Those specialising in criminal law at KBW are the largest group within Chambers, and include five Queen's Counsel.

We are proud to continue to act in publicly-funded criminal cases on behalf of the prosecution or the defence. We take this work very seriously. We believe we provide the best quality advocacy available and we strive to do so with the efficiency which is rightly demanded in the modern legal world.

The quality and dedication of those who specialize in criminal law at KBW is also in demand beyond publicly-funded prosecution and defence work. This includes not only advising and representing those able privately to finance their own defence in criminal cases, but also other areas where criminal expertise is invaluable such as advising commercial lay clients on the criminal aspects of commercial disputes and sports-related disciplinary proceedings.

It is a central guiding principle that justice rightly demands that everyone is entitled to a fair hearing, and to the best advice and representation possible, whether the case is complex, serious and high-profile, or not so serious and relatively simple.

Equally, crime, more than any other area of the law, directly involves people. Each member of the criminal group has always been committed to the important and increasingly recognized principle that those involved in the criminal process are first and foremost people, many of whom are vulnerable and need particular care. Chambers has a long history of acting in cases involving those who are vulnerable, whether children or young persons, the elderly or infirm, or those with special needs of one sort or another. First-rate legal knowledge and highly skilled court advocacy do not take away from the need for common humanity and kindness.

Our approach is simple: to bring the professional ethos of specialist knowledge and skill into the modern world of serving our clients, whoever they are.

Chambers' Police Law Team is headed by Toby Wynn. Toby has specialised in defending police forces in misfeasance claims for more than 15 years. He is one of only three barristers outside London rated a "Leader at the Bar" in this field by Chambers and the only one on the North East Circuit. He is referred to in the Legal 500: "approachable Toby Wynn is the circuit expert on police law".

Chambers' team represent all major forces on circuit in relation to misfeasance work and also provide advice, and present charges, to police disciplinary panels. Members of chambers regularly represent forces and individual officers in Coroner's Inquests. We are probably the leading set of chambers in relation to closure orders having conducted well over two hundred hearings and can provide 24 hour cover in relation to football banning orders during control periods.

Chambers regularly provide seminars to the professions in relation to police law. Recent lectures have been provided to the Association of Police Lawyers Annual Conference, the Police Defence Lawyers' Forum and several in house sessions for police solicitor's departments. Topics have included the disclosure of electronic documents, recent developments in negligence actions against the police, closure orders, Sexual Offences Prevention Orders, and applications for football banning orders.

Recent Court of Appeal cases involving members of chambers include Scott v The Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police, Cummings v The Chief Constable of Northumbria Police and Swinney v The Chief Constable of Northumbria Police.

The Business and Property Law Group has extensive experience in litigation and non-contentious advisory work with a strong reputation in all areas. It offers a comprehensive and efficient service geared to the needs and resources of the client.

Business
Highly aware of the demands of the modern day business world, the Group is dedicated to providing cost-effective practical solutions to business clients with swift commercially aware advice. We do this by setting out a clear and practical strategy tailored to the particular needs of the lay client and the circumstances of each case.

Private Client
The Group also prides itself on its ability to deal with a range of private client needs in a sympathetic, personable and cost effective manner. We understand that for private individuals litigation can sometimes be a difficult time. We aim to ensure that each lay client's needs are clearly understood in order to deliver a cost effective solution to their problems.

ADR
As well as providing expert advisory and litigation services, the Group is well versed and skilled in mediation and other forms or ADR, mindful that a well negotiated settlement often provides the most efficient solution for a client.

Practitioners regularly deal with disputes in the following areas:

Business
Commercial contracts, company law, partnership, insolvency, guarantees, agency economic torts, commercial credit and security, commercial fraud, sale of goods and supply of services, professional negligence including accountancy, solicitors, surveyors, architects, building contracts, IT professionals and financial lending institutions.

Property
Conveyancing, trusts of land, boundaries, easements, restrictive covenants all with a strong emphasis on property development projects. Landlord and tenant (business tenancies, agricultural tenancies, private and public sector residential tenancies)

Chancery
Wills, probate, succession, Inheritance Act claims, trusts, trustees, breach of trust including undue influence, securities and disputes involving financial lending institutions, personal insolvency and intellectual property.

VAT and Customs
The Group has extensive experience in VAT and Customs work and have regularly appeared before the VAT and Duties Tribunal over many years.

With ever increasing regulation of the workplace and employment, the Group understands the critical role that prompt, effective advice and representation in this area plays in the life of every business. Whether assistance is required by telephone, in conference or in writing, the Group is geared to offer a flexible service to meet the demands of the modern client.

Wrongful and unfair dismissal, redundancy, DDA, discrimination in all forms including discrimination on the grounds of sex, race, sexual orientation and age, Human Rights, restrictive covenants, trade secrets and TUPE.

Members of the family group are able to undertake work of every sort of family case including work involving children and all aspects of financial and related ancillary relief.

Those members of the group who undertake child care work are able to undertake all aspects of both private and public law cases including those with an international dimension. The group is able to provide members with expertise in all aspects of divorce, civil partnership and partnership break-up.

Within child care work members of the group have a particular expertise in cases where there are allegations of sexual, physical and emotional abuse.

The Group deals with all types of ancillary relief proceedings with a particular emphasis on high value claims including those where business interests and land are involved.

The Personal Injury group covers the full ambit of personal injury work from Road Traffic accidents to Employer's Liability cases. The Chambers' group represents clients at all levels of proceedings from arbitrations to group actions.

The industrial disease team is well-established and has been involved in most of the recent leading disease cases on the North Eastern Circuit including group actions in deafness, HAVS and asthma claims. The group acts for both Claimants and Defendants. Recent cases for Claimants include litigation against Noel Village, Montracon Ltd and ATS. Recent cases for Defendants include the Wistow Fumes litigation involving the DTI (formerly British Coal).

The group offers a speedy, efficient and flexible service designed to meet the needs of solicitors and their clients.

Recent Court of Appeal cases involving members of chambers include Doherty v Rugby Joinery (UK) Ltd, Montracon Ltd v Whalley, Rugby Joinery (UK) Ltd v Whitfield.

Members of the Immigration Team at KBW Chambers are committed to providing advice and advocacy at the highest standard in all areas of Nationality, Asylum, Immigration and Human Rights law.

This Team of specialist Counsel offers a service which draws upon unique perspectives and extensive experience to guarantee a consistently excellent quality of representation in a friendly and approachable manner.

Members frequently appear in:

• The First and Upper Tiers of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber
• The High Court
• The Court of Appeal

Members are routinely instructed to draft representations to the Home Office.

Cases of note in which Members of the team were instructed include:

Representing the Claimant in a successful claim for judicial review challenging the decision of the Secretary of State to refuse to accept representations on behalf of a Sri Lankan Tamil as amounting to a fresh claim for asylum: Sivanesan v SSHD [2008] EWHC (Admin) 1146

Acting for the Appellant before the Court of Appeal at a successful substantive hearing challenging the application of the policy relating to the use of enforcement action against the parents of children with seven years continual residence in the United Kingdom: NF (Ghana) v SSHD 2008 EWCA Civ 906

Acting for the Claimant in R (an application of Ranjan & Others) v SSHD [2007] EWHC (Admin) 3288 dealing with the risk on return to Sri Lanka for Tamils, cited with authority in the case of NA v The United Kingdom [2008] ECHR 616

Successfully challenging the decision of the then Asylum and Immigration Tribunal in the Court of Appeal SK (Sri Lanka) [2010] (unreported).

Members of the Team frequently hold seminars on various topics both in Chambers and at outside venues.

Members of chambers are qualified to provide direct public access in the following areas of expertise,

• Employment