Chambers & Partners 2012
The "absolutely wonderful" Adrian Whitfield, one of the pioneers of clinical negligence, retired from 3 Serjeants' Inn this year. Although his presence will undoubtedly be missed, 3 Serjeants' Inn nevertheless continues to be a pre-eminent clinical negligence set since he has left behind a team of "uniformly excellent barristers" all of whom are "extremely good with clients." As well as being full of talented practitioners the chambers is "great in terms of organisation" as a result of the "efficient clerking." As one appreciative solicitor stated, "I couldn't endorse 3 Serjeants' Inn highly enough; it has never let me down."
SILKS Robert Francis QC "remains utterly superb," as he has the wonderful ability to "pull the full story of the case out and present the narrative really well." He is regularly involved in cutting-edge cases such as Rabone v Pennine Care NHS Trust, and also recently chaired the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Inquiry. His colleague Adrian Hopkins QC is also a "real class act." He has "razor-sharp forensic skills and is empathetic and clear with clients." Hopkins acts in high-value, high-complexity cases on both the defence and claimant side. James Watson QC is a "good man to have in your corner" since he is a "ferocious negotiator, who really stands his ground." Solicitors like instructing him since he is "great to work with and full of useful, practical ideas." Angus Moon QC is an "eloquent, articulate advocate who really can find the telling phrase to bring home a point." He has recently been working on complex cases relating to the extent of doctors’ duty of care to patients. Christopher Johnston QC, a recent silk who heads the clinical negligence team. He is "reliable, clever and good with clients," and has a busy practice which often focuses on complex claimant cases.
JUNIORS
Bridget Dolan is another respected junior and is particularly well regarded for her work on claims with a psychological dimension. Jonathan Holl-Allen is "unflappable and quick to identify the key issues in a case." Peers admire him as "he is entirely reasonable and doesn't take silly points." He has a busy and varied workload but has, of late, been working on a number of high-value stillbirth cases for claimants. Michael Mylonas is recommended if you need a "heavyweight junior for a big case," since he has a "great head for details" and is loved by clients. It also helps that he has a "brilliant brain and is therefore great on difficult, tactical casesRichard Partridge is a "tremendous" dual-qualified junior who has a "bright mind and is always there when you need him to be." He has the support of many as does Ranald Davidson, another reliable junior with experience of running high-value trials on his own. He has a useful talent for "distilling complex information and making it understandable." Gerard Boyle is also highly rated. He has "razor-sharp powers of analysis" which he combines with a "wonderful manner with distressed clients." Peers predict big things for Neil Davy, who continues to have an impressive caseload of high-value claims. He has been joined in the set by Katharine Gollop, who recently arrived from Devereux Chambers. She is is praised for her strong work ethic and good judgement. Michael Horne has a claimant-heavy practice and is known for his thorough approach to running claims. He is also picked out by solicitors for his excellence when at the negotiating table. John de Bono is widely praised by those that instruct him as an "absolute cut above the rest" since "he can easily carve his way through the most complex issues." One impressed solicitor said that "working with him you really feel like you are working in a partnership. Andrew Hockton, "a formidable opponent," who acts for both claimants and defendants. Although a man with a wide range of experience, he has been particularly active recently dealing with cerebral palsy cases. Finally here, Debra Powell is lauded as "highly capable and personable." She takes "a sensitive and constructive" approach when running her cases.