thomas KC  – Serjeants’ Inn Chambers
Nicholas Yeo KC   – Three Raymond Buildings  ‘Nicholas is a really fantastic all-round barrister. He perfectly combines being both personable and intellectual, and is always all-over the underlying law and case law. ‘

Leading Juniors

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Kevin Baumber –Three Raymond Buildings 'Kevin's oral advocacy is first-rate - his cross-examination is focussed and relentless. His legal knowledge in this field is unrivalled on the defence side, and his legal analysis is creative.'
Beatrice Collier –5 Essex Chambers ‘Beatrice is a hard-working and highly knowledgeable barrister with excellent advocacy skills.’
Elliot Gold –Serjeants’ Inn Chambers  
Mark Ley-Morgan –Serjeants’ Inn Chambers ‘
Stephen Morley –Serjeants’ Inn Chambers ‘Stephen is extremely knowledgeable and provides honest and detailed advice.’ 
Susannah Stevens –QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘Susannah is possibly the most tenacious advocate in this area of work. She will find the loose thread in any case against her officer and will pull on it until the case has been so discredited that it often does not proceed. For a great many, she is the opponent that you dread.'
Cecily White –Serjeants’ Inn Chambers ‘Cecily represents the best of her trade. She is personal, professional and committed to the proper course of justice.’
Ailsa Williamson –Three Raymond Buildings 'Ailsa has a vast amount of experience and knowledge.'
Georgina Wolfe –5 Essex Chambers
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Mark Aldred  - QEB Hollis Whiteman  'He is, without question, a formidable barrister with a rare blend of logic, creativity, and incisive, quick thinking.'
Colin Banham – No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Colin is pre-eminent in the field of police law. He is the master of all things police.’
Ian Clarke – Deka Chambers ‘Ian is an excellent advocate. He is very persuasive with good attention to detail and knows his law inside out.’
Robert Cohen –5 Essex Chambers ‘Robert’s advocacy is polished, concise and persuasive.’
Jonathan Dixey –5 Essex Chambers ‘Jonathan has excellent tactical awareness and impeccable judgment. His diligence, calm, and ability to read a tribunal make him a highly persuasive advocate. He has an extensive knowledge of the theory and practice of police law and the experience and ability to handle the most complex and sensitive cases.’
Lisa Dobie – Deka Chambers‘Lisa is an absolute star! A silk in the making.’ 
Thom Dyke – Deka Chambers ‘Thom is a delight to work with and always provides top-drawer advocacy and advice.’
Russell Fortt –5 Essex Chambers ‘‘Russell is a formidable barrister, robust in advocacy, unflinching under pressure. He is unfettered by obstacles and steadfast in his purpose to securing the best possible outcome for the client.’
John Goss – 5 Essex Chambers 'John is an exceptional legal analyst and persuasive advocate in this specialist area.'
Matthew Holdcroft –Serjeants’ Inn Chambers 
Guy Ladenburg –Three Raymond Buildings ‘Guy is clear and unambiguous in his advice, clients know where they are with him and his advice.’   
Frances McClenaghan –Serjeants’ Inn Chambers ‘Frances offers great knowledge, attention to detail, and high quality written advice.’  
Luke Ponte –Three Raymond Buildings
Aaron Rathmell – Serjeants’ Inn Chambers ‘Aaron is a very strong all-rounder. His preparation is meticulous. His overall judgement is sound.’ 
Robert Talalay –5 Essex Chambers ‘Robert's preparation is always impeccable. His confidence in court is second to none. He is a formidable and tactically astute advocate.’
Oliver Williamson –Serjeants’ Inn Chambers
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Edwin Buckett – Deka Chambers 'A very experienced junior.'
Olivia Checa-Dover – 5 Essex Chambers ‘Olivia’s advocacy is second to none. She has mastered the art of advocacy; commanding the entire courtroom’s attention with ease and finesse. She persuades even the most staunch of judges. Olivia is unrivalled as an expert in police law.’
Amy Clarke  – 5 Essex Chambers ‘Amy is utterly professional and competent. She is always at the top of her game.’
Iain Daniels – 2 Hare Court
Cicely Hayward –5 Essex Chambers ‘Cecily represents the best of her trade. She is personal, professional and committed to the proper course of justice.’ 
Peter Laverack – 5 Essex Chambers ‘Peter is extremely capable, both on his feet and on paper.’
Aaron Moss – 5 Essex Chambers  ‘Aaron is seriously sharp and very bright; he possesses excellent judgement and foresight. He is unflappable, and his calm and considered approach means he is the go-to choice for matters which are particularly complex or high risk.’
Laura Nash –Serjeants’ Inn Chambers  ‘Laura is extremely well-read in this branch of the law, combined with a great strategic sense. She has very well-honed client care skills, particularly in high-stakes cases.’
Jennifer Oborne – Deka Chambers ‘‘The depth of Jennifer's knowledge of the law and her background in heavyweight criminal prosecution make her a dangerous opponent, and her cross-examination is never less than devastatingly effective.’
Claire Palmer – 5 Essex Chambers
Sarah Simcock – Serjeants’ Inn Chambers
Ben Summers  – 25 Bedford Row
Sarah Taylor  - 5 Essex Chambers  ‘Sarah has particular attention to detail, both when reviewing the evidence and advancing her legal arguments.’
Mark Thomas –5 Essex Chambers‘Mark brings very thorough case preparation, and he is a calm and incisive advocate.’
James Trumble –3PB
Andrew Waters – 5 Essex Chambers ‘Andrew is well-prepared and an excellent advocate.’
John-Paul Waite – 5 Essex Chambers 'John deals with all matters patiently and competently, offering solutions to novel issues that arise.'
Jennifer Wright  – 5 Essex Chambers ‘Jennifer has built a broad practice in work for police forces across a range of legal areas. She brings to bear in her advocacy an excellence in legal and factual analysis which is well beyond her years of call.’

Rising Stars

Remi Reichhold – 11KBW
Conor Monighan  - 5 Essex Chambers  ‘Conor is very robust in his advocacy, and that, combined with his vast knowledge of the law and eagerness, often means he gets results where others may not.’

Police law (forces and constables) in London Bar

5 Essex Chambers


5 Essex Chambers is ‘a leading set in the field, with an unparalleled breadth and depth of expertise’. The set has an outstanding reputation for representing police forces across the full spectrum of areas, including major public inquiries, inquests, civil and Human Rights Acts claims, misconduct and discipline matters, and sensitive issues of police policy. Jason Beer KC is acting for The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police in The Andrew Malkinson Inquiry, concerning a high-profile wrongful conviction, while  Anne Studd KC represented the Chief Constable of Hampshire Police in disciplinary proceedings against a former Chief Superintendent. Fiona Barton KC is acting for defendant force in Martyn v The Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall, civil claims arising following the 2021 Plymouth shootings. Francesca Whitelaw KC successfully represented the Met in defending an appeal under the Freedom of Information Act regarding a journalist’s attempt to obtain details of a police disciplinary involving misuse of WhatsApp.

Les références

‘The clerks are always incredibly helpful and go out of their way to help resolve issues. Mark Waller and James Cole are extremely good’

‘Of all the chambers practicing defendant police law, the service provided by the clerks is without question the best. They are head and shoulders above other sets. The clerks have a real understanding of this area of law and what is required from their members. They make time to get to know those who instruct them and to understand personalities and which counsel would be best suited to the particular solicitor and the case they are working on.’

‘Mark Waller runs a tight ship, he knows and understands all the police forces and their requirements inside out. He is an exceptional clerk, extremely approachable, very knowledgeable about this area of law and understands his instructing solicitors and their needs. He encapsulates what a senior clerk should be.’

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Serjeants' Inn Chambers


A leading set in the market, Serjeants’ Inn Chambers  has some of ‘the best practitioners of police law in England and Wales’. The set provides expertise in public inquests and inquiries, civil actions, and judicial reviews, as well as vetting, probation, whistleblowing and discrimination cases. Dijen Basu KC represented the Commissioner of the Police of the Metropolis in a judicial review challenge against the decision of a Police Appeals Tribunal to allow an appeal against dismissal for an officer who was found to have derelecited her duties in investigating a case of domestic violence against a woman who was subsequently murdered by her husband. Gerard Boyle KC is advising the Metropolitan Police Service on potential disciplinary proceedings against the police officer who was acquitted of murder after shooting Chris Kaba. In Northern Ireland, Ian Skelt KC is instructed to represent the former Chief Constable of the RUC at the Omagh Bomb Inquiry.

Les références

‘The clerks are particularly helpful and are in contact at all relevant junctures’

‘Serjeants’ Inn Chambers have massive strength in depth.  There is nothing they don’t know about police law.’

‘Serjeants’ Inn Chambers are well known for their police law work, particularly the professional conduct side.’

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Deka Chambers


Deka Chambers possess a ‘strong police law team at all levels of call, providing representation and advice across all different areas of police law, from civil claims, inquests, data protection, judicial review and police misconduct’. Andrew Warnock KC successfully represented the force in Tindall v Chief Constable of Thames Valley, concerning the duties of police owed to the public in negligence. Paul Stagg KC acts the Met in defending a claim brought by the leader of an anti-monarchy campaign group, who was arrested on suspicion of going equipped to lock-on during the coronation of Charles III.

Les références

‘Lauren Carter is an excellent clerk – fully ontop of her work ‘

‘Lauren Carter is a superb clerk and a rising star in her field ‘

‘Clark Chessis is one of the best clerks in the business. He is a true gentleman and always makes the effort to meet with instructing solicitors and develop strong working relationships. He always goes the extra mile and is an absolute delight to work with.’

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Three Raymond Buildings


Three Raymond Buildings are a ‘set with a great range of talent across many areas’, with members’ busy workload extending to misconduct proceedings, major public inquests and inquiries, and representing police officers and forces in significant policing failures. Hugh Davies OBE KC represented five police officers who – in a rare directed hearing – were cleared of all allegations relating to discrimination relating to the high-profile arrest of Olympic sprinter Bianca Williams. Patrick Gibbs KC represented the CO19 officer who was acquitted of murder, having shot dead Chris Kaba – later named as a suspect in an attempted murder with a firearm – who was trying to drive through a roadblock. Matthew Butt KC acted for the Metropolitan Police Service in a complex gross misconduct hearing against a Commander who himself had previously chaired misconduct hearings in the force.

Les références

‘Eddie oversees an incredibly hardworking group of clerks.’

‘Eddie is a great clerk and is always available to assist instructing solicitors. The clerks room has now become even stronger with the welcome addition of Emma who is an extremely capable and experienced clerk who always provides an impeccable service.’

‘Senior clerk Eddie is fantastic, he is always available to resolve any issues. ‘

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