‘She is a first class advocate with an excellent knowledge of the law.’
The Legal 500 Rankings (2026 edition)
Gatehouse Chambers has again improved its rankings in The Legal 500 2026 edition.
- London Bar
- Personal injury, industrial disease and insurance fraud
- Private client: trusts and probate
- Social housing
- Commercial litigation
- Construction
- Insurance and reinsurance
- Clinical negligence
- Company
- Court of Protection: health and welfare
- Education
- Employment
- Fraud: civil
- Inquests and inquiries
- International arbitration: counsel
Regional Bar • Western Circuit
- Clinical negligence
- Inquests and inquiries
- Personal injury
Regional Bar • South Eastern Circuit
- Commercial litigation
- Employment
- Personal injury
- Property and construction
The English Bar Offshore
- Commercial disputes
London • Dispute resolution
- Mediators
Some of the editorial comments in this edition include:
‘The clerks at Gatehouse are great! They are so friendly, approachable and helpful it makes it a pleasure to instruct counsel from this set.’
‘Gatehouse continues to distinguish itself in the field of property litigation with a modern, inclusive ethos and excellent bench strength.’
‘The costs team at Gatehouse has grown significantly in recent years and is now a real force to be reckoned with. There is in depth knowledge in particular of third party funding and long established links with funders.’
‘A forward-thinking set. The combination of construction expertise with wider practice areas means that they are the ideal choice for complicated matters in this sector.’
‘The service from the clerks is of high quality. They are easy to contact and quick to respond to queries.’
‘Gatehouse are a pleasure to deal with.’ ‘Very good.’
‘A strong and well-rounded set of barristers.’ ‘A quality set.’
‘Gatehouse is very strong indeed in construction and professional negligence. As well as strength in depth for counsel, at all levels, they offer a wide range of training and networking events.’
‘Gatehouse Chambers is a true market leader in construction-related insurance disputes, particularly in relation to Construction All Risks insurance, where their publication is the leading academic text not just in the UK, but globally.’
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Clinical negligence
Charles Bagot KC
‘He has a superb grasp of client needs and expectations.’
Aneurin Moloney
Emma Woods
‘An up and coming junior.’
Emma Zeb
‘Emma is a fantastic advocate and is extremely meticulous in her approach.’
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Commercial litigation
Set
Gatehouse Chambers is well-equipped to handle joint venture disputes, commercial arbitrations, and cross-border matters, to name a few areas of instruction. Nigel Jones KC is a highly regarded practitioner in the commercial litigation space, and has an excellent reputation for advising on high-profile, international commercial matters. Elsewhere in chambers, David Lewis KC appeared in Advanced Multi-Technology For Medical Industry v Uniserve, a dispute arising out of agreements relating to the procurement of PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic, involving allegations of breach of contract and claims under section 50 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979.
Nigel Jones KC
David Lewis KC
‘Very academic and excellent litigator.’
Charles Raffin
‘A particularly charming advocate who has an uncanny knack of winning over the judge quickly and thereby delivering great results.’
Emily Betts
‘Emily’s advocacy is focused, clear and persuasive. She has a quietly determinative manner which is highly effective in court and with adversaries.’
George Eyre
James Shaw
‘He is very intelligent and quickly understands the nuances of complex commercial disputes.’
Paul Strelitz
‘Fierce advocate, decisive in his action and advice.’
Sarah McCann
‘Sarah excels at distilling difficult points into accessible advice for clients, and is never afraid to roll up her sleeves and get into the detail of a matter.’
Rajiv Bhatt
Adam Smith-Roberts
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Company
Nigel Jones KC
David Lewis KC
James Shaw
‘James is a fantastic junior who is very strong on complex points of company law.’
Sarah Clarke
Phillip Patterson‘Phil is very good on his analysis and clear in his advice. Ready to roll his sleeves up, he is not afraid to take a position and get off the fence.’ -
Construction
Set
Gatehouse Chambers have the ‘depth and range of expertise’ to deal with the full spectrum of construction, engineering, and infrastructure disputes across the UK and the international sphere. Leading Ebony Alleyne, Paul Reed KC successfully represented Mace Ltd in the Court of Appeal case over roof defects claims at Sky’s campus in Osterley. Catherine Piercy KC is acting for the external wall contractor over alleged negligence in the design and use of flammable cladding and insulation. David Pliener KC represented the architects in the complex Shepherd Construction v Kingspan & Others case over alleged defective cladding in a London high rise residential development.
David Pliener KC
‘Great legal mind, great advocate, very user friendly, great with clients and really clear written advice.’
Michael Wheater KC
‘Oozes gravitas and charisma. Brilliant on his feet in court. A stellar counsel, who clients love and opponents seem to greatly respect.’
Nigel Jones KC
Paul Reed KC
Andrew Kearney
Ebony Alleyne
‘Ebony always provides sound legal advice but also understands the commercial nature of business.’
George Eyre
‘George’s written work is always of the highest quality and provided in a comprehensive and easy to understand matter.’
Helena White
‘Helena is extremely clever, gets a real grip on the key issues quickly the quality of her advice and written work is excellent. She is also a very strong and measured advocate able to articulate her arguments in a forceful and concise way.’
Katie Lee
Kort Egan
‘Kort works incredibly well under pressure, is able to quickly grasp technical details and turn things around when needed. He has a good practical and commercial approach and style and is able to communicate matters concisely and easily to lay clients.’
Sarah McCann
‘Sarah is particularly adept at dealing with complex and high value construction disputes. She excels at distilling difficult points into accessible advice for clients, and is never afraid to roll up her sleeves and get into the detail of a matter.
Emma Hynes‘Great with the details and won’t take a backward step in court.’Louis Zvesper‘Louis is detail-orientated, picking up complex factual issues promptly and prepares clear, persuasive pleadings.’Simon Kerry‘Very user friendly, great manner with clients, able to cut through a lot of material quickly and grasp the issues.’ -
Costs and litigation funding
Set
Gatehouse Chambers’ members possess ‘a wealth of knowledge’ in costs and litigation funding matters, with the set providing expertise in complex appellate cases, drafting DBAs and Litigation Management Agreements, as well as assisting litigation teams on applications for security for costs. Specialising in Damages Based Agreements and Litigation Management Agreements, PJ Kirby KC has recently been instructed in a large group action, Aabar Holdings & Others v Glencore PLC & others, to give advice relating to costs sharing, security for costs, costs management and funding issues. Robin Dunne has acted for Coleen Rooney in Vardy v Rooney, a case concerning a £1.8m costs bill and novel issues regarding the relevance of a budget to an indemnity basis costs order. In Pan-NOx Litigation, Martyn Griffiths is acting as sole counsel for BMW and has been involved in costs budgeting, funding disclosure, and security for costs.
PJ Kirby KC
‘PJ brings a commercial lawyer’s experience to the intricacies of costs disputes. He is a fine advocate as he works out the best points and makes concessions where appropriate so as to get the focus to focus on the important issues.’
Alaric Watson
‘Alaric is approachable and knowledgeable. He gives clear and honest feedback on matters and is a trusted counsel.’
Charlotte Wilk
‘Charlotte communicates well, her written submissions are excellent and she provides great advocacy in Court. Her knowledge in other areas are transferable to issues which arise in costing and greatly assist when it comes to justifying costs in detailed assessment hearings.’
Martyn Griffiths
Martyn has the ability to break down complex legal issues and think critically about case strategies. He is clear, concise, and impactful with both verbal and written communication. Martyn is also really good at building trust and explaining complex legal issues in a way that clients understand.’
Robin Dunne
‘Robin is calm and intelligent with the skills of an experienced silk both in written advice and advocacy. His knowledge of the rules and case law is second to none.’
Priya Gopal
‘Priya is a very skilled barrister who provides oral and written advocacy and advice beyond her level of call. Her advice is technically excellent as well as commercially aware.’
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Court of protection: health and welfare
Alison Meacher
‘Alison is truly outstanding. She is incredibly knowledgeable and experienced. She is attentive to detail and spots the tricky issues.’
Shazia Akhtar
‘Shazia is a good team player, and has a great manner with clients.’
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Education
Shazia Akhtar
‘Comprehensive legal expertise including education law. She has exceptional advocacy and client care skills. She has an excellent persuasive advocacy and client focused approach. Clients are always feel she gets to the heart of their cases and feel she thoroughly prepares for hearings.’
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Employment
Lauren Godfrey
‘Lauren gives straightforward, pragmatic advice and he grasps complex facts swiftly.’
Mark Stephens
‘Mark is technically gifted and extremely personable. His expertise in cross-examining and his extremely persuasive closing speeches mark him out as a leader in his field.’
Matthew Hodson
Paul Strelitz
‘He is detail orientated and has a good eye for tactical calls.’
Sara Ibrahim
‘Sara is a standout choice for counsel. great source of comfort. She is always well-prepared for hearings, demonstrates a steady hand in navigating the complexities of the tribunal system, and swiftly adapts to fast-moving developments ensuring her advocacy remains both responsive and strategically sound.’
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Fraud: civil
David Lewis KC
Nigel Jones KC
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Inquests and inquiries
Emma Hynes
Emma Zeb
‘Emma is in a class of her own.’
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Insolvency
Set
Noted for its construction expertise, Gatehouse Chambers ‘punches well above its weight’ in the insolvency sector with particular expertise in insurance-related matters. The set’s members act across jurisdictions in shareholder disputes, director misfeasance claims and disputed winding up petitions. Jonathan Titmuss recently acted for the trustees in bankruptcy of an individual who was accused of fraudulently sheltering a number of assets. Wendy Parker acted as sole counsel in a case concerning a disputed petitioner that raised issues around the Braganza test on the rational use of contractual discretion. Sarah McCann has acted in claims before the Supreme Court of Gibraltar and in the English courts for Enterprise Insurance, a large insurance company that became insolvent in July 2016.
Alaric Watson
‘Alaric is extremely knowledgeable, responsive and a testament to his clients which he instructs.’
Charles Raffin
‘Very tactically aware and a font of knowledge. Great at advocacy.’
Jonathan Titmuss
‘Technically brilliant, he is able to master the complex and make challenging situations appear simple and straightforward.’
Katrina Mather
‘Katrina is fantastic. She has experience and skills that are well beyond her years of call.’
Phillip Patterson
‘Phillip is top notch and is simply brilliant. He is very thorough with his advice and always comes up with effective solutions to knotty legal issues.’
Ryan Hocking
Sarah Clarke
‘She has an extensive knowledge and understanding of insolvency and commercial law matters, and her opinions are always set out in an accessible way.’
Sarah McCann
Wendy Parker
‘Wendy is very commercially astute, and her advice is always grounded in that commerciality so that the client can understand the practical implications of a matter.’
Aileen McErlean‘Aileen is an excellent advocate and very persuasive. She has excellent attention to detail.’ -
Insurance and reinsurance
Set
Members of Gatehouse Chambers have extensive expertise working on behalf of reinsurers, insurers, and assureds regarding policy coverage. They frequently act on all kinds of insurance policies, including bespoke wording and standard forms, and they cover all kinds of liability insurance. Paul Reed KC acts on Sky Broadcasting Ltd, Mace Ltd v Insurers, where Sky UK sought compensation for all damages, including those that occurred after the insurance period, due to a leaky roof at its headquarters. Simon Kerry and David Pliener KC represented Butlins in a claim after extremely high rainfall caused flooding, necessitating the closure of its Minehead site – at issue was if the claim was encapsulated by a storm sublimit.
David Pliener KC
‘David is quickly establishing himself as one of the leading construction-related insurance disputes KCs at the Bar. He has a balanced practice split between insurers and policyholders, which gives him a valuable perspective from both sides of the market.’
Michael Wheater KC
‘Michael is technically excellent and very good on strategy, both procedurally and commercially. He is very personable and great with clients. Also, a clear and persuasive advocate. Well-deserved recent appointment to KC. ‘
Paul Reed KC
‘His expertise and experience in relation to complex insurance dispute matters are excellent.’
Ebony Alleyne
‘Ebony is very personable and easy to work with, and a good lawyer.’
George Eyre
Helena White
‘Very diligent and familiarises herself with the details of the matter within a short span of time, able to produce persuasive, concise and clear written arguments to put to the insurers.’
Louis Zvesper
‘Louis is a very bright individual who relishes the challenge of intellectual problems. He is also an effective communicator who can convey complex ideas in a way that is easily understood by clients.’
Sarah McCann
Simon Kerry
Tom Bell
‘A fantastic team player. Very cool and calm, unflappable. Willing to be clear with his advice and not sit on a fence, especially when in conference with clients to put the point across. Does not just take the legal answer, also factors in the other commercial drivers at play and comes to a reasoned approach.’
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International arbitration
Frederico Singarajah
‘Fred is a clear communicator, an effective leader, a great lawyer and a pleasure to work with. He is tenacious in his work, confident in his views, and adept at juggling competing commitments. Fred gets the job done, does it well and is a collaborative team player along the way.’
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Personal Injury - Personal injury, industrial disease and insurance fraud
Set
Highlighted for ‘providing a complete service to all insurance sectors’, Gatehouse Chambers’ personal injury practitioners typically operate in complex cases involving catastrophic injuries, brain, spinal and psychiatric injury claims, fatal accident claims and amputations. Charles Bagot KC is highly regarded for his expertise in advising on secondary victim claims. Colm Nugent has notable experience in acting for insurers in matters involving allegations of fraud. In a boost to chambers, Emma Zeb KC was appointed to silk in March 2025.
Charles Bagot KC
‘Charles’ advocacy, as with all his work, is thoroughly and meticulously prepared.’
Colm Nugent
‘Colm is hugely experienced and extremely tactical. He also has a great rapport with clients.’
Emma Zeb
‘She is a real leader in her field.’
Henry Slack
Jake Rowley
‘Jake is a strong advocate with the ability to make witnesses feel comfortable.’
Jasmine Murphy
‘She demonstrates detailed, forensic analysis of evidence, which is then clearly explained.’
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Private wealth and probate
Set
‘With a nice range of areas of expertise’, Gatehouse Chambers compliments its trusts and probate expertise with knowledge in the areas of real property, mortgage and insolvency. Brie Stevens-Hoare KC acted in Pidsley & Pidsley v Spencer, a case raising allegations of fraud and forgery relating to the purported will of the claimant’s stepfather. Cameron Stocks was instructed in the Supreme Court case of Hirachand v Hirachand, which clarified the law on successful fee arrangements in relation to the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975. In Changizi v Mayers, Charlotte John provided an opinion on whether the proceeds of sale of English properties that are part of an estate constitute moveable or immovable assets in English law.
Brie Stevens-Hoare KC
‘Brie is excellent at quickly establishing a rapport with clients from all walks of life.’
Adam Smith-Roberts
‘His advice is coherent, clear and always understood.’
Cameron Stocks
‘Cameron is technically astute and knowledgeable, commercially pragmatic and personally down to earth and likeable.’
Charlotte John
Alison Meacher
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Professional negligence
Set
Gatehouse Chambers undertakes a variety of complex and high profile professional negligence disputes across the legal, construction, property, insurance and financial sectors. Catherine Piercy KC acts for the external wall contractor in the Grenfell Tower litigation and is leading Helena White and Kort Egan. John de Waal KC represents the defendant solicitors in University for the Creative Arts v Eversheds Sutherland International, a solicitors claim which centres around the allegedly negligent operation of a break clause. Daniel Gatty represented the defendant in Trio Property Investment v The Foster Partnership Ltd, an action against a group of licensed conveyancers – at issue was if the limitation period continued to run against a company being wound up if the claim would be met out of the defendant’s insurance.
David Pliener KC
‘David provides excellent and comprehensive advice in an easy to understand manner. His approach is very user-friendly to both professional and lay clients alike’
John de Waal KC
Michael Wheater KC
Nigel Jones KC
Paul Reed KC
Daniel Gatty
‘He is good with clients, delivers realistic commercial advice. He prepares thoroughly for court and meetings. ’Ebony Alleyne
George Eyre
‘George is a very bright and technically gifted junior. He has very good drafting skills and is definitely one to watch.’
Helena White
Jack Dillon
‘Jack is strong across the board. He is technically excellent and always on top of the detail, meaning his advice is top drawer, while also being exceptionally easy to work with and client friendly.’
James Hall
‘James is simply wonderful to work with and has everything you would want in a barrister. He leaves no stone unturned and his thorough preparation means his advocacy is a joy to watch.’
Jonathan Titmuss
‘Technically brilliant, he is able to master the complex and make challenging situations appear simple and straightforward. He has an encyclopaedic knowledge of insolvency law and which is second to none.’
Joshua Griffin
‘He is excellent on his feet. He always prepares thoroughly and takes time to understand the underlying strategy.’
Kort Egan
Louis Zvesper
‘He is approachable and very detail-focused.’
Michael Levenstein
Sara Ibrahim
‘Sara provides clear and comprehensive advice with a settlement-orientated approach. Sara is a persuasive advocate who is calm under pressure.’
Sarah McCann
Simon Kerry
Tom Bell
‘Tom is an exceptional team player, picks up the work quickly, analyses it, and produces sensible, compelling work. Always analytical but with an eye to the commercial practicalities.’
Priya Gopal‘Priya is exceptionally bright and makes complex issues seem simple. Priya’s drafting is also exemplary.’ -
Property litigation
Set
Gatehouse Chambers is highly regarded for its ‘strong property knowledge’, and garners praise from clients as ‘a reliable destination for complex, high-value property work’. Brie Stevens-Hoare KC appeared for the claimant in Triplark Ltd v Whale and others, where the High Court ruled that a landlord’s proposed renewal of a communal heating and hot water system was not within the landlord’s repairing obligations as the works would increase the maintenance burden on tenants at the property. Jamal Demachkie ‘has a razor sharp brain, is decisive with his advice and excellent on his feet’.
Brie Stevens-Hoare KC
‘Brie is fantastic on her feet. She has the ability to cut through rubbish and get to the core issues with speed.’
John de Waal KC
‘John provides considered advice – he clearly thinks about his view very carefully and is fully able to support it and bolster it.
Amanda Eilledge
Andrew Skelly
He is efficient, prompt, thorough and practical.’
Byroni Kleopa
Cameron Stocks
‘His advocacy style is mature beyond his year of call.’
Carl Brewin
‘Carl remains calm and collected at all times and gets to the crux of the issues quickly.’
Clare Anslow
Daniel Gatty
‘Daniel is technically brilliant and provides strategic advice in this field.’
David Peachey
‘Very professional and well prepared. A good advocate.’
Emily Betts
‘Her advice is always comprehensive. She knows what will be important for the client to make informed decisions.’
Faisel Sadiq
‘Faisel is exceptionally clever and remarkably efficient. He can turn round complicated briefs rapidly.’Gemma de Cordova
Jack Dillon
‘A highly intelligent and incisive junior.’
Jamal Demachkie
‘Jamal is excellent in every way. His advocacy is first class, he is able to adapt his style depending on circumstances and he excels at thinking on his feet.’
John Beresford
‘A junior with an assured courtroom presence.’
John Clargo
‘John is extremely bright and entirely unfazed by complex legal and factual issues.’
Katrina Mather
‘Katrina is well-prepared and on top of her brief. She is thoughtful but pointed in her advocacy.’
Laura Tweedy
‘Laura is incredible – a brilliant technical lawyer.’
Lina Mattsson
‘Lina is a highly effective advocate with a deep command of both procedural and substantive property law.’
Monty Palfrey
‘Hugely knowledgeable in matters of property law.’ -
Social housing
Set
The team at Gatehouse Chambers advises on a range of social housing disputes, including breach of covenants, repossessions, disrepair, anti-social injunctions and right to buy. Alison Meacher draws from her expertise in other areas of law such as human rights and mental health to assist her on her cases, and she has represented a claimant seeking to resist an application by the defendant’s litigation friend to stay a possession and sale order. Laura Tweedy represents the claimant ina case concerning if a suspended possession order for rent arrears can be converted into an outright possession order due to subsequent criminal behaviour.
Alison Meacher
‘Alison is truly outstanding. She is incredibly knowledgeable, experienced and attentive to detail.’
Laura Tweedy
‘Laura is a strong litigator and is very approachable and gives comprehensive advice.’