12 King’s Bench Walk Sports Law Seminar

Harry Steinberg KC

Harry Steinberg is a “widely acclaimed practitioner”, “brilliantly knowledgeable”, with a “standout practice”. His practice spans serious injury, sports law and environmental damage. His work often involves an international dimension and he specialises in large-scale group actions for claimants and defendants. He is renowned for innovative thinking, challenging legal orthodoxy, and winning difficult cases. Accordingly, he is regularly instructed in test litigation. The directories recognise him as a leading silk in personal injury, industrial disease, product liability, group litigation and international litigation.

Patrick Kerr

Patrick is consistently ranked as a Leading Junior, Tier 1 in the Legal 500 and a Leading Junior, Band 1 in Chambers & Partners. The current editions describe him as “warm and approachable, and his attention to detail is first class. His advocacy is eloquent, innovative and charismatic” and “an outstanding barrister who is undoubtedly destined for the top”. Recent editions say he is “a superb advocate who is highly intelligent” and “definitely the counsel you want on your side”.

Patrick has particular expertise in mesothelioma claims, clinical negligence and sporting injuries.  Most of his claims involve catastrophic injuries.  He also has extensive experience in defending fraudulent claims.

He is a member of the Northern Irish Bar and has provided expert evidence on English and Welsh law for other jurisdictions.

Patrick also runs a charity which funds Research Fellowships at the Royal Marsden Hospital (lecure.org).

Emily Read

Emily focuses on civil litigation involving damage to people and to property as well as proprietary interests, insurance, recovery and costs.

Emily has a diverse professional and legal background; her first degree was an MA in Economics. Emily worked for a property developer, then one of the leading global insurance and risk legal specialists doing professional negligence work involving property investment fraud as well as working for one of the largest global insurance companies, also dealing with professional risks at a senior level.

During her second six Emily did a mix of criminal and civil work, prosecuting and defending at both magistrates and crown court level and this provided her with not only the knowledge to deal with criminal aspects of the law, but also an excellent ability to quickly read and digest large quantities of paperwork with an eye for relevant detail, something she is regularly praised for by clients and Judges.

Thomas Banks

Tom is ranked as a Personal Injury Leading Junior in Legal 500. He specialises in catastrophic, complex and high value Personal Injury claims, Insurance Law, Inquests, Military claims, Fraud and Costs.

His specialist personal injury practice focuses on Brain and Spinal Injuries, Fatal Accidents, Motor Insurance and Indemnity Law,  International and Travel Law, Public and Employers Liability and Industrial Disease

As former Tank Commander and Intelligence Officer in the British Army, he is also recognised as an established specialist Counsel in Armed Forces Claims.

Tom has also been instructed in High Court Defamation proceedings.

Aliyah Akram

Aliyah Akram is acknowledged as a leading junior in personal injury and industrial disease litigation. She is renowned for her expertise and experience in group litigation in all of the core areas in which she practices. Many of her cases have an international aspect and give rise to both jurisdictional issues and conflicts of laws.

Aliyah is a robust and persuasive trial advocate. She prides herself on working closely as a team with instructing solicitors, not just in group litigation, but in every case in which she is involved. Her focus is always on maximising the client’s prospects of success. She is able to cut through the background noise and gets straight to the issues.

She is a contributing author of Asbestos: Law & Litigation (Sweet & Maxwell, 2^nd edition, 2022).

She is ranked by the legal directories as a leading junior in Personal Injury, Industrial Disease and Travel: International Personal Injury.

Ted Cunningham

Ted accepts instructions across all of 12KBW’s core areas. He specialises in personal injury, fundamental dishonesty, fatal accidents, sports law, costs and inquests.

Ted is an extremely experienced advocate and continues to appear in Court multiple times a week. In addition to a busy Court diary, Ted’s paperwork practice includes advising and pleading in high value claims for both Claimants and Defendants in both the County and High Court.

Away from Chambers, Ted has had several articles published in national newspapers, presented his own radio shows and volunteered both abroad and in the UK with human rights and legal charities.

Spencer Turner

Spencer specialises in sports disputes, personal injury, clinical negligence, international and travel law, industrial disease, information law, and group litigation. He is regularly instructed in complex and high-profile matters for claimants and defendants, both as led and as sole counsel across all of his core practice areas and before a range of different courts and tribunals. He is a sought-after junior barrister who is often praised for his diligence, excellent client care, strong advocacy and ability to work well in teams.

The legal directories recognise Spencer’s expertise across a broad range of practice areas where he is ranked as a ‘rising star’ or ‘up and coming’ in personal injury, industrial disease, insurance fraud, international personal injury, clinical negligence and sports law. They variously describe him as “great” with “impressive advocacy”, “already having developed a practice that exceeds his seniority”, “absolutely superb”, and “thorough, professional and well-liked by clients”.

Spencer’s sports disputes practice sees him regularly instructed on behalf of sports governing bodies, players/athletes, clubs, coaches and agents across the full range of sports matters. His personal injury, clinical negligence, industrial disease and travel work involves cases of the utmost severity, and he has experience of large-scale litigation, being led, and acting as sole counsel.

Megan Griffiths

Megan specialises in claims for psychiatric injury arising from abuse, personal injury more widely and clinical negligence. She is happy to consider instructions on a CFA or publicly funded basis where appropriate.

Megan’s abuse practice sees her regularly advising on limitation, liability, causation and quantum in six figure claims for psychiatric injuries and consequential losses. She appreciates the sensitivities involved in this work and always reflects that in her approach. In recent months she has worked on claims arising from abuse within the cadets, healthcare settings, the workplace and at home. She takes instructions in claims involving both adult and child survivors and both institution and abuser-in-person defendants.

Megan’s wider personal injury practice includes claims arising from road traffic accidents, highways claims, public liability claims and employer’s liability claims. Her busy court practice, which sees her in court most weeks, informs her approach to her written and advisory work in this area including on allegations of fraud where appropriate. She also advises on tactical and procedural issues including offers and costs. She recently completed a short secondment with a defendant insurer city law firm which included work on written HSE submissions.

In her clinical negligence practice Megan works on a wide variety of cases. Recent subjects include ophthalmic treatment, negligent management of medication leading to hospitalisation and delayed diagnoses. She is particularly keen to build her practice in women’s health and apply her experience in traumatic and sensitive cases to this area.

Megan is also instructed to assist leading counsel in high value claims and group actions. She has recently assisted in an amputation and brain injury claim which settled for millions and a group action arising from gender-based discrimination sexual harassment in the workplace, contrary to workers’ human rights.

She has been praised by her instructing solicitors for her communicative and thorough approach to case preparation in both her court work and paper practice.

Megan is a member of the Government’s Junior Juniors Scheme and of the Metropolitan Police Panel of Counsel. She regularly contributes to chambers’ various blogs and has been published by AvMA, Law in Sport and LexisPSL.

Before joining chambers Megan worked as a paralegal in a London law firm’s clinical negligence department. She therefore appreciates the importance of working closely with solicitors to achieve the best results for commercial and lay clients.

Jessica Franklin

Jessica specialises in personal injury, disease and employment.

Jessica writes robust pleadings, offers realistic advice on liability and settlement and is a confident advocate. In employment, she is particularly experienced in whistleblowing, discrimination and unfair dismissal claims. In personal injury, she is experienced in a range of areas including complex vicarious liability, disease and military disputes.

Jessica is interested in appellate work and was recently junior counsel in the Court of Appeal and in the Employment Appeal Tribunal.

Jessica is a scholar of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. She achieved a Distinction in the GDL and the BVS. She was awarded academic scholarships by the City Law School and the Inner Temple to undertake her legal studies.

Prior to coming to the Bar, Jessica had a career in advertising and marketing. She worked in Beijing for a year and has a great interest in Chinese culture, language and food.

Eleanor Duckenfield

Eleanor joined chambers in October 2022 following successful completion of her pupillage. She advocates in court numerous times a week in trials, interim hearings, CCMCs and applications. In addition, Eleanor has a busy paperwork practice.

Eleanor accepts instructions in all areas of personal injury, credit hire, clinical negligence, industrial disease, costs and fraud. She is also keen to accept instructions in inquests. In addition, Eleanor is an experienced courtroom advocate in Disposal hearings, Stage 3 hearings and Infant Approvals.

Eleanor is clerked by Lily Baker (baker@12kbw.co.uk).

Under her supervisors, Rachit Buch, Charles Robertshaw and Isaac Hogarth, she obtained experience in personal injury, clinical negligence, inquests, and industrial disease, with a particular focus on mesothelioma and noise-induced hearing loss claims.

Eleanor studied Anthropology at Durham University (with a particular interest in Forensic Anthropology). Following her degree, Eleanor achieved a Distinction in both the GDL and LLM in Bar Practice. Eleanor won a prize for receiving the highest mark in Ethics in her BPTC cohort and 91% in her Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence module.

Following several successes in mooting competitions, Eleanor volunteered at the University of Law’s Legal Advice Centre where she represented litigants in person in hearings and offered assistance throughout the litigation process.

Prior to pupillage, Eleanor gained experience working abroad in Austria and Spain, before returning to the UK to work in the pharmaceutical industry throughout Covid, whilst simultaneously completing both her delayed Bar exams and a Medical Counter Assistance course.