24 members recognised in Chambers and Partners UK Bar Guide 2025

Selborne Chambers – Band 3

• “All at Selborne Chambers are incredibly friendly, from the receptionist up. The clerks want to get to know you personally and strive hard to build a personal relationship with you.”
  
• “The clerks deal with enquiries quickly and are happy to assist where they can. Paul, Darren and First Junior Clerk Ollie Ventura are helpful and really have their fingers on the pulse.”
  
• “The clerks at Selborne are excellent. They are approachable, reliable and responsive. Deputy Senior Clerk Richard Sheehan is so helpful, even out of hours.”

Ian Clarke KC – Band 3

• “Ian is a true star when it comes to complex multi-layered matters with multi-jurisdictional elements. He has a deep understanding of commercial issues and spots the winning angle in any dispute.”
  
• “Ian is so good at the detail and getting into the issues. He is a real standout.”

Romie Tager KC – Band 3

• “His knowledge is immense and his application of that knowledge is first class.”

Nicholas Trompeter KC – Band 2

• “Nick is such a star. He really goes above and beyond.”
  
• “Nicholas is so easy to deal with. He is immensely clever and extremely personable, and has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law.”
  
• “Nick is highly responsive and very willing to get stuck into the case. He is very personable and brings a lot of strategic and commercial acumen to bear.”

Duncan Kynoch – Band 4

• “Duncan is very user-friendly for solicitors. He is highly intellectual and produces good written work.”
  

Richard Clegg – Band 4

• “Richard is a pleasure to deal with. He has a keen eye for detail and his written work is always exemplary.”
  
• “Richard is absolutely impeccable in terms of both his written advice and in court. He is firm in his advice and careful to keep tabs on the commercial implications of any case for his clients.”

Lydia Pemberton – Band 2

• “Lydia is a very composed and effective advocate. Her written advocacy was excellent, and she is very good on cross-examination – she is able to drill out the necessary information.”
• “Lydia Pemberton is excellent. She is incredibly hard-working, knowledgeable, good with clients, and is a technical person and a great advocate too.”
• “Lydia has forged her way successfully in this area and has established a strong reputation.”

Ian Clarke KC – Band 3

• “He offers clients practical and coherent advice and keeps a keen eye on the best way to provide commercial solutions.”
  
• “Ian is very smooth on his feet and gets the judge on side fast. He is excellent with the lay client, as he gives robust advice and is quick to allay fears.”
  
• “Ian is dependable and quick to respond.”

Clifford Darton KC – Band 3

• “Clifford Darton is excellent all round, and as good on his feet in court as he is at providing advice.”
  
• “He is an absolute genius on his feet.”

Julia Beer – Band 4

• “Julia is an excellent advocate with an extensive knowledge of contentious probate matters. She is particularly good at communicating with clients.”
  
• “Julia has a tremendous capacity to cut through matters and focus on the issues that dictate the case.”
  
• “Julia is excellent and has a very calm manner, which is ideal for clients involved in contentious probate disputes. She is very skilled at negotiating and is always such a pleasure to work with.”

Chris de Beneducci – Band 4

• “Chris de Beneducci is excellent and goes above and beyond for his clients. He has excellent presentation skills, in terms of both his drafting and advocacy in court.”
  
• “A very pleasant opponent, whose skeleton arguments and cross-examinations are of a standard much higher than that produced by the vast majority of people of his call.”

William McCormick KC – Band 5

• “William is very impressive in court; he has an effective and authoritative style.”

William McCormick KC – Band 1

• “He is excellent – great leader who is great at detail and excellent on cross-examination.”
  
• “He is terrific, a fantastic advocate. One of the best in the business in trial, and the best at cross-examination. William is very good with the defamation side of things.”

Clifford Darton KC – Band 3

• “Clifford is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable KCs advising the UK water industry generally.”

Justin Kitson – Band 2

• “He is a very good trial advocate, has exceptional cross-examination skills and is a great guy overall.”

Nicholas Trompeter KC – Band 4

• “At the top of his game but so easy to deal with. Nicholas is super bright, with an encyclopedic knowledge, and has a great way with judges.”
  
• “Nick is exceptional. If the client can afford a silk then he is always the first person I recommend; he is pragmatic and incredibly thorough.”
  
• “His client-handling skills are superb. He is very clear, straightforward and responsive.”

Hugh Jackson – Band 4

• “Hugh is an excellent all-rounder.”

Selborne Chambers – Band 2

• “The clerks at Selborne are very good and are great at lining up the right barrister for the job.”
  
• “Senior clerks Paul Bunting and Darren Madle provide great customer service.”
  
• “The clerking team are very responsive and leave the client really pleased.”
• “Selborne has accommodating and attentive clerks who are able to turn things round quickly.”
  
• “Deputy senior clerk Richard Sheehan always responds swiftly and with the information requested. He is a pleasure to deal with.”

Ian Clarke KC – Band 2

• “Ian is very user-friendly and great on strategy and tactics. He has a reassuring presence and marshals a case well.”
  
• “Ian is an excellent and compelling advocate who thinks quickly on his feet when an opponent attempts to take him by surprise.”
  
• “Ian navigates complex issues brilliantly and always provides commercial advice in addition to legal, with a view to achieving the client’s goals as quickly and efficiently as possible.”

Mark Warwick KC – Band 2

• “Mark’s experience is invaluable when it comes to dealing with tricky issues. He has a good sense of judgement when it comes to strategy and offers a clear path through the complex maze of issues.”
  
• “Mark is a fantastic, very experienced property disputes barrister.”

Gary Blaker KC – Band 2

• “Gary is a very technical barrister who is strong on his feet in court and a good interrogator.”
  
• “Gary is incredibly attentive and a great team player.”

Nicholas Trompeter KC – Band 2

• “Nick is a leading property silk with a brilliant analytical mind and robust advocacy. He instils confidence with his measured approach but he’s also very good at thinking of creative solutions.”
  
• “Nick is a very strong barrister who is extremely pleasant to deal with.”
  
• “Nick is affable, has a great courtroom demeanour and is very responsive.”
  
• “Nick is super bright, with encyclopedic knowledge and an extremely personable and congenial manner. He provides clear, well thought out written and oral advice.”
  
• “Nick is an absolutely stellar barrister who doesn’t miss a detail, is always well prepared and knows the documents back to front.”

Neil Mendoza – Band 5

• “Neil is a great technical lawyer who is very responsive, willing and able to help, and has a strong technical ability.”
  
• “Neil is attentive, knowledgeable and understands the client’s needs. His advice is robust and supportive, with a quick turnaround.”

Stuart Hornett – Band 2

• “Stuart is a very experienced property disputes barrister.”

Duncan Kynoch – Band 5

• “Duncan is attentive, knowledgeable and understands the client’s needs.”
  
• “Duncan is very tactically sound, tenacious and reliable.”

Richard Clegg – Band 5

• “Richard is excellent with clients and has an air of confidence in himself that inspires the same feeling in his clients. He is easy to work with, responsive and always makes himself available.”
  
• “Richard is very thorough in his written advice and particularly good at advocacy involving technical points of law.”
  
• “Richard keeps a close eye on the commercial objectives of the client and moulds his strategy and approach accordingly.”

Justin Kitson – Band 2

• “Justin is a very good barrister. He is very user-friendly, responsive and well liked by clients.”
  
• “Justin is user-friendly, always available, works exceptionally hard and gives incredibly accessible advice.”
  
• “Justin’s expertise in telecommunications lease matters is very strong.”

Jonathan McNae – Band 4

• “Jonathan always delivers pragmatic and commercial advice and solutions, and has excellent client-facing skills.”
  
• “Jon is a pleasure to work with. He is very user-friendly and always gives you the impression your matter has priority.”
  
• “Jon is always thoroughly prepared and is a persuasive advocate.”
  
• “Jon is a very talented advocate who is a pleasure to watch.”

Henry Webb – Band 4

• “Henry is responsive and user-friendly and has an excellent grasp of the law. He is organised, quick on his feet and comes up with practical solutions.”
  
• “Henry is very bright but also down to earth and approachable. He is also clear and practical with his advice.”
  
• “Henry is a real star who gets a grip on even the knottiest legal issues and is a pleasure to work with.”
  
• “Henry has an excellent client manner, is technically astute and always has time for his clients.”
  
• “Henry always makes an excellent impression on clients with the clarity of his written advice and his commerciality.”

Paul De La Piquerie – Band 3

• “Paul is a reliable and approachable barrister who is a pleasure to work with and never disappoints.”
  
• “Paul has a very no-nonsense manner and approach. He has a very authoritative presence when it comes to his advocacy, and anything the other side tries to throw in, he has an immediate response to.”
  
• “Paul is very good in the courtroom and has a good presence about his advocacy. He is very methodical in the way he approaches it and he really supports his clients in the process.”
  
• “Paul deals with complex cases with a great amount of skill. His written work is excellent and he provides commercial advice, as well as legal.”
  
• “Paul is incredibly confident and really knows his stuff. He is very matter-of-fact and really excels in doing a good job for his clients.”

Rahul Varma – Band 4

• “Rahul is a very effective and skilled advocate with a laser-sharp eye for good points.”
  
• “Rahul is great with clients and always very prepared. He is a pleasure to deal with.”

Simon McLoughlin – Band 4

• “Simon is an excellent barrister who is a go-to for complex, knotty legal issues.”
  
• “Simon is charming to deal with and is impressive on his feet.”
  
• “Simon is very clever and has a deep understanding of the law. He also has a great academic intellect, very good client care skills and is exceptional at cross-examination.”

Isabel Petrie – Band 4

• “Isabel is fantastic in both real estate and insolvency work. She is an outstanding advocate who is extremely persuasive on her feet.”
  
• “Isabel is a very thorough, responsive and helpful property disputes barrister.”
  
• “Isabel is an excellent, user-friendly, very switched-on barrister.”

Chris de Beneducci – Up and Coming

• “Chris is very good at making clients feel at ease.”
  
• “Chris is very impressive and provides excellent advice and drafting.”

Rosamund Baker – Up and Coming

• “Rosamund is very approachable and understated in her knowledge and expertise. She achieves excellent results in court and deals with very challenging situations.”
  
• “Rosamund is an excellent junior who really grasps the issues at hand and is loved by judges for her methodical advocacy.”

Peter Shaw KC – Band 3

• “Peter Shaw is a strong all-round performer who goes the extra mile for his clients.”
  
• “Peter is an excellent advocate capable of seizing the most important points immediately. He is also very accessible.”
  
• “He is a very knowledgeable and hard-working barrister with excellent advocacy skills.”

Justin Kitson – Band 4

• “Justin is user-friendly, always available, works exceptionally hard and provides incredibly accessible advice.”
  
• “Justin is very user-friendly, responsive and quick.”