OTC is delighted with an outstanding set of rankings in the Legal 500 UK 2026 Guide
The Legal 500 UK 2026 rankings have been announced and Outer Temple Chambers is delighted to share the highlights from this year’s rankings including 2 Top Tier rankings amongst our 10 set recommendations, and over 140 individual rankings.
We are proud to share that we have been recognised as a Top Tier Set in Crypto & Blockchain Assets and Pensions once again this year. These coveted Tier 1 badges sit amongst our set rankings for excellence in ten practice areas which includes some of our flagship teams; Clinical Negligence, Personal Injury, Employment and Financial Services Regulation. This is in addition to our Tier 1 Commercial ranking in the Middle East rankings.
These set rankings couldn’t have been achieved without the hard work of our members, who have individually achieved over 140 rankings (by 65 individuals) ranked across 27 practice areas, and the excellent clerking teams who have been recognised in the rankings too.
Many congratulations to all of our barristers, clerks and all of the support team for another year of stellar results. Finally, a very special thanks to all our clients and colleagues for taking the time to provide references and who continue to instruct us.
To view the full set of rankings, click here.
This year’s rankings are below:
We are delighted to retain a Tier 1 set ranking, and are noted as having “lovely clerks… [and] easy to deal with”. Individual rankings include:
- Andrew Spink KC (Tier 1)
- Helen Pugh (Tier 1)
- Justina Stewart (Tier 1)
- Henry Reid (Tier 2)
We are thrilled to retain our Tier 1 set ranking in Pensions and be described as “a pensions powerhouse.” With only two Top Tier sets ranked in this practice area, we also welcomed some advanced rankings at junior level:
- Nicolas Stallworthy KC (Tier 1)
- Andrew Short KC (Tier 1)
- Andrew Spink KC (Tier 1)
- Richard Hitchcock KC (Tier 2)
- Keith Bryant KC (Tier 2)
- David Grant KC (Tier 3)
- Naomi Ling (Rising to Tier 1)
- Saul Margo (Rising to Tier 1)
- Lydia Seymour (Tier 1)
- Nicholas Hill (Tier 2)
- Philip Stear (Tier 3)
- Stephen Butler (New entry at Tier 4)
- Victoria Brown (Tier 4)
- Elizabeth Grace (Tier 4)
- Patrick Tomison (Tier 4)
- Joshua Cainer (Rising Star)
We are delighted to retain our Tier 2 set ranking and be described as “a key player in the clinical negligence sphere”. We also congratulate an outstanding 8 silks and 11 juniors on their individual rankings:
- Eliot Woolf KC (Tier 2)
- Nathan Tavares KC (Tier 2)
- Gerard McDermott KC (Tier 4)
- Sarah Crowther KC (Tier 4)
- James Counsell KC (Tier 4)
- Rachel Vickers KC (Tier 4)
- Jonathan Hand KC (Tier 4)
- Ben Bradley KC (Joining the silk rankings as 2025 Silk)
- Harriet Jerram (Tier 2)
- Robert Dickason (Tier 2)
- James Aldridge (Tier 3)
- Daniel Clarke (Tier 3)
- Harry Lambert (Tier 3)
- Tom Gibson (Tier 3)
- Carin Hunt (Tier 3)
- Patrick Sadd (Tier 4)
- David Haines (Tier 4)
- Olinga Tahzib (Tier 4)
- Will Young (Tier 4)
We are pleased to retain our Tier 2 set ranking, being described as “at the cutting edge of employment at the moment”. 20 barristers are ranked:
- Keith Bryant KC (Rising to Tier 1)
- Andrew Short KC (Tier 1)
- Andrew Allen KC (Tier 3)
- Naomi Ling (Rising to Tier 1)
- Saul Margo (Rising to Tier 1)
- Naomi Cunningham (Tier 2)
- Lydia Seymour (Tier 2)
- Will Young (Tier 2)
- Peter Linstead (Tier 3)
- Martina Murphy (Tier 3)
- Gus Baker (Tier 4)
- Victoria Brown (Tier 4)
- Paul Livingston (Rising to Tier 4)
- Stephen Butler (Tier 4)
- Imogen Egan (Rising to Tier 4)
- Elizabeth Grace – (Tier 4)
- Alex Line (Tier 4)
- Oliver Lawrence (Rising Star to Tier 5)
- Joshua Cainer (New entry at Tier 5)
- Patrick Tomison (Rising Star)
- Jessica Franklin (Rising Star)
As a Tier 2 set, we also have 4 individuals ranked in this specialist team.
- James Counsell KC (Tier 2)
- Oliver Powell KC (Joining Silk rankings as 2025 Silk)
- Justina Stewart (Tier 2)
- Clare Baker (Tier 3)
- Henry Reid (Rising Star)
Our world-renowned team have excelled yet again in the personal injury rankings, with a Tier 2 set ranking, 9 silks ranked and 13 juniors ranked. They are described as having an “enviable reputation for specialist PI counsel at all levels from juniors to seniors”.
- Gerard McDermott KC (Tier 1)
- Sarah Crowther KC (Tier 2)
- James Counsell KC (Tier 2)
- Harry Steinberg KC (Tier 2)
- Nathan Tavares KC (Tier 3)
- Eliot Woolf KC (Tier 3)
- Jonathan Hand KC (Tier 4)
- Matthew Phillips KC (Tier 4)
- Ben Bradley KC (Joining Silk rankings as 2025 Silk)
- Aliyah Akram (Tier 2)
- Ian Denham (Tier 2)
- Harry Lambert (Tier 2)
- Daniel Clarke (Tier 3)
- Patrick Sadd (Tier 3)
- Will Young (Tier 3)
- James Aldridge (Tier 4)
- Robert Dickason (Tier 4)
- Olinga Tahzib (Tier 4)
- Lorna Badham (Tier 4)
- David Haines (Tier 4)
- Carin Hunt (Rising Star)
We are pleased to retain Tier 3 status with a silk and 2 juniors ranked.
- Nathan Tavares KC (Tier 3)
- Harry Lambert (Tier 2)
- Robert Dickason (Tier 2)
We have been recognised as a Tier 3 set again, with 6 members ranked.
- Fiona Horlick KC (Tier 2)
- James Counsell KC (Tier 3)
- Matthew McDonagh (Tier 2)
- Sophie O’Sullivan (Rising to Tier 3)
- Martina Murphy (Tier 4)
- Louis Weston (Tier 4)
Recognised as a Tier 3 set for excellence, with 7 members ranked.
- Nicolas Stallworthy KC (Tier 2)
- Andrew Spink KC (Tier 3)
- David Grant KC (Tier 4)
- Nicholas Hill (Tier 5)
- Elaine Palser (Tier 5)
- Helen Pugh (Tier 5)
- Lydia Seymour (Tier 6)
We are delighted to be recognised yet again with a set ranking and our key players in the Health & Safety market ranked individually.
- Ben Compton KC (Rising to Tier 1)
- Oliver Powell KC (Joining Silk rankings as 2025 Silk)
- Paul Rogers (Rising to Tier 3)
- Sophie O’Sullivan (New Entry at Tier 4)
- Henry Reid (Rising Star)
- Justina Stewart (Tier 2)
- James Counsell KC (Tier 4)
- Oliver Powell KC (Joining Silk rankings as 2025 Silk)
- Sophie O’Sullivan (Tier 3)
We are pleased to have 4 individual rankings, including a new ranking as a Rising Star in Commercial Litigation:
- Andrew Spink KC (Tier 5)
- Helen Pugh (Tier 5)
- Justina Stewart (Tier 4)
- Henry Reid (Rising Star)
- Alex Line (Tier 3)
- Monique Bouffé (Rising Star)
- Helen Pugh (Rising to Tier 3)
- Sophie O’Sullivan (Tier 4)
- Harry Lambert (Tier 2)
- Robert Dickason (Tier 3)
- Harriet Jerram (Tier 3)
- Patrick Sadd (Tier 4)
- Paul Livingston (Tier 4)
- Elaine Palser (Tier 3)
- Justina Stewart (Tier 3)
- Helen Pugh (Tier 4)
- David Grant KC (Tier 3)
- Philip Stear (Tier 4)
- Elaine Palser (Tier 4)
- Oliver Powell KC (Joining Silk rankings as 2025 Silk)
- Sophie O’Sullivan (Rising to Tier 2)
- Lucian Ilie (Rising to Tier 2)
- Sophie O’Sullivan (Tier 3)
- Joshua Hitchens (Rising Star)
To view the full set of rankings, click here.
Find out more
To find out more about the barristers and teams listed above, contact our Practice Management Team for a confidential discussion on +44 (0)20 7353 6381.
News 7 Oct, 2025
