Sarah Clarke QC has been ranked in the 2020 UK Bar Guide of Who’s Who Legal as a top Investigation Silk. This is the second occasion that Sarah has been featured by the guide.

Sarah’s practice encompasses a wide range of fields including financial services, insider dealing, corporate fraud, sexual offences, police and regulatory proceedings and inquests. She brings her knowledge of the law in many fields to bear on complex cases and has a creative approach to problem solving. She is known for her thorough preparation and ability to master complex issues, particularly in cases involving expert evidence.

Christopher Johnston QC and Simon Fox QC discuss their routes to becoming clinical negligence Silks with Legal Cheek. The article notes that both silks are “Now at the top of their game, both men find themselves involved in some fascinating work.”

To read the full Legal Cheek article click here.

Christopher Johnston QC and Claire Watson appear in Supreme Court on surrogacy costs case. They are instructed by Alison Eddy and Anne Kavanagh (Stanton) of Irwin Mitchell. The Supreme Court will determine whether the NHS should pay the costs for the claimant to have surrogacy in California.

Visit our UK Healthcare blog here to read more about the case.

Click here to read about the case in the media.

We are delighted to announce the unanimous election of Angus Moon QC and Michael Horne QC as Joint Head of Chambers. Michael succeeds John Beggs QC, who relinquishes the role after 10 years to focus on his award-winning practice.

We would like to express our deep gratitude to John for the transformation in Chambers that he has overseen alongside James Watson QC initially and then Angus since 2012. We look forward to continuing progress under the leadership of Angus and Michael.

Dr Simon Fox QC has long had a special interest in the Bolam Test and his latest article “Bolam is Dead. Long live Bolam!” has been published in the December issue of JPIL, the leading practitioner journal for both clinical negligence and personal injury.

Simon has lectured extensively on the Bolam test, including being invited to speak to the AvMA annual conference on the topic in Leeds in June of this year.

In the article Simon highlights that the traditional Bolam “body of doctors” test is no longer applicable to many areas of clinical practice. Although clinical negligence practitioners will be familiar with Montgomery replacing Bolam in consent, Simon suggests that the exceptions to Bolam are far more extensive than consent and those exceptions need to be considered on a case by case basis.

Simon’s previous article on Bolam can be found on the UK Healthcare Law Blog here and his interview with Christopher Johnston QC on the topic earlier this year can be found here

Simon was a doctor before coming to the bar and has practised in clinical negligence for 30 years. He has a particular expertise in complicated breach and causation causation cases. He also sits regularly as an Assistant Coroner.

This is the third year running that Sarah has been successfully nominated by her peers for inclusion in this category.  Sarah is also named as a Leading Silk in both Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500.

In November 2016, Stephen Port was convicted of the assaults by penetration, rapes and murders of Anthony Walgate, 23, Gabriel Kovari, 22, Daniel Whitworth, 21, and Jack Taylor, 25, as well as the rapes of three men, ten counts of administering a substance with intent, and four sexual assaults.

Inquests into the deaths of Mr Walgate, Mr Kovari, Mr Whitworth and Mr Taylor are being held before HHJ Munro QC. At a pre inquest review on 15 November 2019, the hearing of the inquests was listed for 8 weeks commencing in January 2021 at the Old Bailey.

James Berry is instructed by the Metropolitan Police Service, led by Peter Skelton QC.

Edward Pleeth appeared in the Divisional Court in 2017 for HM Senior Coroner for East London in her successful application to quash the inquisitions in the inquests she had conducted into the deaths of Mr Kovari and Mr Whitworth before Port was arrested.

Paula Poolton was murdered in October 2008. Her lover, Roger Kearney, was convicted in June 2010. There was no direct or forensic evidence linking Mr Kearney, or anyone else, to the murder. Mr Kearney has continued to protest his innocence and the case has featured in the BBC series Conviction: Murder at the Station (available on YouTube). Mr Kearney sought disclosure of the original CCTV footage from the Hampshire Police. The CCRC would consider the CCTV but would not request it. In light of the CCRC’s decision not to refer the appeal to the COA; Hampshire Police refused the disclosure request. Mr Kearney sought to judicially review that decision. Andrews J refused permission to apply for judicial review on the papers, accepting the Hampshire Police’s arguments, she also agreed that the application was totally without merit. Mr Kearney applied to the Court of Appeal to have decision quashed. The Court of Appeal agreed that they did not have jurisdiction so to do and that the decision that the application was totally without merit was both justified and proportionate. To see the judgment, please click here.

Matthew Holdcroft was instructed by Hampshire Police throughout the proceedings.