St Philips Chambers

Join our Business & Property Juniors for their "Spot the Bot: Responding to AI Generated Documents in Proceedings” seminar on Wednesday, 19th August. Raghav Trivedi and Eloise Marriott will discuss practical tips to tackle the increasing problem of facing court documents, including statements of case and skeleton arguments, that are generated by AI. Often the documents will be lengthy and include a myriad of case law and legal arguments. This poses a real challenge to practitioners seeking to respond efficiently and proportionately. They will explore the types of applications that may be made, the recent authorities relating to AI-generated content, and a step by step practical approach to tackling such an issue. Register to attend here: https://lnkd.in/d67GmWhJ #Barristers #LegalAI

Darron Whitehead and Clare Rennie were instructed by Jonas Roy Bloom to defend SR at trial for the offence of kidnap. On 29 December 2025, four masked men carried out surveillance of the victim, whom they perceived had brought dishonour upon their family. They entered the victim’s home address, abducted him by force and drove him to an isolated container unit leased and externally controlled by SR and his cousin. At the unit, the victim was stripped, beaten, filmed and forced to apologise to family elders. He was held captive for nearly 10 hours before managing to escape. Although SR attended the unit during the ordeal, Darron and Clare established the defence of duress by circumstance. The jury accepted that he had been unaware of the planned kidnap, did not wish to become involved, and was unable to remove himself due to fear of the principal defendants. SR was unanimously acquitted at Shrewsbury Crown Court in June. The remaining five defendants are due to be sentenced on 22 July. News Coverage: BBC News - https://lnkd.in/eUq7UB8p #CriminalLaw #Barrister

Julie Duane acted for the Respondent in obtaining a £20,000 costs award, the maximum cap for costs under summary assessment, following the dismissal of all claims brought by the Claimant. The Employment Tribunal found that the claims were wholly without merit and that the Claimant had conducted the litigation in an abusive and unreasonable manner. The decision serves as an important reminder that parties who pursue claims with no reasonable prospects of success, or who conduct litigation unreasonably, may face significant financial consequences. Read Julie’s full case summary here: https://lnkd.in/dUzM33Ud #UKEmpLaw #Costs #Barrister

Can the purchase of an income interest in an offshore trust escape inheritance tax under section 10 IHTA 1984? The First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber) has just said no. In Burles v The Commissioners for HMRC, the Tribunal dismissed the appeal against an inheritance tax determination, finding neither limb of s 10(1) satisfied. The purchase formed part of a series of transactions intended to confer a gratuitous benefit on the deceased's beneficiaries, and it was not made at arm's length. It was therefore a transfer of value. Raghav Trivedi has analysed the decision for LexisNexis: https://lnkd.in/dAjnc26B #IHTA1984 #InheritanceTax #EstatePlanning

St Philips Chambers is delighted to announce that David Walters has joined Chambers as Senior Clerk to our Family Group. David’s arrival marks an important new chapter for one of Chambers’ largest and busiest practice groups, following the recent retirement of Mark Mansell after 24 years of outstanding service. Mark played a significant role in the growth and success of the Family Group, and David now takes on the leadership of the clerking team at an exciting point in its development. David brings with him nine successful years of family clerking experience and more than 16 years’ experience within family law. Having started his career at a specialist family law firm before moving into clerking, he understands both the law firm and chambers environments. That perspective will be central to his work with our barristers, clerking team and instructing solicitors as we continue to strengthen the service delivered by the Family Group. David will lead the family clerking team with a clear focus on client service, strategic practice development, business development and continued growth. His appointment reflects Chambers’ commitment to investing in the strength, responsiveness and future success of the Family Group. Alongside David’s arrival, we are also delighted to confirm that Kelly Fullwood has been promoted to First Junior Clerk. Kelly is already well known to our clients. Her promotion is thoroughly deserved and provides important continuity within the team. She will play a central role in supporting David, our barristers and the solicitors who instruct us. Joe Wilson, CEO and Director of Clerking, said: “It is a real pleasure to welcome David to St Philips. He brings real depth of experience in family law, strong leadership, and an excellent understanding of what clients need from a modern clerking team. His background, including his early experience within a family law firm, gives him a valuable perspective on client service and practice development. “David’s arrival, together with Kelly’s well-earned promotion to First Junior Clerk, gives us a strong, stable and ambitious clerking structure. This is about continuity, but it is also about looking forward. Our Family Group has an exceptional reputation, and this new structure will allow us to build on that strength and continue delivering the responsive, practical and client-focused service for which we are known.” To discuss any aspect of our Family Group, please contact: David Walters- Senior Family Clerk dwalters@st-philips.com, 0121 246 2148 Kelly Fullwood- First Junior Family Clerk kfullwood@st-philips.com, 0121 246 2177 #BarristersClerks #FamilyLaw

This week, two students join us for the Bar Placement Scheme, where they will spend four days shadowing our barristers in Chambers and in court. Nay Dyari and William Mason will also receive advocacy training from the Inns of Court College of Advocacy. Places on the scheme are awarded on the strength of the application, demonstrated commitment to a career at the Bar, and social mobility criteria. The Bar Council delivers the scheme with Pathways to Law and the Social Mobility Foundation, and it remains one of the most practical ways to show students what this profession is really like from the inside. We are delighted to welcome Nay and William to Chambers and to support the Bar Placement Scheme again this summer. #BarPlacementScheme #SocialMobility #LifeAtTheBar

H S (Paul) Dhami prosecuted a care home manager who withdrew cash from a resident's bank account every month for 16 months. The resident had vascular dementia and no visiting family. She lacked the capacity to manage her own finances and the Court of Protection had appointed solicitors as her deputy. The manager took advantage, spending further money from the account on herself and her family. The final fraudulent transaction, a cash withdrawal, came on the day she flew to Dubai to celebrate her 50th birthday. She denied any wrongdoing from the outset, and the complainant died two years before the case reached trial. After a five-day trial at Worcester Crown Court, the defendant was convicted on six counts of fraud. BBC News coverage of the case: https://lnkd.in/dJHnfQVG #Barristers #Fraud #CriminalLaw

Tomorrow night we celebrate fifteen years of Birmingham Black Lawyers CIC at their Summer Ball, and we are proud to sponsor the event once again. A special mention for our own Adèle Akers, a finalist in the BBL Excellence Awards Lawyer of the Year category. The very best of luck to Adèle and to all the other award finalists. We look forward to a memorable evening with colleagues and friends from across the Midlands legal community. #BBLExcellenceAwards #BBLBall2026 #BirminghamBlackLawyers

Your client hands you a USB stick of documents he took from his ex-husband's computer and tells you to give it to the judge. What do you do? That is one of the scenarios in a new article for the Financial Remedies Journal, co-written by Katie Stephens and Lillian Garnier of our family team alongside Abigail Clements-Bewley (4PB) and Jessica Holloway (Clintons). The article follows two fictional barristers through an almost typical financial remedy case, with code of conduct challenges at every turn: AI-drafted position statements, an undisclosed pension, litigants in person and an ill-judged post-hearing selfie. A light-hearted read with a serious point about the core duties that underpin FR work. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ezBQVz7f #FinancialRemedies #Ethics #Barristers

We are delighted to share the details of our Annual Employment Conference at The Exchange, Birmingham. Join our specialist Employment barristers and a guest speaker for a full day conference, designed to provide a clear and practical overview of the most significant changes in employment law. Our speakers are Ed Williams KC, Petar Starcevic, Paul Wilson, Sophie Garner, Elizabeth Hodgetts, Bruce Frew, Francis Mortin, Adèle Akers, Sarah Harty, Tamsin Sandiford, Connor Wright and Kyran Kanda. 🗓️ Wednesday, 30th September 🏢 The Exchange, 3 Centenary Sq, Birmingham B1 2DR 💳 £50 + VAT Topics to include: 🟪 Can they say that? - Expressing opinions in the workplace: Article 10 ECHR and Unfair Dismissal 🟪 A new approach for changing terms and conditions through collective bargaining - The implications of the Court of Appeal decision in Crabb v TUI 🟪 Partner, employee, or worker? - Looking past the labels to determine employment status 🟪 Perspectives on Alternative Resolution 🟪 Choice of forum: High Court or ET? - In what claims does the choice arise? Which is the better one strategically? How should parallel proceedings be managed? What are the pitfalls to avoid?  🟪 It’s not my fault! - 3rd party and vicarious liability 🟪 Employment Tribunals and Dispute Resolution: Reform to Reality Find out more and register to attend here: https://lnkd.in/eWbvkBr3 #UKEmplaw #Barrister