Coram Chambers are delighted that it has maintained its Legal 500 ranking as a top tier set in Family Law (including Divorce and Financial Remedy), Children Law (including Public and Private law), and Court of Protection and Community Care. It is quoted as ‘chambers of choice for complex care proceedings, especially those involving an international element or vulnerable parents. The breadth of knowledge and quality across Chambers is faultless.’
Congratulations to our individually ranked barristers.
Mark Twomey QC, Shiva Ancliffe QC, Martha Cover, Victoria Roberts, Ramanjit Kang, Anarkali Musgrave, Judith Pepper, Gill Honeyman, Siobhan Kelly, Richard O’Sullivan and Matthew Richardson are ranked in Children Law (Public and Private). Jack Harrison has also been ranked in this category as a “Rising Star”.
Michael Horton QC, Greg Williams, Jacqueline Marks and Matthew Richardson are ranked in Family Law (including divorce and financial remedy). Alex Laing has also been ranked in this category as a “Rising Star”.
Alison Easton and Nick O’Brien are ranked in Court of Protection and Community Care.
Below are comments from our rankings:
Family (Including divorce and financial remedy)
Alex Laing, Rising Star, tier 1- ‘A junior who has mastery over the facts and issues of a case.’
Michael Horton QC, 2021 Silk, ‘A persuasive, hardworking and direct new silk.’
Greg Williams, Leading Junior, tier 2- ‘ Greg is very knowledgeable, and has a persuasive and serene courtroom manner. ’
Jacqueline Marks, Leading Junior, tier 4 – ‘ A sensible barrister who is incredibly thorough with her preparation. Very accessible and flexible to work with.’
Matthew Richardson, Leading Junior, tier 4- ‘ A very analytical barrister. He considers all the angles of a case in great depth, and his advice to clients is delivered in a very succinct and charming manner. ’
Children Law (Including public and private law)
Alex Laing, Rising Star, tier 1- ‘ Very solid on his feet and persuasive in his written materials. He is one of the best young or junior barristers for international complex children cases in the Bar. A Queen’s Counsel in the making. ’
Mark Twomey QC, Leading Silk, tier 3- ‘An utterly charming barrister who is a true gentleman – sharp, knowledgeable and above all compassionate.’
Shiva Ancliffe QC, 2021 Silk- ‘ A powerful advocate: tough, well-prepared and formidable in every way. ’
Martha Cover, Leading Junior, tier 1- ‘ The barrister you seek to instruct in the most complex and challenging cases where her technical knowledge and advocacy are second to none and combined with excellent client care. ’
Victoria Roberts, Leading Junior, tier 2 – ‘ Very well-prepared, very good with documents and excellent in cross-examination. ’
Ramanjit Kang, Leading Junior, tier 4- ‘ A tenacious advocate with meticulous preparation. Always delves deep into the case and leaves no stone unturned. ’
Anarkali Musgrave, Leading Junior, tier 4- ‘ A first-class barrister. She is unflappable, calm under pressure, a fierce cross-examiner and tenacious in court. She has an excellent manner with clients and gives every case her all. ’
Judith Pepper, Leading Junior, tier 4- ‘ Very thorough and meticulous. She is very helpful in complex cases where a fact-finding hearings are required. ’
Gill Honeyman, Leading Junior, tier 5- ‘ Gill has a fantastic ability to cross examine difficult or vulnerable witnesses. She is great to watch in court. She is able to elicit key information from witnesses in a smooth and calm manner without them even realising. ’
Siobhan Kelly, Leading Junior, tier 5- ‘ Technically brilliant, and also a great strategist in how a case should be conducted. Her position statements are always brilliant and she is approachable. ’
Richard O’Sullivan, Leading Junior, tier 5- ‘ A silk in the making. He takes on the heaviest cases and is regularly against silks. He is incredibly diligent. Richard works hard for every client. He puts difficult clients at ease. Social workers trust him. He knows the papers, is insightful and shrewd tactically. ’
Matthew Richardson, Leading Junior, tier 5- ‘ Has an encyclopedic knowledge of black letter law, this combined with excellent written submissions and faultless preparation can often win cases before the hearing has even begun. ’
Court of Protection and Community Care
Alison Easton, Leading junior, tier 3- ‘ Is responsive, conscientious, and dedicated to advocating for the client. Alison works very hard to achieve positive outcomes for the client and you can trust her to give every case her attention and care.’
Nick O’Brien, Leading Junior, tier 3- ‘ A safe pair of hands, who provides very clear and measured advice. He is practical and good on his feet. ’
Clerking team
‘ The clerks are attentive and also return to their instructing solicitors very quickly. ’
‘ Very approachable and helpful set of chambers. The Clerks are always very accommodating. ’
‘ The clerking team at Coram is, in my view, the best in London. They are all very friendly and helpful and go over and above to assist every time. I am always sure, when I have contacted the clerks at Coram, that I am in safe hands and will be looked after. ’
Overall, the Legal 500 notes that Coram is a ‘It is an incredibly supportive set. It is more of a team than a collection of individuals which is unique. It has a commitment to equal opportunities and diversity that isn’t rivalled.’
‘ Coram Chambers provides quality barristers in the family law field. It is reliable and provides a good service…it is a good set without any arrogance. It has good barristers at every level.’
‘ Coram is an excellent set with a great many very good barristers. It almost always has someone available even at the last minute and the expertise across the set as a whole means that you can rely on it to provide counsel who is eminently capable of doing the job well. It also offers a lot of really good quality training. ’ Also ‘there is strength and depth which makes this one of the leading chambers in public law family work. ‘
