Chambers UK Bar 2020 rankings

October 10, 2019

We are delighted to have five departments and 28 members listed in the latest edition of Chambers UK Bar, with two of our barristers being awarded the coveted “Star Individual” title.

Our Family team was described as “the leading set in Manchester for financial remedy work.” Sally Harrison QC is listed as a “Star Individual” and described by clients as “the number one barrister in the North of England for complex finance work.”

In the Children Law team, Frances Heaton QC was praised as being “highly professional, with evident expertise. Her strengths include her good communication, attention to detail, good advocacy skills and excellent preparation.” In addition, the Family Clerking team are described by clients as “always professional and thorough, and nothing is ever too much work.”

Penelope Stanistreet won high praise as “she is able to easily sort the wheat from the chaff and deals with and addresses the issues that are relevant, rather than becoming bogged down and distracted in sundry side-issues.”

For Court of Protection work, Joseph O’Brien is listed as a “Star Individual” and once again described as “the king of the Court of Protection.” Solicitors said: “He’s excellent, and very much ahead of the game in this area of law.” Lorraine Cavanagh QC is ranked in both the COP and Family sections, and was described by a solicitor client as “a real powerhouse and force of nature in her energy and commitment.”

In Crime, SJB has a strong reputation for its handling of a diverse criminal caseload, across the “full gamut of criminal and regulatory law, and members have experience acting for both the prosecution and the defence.” Andrew O’Byrne QC is described as “a leading silk who possesses an in-depth knowledge of all areas of criminal law” while Keith Harrison “receives very strong praise for his advocacy and experience as a criminal practitioner.”

SJB has a “respected employment offering” with counsel appearing at all levels of the judicial system with “expertise across a range of employment law issues including discrimination of all kinds, whistle-blowing, disciplinary hearings, contractual disputes, trade union issues and TUPE.” Ghazan Mahmood is described as “very empathetic, great with clients, robust and remarkable on his feet.”

In the Personal Injury section, SJB is noted as offering “expert representation to both claimants and defendants in a variety of personal injury claims.” Michael Redfern QC is listed as a “Senior Statesperson” who “has always been one of the big names in the field.” Richard Norton is described as “really helpful and accessible” and “extremely succinct with his advice and advises not only from a legal perspective but from a commercial perspective too.”

Read the complete overview of our set and individual barrister rankings by visiting the Chambers UK Bar website.