James Berry has returned to full time practice at Serjeants’ Inn, after serving between 2015 and 2017 as a Member of Parliament.

Having been ranked as a leading junior by both The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners, James was described in the editorials as “tenacious and fiendishly clever” with a “passionate commitment to the clients he represents”.

As an MP, James was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of State for Heath and was elected as a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee. He also sat on the Bill Committees for the Policing and Crime Bill and the Health Service Medical Supplies (Costs) Bill.

James was rated by The Times as one of ten “newcomers of the year” in December 2015.

He will be resuming his busy practice in police law, healthcare law, public law, professional discipline, Court of Protection, inquests and inquiries and looks forward to working with old friends and new clients.

We’re delighted to announce that Anna Tkaczynska has joined us at Serjeants’ Inn Chambers, enhancing our Public and Administrative, Education and Court of Protection teams. She is the third established practitioner to join us in the last 12 months and her arrival reflects our ongoing commitment to building the expertise and service we offer to our clients.

Anna’s profile is here. Recommended by both the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners, she has been described by clients quoted in directory editorial as “really efficient, on the ball, bright and pleasant to deal with”.

As a specialist in local government public law she has expertise in equality law and special needs and her experience in housing law will assist as a key issue in many COP cases. She is the Secretary of the Human Rights Lawyers Association.

The annual conference was hosted by Bates, Wells and Braithwaite and saw over 60 education law specialists gather for papers on academy governance, the CFA 2014, community care, data protection and higher education.

David Lawson gave the annual legal update on developments in education law and Anna Tkaczynska spoke about higher education including tier 4 sponsorship licences, fitness to practice and student finance.

On 12th April 2017 the Court of Appeal granted permission for Noel Conway to bring a judicial review attempting to change the law to allow assisted dying, reversing the High Court’s decision of 31st March 2017. The full case will now be heard by the High Court.

Click here for the Court of Appeal judgment
Click here for the High Court judgment

Amy Street was instructed in the case, led by Richard Gordon QC, before starting parental leave. She will return to practice later this year. Amy specialises in cases involving novel or complex points of law and was part of the winning team in the Supreme Court in Cheshire West and Chester Council v P [2014] UKSC 19; [2014] AC 896.

Alex Ruck Keene and Annabel Lee are the current juniors for the claimant in the case.

Click here for media coverage from the BBC
Click here for media coverage from the Guardian

The court has now ruled in this case, granting Great Ormond Street Hospital’s application for a declaration that it is not in Charlie Gard’s best interests to continue to receive artificial ventilation or to undergo a suggested treatment, nucleoside therapy, in the US and that he should be provided with palliative care only.

Sophia Roper and Pravin Fernando were instructed by Bindmans for Connie Yates and Chris Gard, Charlie’s parents, all acting on a pro bono basis. Katie Gollop QC and Debra Powell QC represented the hospital.

Media commentary is available as follows:  BBC: Guardian: Telegraph: and Independent: