Serjeants’ Inn is rated by the independent legal directory Chambers & Partners as one of the best police law teams in the UK. We act for most forces around the country together with a number of PCCs and other police bodies, including the College of Policing, handling nearly 2,000 police law matters over the last three years.
We act in the cases which shape police law in this country. Our work includes the Undercover Policing Inquiry, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and the Leveson Inquiry; the David Rathband, Walid Yusif and Michael Barrymore civil claims; the Raoul Moat, Hillsborough,Deepcut and Perepilichnyy inquests; the Duggan and Plebgate judicial review proceedings; a four-week employment case concerning discrimination, protected disclosures and victimisation and a high profile dispute over pay and conditions. We are also instructed in the major police misconduct cases, both prosecuting and defending and including the key chief officer cases, as well as in Police Appeals Tribunal and judicial review challenges to police disciplinary decisions.
We have specialist police barristers at every level of call: 29 of our 37 police practitioners are ranked as a leader in their field by the Legal 500 and/or Chambers & Partners. We are rated as a band one set for police work by both legal directories and members of the team have won numerous individual awards.
Our team, led by John Beggs QC, is distinguished by:
- first, our problem solving approach. We know that police clients need practical and effective solutions, with regard not only to the complex law but also to the politics of the situation, public confidence and the media;
- second, our robust defence of our police clients’ interests. We are committed to providing our clients with the defence they are entitled to under the rule of law and in accordance with their public duty; and
- finally, our excellence in advocacy and trial tactics. Our advocacy is distinct, impressive and we get results.
We are acknowledged for our approachable style and we offer a one-stop shop. Our barristers have day-to-day experience of police law in all its forms: civil claims, inquests and inquiries; misconduct proceedings; operational policing matters encompassing public order, firearms and RIPA; pensions and employment work; public law including judicial review; and the full range of civil restraining orders.
Our police publications include Police Misconduct, Complaints and the Public Regulation and Public Order: Law and Practice.
Disclaimer. This blog is maintained for information purposes only. It is not intended to be a source of legal advice and must not be relied upon as such. Blog posts reflect the views and opinions of their individual authors, not of chambers as a whole.