On 17th May, Zenith Chambers took part and entered a team in Bell & Buxton’s ‘Beat the Solicitor’ Charity Quiz in Sheffield, with our very own Andrew Argyle as quiz-master. Unfortunately the Zenith team did not manage to win this time,...
Zenith Chambers once again sponsored the BPP Law School’s mooting competition this year. The four finalists and other students attended a reception in chambers with a number of barristers. The winner was Joseph Bird. He was presented...
Andrew Wilson, a specialist personal injury barrister, examines the impact of the recent Court of Appeal decision in Dockerill -v- Tullett and questions whether claimant solicitors will continue to represent children in personal injury claims where...
We are delighted to announce that a member of our family team, Louise McCallum, is one of only two juniors on the North Eastern Circuit to have been appointed a Recorder dealing with family matters in the latest list signed by Her Majesty the Queen. It is...
On Saturday 28th April, the North Eastern Circuit Family Law Bar Association will be holding a ‘Family Law Seminar’ at the Park Inn by Radisson in York. Zenith Chambers will be much in evidence at this high profile event. Jayne Pye,...
Zenith Chambers is delighted to welcome Jayne Pye as a new member of our chambers. Jayne has joined our family team from 37 Park Square and her arrival strengthens even further a strong and large team of specialist family barristers. Before her...
Part I of this Article considered the approach of the Courts and insurers to issues of fraud during the litigation process, but what happens post-litigation? Part II considers that very question. Read more.. To view Ruwena's profile, please click ...
Vilma Vodanovic, a housing law expert, discusses the Tenancy Deposit Scheme and how, having seemed to have lost its effect, it is due to regain some teeth following amendments contained in the Localism Act 2011 which are due to come into force on 6...
At a time when 1 in 4 workers are now affected by work-related stress, it is unsurprising that lawyers too are seeing more occupational stress claims than ever before. Kate provides some timely guidance on how to sort the wheat from the chaff and considers...
No legal practitioner will have failed to note that in recent years personal injury claims have attracted a great deal of attention in the media; similarly, the government’s increasing involvement due to the dramatic increase in the number of such...
Gordon Exall looks at the lessons that practitioners undertaking fatal accident cases can learn from the recent professional negligence case of Amin –v- Imran Khan. Zahid Mubarek was 19 years old when he was killed on the 28th March 2000 –...
CARLY SACE -V- TNT (UK) LTD [2011] EWCA Civ 1583 On the 19th December 2011, Lord Justice Moore-Bick handed down Judgment in Carly Sace v TNT (UK) Ltd, holding that: (i) the ratio of Copley v. Lawn is that a claimant does not act unreasonably for the...
Weddall -v- Barchester Healthcare Limited [2012] EWCA Civ 25 On 24th January the Court of Appeal handed down judgment in the joined appeals of Weddall -v- Barchester Healthcare Limited and Wallbank -v- Wallbank Fox Designs Limited. The common issue...
On Tuesday 22nd May one of our specialist housing law barristers, Peter Marcus, will be speaking at the “Social Housing Law & Practice Conference 2012”. The conference will take place in London and features a full day of other...
The offence of causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving has been on the statute book since 18th August 2008. The number of prosecutions for this offence coming before the courts seems to be on the increase. In this article, Tom Storey...
McCabe v Roberts, Sheffield County Court, 08 & 09 March 2012 Proceedings in the County Court for forfeiture of long residential leases are now mercifully uncommon, since the passage of ss.166 to 169 of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act...
In the week in which the Government opens its consultation on same sex marriage, Zenith chambers are delighted to announce the publication in March 2012 by Jordan Publishing of a new book, “Children and Same Sex Families: A Legal Handbook”....
(pedestrians, emergency vehicles and apportionment of liability) Smith v Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police, [2012] EWCA Civ 161 Who is more responsible the drunken pedestrian who doesn’t pay attention to...
On 10th February 2012 Mr Justice Singh sentenced barrister David Friesner to 3 years imprisonment for the theft of £72,500 from his former Chambers in a case prosecuted by Simon Kealey, specialist criminal barrister at Zenith Chambers. The case,...
The Suspended Sentence Order created by the Criminal Justice Act 2003 has had a relatively straightforward existence, particularly in comparison to some of the other provisions of that much criticised Act. However in recent months a challenge has been made...
Simon Read, Head of the Housing Team at Zenith Chambers has been involved in the high profile 'Occupy Sheffield' legal battle. He was instructed to represent Sheffield Catherdral who were looking to evict anti-capitalist camp Occupy Sheffield...
Julian Goose QC and Tom Storey are involved in another high profile prosecution, this time arising from the death of a 5 year old boy in Wakefield. Pazeer Ahmed Bhatti, 34, has been charged over the murder of his son who died in Pinderfield...
Nick Worsley has recently prosecuted Accountant, Darren Upton, who stole several thousands of pounds from clients to fund his luxury lifestyle - including a mistress. Leeds Crown Court heard that he spent thousand of pounds on a range of luxuries,...
We are delighted to announce that Lucy Sowden has taken up the offer of a tenancy with Zenith Chambers following the very successful completion of her pupillage. Lucy's practise covers all areas of family law, including private children, public...
There are only a few days left to register your feedback on the governments proposed changes to the Child Maintenance scheme. Closing date for your submissions is 23rd February 2012. With the strain on the public purse at breaking point, this is another...
The government has this week responded formally to the Family Justice Review recommendations issued in November last year. In a wide ranging document, the Ministry of Justice and Department for Education have issued a number of commitments and proposals...
"I well remember the Queen's accession – and by that I do mean "accession", rather than her coronation, which followed over a year later, on June 2 nd 1953. The day King George VI died, 5 th February 1952, I was due to travel...
12th edition of Munkman on Damages written by Zenith member Gordon Exall, with a preface by Zenith’s head of chambers Julian Goose, is out now. The book provides a comprehensive guide to the law of damages arising from injury and...
The case of Mrs. Ilott (Ilott -v- Mitson [2011] EWCA Civ 346, [2011] 2 FCR 1) did not make any great change in the law. But it is important and will affect all solicitors dealing with wills, and indeed advising their clients about claims under...
Phillip Barber from Zenith Chambers acted on behalf of the Defendant tenant in Chesterfield Borough Council v Bailey [2011] EW Misc 18 (CC) 22 December 2011. The robust judgment in this case is of interest to housing practitioners as it provides an early...
Last week the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced the appointments to their new, smaller advocacy panel. We are delighted with outcome, as many of our specialist criminal barristers have increased a level, been added to the...
A former barrister of 9 St John Street Chambers - David Friesner - appeared in Leeds Crown Court on 12th January 2012 accused of stealing from both his former chambers and the Crown Prosecution Service. SImon Kealey, a member of Zenith Chambers Crine Team,...
Another informative article on hire charges, but this time from the perspective of claims affected by the cancellation of contracts made in a Consumer’s Home or Place of Work Regulations 2008. Essential reading for all solicitors involved in credit...
Nikki examines the decision in the linked Court of Appeal cases of Pattini v First Leicester Buses and Bent v Highways and Utilities. She provides practical guidance for RTA specialists on how the judgement will affect future cases now that the ‘spot...
There are not many people who cannot help to have been moved by the facts surrounding the recent prosecution of six men and a youth for animal cruelty offences relating to badgers. There has been national press coverage of the case, in which one of...
Cosmetic surgery, in particular breast implant surgery, has recently hit the headlines with the Government reviewing the UK's use of French PIP implants, made using industrial grade silicone. On Friday 6th January 2012 the Government...
As most RTA personal injury lawyers will know, there are few reported cases on stage three procedure and fewer still on appellate judgments. Therefore, when Anesh Pema had an appeal case heard by HHJ Stewart QC - a judge who was instrumental in drafting the...
A top Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commander turned popular politician has pleaded not guilty to ordering torture and killings during the 1998-99 Kosovo war at his trial in Pristina. The trial is expected to conclude in the early part of 2012 and is regarded...
Whilst overall the judgement in Jones v Kernott was a welcome development for co-habiting couples, it did leave a number of important questions unresolved. In her article, Elizabeth Darlington considers the significant ramifications for co-habiting couples...
As an experienced and well regarded member of our Personal Injury team, Gordon Exall is used to advising and representing badly injured claimants; and his latest case is no exception. Together with his instructing solicitors Atteys (Barnsley), he has helped...
Christmas & New Year: Closed from 1.00pm Friday 23rd December 2011 Re-open 8.30am Wednesday 28th December...
Chris Smith, criminal barrister at Zenith Chambers recently appeared on behalf of the CPS in an unusual case relating the prosecution of a former York policeman for dangerous driving. Andy Easterby was found guilty of driving dangerously when he attempted to...
We are delighted to announce that we have achieved, and indeed beaten, our target of raising £10,000 for charity. To mark our 10th anniversary as Zenith Chambers, we decided that we would participate in a number of fund raising initiatives throughout...
Well it’s official...the Christmas party season has begun! We were proud to kick off the celebrations last Friday (2nd December) with a ‘Decade Masquerade’ themed party. Lawyers from across the region gathered at 3 Albion place in Leeds to...
One of our barristers, Nicholas Worsley has just spent four weeks in Birmingham where he was successful in submissions that his client had no case to answer in an alleged drugs conspiracy involving heroin, cocaine and crystal meth, where police put the...
We are delighted to announce that we have been shortlisted for another industry award. Hot on the heels of our success at the recent Yorkshire Lawyer Awards last week, we have learnt that John Collins, one of our most well established and highly regarded...
Our Chief Executive, Andrew Argyle had an unusual start to his day this morning when he chatted with Vanessa Feltz on her early morning programme on Radio 2. Listeners were treated to one of Andrew's favourite songs -...
Following her well received seminar on Part 36 : Procedure and Update, at Rudding Park on 5th October 2011, Nicola has produced the following article for those who were not able to attend the seminar, or for those who just want to hear it all again. ...
It was a very proud evening for Zenith Chambers at the annual Yorkshire Lawyer Awards, held at The Queens Hotel in Leeds on 5th October 2011. Julian Goose QC and Andrew Argyle collected the award for ‘Chambers of the Year’ in front of an audience...
The super-injunction – a remedy for the super rich and a symbol of the growing inequality in our society says Lord Walker. What made Zenith Chambers’ annual Munkman lecture so surprising this year, wasn’t just the lecture title,...
Credit Hire case law never stays the same for long. In her article, DSR v Subrogation - 'Meeting Fire with Fire' Nicola explores the implications of the latest Credit Hire case and provides tactics that can be adopted by both Claimant and Defendant...
We have joined only a handful of chambers in the UK to be awarded BARMARK accreditation by the Bar Council. The scheme is designed to recognise best practice management within a chambers and is an industry recognised quality standard. Within a short time of...
On 21st September, The Legal 500 released the results of their lastest research on the movers and shakers of the legal profession. We are delighted that as well as maintaining our top tier ranking as one of the leading Sets on the North Eastern...
In his article 'Nowhere to run: Insolvency is no protection from possession proceedings' specialist housing law barrister, Peter Marcus, explores the constant struggle that social landlords face when they have tenants who are unable to pay their rent...
Gordon Exall, an experienced and popular barrister in our specialist Personal Injury team has helped secure damages of £3,644,853.00 for a 22 year old woman who was assualted by her babysitter at the age of 22 months. The Criminal Injuries...
Our Annual Munkman Lecture has attracted an impressive array of high profile speakers over the years, and 2011 is no exception! This year we welcome Lord Walker of Gestingthorpe and Justice of the Supreme Court. He will deliver a lecture titled "Sex,...
Elizabeth Darlington, a member of our Chancery Commercial and Property team will be a guest speaker CLT Conference on ‘Cohabitation and Practice’ in London on 18th November 2011. Beth, who is a specialist in Cohabitation law, writes and edits a...
At Zenith Chambers we are always looking for ways to improve the way we communicate with our clients. That is why we have embraced the very latest in technology and launched our new smart-phone-friendly website! There is nothing more frustrating than...
In a recent decision in the High Court (reported in the press 12.8.11; judgment not yet available) Mr Justice Moylan has given encouragement to spouses who seek to preserve inherited or pre-acquired wealth. The case concerned a couple in late middle age...
Tom Storey and Michele Stuart-Lofthouse successfully prosecute 5 defendants for their involvement in a "ruthless and persistent" £1.8 million conspiracy to steal high-value plant machinery and smuggle it out of the country. Click here for...
Following one of the largest procurement exercises for a barristers framework to date, Zenith Chambers has been appointed to the panel of Sets permitted to receive work from five local authorities in West Yorkshire. Kirklees, Leeds, Bradford,...
We are delighted to announce that we have been shortlisted in 2 categories at the forthcoming Yorkshire Lawyer Awards, which will be held at the Queens Hotel on Wednesday 5 th October. The awards honour excellence within the region’s...
Marisa Allman writes in the Family Law Week about the decision by the European Court in Schalk and Kopf v Austria (App 301414-04) and whether two people of the same sex can claim to have the right to marry. A link to the article can be found here . ...
Stuart Jamieson, an experienced and popular personal injury barrister at Zenith Chambers, was the latest in a series of Zenith barristers to be interviewed by Garrison FM this week. Garrison FM is the army's own radio service for troops based in Britain and...
Barnsley MBC v Norton [2011] EWCA Civ 834, handed down on 21/07/11. This was another case where Public Law afforded a public landlord’s occupier a defence in County Court possession proceedings, where until recently she would have not had...
We are delighted to announce that Clive Heaton QC is to be appointed to the Circuit Bench. From the 1st August he will sit as a Circuit Judge in Leeds, exclusively hearing family cases. Clive joined Zenith Chambers in 1992, having previously...
On Saturday 16th July, members of chambers and staff travelled to the Houses of Parliament for a celebratory dinner to mark Zenith's 10th anniversary. James Clappison MP and his wife Helen, acted as our hosts for the evening. James is a member of...
Grand –v- Gill [2011] EWCA Civ 554 s.11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 provides: 11. Repairing obligations in short leases (1) In a lease to which this section applies (as to which, see sections 13 and 14) there is...
Barristers, staff and clients of Zenith Chambers have been busy with their fundraising efforts in a bid to reach our target of £10,000 by the end of the year On the 16 th June, 7 teams took on an elite team of Barristers in our ‘Beat the...
On 28 th June, the head of our Court Martial team, Simon Perkins travelled to Catterick Garrison for an interview with Garrison FM’s broadcaster, Rafe Parker. Garrison FM is the Army’s own radio service for troops based in Britain and...
The Zenith Little Big Band helped raised money for M.S. by playing its inaugural concert at the Great Edstone Festival on the 18 th June. The Festival is a charitable event run in North Yorkshire to raise money for the M.S. Society and the...
Friday 24 th June 2011 became a landmark day when New York became the sixth U.S. state to allow gay marriage. For any UK residents thinking of tying the knot in Manhattan, or Californians planning married life in the UK, it’s a good time to look at...
Q: When is a Part 36 Offer not a Part 36 Offer? A: When it is expressed to be “open for 21 days” Nicola Phillipson The CA decision of Gibbon was widely reported and acted upon, prompting a flurry of activity as parties accepted or...
On 27th May 2011 the Court of Appeal allowed an appeal from the High Court in C v D, providing useful guidance on the interpretation of Part 36 Offers which include references to "21 days". Nicola Phillipson considers the Judgment and provides...
Gordon Exall, a senior junior member of our Personal Injury team writes in the June edition of the Apil PI Focus magazine on 'Keeping your witnesses out of jail.' In the article he looks at the lessons learnt in the case of Motor Insurers Bureau v James...
Zenith Chambers is proud to be a sponsor of the Great Edstone Music Festival which takes place on Saturday June 18 th at Great Edstone near Kirby Moorside in North Yorkshire. The Festival involves a number of local groups who play different genres of music...
We are deolighted to annouce that Sarah Lawrenson has qualified as an adjudicator on construction cases. Sarah, who was called in 2003, is a member of Zenith Chambers specialist Construction and Engineering team. 70% of her case load involves...
As a result of an increase in instructions and planned expansions, several new barristers have joined Chambers in recent months. These barristers join 2 of our specialist teams: family and personal injury. They have joined us as either an...
On 20th May our family team held their annual Children Law Conference at Goldsborough Hall, near Harrogate. This years conference was titled,' Child Protection in the Virtual World' and we welcomed a number of superb external speakers and a special...
A crew of 11 from Zenith Chambers swapped their traditional barristers wigs for purple ones when they dressed up to particiapte in a Dragon Boat Race in aid of Martins House Children's Hospice on Sunday 22nd May 2011. Over 48 teams gathered on the lake...
Zenith chambers are pleased to announce that experienced family practitioners Sarah Greenan and Marisa Allman have qualified as Collaborative Lawyers. Amongst the first Counsel outside London to train in Collaborative law, and with just a handful in the...
Following the by now well known (indeed arguably infamous) majority decision of the court of Appeal in Tiensia v Vision Enterprises [2010] EWCA Civ 1224, a landlord who fails to protect a tenant’s deposit in a tenancy deposit scheme...
Elizabeth Darlington talks to The Observer about the high profile case of Kernott (Respondent) v Jones (Appellant) case ID UKSC 2010/0130 concerning whether a court can properly infer an agreement by an unmarried couple, who hold a property in equal shares...
On 31st March 2011 judgement was handed down in the case of Ilott v Mitson & others in which John Collins, a barrister at Zenith Chambers appeared for the Claimant. The case has received national media attention and is a landmark decision in...
To celebrate our 10th Anniversary, Zenith Chambers is seeking to raise £10,000 for a range of charities. Our ’10 for 10’ fundraising challenge includes a ‘Beat the Barristers’ Pub Quiz, the Great North Swim in Lake Windermere...
As part of of Zenith Chambers 10 year anniversary celebrations and our '10 for 10' fundraising challenge, we are holding a "Beat the Barristers" Pub Quiz and Auction in aid of UNICEF. Throughout 2011 we are looking to raise £10,000 for a...
Case law review: Drugs in Possession claims Vilma Vodanovic Drugs commonly feature in possession claims brought by registered social landlords against tenants as one of or indeed the main problem. Historically, policy considerations have dictated that...
Public Law defences in the County Court - do we know more now then we did before? Pinnock v Manchester City Council [2010] UKSC 45, 3 WLR 1441, handed down on 03/11/10. Hounslow LBC v Powell; Leeds CC v Hall; Birmingham CC v Frisby [2011] UKSC 11, handed...
Pinnock, Powell and Proportionality: What's a Landlord to do now? Peter Marcus Some legal and practical implications of the rulings in: Manchester City Council v Pinnock [2010] UKSC 45 and Hounslow v Powell; Leeds v Hall; Birmingham v Frisby [2011]...
Zenith's 10 for 10! Zenith Chambers is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year and to mark the occasion, they are planning 10 charitable events to raise £10,000 for a variety of charities. Following the merger of 10 Park Square and 9 Woodhouse...
On 9th March we welcomed Alison Shalaby, Sharon Cooke and Anika Chaudary to Zenith Chambers and to Leeds for the first meeting of our North Eastern Group Forum on Child Abduction and Removal from Jurisdiction. We were delighted that the event...
The Government has announced far-reaching reforms to pension’s legislation that will have ongoing significance for Personal Injury litigators, both Claimant and Defendant. The changes are being phased in from 2012 and are designed to ensure that...
Ruwena Khan, a barrister at Zenith Chambers, has recently given an interview to The Times about how her experience of participating as an A level student in the Bar National Mock Trial Competition strengthened her ambitions to become a...
Members of the Zenith Chambers’ Family team impressed and entertained delegates at their ‘Family Procedure Rules 2010- Are you ready?’ seminar at the Sullivan Rooms, Leeds Town Hall, this week. The speakers, headed up by Clive Heaton QC,...
BLOG (3) 10 March 2011 Jonathan Welford-Carroll – Kosovo Diary When I last wrote an entry for this Blog, it was late summer and I was just settling into the demands of mission life. I had good...
Zenith Chambers has donated over £1400 to the Leeds Children’s Hospital, Clarendon Wing, garden. For its annual Christmas Party, Zenith Chambers sold tickets to raise enough money to help create a wonderful new, colourful space at the hospital....
Julian Goose QC and Tom Storey are prosecuting Counsel in the trial of three Muslim in-mates who 'plotted to kill' war criminal Radislav Krstic. This high profile case is receiving much media attention because of the highly...
The highly regarded Zenith Crime Team, headed up by Grade 4 Prosecutor Simon Kealey, has two new members to add to its team of dedicated criminal practitioners. Jessica Strange, a former solicitor, and Sobia Ahmed, fresh from the Crown Prosecution Service,...
Zenith takes prime position on the inner back page of the very first edition of 'The Legal'. The article 'View from the Bench' by Simon Read has won this prime spot and will hopefully be the first of many Zenith articles appearing in this, the newest...
We are pleased to announce the arrival of Sarah Lawrenson and Derek Pye as Associate Tenants to Zenith Chambers, Leeds. Sarah Lawrenson and Derek Pye have joined the Zenith Chancery, Commercial and Property Team, as well as the Construction and...
We are delighted to announce the arrival of Peter Marcus to Zenith Chambers, Leeds. Peter was called to the Bar in 2004, and since then has gone on to speak at notable Housing conferences, including those run by Jordan's Publishing. He...
2011 is a very special year for Zenith Chambers and we are marking the beginning of it with the launch of our brand new website! Zenith Chambers is 10 years old this year. This important anniversary has provided us with the perfect reason to freshen up our...
