Chambers & Partners UK Bar Guide 2026: New Park Court Chambers is recognised as a leading set for Crime, Inquests & Inquiries and Professional Discipline.
New Park Court Chambers is pleased to be awarded Band status across our key practice areas of Crime (Band 1), Inquests & Inquiries and Professional Discipline in Chambers and Partners UK Bar Guide 2026. Individual members are also recognised for Environment, Financial Crime and Health and Safety.
Commenting on our rankings, New Park Court Chambers CEO, Rob Wagg, said, ““It is incredibly pleasing to see such a strong increase in our rankings as well as such excellent feedback from our clients, peers and those across law, thank you very much. I am delighted to see that, collectively, our specialist legal knowledge and talent is recognised by our being ranked in the key areas of Crime, Inquests & Public Inquiries and Professional Discipline and that our barristers are well known across the country for their expertise. Individually, the quality, strength and depth of our barristers is best demonstrated through Robert Smith KC and Paul Greaney KC being ranked as Star Individuals, with Paul Greaney KC and Nick de la Poer KC each being ranked a remarkable four times across our principal practice areas. Jason Pitter KC, North Eastern Circuit Leader, is ranked as Band 1 twice with Nick Lumley KC, who is our Joint Head of Chambers, and Adam Birkby also achieving Band 1 status alongside a further seven practitioners who are also highly ranked. Finally, it is also gratifying to see that the wider Chambers team is thought of so favourably with Teresa Pugh, Kirsten Frankland, Mandy Mallett and Josh Martin quite rightly being singled out for praise.”
Crime (North Eastern Bar)
- Robert Smith KC (Star Individual) – “Robert is superlative at every possible aspect of the job.”
- Paul Greaney KC (Star Individual) – “Paul Greaney is exceptional in his knowledge and skill set. He is a highly competent and able silk who is highly in demand.” “Paul Greaney KC is excellent.”
- Nicholas Lumley KC (Band 1) – “Nicholas Lumley KC is an exceptionally calm head. He is outstanding in conference and has an unrivalled ability when cross-examining witnesses. He is a brilliant advocate and our go-to KC.” “Nicholas is an incredible advocate, very personable and good with clients.” “Nicholas is bright, his cross-examination is a delight to watch, and his speeches always hit their mark with the jury.”
- Jason Pitter KC (Band 1) – “Jason is fantastic.” “Jason Pitter KC is an excellent KC.” “Juries love Jason.”
- Nicholas de la Poer KC (Band 1) – “He is brilliant.” “Nicholas really is one of the standout people in North England. He is highly intelligent, really lovely to work with, and very fair and personable. Judges love him, and not a word is wasted.” “Nicholas de la Poer KC is bright and great on his feet and in writing.”
- Alistair MacDonald KC – “Alistair is excellent counsel. He is very strong in cross-examination. He is tactically astute.”
- Simon Kealey KC – “He is robust but mild-mannered, and he takes good points. His advocacy is effective and clear, not showy.” “Simon has a lovely, soothing manner in court and is a superb operator.”
- Tom Storey KC – “Tom was superb, a truly excellent barrister. He was on every detail of the case and came across very well in his advocacy.” “Tom is a details man. He is very thorough and has got a really calm, assured and measured courtroom manner about him. He is very effective with juries.” “Tom is extremely thorough in preparation, very sensible in his tactical decisions and a lovely advocate to watch.”
- Geraldine Kelly KC (New Silks) – “She is a very calm, measured advocate.” “Geraldine is very well prepared, strong at advice and pitches cases very nicely.”
- Adam Birkby (Band 1) – “Adam Birkby is an excellent advocate and well respected by the judiciary and his professional colleagues.” “Adam has a lovely court manner. He is strong in his advice and impressive on his feet.”
- Matthew Donkin – “Matthew’s professionalism is second to none. He was completely on top of the evidence and his speeches were a model of clarity for the jury.” “Matthew is impressive.” “Matthew Donkin is a very able and competent barrister who is knowledgeable and skilled, particularly in respect of complex and serious matters.”
- Chloe Fairley – “Chloe had a beautiful advocacy style.”
Professional Discipline (The Regions Bar)
- Jason Pitter KC (Band 1) – “Jason is a very impressive man.” “He really knows his stuff.” “Jason is an amazing silk and my go-to for a leader for police work. He is effortlessly cool under pressure and popular with clients, juries and judges alike.” “Clients love him; he is not stuffy and gets the job done.”
- Adam Birkby – “Adam is a very good tactician. He is very easy to listen to as an advocate and speaks at the level of whatever tribunal he is in front of.” “He is an excellent barrister. He is really popular with clients, works hard and executes cross-examination well.” “Adam is very experienced.”
Inquests & Public Inquiries (The Regions Bar)
- Paul Greaney KC (Band 1) – “Paul Greaney KC is a top-notch silk.”
- Nicholas de la Poer KC – “Nicholas de la Poer KC is very easy to work with. He is a real team player and involves everyone.”
Financial Crime (The Regions Bar)
Environment (North Eastern Bar)
- Lee Fish – “Lee is a true environmental regulatory practitioner in environmental crime.”
Health & Safety (Northern/North Eastern Bar)
- Paul Greaney KC (Band 1) – “Paul Greaney KC is a well-regarded criminal barrister who is noted for his adroit handling of high-profile inquests and inquiries as well as regulatory matters. He provides counsel to companies, individuals and organisations, and is adept at advising on corporate manslaughter cases.”
- Nicholas de la Poer KC – “He is incredibly charming and manages to charm witnesses. He gets to the nub of an issue.”
Clerking Team (Crime, Inquests & Public Inquiries, Professional Discipline)
- “Teresa Pugh is always helpful and contactable. We get on really well there.”
- “The clerks at New Park Court, particularly practice manager Kirsten Frankland, provide an exceptional level of customer service.”
- “New Park Court Chambers clerks are very proactive and happy to help. Mandy and Josh, in particular, are both amazing.”
- “The clerking team are brilliant. They are helpful, friendly and professional.”
- “The clerks are fantastic to work with and super friendly.”
- “The clerks are very responsive and communicative, often regularly checking in with updates or movements on cases.”
- “The clerks will always respond on the same or next day and resolve any issues quickly.”
- “The clerks are efficient and personable. They are always quick to respond and efficient in dealing with any queries.”
Authors
Joint Head of Chambers
Call 1992 | Silk 2012
