No.18 Barristers Chambers gains Recognition in the annual Legal 500 rankings


No.18 Barrister Chambers are delighted to have  gained recognition in the annual Legal 500 rankings. The Legal 500 assesses law firms throughout the country and this year No.18 Barristers Chambers have been named  as one of the recommended sets on the Western Circuit  for Family, Employment and Personal Injury. Further, three barristers individually acknowledged in the "Leading juniors" list for their work in Family law & Children and Employment.

Legal 500 Overview:

The ‘very professional’ members of No.18 Barristers Chambers are ‘very good at what they do’. The set is recommended for family, personal injury and employment work, amongst other areas, and a number of Court of Appeal cases feature in chambers’ recent workload. On the family side, children law cases are the mainstay of the practice, although the set is home to experts in financial remedy and international children matters. ‘The clerking team communicates very well’, and senior clerk Mark Windebank is ‘excellent at finding the best barrister for the case in hand’.

Family and children law : (Western Circuit - Leading juniors)

'The family team  has a number of Court of Appeal cases feature in chambers’ recent workload’... ‘ children law cases are the mainstay of the practice, although the set is home to experts in financial remedy and international children matters’.


Lee Young  (1991) ‘A reliable barrister, who gets results’.

With over 20 year of experience of public law proceedings Lee is regularly instructed by local authorities, parents, intervenors, extended family members  and by solicitors acting for children in a wide range of complex and demanding cases . Lee is experienced in cases involving serious non-accidental injuries, sexual and physical abuse, neglect, complex expert and medical evidence.

He also has a wealth of expertise in cases with international elements such as moving children across international borders, ‘miracle baby’ cases, sexual abuse, severe neglect and mental health issues of a psychiatric and psychological nature.

Nigel Cholerton (2007) (admitted as Solicitor 2004)  ‘He thinks outside the box and has a real passion for the work he undertakes.’

Nigel is an established Family Practitioner with significant experience in care proceedings.  He is regularly instructed to attend emergency protection orders, interim care orders and multi-day complex findings of fact and final hearings with cases involving sensitive sexual abuse or non-accidental injury.  Nigel appears for parents, guardians, Local Authorities and Intevenors.

Employment : (Western Circuit - Leading juniors)

Ian Wheaton (2002) ‘A strong advocate, who is quick on his feet and robust with opponents.’
Ian has practised in the Employment Tribunals since 1996 representing clients firstly as a lay representative and then as a barrister since 2002. He has dealt with  the full range of dismissal, discrimination and breach of contract cases that appear before the Tribunals. He has had notable successes in equal pay matters and sex discrimination cases. He is known for robust trial advocacy and common sense advice to clients. and developed a speciality in whistleblowing claims.

Ian’s employment practice sees him represent both employers and employees, primarily in “whistleblowing” claims involving disclosures made under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 in addition to the usual range of tribunal claims such as unfair dismissal constructive dismissal and discrimination claims.

In his most recently reported cases, Co-operative Limited v Baddeley [2013] All ER (D) 333 (Jul) and [2014] EWCA Civ 658 Ian represented an employee in the Employment Tribunal, then that the Employment Appeal Tribunal and then again in the Court of Appeal, (opposed by Mr Bruce Carr QC in the EAT and CA) where it was remitted to a fresh Employment Tribunal in a case involving potential lifetime losses consequent upon dismissal for making alleged protected disclosures.