Deka Chambers

Deka Chambers is proud to support the PEOPIL conference in Bucharest this week. Chambers is sponsoring the conference, and Sarah Prager KC, Dominique Smith and Anirudh Mandagere will be attending and are looking forward to catching up with friends and colleagues. On Friday morning Sarah Prager KC will be leading an interactive discussion on the important and timely question of how to deal with vicarious trauma and Sarah, Dom and Ani will be on hand throughout the conference to answer questions and connect with friends old and new. PEOPIL is a not-for-profit organisation that improves and promotes judicial co-operation and mutual knowledge of legal and judicial systems of European jurisdictions in the field of personal injury law. The conference programme is available here: peopil.com/conferences/jo… #DekaChambers

We will be attending the Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA) Conference and joining the welcome drinks. The following barristers will be at the conference: ➡️ Laura Elfield ➡️ Christopher Lowe ➡️ Esther Pounder ➡️ Mark Bradley ➡️ Lisa Dobie ➡️ Julia Brechtelsbauer From our clerking team, Jaime Brooks and Phillip Austin will be attending. Details of the conference: 📌Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds 📅March 19, 2026 – March 20, 2026 🕒9:30 am – 3:30 pm 🥂 The welcome drinks are taking place on Wednesday (18 March) We are looking forward to meeting new faces and reconnecting with colleagues and friends at the conference. #DekaChambers #ACNC2026

Dominique Smith is currently acting as Counsel to the Inquests into the Deaths of the Patients of Ian Paterson and is the Team Leader of the Junior Counsel Team. She is led by Jonathan Jones KC, Briony Ballard and Scott Matthewson. This week, she has been involved in the inquest into the death of Eunice Jones, coverage of which can be found here: bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Stuart McKechnie KC will be chairing a session on complex lower limb injuries at the Cambridge Annual Medico-Legal Conference. The conference will end with a keynote speech from Mr Justice Poole. There are less than 40 tickets still available, so please book your place quickly if you would like to attend before it sells out. Details: 📌 Peterhouse College, Cambridge 📅 on 18th September 2026 🔗 The full programme: medicolegalpain.com/speakers #DekaChambers #ClinicalNegligence

This week Linda Nelson considers an issue of crucial importance, and one that comes up more frequently than you would think: how and when it is permissible for parties to resile from admissions of liability, and John Schmitt reports on two recent, and completely different, examples of using new powers. 1️⃣ First, John looks at the Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) making its first use of new powers to fine businesses, and 2️⃣ then turns his attention to an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to harness the power of technology in litigation. 🔗dekachambers.com/2026/03/16/the… 𝓐𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓐𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻𝓼 Linda Nelson was called in 2000 and is ranked in both the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners for her travel law work. Linda regularly advises in international personal injury cases with cross-border issues, particularly those falling within the jurisdiction of the Admiralty Court. She is well-versed in claims involving the international carriage conventions, the package holiday regulations, Merchant Shipping regulations, ship collisions and issues of jurisdiction, applicable law and limitation. She is a contributing author to Munkman on Employers’ Liability (writing the ‘Shipping and Workers on Ships’ chapter) and co-authored ‘Work Accidents at Sea’ (now in its second edition). 🔗 dekachambers.com/barrister/lind… John Schmitt was called in 2013 and now specialises in complex personal injury work. He is also experienced in representing families at inquests in a clinical negligence context and has done so through the AvMA pro-bono inquest service. Most recently he has represented a family at a four day jury inquest at the conclusion of which the deceased’s employer was ordered to produce a Prevention of Future Deaths report. He is described by the Legal 500 as having a ‘lovely manner about him’ but being ‘as sharp as a tack’. 🔗dekachambers.com/barrister/john…

Edward Lamb KC was interviewed for an article in the Observer in the context of his extensive experience as a family law practitioner. He commented on the tension between the very private nature of family law cases, and the need for the public to understand what happens in court rooms. 🔗 Observer subscribers can read the full article: observer.co.uk/news/national/… Edward’s practice includes the most important private children cases with complex cross jurisdictional issues, inflicted non-accidental catastrophic injury on children, and clinical negligence/PI cases involving life-long disability, lack of capacity and birth injury. His expertise in these areas frequently places Edward in important and complex cases that involve multi-jurisdictional issues that span these specialisms. 🔗 You can read more about his practice here: dekachambers.com/barrister/edwa… #DekaChambers #FamilyLaw

Barristers from Deka Chambers were delighted to support this year's Big Voice London (BVL) mooting competition by acting as judges on 5 March 2026. The competition is open to students at A-level (or equivalent) at non-fee-paying schools. The scheme pairs participants with graduates studying on the Bar Training Course. Participants are trained by their mentors before having their first experiences of court-style advocacy in structured moots. The competition culminates with a final at the UK Supreme Court. Sarah Prager KC, William Dean, Max Melsa and Theodore Bunce were all impressed by the skill and effort displayed by the participating students. BVL is a social mobility charity that conducts outreach work seeking to encourage young people to explore legal issues and to expand access to the legal profession. Deka Chambers has a strong connection with BVL through the Aqeel H. Noorali essay competition, which runs annually in memory of our talented colleague who passed away in 2020.

Anirudh Mandagere is representing the Secretary of State for the Home Department as an interested party in judicial review proceedings. This judicial review concerns whether Article 8 ECHR or the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child imposes obligations on public authorities to appoint a legal representative or guardian during an age assessment. He is being led by Colin Thomann KC, and is instructed by the Government Legal Department. 🔗dekachambers.com/2026/03/10/ani… #DekaChambers

📘The 18th edition of the  𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 will be published on 9th April. Stuart McKechnie KC is a co-editor of the Guidelines. 📘 The Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages is designed to provide a clear and logical framework for the assessment of damages in personal injury cases. The first edition of this title was regarded as a landmark in personal injury practice. Each succeeding issue has built on this reputation, and the book has now firmly established itself as an essential reference for all those involved in the area of personal injury litigation. This new edition has been fully updated to take account of inflation since the last edition as well as recent decisions of the higher courts. The book includes important changes to the sections on Epilepsy and Sexual and/or Physical Abuse and a new bracket of damages for Miscarriage, together with an updated note on tariff-based awards for Whiplash injuries. The book is available for pre-order: 🔗 wildy.com/isbn/978019899… #DekaChambers #PersonalInjury

This week brought the news we’ve all been waiting for – yes, the proposed amendments to the 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 2018 have finally been published! The 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 (𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭) 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 2026: As well as being every bit the rollicking good read you would expect, the Powers That Be have taken heed of the existential despair prompted in litigators and industry professionals alike by the concept of ‘linked travel arrangements’, and propose scrapping them. Other than that, the proposals are modest indeed, save for the clarification of the Regulation 29 right to redress, already clarified in fact by the High Court in the context of the Covid-19 air travel refund litigation. Still, it’s nice to know one was right all along. It will interesting to see whether the EU proposals to amend the underlying Directive follow a similar course; but one thing is for certain – once the amendments come into force, divergence is inevitable, whether by legislature or by judicial intervention. It is with a weather eye on the Court of Justice of the European Union that Kerry Nicholson considers this week whether the driver of a vehicle can ever lose his or her status as driver as a result of the actions of a passenger, a question with important repercussions for insurers and insureds alike. Domestically, but still with an international outlook, Thomas Yarrow brings us up to date with the latest authority on taking videolink evidence from abroad. 🔗dekachambers.com/2026/03/09/the… #DekaChambers #TravelLaw #PersonalInjury

Dominique Smith instructed in case involving British woman who suffered injury and contracted Legionnaires’ Disease while abroad Dominique is instructed in a personal injury matter that involves a British woman who sustained injuries while on holiday in Barbados. Her foot was crushed by a granite worktop in her hotel bedroom, causing her to spend the rest of her holiday using a wheelchair before flying home. Upon returning home, her condition worsened and she was admitted to hospital and diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease, spending several days in an intensive care unit. Dominique is instructed by Jatinder Paul and Simon Lomax at Irwin Mitchell. You can read press coverage of the case here: 🔗 dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1… You can read more about Dominique’s practice here: 🔗 dekachambers.com/barrister/domi… #DekaChambers #TravelLaw

𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐌𝐜𝐊𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐞 𝐊𝐂 and 𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐊𝐂 have articles featured in the March edition of Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL)’s 𝐏𝐈 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐞 📖 ➡️ Stuart McKechnie KC and Daniel Taylor PhD ♿️ co-authored an article in which they examine a landmark new proposed national strategy for spinal cord injury. ➡️ Sarah Prager KC’s piece highlights pitfalls when it comes to expert evidence. PI Focus is a professionally designed magazine published in print and digital every two months for APIL and is available to APIL members: 🔗 apil.org.uk/login.aspx?ret… Stuart McKechnie KC is one of the leading catastrophic injury practitioners in the country and widely known for his speciality in maximising the value of claims. In the legal directories over the last 2 years, he has been described as “the leading quantum PI silk in the country”, “the king of quantum”, “simply brilliant” and “absolutely at the top of the tree when it comes to very high value complex cases” 🔗 dekachambers.com/barrister/stua… Sarah undertakes high value, complex and sensitive personal injury claims of all kinds, acting both for claimants and for defendants. As well as being lauded by the directories for her courtroom advocacy and legal knowledge, she is well known to leading firms as a skilled negotiator, and is valued by clients for her sensitive handling of difficult cases. 🔗dekachambers.com/barrister/sara… #DekaChambers #PersonalInjury

Stephen Glynn is featured as an expert by LexisNexis for his assistance on the 𝐋𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬 𝐏𝐥𝐮𝐬 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐲 & 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐞𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 module. He reviewed and updated the following pages with legislative changes and latest developments: ➡️Defence—fatal mesothelioma claim (Building (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1948) 🔗lexisnexis.co.uk/legal/preceden… ➡️ Particulars of claim—fatal mesothelioma claim (Asbestos Industry Regulations 1931, Factories Act 1937, Factories Act 1961, Building (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1948, Construction (General Provisions) Regulations 1961 and Construction (Working Places) Regulations 1966) 🔗 lexisnexis.co.uk/legal/preceden… Lexis+ is an online legal practical guidance service, providing legal practitioners with practical guidance and market insight. Lexis+ links practice notes to analysis and materials (such as leading commentary or cases and legislation), as well as key precedents and forms, documents and workflow-focused tools. Stephen has an extensive asbestos practice. He is known nationally as an industrial disease specialist, having co-written and edited the publication Asbestos Claims (now in its fourth edition) to which the Senior KB Master and Master Eastman have contributed. He is the author of the asbestos disease chapter in Kemp and the co-author of the occupational disease chapter in Kemp. He lectures widely on asbestos disease litigation and is routinely invited to speak at APIL’s annual asbestos conference. He is mostly instructed by claimants. On the LexisNexis Meet the Experts page: 🔗 lexisnexis.co.uk/legal/experts/… Stephen’s profile on the Deka Chambers website: 🔗 dekachambers.com/barrister/step… #DekaChambers #PersonalInjury

William Dean was recently appointed as the 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐚 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬. The DipFMS is a professional qualification for doctors and lawyers involved in forensic medical science, including those who work in pathology and the criminal and coroner's courts. The academic courses are run by the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow and the Academy of Forensic Medical Sciences in London. The examinations are administered by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, one of the livery companies of the City of London. The examination committee comprises pathologists, academics and lawyers from England and Scotland. William joined the examination committee in 2017 and previously held the role of Deputy Convenor since 2022. He lectures on the London course each year. 🔗 You can read more about William's practice here: dekachambers.com/barrister/will… #DekaChambers

Deka Chambers is delighted to be shortlisted in 3 categories at the @legalcheek Awards 2026 ⭐ Best chambers for quality of work 2026 ⭐ Best chambers for colleague supportiveness 2026 ⭐ Best chambers for facilities 2026 The Legal Cheek Awards 2026 will take place: 📌 at Kings Place, London, 🗓️ on Thursday 14 May 2026. 🔗dekachambers.com/2026/03/04/dek… #DekaChambers

Max Melsa appears for Local Authority in 𝐑𝐞: 𝐓(𝐀 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝) (𝐍𝐨𝐧-𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐀𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧) The unusual case involved two siblings who were placed in separate placements, and whether one of the siblings should be placed with the other, or remain in her foster placement. As McKendrick J found, this was one of the limited cases where siblings were not to be placed together for adoption. The case also dealt with post-adoption contact orders and whether section 51A of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 or section 8 of the Children Act 1989 should apply. 🔗 Read more here: dekachambers.com/2026/02/27/max… 🔗You can read more about Max Melsa's practice here: dekachambers.com/barrister/max-… #DekaChambers #FamilyLaw

James Thacker KC and Giles Bedloe concluded the successful prosecution, over six weeks, of a member of an organised crime group charged with the kidnap, false imprisonment, torture, and multiple rapes of a young woman. The victim was held captive for approximately ten hours. The torture involved the use of weapons including a firearm, a blow torch and bandsaw causing physical injuries from which she took months to recover. 🔗Read more about James Thacker KC's practice here: dekachambers.com/barrister/jame… 🔗Read more about Giles Bedloe's practice here: dekachambers.com/barrister/gile… For more information about the barristers in our crime team please contact our crime clerks 📧 crimeclerks@dekachambers.com #DekaChambers

We’re at the ALARM South Conference 2026 today and tomorrow. Clark Chessis and David Barrow and Members of Chambers will be on our stand throughout the 2 days. Pop by and say hello if you’re attending. 5️⃣We are at stand5️⃣ Ian Clarke, Ella Davis and Julia Brechtelsbauer are attending the conference today (2 March) and Francesca O'Neill and Thomas Yarrow will be there tomorrow (3 March). #DekaChambers #ALARMSouth #Alarmrisk

We recognise the benefit of good quality consistent training for our colleagues to ensure we are delivering to our clients the very best of legal advise to achieve great outcomes. Our Team met yesterday for a training day delivered by some excellent speakers 👍📚 @DekaChambers

This week marks Charlie Stonehill’s inaugural Dekagram article; we welcome Charlie to the team. ➡️In an indication of how keen he is to get cracking, Charlie has tackled the perennial problem posed by third party disclosure, and brings us bang up to date on the latest amendment to the Civil Procedure Rules on the topic. ➡️Meanwhile regular contributor Ben Rodgers considers when it’s necessary to call an ambush an ambush. 🔗dekachambers.com/2026/03/02/the… #DekaChambers #TravelLaw #PersonalInjury