4PB delighted with 2023 Legal 500 Rankings

The Set – Testimonials

‘4PB is a very strong set and has always been helpful and committed to its clients.’

‘4PB is a fabulous set with the team of strong financial practitioners.’

‘4PB is extremely well served in this area and is always able to offer top caliber counsel.’

‘4PB is the go-to chambers for both private children and financial work. It has a brilliant range of barristers from the junior end right up to silks.’

‘4PB has an excellent reputation, both in the financial and children’s fields. It is one of the leaders and widely recognised for it.’

‘The Chambers is extremely helpful and accommodating. It has strength in depth in both finances and children.’

 

Children Law (Including Public and Private Law)

4PB is ‘an excellent set’ with ‘a good depth of counsel who are all of a high standard’ and offers experience in all areas of family law, both domestically and internationally. ‘Experienced public law barrister’ Jo Delahunty KC is admired for her ‘exceptional cross-examination skills’ and has extensive experience in handling child abuse cases in the High Court. Teertha Gupta KC is an ‘excellent advocate for complicated international children law issues’ and has handled multiple cases related to child abduction. Charles Hale KC is ‘adored by clients for his ability to explain complex issues in a simple fashion’ and recently in Re H-N, represented a father before the Court of Appeal in complex children law proceedings involving finding of fact hearings relating to allegations of domestic abuse. Joy Brereton KC and Michael Gration KC were appointed as silk in 2022.

Rising Stars

Miriam Best – ‘Miriam is an excellent advocate. She is able to absorb large amounts of information quickly and get to the nub of a case. She has an empathetic approach to tricky cases, and works well with vulnerable clients. Her drafting is of the highest standard, supplements her oral advocacy to make her convincing and compelling representative for her client.’
Ranked: Tier 1

Emma Spruce – ‘Emma is confident and an excellent advocate despite being relatively junior. She deals with difficult situations in an organized and logical way.’
Ranked: Tier 1

Leading Silks

Charles Hale KC – Charles is a phenomenal advocate with a great bedside manner with clients. He is able to explain complex issues in a simple fashion. He never forgets the emotional aspect of a case and that these are deeply personal issues for the clients.’
Ranked: Tier 1

Alex Verdan KC – ‘Alex is an authoritative and persuasive advocate, absolutely brilliant with clients. His judgment is consistently spot on.’
Ranked: Tier 1

Jo Delahunty KC –
Ranked: Tier 1

Teertha Gupta KC – ‘Teertha is an excellent advocate for complicated international children cases. His knowledge of the relevant law is outstanding, and he has a mastery of the court room that makes him one of the very best advocates in children law at the Bar.’
Ranked: Tier 1

Piers Pressdee KC – ‘Piers is an incredibly persuasive and effective advocate. He is extremely well prepared, and will go above and beyond to try and achieve the best outcome of his clients. He is a strategist and is not afraid to consider all avenues within the course of proceedings if it might achieve a more favorable outcome for a client.’
Ranked: Tier 1

Henry Setright KC – ‘Henry is an extremely skilled and highly regarded international children advocate. He always knows the best strategic route to take.’
Ranked: Tier 1

Catherine Wood KC – ‘Catherine very capably handles difficult cases and gives the best advice and service to the clients.’
Ranked: Tier 2

Alison Grief KC – ‘Alison’s preparation, application of case law and research is meticulous. Her advocacy is extremely persuasive, and she can turn around and win an argument on numerous occasions purely on her oral advocacy. Her cross-examination skills, especially of expert witnesses, are second to none.’
Ranked: Tier 2

Christopher Hames KC – ‘Christopher is highly knowledgeable and a stellar advocate. He is a safe pair of hands.’
Ranked: Tier 2

Sam King KC –
Ranked: Tier 2

Cleo Perry KC – ‘Cleo is a very hardworking barrister in the most complex cases. She is able to grasp emotional nuances and complexities, which are often pivotal in high conflict cases. She remains child-centred throughout.’
Ranked: Tier 3

Kate Branigan KC – ‘Kate is just a class act – from forensically detailed cross examination of expert medical witnesses to intuitive, empathetic exploration with a vulnerable witness, she can turn her hand to anything. ’
Ranked: Tier 3

Cyrus Larizadeh KC – ‘Cyrus is always impeccably prepared and leaves no stone unturned in support of his client’s case. He is fearless in court but an amiable oponent. He combines an assuring presence for his client with tenacious advocacy.’
Ranked: Tier 3

Barbara Mills KC – ‘Barbara is always well prepared and able to get to grips with the issues quickly. Her advocacy is wonderfully clear and concise. She is not scared to say difficult things to powerful people when required.’
Ranked: Tier 3
2021 Silks

Ruth Kirby KC – ‘Ruth is a force of nature and an incredible strategist. Her advocacy style is punchy, considered and direct, and she never left a stone unturned.’
2022 Silks

Michael Gration KC – ‘Michael is a brilliant advocate who uses his vast knowledge of the law to great effect – he is meticulous and empathetic.’

Joy Brereton KC – ‘Joy is a brilliant advocate who brings great clarity of thought to her work, gives clients enormous confidence and is always well prepared and meticulous in her analysis.’

Leading Juniors

Judith Murray – Judith’s capacity for information is astonishing, and she is excellent at getting on top of the most paper heavy and complex cases. She has a knack at simplifying even the most difficult cases to get to the heart of the issues in a way that is easy for clients to understand. She is respectful and authoritative in her style and delivers oral submissions in an effective manner.’
Ranked: Tier 1

Dorothea Gartland – ‘Dorothea is extraordinarily intuitive with clients, wise as to outcomes and solutions and a great lawyer. She is a constructive but tough opponent, dedicated and persistent, determined to ensure every effort is made to find the right solution.’
Ranked: Tier 1

Justine Johnston – ‘Justine is a firm and incredibly effective advocate. She knows her subject matter inside out, pays great attention to detail, and is clear and concise in her delivery and drafting.’
Ranked: Tier 1

Jacqueline Renton – ‘Jacqueline has an encyclopedic knowledge of children adduction law. She is a passionate and highly intelligent advocate.’
Ranked: Tier 1

Mark Jarman – ‘Mark has a very calm and knowledgeable presence both in and outside court. He is helpful, responsive and strategic in his approach.’
Ranked: Tier 2

Sally Bradley – ‘Sally has an in depth knowledge of the law, and her preparation is extremely through, and the quality of her written documents is superb. She is approachable and always relates to clients well. Her advocacy is brilliant.’
Ranked: Tier 2

Samantha Woodham – ‘Samantha is a brilliant advocate who keeps her cool even in the most difficult situations. She knows her brief like the back of her hand, and clients trust her implicitly as a result.’
Ranked: Tier 2

Michael Edwards – ‘Michael is a polished advocate giving the impression that he approaches everything with ease. His calm and pragmatic approach puts him top of his game for the extremely complex area in which he specialises.’
Ranked: Tier 2

Brian Jubb – ‘Brian provides thorough, sensible and practical advice and always looks for possible solutions to tricky problems.’
Ranked: Tier 3

Andrew Powell – ‘Andrew is a highly talented barrister with excellent core talents. He is insightful, knowledgeable, great communicator with excellent people skills.’
Ranked: Tier 3

Rebecca Foulkes – Rebecca is a force to be reckoned with in the world of children law. She has a sensitive but firm way with clients, and her advocacy is as compelling as it is respectful.’
Ranked: Tier 3

Chris Barnes – ‘Chris is a very experienced and highly effective children’s junior with a formidable track record of experience and success in dealing with complex, cutting-edge public law cases with an international dimension. His knowledge of the law and procedure is encyclopedic, and his intellectual agility is matched by a forceful yet pragmatic approach that makes him attractive to specialist solicitors, not least to those at local authorities and other institutional clients.’
Ranked: Tier 3

Ceri White – ‘Ceri’s breadth of experience on complex medical issues, in particular neurodiversity allows her to have an insight into cases which allows her to be an authority at court and clients to feel understood and empowered. She has superb demeanour, and her holistic approach to cutting through issues works to great effect.’
Ranked: Tier 4

Francesca Dowse – ‘Francesca is an extremely hardworking and likeable barrister who is empathetic but practical, offering sensitive advice often when it may be unpalatable for the client to hear. Her drafting skills and delivery time are exceptional, and attention to detail is impeccable.’
Ranked: Tier 4

Paul Hepher – ‘Paul is calm, empathetic with the client. In court, he is firm with judges but unfailingly polite.’
Ranked: Tier 4

Charlotte Baker – ‘Charlotte is a master of detail and picks up relevant points very quickly. She is very supportive of those instructing her in preparing any case.’
Ranked: Tier 4

Rhiannon Lloyd – ‘Rhiannon is an excellent children lawyer. Her knowledge of the law is impressive, and she is a skilled and tenacious advocate who fights her client’s corner and never ceases to impress.’
Ranked: Tier 5

Chris Stevenson – ‘Chris is extremely conscientious and thorough. He is also an excellent advocate.’
Ranked: Tier 5

Julia Townend – ‘Julia combines excellent client care with immaculate drafting and sensible advice. Her advocacy is focused and persuasive.’
Ranked: Tier 5

Katie Wood – ‘Katie has the ability to build a fantastic rapport with the lay client generating trust in the difficult and sensitive cases. She is superbly organised, with an eye for detail. She is astute with excellent judgment about the needs of each case and is a robust but always courteous advocate when needed.’
Ranked: Tier 5

Kate Van Rol – ‘Kate has good judgment in anticipating outcomes and can be bullish in court, so she is a great barrister when you want someone to roll their sleeves up and shake the other side up. She is also very personable and responsive to an instructing solicitor. Clients like her because she is empathetic with them, and they know that she will fight their corner.’
Ranked: Tier 5

Baljinder Bath – ‘Baljinder’s strength is her attention to detail, knowledge of the law and tenacity. Her advocacy is of the highest standard, always robust focused but respectful.’
Ranked: Tier 5

Family: Divorce and Financial Remedy – Tier 2

4PB is a ‘fantastic set of chambers’ with ‘a team of highly experienced barristers’. Charles Hale KC is always able to ‘think outside the box to come up with creative solutions’ and regularly acts on behalf of celebrities, high net worth individuals, and international clients. Christopher Hames KC is known for his ‘sensible and measured technique’ and has a particular focus on cases with an international dimension. Henry Clayton ‘has a phenomenal memory and pays key attention to every detail’ and focuses on big money matrimonial finance cases. Samantha Woodham ‘knows all her cases and the law inside out’ and specialises in high-profile and high-value cases.

Leading Silks

Charles Hale KC – ‘Charles’ advocacy is second to none. He can turn the hardest case into a win and is charming with opponents and the judge alike.’
Ranked: Tier 2

Christopher Hames KC – ‘Christopher is very methodical, good with client and quick on his feet.’
Ranked: Tier 4

Leading Juniors

Henry Clayton – ‘Henry is a details person and is able to get to grips very quickly with the most complex of cases. He knows the law inside out and deploys it to his client’s advantage with real skill. His advocate is measured, reassuring and highly persuasive. He is a class act.’
Ranked: Tier 1

Samantha Woodham – ‘Samantha is extremely kind and empathetic. She has an excellent manner with clients, even when delivering unwelcome news. Her advocacy is clear and to the point, never aggressive, and she appears well liked and respected by judges and other members of the bar alike. She is intelligent and numerate, and her written documents are persuasive and well structured.’
Ranked: Tier 1

Judith Murray – ‘Judith is a very strong advocate who will clearly put forward a compelling case for the client. She always gives a clear advice.’
Ranked: Tier 2

Nicholas Fairbank – ‘Nicholas has an excellent eye for detail, good on his feet and is a compelling advocate.’
Ranked: Tier 3

Francesca Dowse – ‘Francesca is fabulous with figures. She is a highly skilled finance practitioner. She is highly respected by her peers and solicitors alike.’
Ranked: Tier 3

Harry Gates – ‘Harry is an excellent senior junior. He knows his way round the judges and courts and his views are well respected. He is a class act all round.’
Ranked: Tier 3

Sophie Connors – ‘Sophie is a force to be reckoned with. She has an incredibly good manner with clients, is always meticulous in her preparation and her advocacy skills are second to none.’
Ranked: Tier 4

Rhiannon Lloyd – ‘Rhiannon is fantastic. She is always on hand to give clear, strategic and sensible advice. She is good with clients, relaxed and approachable. She is clearly very experienced, and clients are confident in her knowledge.’
Ranked: Tier 4

Stephen Lyon – ‘Stephen is a go-to barrister for particularly complex cases or cases with challenging clients. He has a fantastic client manner, and his skill and experience means that he mixes it with silks without ever being overawed or outgunned. He is respected throughout the profession and is listened to.’
Ranked: Tier 4

Katie Wood – ‘Katie is always meticulously prepared for cases. She is a robust and highly persuasive advocate and fantastic with clients. Her judgment is always correct, and she is definitely a go-to counsel in matrimonial finance cases.’
Ranked: Tier 4

Kate Van Rol –
Ranked: Tier 4

Harry Nosworthy – ‘Harry in an excellent advocate. He has a very calm demeanor which instantly puts clients at ease. He is always extremely well prepared and is a very persuasive advocate.’
Ranked: Tier 4

Julia Townend – ‘Julia is an absolute superstar. She is always meticulously prepared, extremely persuasive, and determined to do her utmost in the best interests of client. She has a calm and friendly demeanor which puts clients at ease whilst being a robust and assertive advocate.’
Ranked: Tier 4