‘‘
We never forget
that we are dealing
with real lives and
people who have
suffered traumatic
experiences.
’’
Personal Injury
Clinical Negligence
“
Devereux Chambers is
“home to some of the most
respected personal injury
practitioners in the capital.”
Robert Sowersby
has “a good
analytical mind and
a relaxed manner
with clients.”
Chambers UK 2010
Chambers UK 2010
Richard Cartwright
“is a tough
negotiator who
always ensures that
the client achieves
a good settlement.”
Chambers UK 2010
Robert Weir
“produces advice
on catastrophic
injury work that is
absolutely
top-drawer.”
Chambers UK 2010
Katie Gollop can
be ‘charming and
deadly – she is
very clever and
wrong foots her
opponent.’
Legal 500 2009
Robert Glancy
QC is ‘a superb
advocate on the
top of his game.’
Legal 500 2009
The “brilliant and
sensible” Bruce
Silvester, an expert
on brain and spinal
injury cases.
Chambers UK 2010
Devereux Chambers
provides ‘an outstanding
overall level of service.’
Legal 500 2009
Robert Hunter’s
‘abilities and
qualities add to
the strength-indepth of Devereux
Chambers our
first choice for
personal injury.’
Stephen Killalea
QC is “the personal
injury silk of choice.”
Legal 500 2009
Chambers UK 2010
Chambers UK 2010
Colin Mendoza is
“a good junior to go
up against a silk.”
WELCOME TO DEVEREUX CHAMBERS
We provide top class personal injury
and clinical negligence legal expertise
to clients in England and Wales.
“
”
approachable,
professional
and efficient.
Chambers UK 2010
But more than that, we take pride in our friendly
and approachable reputation.
Our history is important to us. We have been a leader in
representing injured people since our foundation 60 years ago.
Solicitors come to us for our significant expertise in dealing with
all types of accident and disease cases – from the simplest
traumas to the most complex catastrophic injuries.
We never lose sight of the fact that we are dealing with real
lives; people who have suffered traumatic experiences and often
debilitating injuries. Fundamentally, we see it as our role not only
to secure the highest possible compensation for the injured, but
also to minimise the distress of the litigation process.
At the core of everything we do are people. People who have
been through – and are often still going through – a stressful
experience. Our barristers help them through the legal process,
and achieve the best possible outcome for them – both
financially and emotionally.
1
WHO WE ARE
Devereux Chambers is one of the
UK’s top civil sets with 46 members,
including 10 Queen’s Counsel.
Of these, 15 junior barristers
and three Queen’s Counsel
practice in personal injury and
clinical negligence.
We are large enough to provide
in depth expertise at all levels,
but at the same time we take
great care to provide a personal
and sensitive approach to clients
and their families. The advice and
representation we provide is clear,
practical and delivered in a way that
is down-to-earth and unstuffy.
We have enormous expertise in
settling cases at joint settlement
meetings and in mediation but first
and foremost we are advocates,
with recognised excellence in trial
advocacy on both liability and
quantum issues.
We are recognised not only for the
legal expertise of our barristers, but
also for our responsive and efficient
approach. We maintain a strong
focus on quality control, effective
communication and a partnership
approach to working with clients.
2
We are strongly represented in
Legal 500, Legal Experts and
Chambers UK, not only in personal
injury and clinical negligence, but
also in commercial, employment,
professional negligence, pensions,
environment, health & safety,
education, sports, tax and
telecommunications.
We regularly appear in leading
cases and have written or
co-written prominent practitioners’
texts in our specialist fields. We
also write for legal publications and
give lectures and seminars both
externally and (with full Law Society
accreditation) as part of Devereux
Chambers’ own continuing
education programme.
“
”
home to some of
the most respected
personal injury
practitioners in
the capital.
Chambers UK 2010
CASE STUDIES
only prepared to accept
the full amount
“
Stephen Killalea
QC has ‘procedural
knowledge, quality
of advocacy and
tactical awareness
that are second
to none.’
Legal 500 2009
Colin Mendoza is
“a good junior to go
up against a silk.”
”
Chambers UK 2010
HAROLD GORMLEY V. EAST
CHESHIRE NHS TRUST
ARNUP V. MW WHITE LTD
Stephen Killalea QC and Colin
Mendoza acted for the claimant
in this clinical negligence case.
Mr Gormley was a 78-year
old man with severe learning
difficulties when he was
rendered paraplegic by the
defendant’s negligence.
In this landmark case, in
which Rob Weir acted for the
claimant, the trial judge held
that payments from a deathin-service benefit scheme
established by the defendant
employer were to be
deducted from damages
following a fatal accident.
Liability was admitted and
settlement approved on the
basis of a lump sum and a
contingent deferred periodical
payment order. This guaranteed
not only Mr Gormley’s increased
care costs, but also the preexisting residential care costs
which had previously been paid
by statutory funding.
This novel approach met all
Mr Gormley’s needs, despite
initial concerns that the complex
mix of funding sources may have
led to a shortfall in care costs.
Mrs Arnup had brought the
claim following the death of her
husband in an accident at the
premises of his employer, MW
White, a waste paper merchant
in Norfolk. The defendant
admitted liability, but argued that
payments made from the deathin-service scheme and a trust
fund should be offset against the
claimant’s damages.
We were not prepared to accept
anything but the full amount for
Mrs Arnup and an appeal was
lodged against the decision
at first instance. The Court of
Appeal ruled in the claimant’s
favour on both payments and
neither was deducted from
her claim.
3
CASE STUDIES
the nightclub eventually
settled the claim
COMPENSATION FOR
STUDENT INJURED IN
NIGHTCLUB CRUSH
REPRESENTATION
AT INQUESTS
Sam Nicholls acted for the
claimant. We were instructed
by solicitors in Birmingham on
behalf of a student at Newcastle
University who sustained injuries
at a ‘Grab a grand’ promotional
event in a nightclub.
Rob Hunter represented the
family of a deceased man at
an Inquest. The Inquest was
to investigate the deceased’s
treatment at the defendant’s
care home over several months
before his death in hospital.
During the event, £1,000 was
thrown on to the dance floor.
As people surged forward, the
claimant was crushed in the
stampede. As well as minor
physical injuries, she sustained
psychological injuries.
Rob cross-examined the
home manager, among others,
exposing repeated errors in the
calculation of the deceased’s
BMI and the failure to complete
nutrition charts.
Of the three potential defendants
(the nightclub, the promoter
and the advertiser), the latter
two had gone into liquidation,
while we had no evidence that
the nightclub itself had any prior
knowledge of the event and was
placing the blame firmly at the
door of the promoter.
Despite denying responsibility,
after proceedings were issued
the nightclub eventually settled
the claim for £2,000.
4
The coroner recorded a death
of natural causes contributed
to by neglect, having accepted
that neglect was “the only
verdict available.”
“
Bruce Silvester
is “brilliant and
sensible.”
Chambers UK 2010
Rob Hunter’s
‘abilities and
qualities add to
the strength-indepth of Devereux
Chambers our
first choice for
personal injury.’
”
Legal 500 2009
HOW WE WORK
Devereux Chambers is a
forward-looking and friendly set.
“
Richard Cartwright
“is a tough negotiator
who always ensures
that the client
achieves a good
settlement.”
Chambers UK 2010
Robert Sowersby
“fights his corner
in court, remaining
impressively calm
and unflappable at
all times.”
”
Chambers UK 2010
We are noted for our calm
professionalism as much as for
our modern, welcoming ethos.
Moreover, we go to great lengths
to treat our clients with respect
and dignity.
As well as being experts in personal
injury and clinical negligence
law, we pride ourselves on our
straightforward, down-to-earth
approach to achieving the best
possible results for injured people.
We believe in a client-centred
approach. We adopt a
compassionate and sensitive
attitude to injured people and
their families. We take care to
understand our lay clients and
their differing needs, including the
practical realities they face on a
day-to-day basis. Our clients’ best
interests are at the forefront of
everything we do.
The foundations of our excellence
in client service are our intellectual
ability and specialist knowledge
combined with an approachable,
open and enthusiastic way of
working. We make sure we are
easy to contact, whether via email,
telephone or in person and keep
our clients fully informed at every
stage of the claim. We strive to get
it right first time, every time.
We travel to claimants’ homes, to
solicitors’ offices and to accident
locations throughout England and
Wales. Most of all, we invest time
to ensure that we have a clear and
comprehensive understanding of
our cases.
At the heart of what we do is our
partnership approach and our
commitment to dealing with every
client on a personal, individual
basis. Our ethos is to work as a
team with solicitors and lay clients
so that we can present every case
at its absolute highest.
5
OUR EXPERTISE
We are consistently listed in the top ten
personal injury and clinical negligence sets
by both the main legal directories.
The personal injury and clinical
negligence group, which
includes three Queen’s Counsel,
covers all aspects of personal
injury and clinical negligence
legal work at the highest
level, from serious road traffic
accidents to multi-million pound
catastrophic injuries.
At the same time, our very strong
team of juniors provides a complete
service to solicitors in multi-track
and fast track trials in courts up and
down the country.
Particular areas of strength include
road traffic accidents, catastrophic
injuries, especially head and
spinal injuries, employers’ liability,
occupational disease, occupiers’
liability, sports injuries, cases with
jurisdictional complications, such
as accidents on ships or accidents
abroad, and multi-party actions.
Our industrial injury work covers
everything from off-shore rigs to
mines, and includes accidents
in factories, offices, construction
sites, hospitals, educational
premises, places of entertainment,
and on farms. Our long-standing
occupational diseases experience
includes asbestos, asthma,
deafness, dermatitis, vibration
white finger and work related
upper limb disorders.
6
In clinical negligence, our wideranging expertise covers all areas
from consent to limitation, from
dental cases to birth injuries,
from screening errors to failed
sterilisations, and from assault
to psychiatric injuries sustained
by secondary victims. We act for
publicly-funded clients as well as
trade unions, and we undertake
CFA work.
The strength of Devereux
Chambers in other related
areas, such as our highly rated
employment team, also enables
us to provide incisive legal advice
on cases involving overlapping
areas, such as occupational stress
and healthcare law.
“
”
Robert Weir is
‘scrupulous on
detail and a razorsharp advocate.’
Legal 500 2009
CASE STUDIES
a lump sum payment
of over £1 million
“
Robert Glancy QC
“is very personable
and a pleasure to
work with, pays
great attention to
detail and fights
hard on the
client’s behalf.”
Chambers UK 2010
Katie Gollop is
“a dogged fighter,
who will fight to
the end when she
is on your side.”
”
Chambers UK 2010
DOWLATSHAHI V. EAST AND
NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE
NHS TRUST
TAKING THE CLAIM
TO THE CLIENT
Robert Glancy QC and Katie
Gollop acted for the claimant in
this infant settlement. The client,
a healthy toddler, was rendered
hemiplegic by the defendant’s
admitted negligence.
Miss W. suffered catastrophic
injuries after being hit by a
car in South Wales. She was
left tetraplegic and could only
communicate by blinking.
The boy and his family
subsequently moved to Dubai.
We worked with the solicitor to
make sure we fully understood
the child’s care needs and
what sort of long-term support
was required; obtaining the full
picture involved recommending
that the solicitor travel out to
Dubai to gather evidence and
see the situation at first hand.
The Devereux Chambers team
of Stephen Killalea QC and Rob
Weir visited Miss W. in Stoke
Mandeville hospital, and again
on a number of occasions in
South Wales. When a round
table meeting was proposed, we
brought the defendants’ legal
team down to the hospital for
two days and settled the claim
at Miss W.’s bedside.
A settlement involving a lump
sum payment of over £1 million
and lifetime periodical
payments from age 19 of
£57,500 was approved.
7
HOW TO INSTRUCT US
We aim to provide responsive, flexible and
timely legal advice of the highest quality,
tailored to the needs of our clients.
Our clerks are always willing
to advise on the suitability and
availability of Counsel, and to
discuss fee structures, packages,
budgeting and CFAs.
If you’d like further information
about our expertise in personal
injury and clinical negligence law,
or about the way we work in
general, please contact:
We believe that our continued
success is down to our high quality
legal expertise and competitive
rates, combined with our downto-earth, supportive approach to
dealing with clients. This reflects
the overriding ethos of Devereux
Chambers – putting the client first.
Devereux Chambers
Devereux Court
London
WC2R 3JH
We have a set of Client Service
Principles to help us maintain the
highest standards of service, and
we are proud to hold BarMark, the
quality mark for the Bar. Holding
BarMark means that we also benefit
from the Community Legal Service
Quality Mark for chambers working
in legal aid.
8
Tel 020 7353 7534
Fax 020 7583 5150
[email protected]
www.devereuxchambers.co.uk
“
”
Devereux
Chambers provides
‘an outstanding
overall level of
service.’
Legal 500 2009
BARRISTERS
QUEEN’S COUNSEL
JUNIOR COUNSEL
Colin Edelman QC
Silk 1995 Call 1977
Ian Lee
Call 1973
Akash Nawbatt
Call 1999
Diana Cotton QC
Silk 1983 Call 1964
Nicholas Bard
Call 1979
Shaen Catherwood
Call 2000
Robert Glancy QC
Silk 1997 Call 1972
Bruce Silvester
Call 1983
Robert Hunter
Call 2000
Timothy Brennan QC
Silk 2001 Call 1981
Colin Mendoza
Call 1983
Robert Sowersby
Call 2000
Graham Read QC
Silk 2003 Call 1981
Oliver Hyams
Call 1989
Sophie Belgrove
Call 2001
Stephen Killalea QC
Silk 2006 Call 1981
Nicholas Randall
Call 1990
Ben Lynch
Call 2001
Colin Wynter QC
Silk 2006 Call 1984
Richard Harrison
Call 1991
Alice Mayhew
Call 2001
Ingrid Simler QC
Silk 2006 Call 1987
Suzanne McKie
Call 1991
Sarah Watson
Call 2002
Bruce Carr QC
Silk 2009 Call 1986
Peter Edwards
Call 1992
Rachel Avery
Call 2003
Robert Weir QC
Silk 2010 Call 1992
Alison Padfield
Call 1992
Yvette Budé
Call 2003
Andrew Burns
Call 1993
Lucinda Harris
Call 2004
Katie Gollop
Call 1993
Laura Bell
Call 2004
Tariq Sadiq
Call 1993
Talia Barsam
Call 2006
Dijen Basu
Call 1994
Thomas Cordrey
Call 2006
Richard Cartwright
Call 1994
Laura McNair-Wilson
Call 2007
Anna Thomas
Call 1995
Sam Nicholls
Call 2006
Mohinderpal Sethi
Call 1996
Christopher Stone
Call 2007
Timothy Frith
Call 1996
Andrew Smith
Call 2008
Devereux Chambers
Devereux Court
London
WC2R 3JH
Tel 020 7353 7534
Fax 020 7583 5150
[email protected]
www.devereuxchambers.co.uk