Hailsham Chambers

Spike Charlwood

Spike specialises in professional negligence and insurance law, has been consistently recommended as a leading junior for professional negligence in The Legal 500, Chambers UK and Legal Experts and was rated as one of the "Best of the Bar" in that field by Legal Week (9/2/06). He has recently appeared twice in the House of Lords (in Farley v Skinner and Dubai Aluminium v Salaam) and has wide experience of managed and group litigation, including GMAC v Watson & Brown (a lenders claim), Nationwide v Balmer Radmore (part of the 1990s mortgage lender litigation), Hobson v Ashton Morton Slack (an application for a Group Litigation Order) and the mediation of a further group of lender claims.

Academically, Spike is the joint author of the chapter on barristers' negligence in Professional negligence & Liability, the assistant editor of that work, writes a regular update on professional negligence for the Solicitors Journal, has been a supervisor in tort at Queens' College, Cambridge and speaks and writes widely on professional negligence issues.

Further info

Year of call: 1994

Specialist areas: Professional negligence and insurance law

Education: Queens’ College, Cambridge (MA (Hons) in law (Double First)); Bar Vocational Course

Recent cases

Zurich v Karim [2006] EWHC 3355 (QB) - solicitors' professional indemnity insurance
Hobson v Ashton Morton Slack [2006] EWHC 1134 (QB) – Group Litigation Orders

Publications and lectures

Contribution and professionals: an overview of the 1978 Act, alternatives to it, and its relationship with contributory negligence (2007) Journal of Professional negligence, vol.23, no.2, p.82

What others say

"Tipped for great things, is Spike Charlwood. Commentators feel that it 'won't be too long until Charlwood takes silk' such is the strength of his reputation as a leading junior. He acts for a number of insurers and is particularly active when it comes to claims involving solicitors." Chambers UK 2010

"Spike Charlwood is 'academically brilliant and has a sensible approach to the law'." Chambers UK 2009

"'Good at controlling court'." Legal 500 2008

“The likeable Charlwood has an excellent practice in solicitors' negligence claims; Zurich (Assigned Risks Pool) v Karim being one unique example.” The Legal 500 2007