Mon, 26 Oct 2020
No5 Barristers’ Chambers has gained recognition in the much-anticipated Chambers UK Guide 2021, in fourteen specialist practice areas.
Published last week, following research carried out by analysts who conducted thousands of interviews, the guide recognises and ranks the best barristers and solicitors in the UK.
Determined by the research, the guide described No5 as: “unquestionably one of the finest provincial legal hubs, with its strongest concentration of talent in Birmingham, alongside a substantial pied-à-terre in London and further offices in Bristol and Leicester.”
Feedback captured from instructing solicitors included commendations such as: “leading set nationally” offering “a high quality of service in a wide variety of specialisms.”
No5 ranks in an impressive fourteen practice areas, eleven of which are band one placements, including: chancery, clinical negligence, company, crime, employment, family: children and also matrimonial finance, health and safety, immigration, personal injury and planning. The set is also ranked in commercial dispute resolution, real estate litigation, and court of protection: health and welfare.
Tony McDaid, Chief Executive and Director of Clerking at No5, said: “We are delighted to have representation in fourteen specialist practice areas and eleven in band 1.”
“We are a diverse set of chambers both in terms of our demographic and in the multitude of specialist areas of law we cover throughout the UK and increasingly overseas. What is particularly pleasing is that we are not only being recognised for the quality of the Barristers we house but also the quality of the service we provide. There is no final destination in this regard and consistency and a desire to be the best we can possibly be is present in everything we do.”
In the area of Court of Protection: Health and Welfare, the guide describes that the No5 team offers expertise in a wide range of health and welfare matters. Members are experienced in the handling of complex residence, forced marriage, deprivation of liberty and capacity to consent to sexual relations cases.
Within the Business and Property group, the Chancery team is highlighted and respected for the broad expertise it offers to clients and instructing solicitors. One interviewee commented: "It is my go-to set in the Midlands, with good depth and breadth.”
The Commercial Dispute Resolution practice is recognised for its strong reputation on the circuit and beyond. The practice is also recognised for its strong commercial expertise and experience across a range of complex litigation.
The guide also recognises the Company team too, by describing them: “as a go-to set for instructing solicitors seeking counsel for high-value and complex company law matters.”
The Clinical Negligence group is praised for housing “a leading set on the Midlands Circuit for complex clinical negligence matters. The set houses a strong bench of barristers, including several medically qualified professionals.”
The guide described No5 as: “a leading set for criminal work on the Midlands Circuit, housing a strong bench of highly regarded barristers who regularly act for both the prosecution and the defence. An instructing solicitor praised the Crime group as ‘top-quality set.’”
No5’s Employment group gained an enthusiastic response from a solicitor who said: "They are all very confident, conscientious and good with clients." The guide added: “No5 Barristers' Chambers provides a strong offering in the employment law space. Members are regularly instructed in complex unfair dismissal and discrimination matters, ranging from the Employment Tribunal to the Court of Appeal."
The Family group is recognised in both the Children and Matrimonial Finance departments. One interviewee simply said: "fantastic chambers" another elaborated "Over the last five to ten years, No5 has truly excelled itself.” The guide added: “Its barristers handle intricate private and public children matters, including those involving loss of life and allegations of abuse. It also fields expertise in high-value financial remedy matters regarding trusts, property portfolios and overseas assets.”
The guide recommends No5’s Health and Safety team by describing them as: “a highly regarded set on the Midlands Circuit. Members are noted for their adroit representation of individual and corporate defendants, as well as several regulators and local authorities.”
High profile cases including Gaddu v Secretary of State, gained recognition for the Immigration group within the guide which states: “They have a strong record of success in difficult challenges to deportation orders and asylum refusals, and possess significant expertise in relation to high-risk destinations for returnees.”
The Personal Injury group was highlighted for its areas of expertise within the guide. The group gained recognition for the team whose expertise includes catastrophic and fatal injury claims, as well as cases involving psychiatric damage, amputations and chronic pain syndromes. Solicitors described the group as "the best set in the region" and noted that: "the wide variety of expertise and skill available at varying degrees of seniority is unmatched by any other chambers in the country."
The Planning group was praised for being highly experienced in major infrastructure and development issues: “Members of the set continue to handle major planning inquiries and well-publicised cases, and have recently appeared in the challenge to the government's decision regarding the expansion of Heathrow Airport, as well as numerous challenges to high-value residential schemes."
One solicitor describes the Real Estate Litigation team as: "my first choice for the reliability of counsel, ease of access and promptness of response.” The guide added: “No5 is a highly regarded set that offers capabilities in a variety of real estate disputes. Its barristers advise on matters including adverse possession claims, beneficial interest disputes and restrictive covenants.”
The extensive and specialist clerking team at No5 were also praised within the feedback: “They understand the profile of our cases, the personalities involved and what will and won’t work. They've invested in really good tech resulting in a really slick system.”
