Profiles

Neil Douglas

Job title
Chief Executive Officer, Parklane Plowden

Parklane Plowden is a large set of chambers in Leeds and Newcastle, comprising over 80 members and specialising in four key practice areas: Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence; Family; Employment and Chancery & Commercial.

Paul Greaney QC

Job title: Silk and Head of the Criminal Team

New Park Court Chambers is a large and well-established set of Chambers comprising 94 barristers in Leeds and Newcastle, including 9 QCs, specialising in criminal, civil and family law.

You are described in the leading directories as ‘an ascending star’, and were described in The Times in connection with the Suarz/Evra case as one of the country’s leading criminal lawyers. What do you credit your success to?
Hard work and good luck. In the five years before I took silk I was fortunate to be led by a number of exceptional QCs. In particular, I was led by Robert Smith QC in a series of long cases of considerable complexity and importance. Of all of the advocates I have encountered, he has the highest standards and I learnt a great deal from him. This period was effectively a second pupillage and set me on course for my own career in silk.

Alex Verdan QC

Job title: Head of Chambers at 4 Paper Buildings

4PB is the largest family law set in England, with 70 members of which 12 are Silks, offering advice and advocacy in all areas of family law.

You are one of four Silks listed as a ‘star individual’ at the Children Bar. What do you credit your success to?
One of only 3 actually as the 4th - Stephen Cobb QC - is now Cobb J. But seriously this is a difficult question to start the interview with. It is probably best to ask others but I guess it is down to a combination of things: the ability and desire to work really hard and not cut corners, emotional intelligence, good communication, approachability, confidence in giving a clear opinion and reliability. I’ve also had great clerks and solicitors throughout my career who have given me amazing chances. Lastly, a fair dose of good fortune in making the right and important decisions at the right time.

John Lloyd‑Jones QC

Job title: Silk and head of the criminal team at 36 Bedford Row

36 Bedford Row is a leading set of chambers with members practicing in six specialist areas of serious and complex crime, family law, employment law, civil litigation, public law and consumer law.

Many congratulations on attaining silk this year. What do you hope the future holds for a silk at the Criminal Bar?
Success. I wouldn’t have applied for silk if I did not think that I could make it pay. If you’re good, well organised and prepared to put yourself about then there is still work out there to be had. As he handed me my Letters Patent last Wednesday, I asked the Lord Chancellor whether there would still be any publicly funded work for me to do after my appointment. He said that there would be and I intend to take him at his word. Given the further cuts to fees proposed in the most recent consultation paper, I wonder whether I should have actually asked the Lord Chancellor whether there would be any financially viable publicly funded work available for me to do in silk?

Mark Warwick QC

Job title: Silk, Selborne Chambers

Selborne Chambers is a Chancery/Commercial set with particular emphasis on property, professional negligence, company and financial services, civil fraud and international work.

Congratulations on attaining Silk this year, a fine achievement. What made you apply for it this year?
The short answer is that the feedback from my informal soundings of potential consultees was encouraging. The longer answer is that, having unsuccessfully applied several years ago, I decided to work on my practice. I only re-applied when I had attained top ranking in the guides and had written a legal textbook.

Lexa Hilliard QC

Job title: Silk, 11 Stone Buildings

11SB is a leading commercial/chancery set with multi-disciplinary expertise. Areas in which 11SB specialises include civil fraud, financial services and banking, insolvency, company and professional negligence.

What do you credit your success to?
You might find this odd, but the answer to your question is: training with Vidal Sassoon. I was unruly, undisciplined and disorganised at school and left after my ‘O’ levels. I fell into training to be a hairdresser with Vidal Sassoon and I just loved it.

Rebecca Wilkie & Chris Broom

Rebecca Wilkie's job title: Chief Executive, BPBU
Chris Broom's job title: Senior Clerk, Gray’s Inn Tax Chambers Management Committee member, BPBU

The Bar Pro Bono Unit is a charity which facilitates pro bono work from volunteer barristers for those who cannot afford to pay and who cannot obtain public funding.

What do you credit the success of the Bar Pro Bono Unit (BPBU) to?
RW: The people who work with us. 75% of our cases are placed through clerks so their commitment makes a huge difference in enabling our requests for help to spread as far as possible across the Bar.

Ronald DeKoven

Job title: Barrister, DeKoven Chambers

DeKoven Chambers specialises in commercial disputes arising out of complex international transactions.

What have been some of the highlights of your career?
Several matters that I was instructed on in the ‘90s (acting for the liquidators of BBCI, acting for the administrators of KWELM, acting for Equitas and the Society of Lloyd’s of London, and acting for the administrators of Barings) were very important to my career at Shearman & Sterling and in creating expertise in cross border insolvency.

Ali Malek QC

Job title: Silk, 3 Verulam Buildings

3 Verulam Buildings is a leading set of Chambers specialising in domestic and international commercial and business law, arbitration, banking, insolvency, fraud, professional negligence, energy, IT and insurance/reinsurance.

You are widely regarded as an international commercial litigation heavyweight. To what do you credit your success?
I have always taken the view that my work is about achieving the best result for my client rather than fighting for the sake of it. I think clients appreciate that commercial approach. I also bring an international perspective – I think it helps I am half Iranian married to a Jamaican (of Lebanese origin). I have always been someone who travels a lot and international work really appeals to me. I am lucky to have a very understanding and supportive family who give me the freedom to travel as extensively as I do. I think I have benefitted from not focusing on a narrow area of commercial law and from sitting as an arbitrator as well as acting as an advocate. I have also been fortunate to work in a set that is forward thinking and dynamic.

Paul Bowen QC

Job title: Silk, Doughty Street Chambers

Doughty Street Chambers is a human rights and civil liberties practice with a national and international profile in criminal, civil, administrative, public and international law.

You represented Tony Nicklinson – who suffered ‘locked-in’ syndrome - in his landmark case challenging the law on assisted dying. How did you become involved in that case?
Tony’s case is a progression of the work I have done throughout my career around autonomy and choice. I have a public law and human rights practice which emphasises, among others, the rights of persons with disabilities. Autonomy links the right to make end of life decisions with, for example, the right of disabled persons to live independently in the community, and both are features of my practice. I represented Debbie Purdy in her successful appeal to the House of Lords which resulted in the DPP issuing his guidelines on prosecution in assisted suicide cases. The solicitor in Debbie Purdy’s case, Saimo Chahal, and I have worked together for many years so it was a natural fit for us to do so again for Tony and his family, who are carrying on the case now Tony has died.

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