About Us
Serjeants’ Inn specialises in important, high-profile medical, police, professional discipline & regulatory, business & specialist crime and public law cases, often involving important political, ethical or social issues. They are always of the utmost human significance: we work in partnership with our instructing solicitors to secure the best outcome and to support the lay client throughout.
Our cases often involve new and important legal points, spanning elements of both public and private law, and they affect the rights of both individuals and the state. We are frequently instructed to act in test cases. Our barristers deal with litigation relating to the issues of our day such as assisted suicide, the refugee crisis, historic child abuse allegations and national security, to name just a few.
Recent examples include:
- Supreme Court proceedings, including Lewis-Ranwell v G4S Healthcare Ltd, a pending appeal raising complex issues of mental health, negligence and public protection; the judgment which changed the law on the recoverability of surrogacy damages and the seminal case on the law of illegality in clinical negligence cases and in the law of tort;
- The Southport, Nottingham, Undercover Policing, Child Sexual Abuse, Covid-19, Infected Blood, Manchester Arena Attack, and Salisbury poisonings public inquiries;
- The Bayesian yacht deaths, Bibby Stockholm barge, Leicester City FC Helicopter Crash, Croydon tram derailment, Stephen Port murder victims, London Bridge, Westminster and Fishmongers’ Hall terrorist attack and Shoreham airshow crash inquests;
- High-profile misconduct proceedings, including those concerning the Couzens and Coleraine WhatsApp groups, Carrick, Summerill, Chief Constable Adderley (dismissed for gross misconduct after making false claims about his military service), Olympic sprinter Ricardo dos Santos, Child Q, Apter, and the IOPC’s first independently presented case, as well as numerous appeals and judicial reviews of misconduct decisions, including those concerning Superintendent Robyn Williams and Commander Julian Bennett;
- the judicial reviews and civil claims concerning policing and protest, including W80, Pal v UK, and challenges arising from the national policing of lockdown regulations and recent climate protests;
- Groundbreaking clinical negligence judgments, including CNZ on the proper application of Montgomery, NKX involving one of the highest-ever periodical payment awards, and Cullen v Dr Henniker, in which the claim was dismissed for fundamental dishonesty under section 57 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015;
- Civil recovery proceedings against Andrew and Tristan Tate (Devon & Cornwall Police v Tate), resulting in the forfeiture of over £2.6 million plus costs, arising from alleged tax avoidance and money laundering; and
- withdrawal of medical treatment cases, including those relating to Indi Gregory, Charlie Gard, Alfie Evans and Archie Battersbee.
Join us
We are always looking for barristers who share our commitment to first class legal and client service. We welcome applications from outstanding practitioners, at any level of seniority, who specialise in our principal areas of practice and who wish to join a sophisticated, progressive and friendly set.
We have recruited 46 new tenants over the last ten years. While our application process is necessarily rigorous, we are practised at supporting candidates through what we understand can be a stressful period, and integrating and launching them once they arrive.
We attract stellar barristers and staff primarily on the strength of our profile in the profession – the calibre of our counsel and our cases – but those joining us say that our modern and collegiate approach is also important.
For a confidential preliminary discussion, please contact our Chief Executive, Catherine Calder at CCalder@serjeantsinn.com.