Garden Court Chambers shortlisted for 15 awards at Legal 500 Bar Awards 2026

We are over the moon to announce that Garden Court Chambers has been nominated at The Legal 500 Bar Awards 2026, taking place on 22nd September 2026.

Our teams have been shortlisted for fifteen awards across seven categories, with eleven of our members shortlisted:

Garden Court Chambers:

• Set of the Year
• Court of Protection Set of the Year
• Immigration Law Set of the Year
• Public Law Set of the Year

Individuals:

• Amanda Weston KC – Court of Protection Silk of the Year
• Bethan Harris – Court of Protection Junior of the Year
• Eleanor Sibley – Court of Protection Junior of the Year
• Alex Rose – Crime and Extradition Junior of the Year
• Edward Grieves KC – Immigration Silk of the Year
• Sonali Naik KC – Immigration Silk of the Year
• Emma Fitzsimons – Immigration Junior of the Year
• Raza Halim – Immigration Junior of the Year
• Marc Willers KC – Planning and Land Use Silk of the Year
• Acland Bryant – Planning and Land Use Junior of the Year
• Gráinne Mellon – Public Services and Charities Junior of the Year

Set of the Year

• Garden Court Chambers is shortlisted for Set of the Year. For over fifty years, Garden Court has remained committed to a simple but enduring principle: Do right, fear no one. That guiding ethos underpins not only our legal practice, but also our deep commitment to equality, social justice, and expanding access to the law. Whether through our work on the School Inclusion Project, our long-standing support for grassroots organisations via the Special Fund, Garden Court continues to stand with those most affected by inequality and exclusion.
• Working closely with NGOs, charities, and campaign groups, our barristers take on the defining injustices of our time—from climate litigation and activist defence, to tenants’ rights amid the housing crisis. We are also proud of our pioneering and award-winning mentoring scheme, ‘Access to the Bar for All’, which encourages students from minority and disadvantaged groups to consider a career as a barrister.

Court of Protection

Garden Court Chambers is shortlisted for Court of Protection Set of the Year. Amanda Weston KC is shortlisted for Court of Protection Silk of the Year, and Bethan Harris and Eleanor Sibley shortlisted for Court of Protection Junior of the Year.

• Amanda Weston KC is a leading public and administrative law silk. She co-authors Judicial Review: A Practical Guide (Lexis Nexis) and is a member of the ‘A’ Panel of preferred Counsel who act for the Equality & Human Rights Commission. Amanda’s leading practice for, and concerning, vulnerable adults who may lack mental capacity to make their own decisions and access justice, includes advice and representation in the Court of Protection, the inherent jurisdiction of the High Court and in Tribunals.
• Bethan Harris is an experienced practitioner who has been involved in leading Community Care and Court of Protection cases in the High Court, as well as representing Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru in the Covid-19 Inquiry. Her work includes emergency applications, deprivation of liberty issues, local authority safeguarding duties, personal welfare applications, contested appointments of financial/health and welfare deputies, complex care packages.
• Eleanor Sibley specialises in Court of Protection law, and related areas of public and human rights law. She also has expertise in rights under EU free movement and Withdrawal Agreement law. She has particular expertise in health and welfare and deprivation of liberty applications, including cases concerning residence, care, contact, and disputes about capacity. Eleanor was junior counsel for the respondent in the Supreme Court in Re D [2019] UKSC 42, a leading case concerning the deprivation of liberty of young people aged 16 or 17.

Crime

• Alex Rose is also shortlisted for Crime and Extradition Junior of the Year. Alex Rose is a highly experienced criminal defence practitioner and is widely recognised as a leading junior instructed in many high-profile trials and appeals in recent years. Alex is often instructed to represent vulnerable defendants, including those with learning disabilities and mental health problems, and young persons charged with grave crimes.

Immigration

Garden Court Chambers is also shortlisted for Immigration Set of the Year. Sonali Naik KC and Edward Grieves KC are shortlisted for Immigration Silk of the Year, and Raza Halim & Emma Fitzsimons is shortlisted for Immigration Junior of the Year.

• Sonali Naik KC is a senior practitioner with over 30 years’ experience. She was appointed King’s Counsel in 2018 and conducts almost exclusively leading work at all levels in statutory appeals and judicial reviews. She has substantial immigration and asylum experience in her High Court and appellate court practice, acting in various country guidance asylum cases. Sonali was instructed in the Cranston Inquiry, and recently helped secured success on behalf of 40 Gazan students and their dependants evacuated to the UK.
• Edward Grieves KC practices in complex public, immigration, asylum and international law, with particular expertise in closed material procedures, national security, counterterrorism, international sanctions and serious criminality. Edward is a specialist in SIAC, representing individuals in all types of appeals and applications for review. He is a contributing author to Macdonald’s Immigration Law & Practice 11^th Edition.
• Raza Halim’s practice is dominated by work in judicial review and appellate proceedings in the areas of asylum and immigration, civil liberties, homelessness & national security. This is predominantly legally-aided, with some of the most vulnerable clients globally. He has acted in many of the important test cases in these areas, and undertakes a substantial amount of urgent, interim relief work. Raza is co-founder and legal advisor to Pure Project Hope (PPH), a pro bono humanitarian initiative committed to facilitating life-saving medical evacuation of children in Gaza.
• Emma Fitzsimons is a public law barrister, specialising in immigration, trafficking, community care, civil liberties and detention. She acts at all levels, including before SIAC and the ECtHR. She regularly acts for vulnerable clients, including children, victims of trafficking, and persons lacking mental capacity. She has worked considerably on Afghan relocation cases, and challenges to Albanian certification claims. She is a contributing author to Macdonald’s Immigration Law and Practice (11th ed.) 
  

Planning & Land Use

Marc Willers KC is shortlisted for Planning and Land Use Silk of the Year, and Acland Bryant is shortlisted for Planning and Land Use Junior of the Year.

• Marc Willers KC has a wide experience and expertise in planning law and represents both developers and objectors in planning and enforcement appeals, statutory reviews and appeals, examinations in public and planning enforcement proceedings in both the civil and criminal courts. Marc is regularly instructed to advise on challenges to the grant of planning permission for development that has an impact on the environment. Marc was leading Counsel in Sarah Finch’s successful appeal before the Supreme Court against the decision of Surrey County Council to grant planning permission for oil production in the Surrey Hills.
• Acland Bryant is developing a broad administrative and public law practice, specialising in cases that involve issues of environmental and climate justice. Acland was on the legal team in the successful Court of Appeal challenge against Larne Lough gas cavern construction plans. He also acted pro bono for Stop Whitehead Oil Terminal (SWOT), where the High Court in Belfast ordered a Council to quash its decision to grant planning permission for redevelopment and expansion of Cloghan Point Oil Terminal.
• Both Marc and Acland acted for the Alternative A5 Alliance group in a High Court challenge to Department for Infrastructure’s approval of A5 road development.

Public Law

Garden Court Chambers is shortlisted for Public Law Set of the Year.

Public Services and Charities Junior of the Year

• Gráinne Mellon is a public law and human rights specialist. Her practice includes education, community care, Court of Protection, immigration law, children’s rights and discrimination law.
• Gráinne is frequently instructed in public law cases which involve overlapping issues of education, community care law and immigration law including for leading children’s charities. She also acts on behalf of charities in her international human rights work, which consists of advisory work, litigation, teaching and training.

The full shortlist can be seen here.