Direct Access Barrister
Christopher Patrick Martin Coyle
Direct Access Barrister
Christopher Patrick Martin Coyle
Christopher’s specialisms lie primarily in the fields of:
- Public law / Judicial Review;
- Higher education, university, regulatory & fitness to practice;
- Chancery / land;
- Commercial litigation, contract & procurement.
Christopher has appeared as sole Counsel in every tier of Court, including the Court of Appeal, and he has acted as Junior Counsel in several matters before the Supreme Court.
Area of Law
Chancery
Christopher has been instructed in a diverse array of Chancery matters; ranging from rights of way & easement issues, including the involvement of statutory bodies; covenants, particularly restrictive covenants, and both their enforcement and release; nuisance and trespass, including flooding issues; Deeds and their enforceability.
Commercial
Christopher has been instructed in a diverse range of commercial and contractual matters, including validity of terminations, Government funding disputes, unfair terms, guarantees and consumer issues.
Education
Building on 10 years' experience working within universities, Christopher now provides assistance with a wide range of issues relating to education and higher education bodies located within the four primary parts of the UK, Republic of Ireland and internationally.
Issues typically include breaches of regulations, policy and contract by a university; mitigating/extenuating/exceptional circumstances, discrimination and breaches of the Equality Act 2010; fitness to study/practice; academic misconduct proceedings; and procedural unfairness/irregularity.
Christopher has extensive experience providing advice, drafting of submissions and legal representation for academic appeals and complaints, and complaints to an ombudsman body, and for students and trainees at various stages of their academic and professional careers, including medical trainees and regulatory matters involving their governing bodies. Christopher is also experienced in pursuing these issues further via Judicial Review or civil claims.
Public and Administrative Law
Christopher has been involved in various Judicial Review claims relating to a wide range of public law issues, from the initial application to the High Court for permission to apply to Judicial Review, to the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. Challenges with which Christopher has previously been instructed have included higher education and ombudsman decisions; disclosure of criminal record information and inclusion on vulnerable persons lists; compliance of planning permission with environmental considerations; local authority decisions, including misconduct proceedings against councillors; human rights and EU-law matters; jurisdictional challenges to ability of High Court to determine a claim; compliance of civil rules of procedure with EU and human rights law.
What sort of work do I do?
Christopher is accredited to accept instructions on a Direct Access basis in addition to the traditional solicitor route. Work typically undertaken encompasses the provision of advice both in writing or as part of a consultation, in a readily comprehensible form; drafting of submissions for university, regulatory, & fitness to practice panel ('FTP') hearings; drafting of pleadings, applications and skeleton legal arguments for Judicial Review and general civil litigation; advocacy / legal representation for civil claims, applications and hearings for Judicial Review, and university and regulatory / FTP panel hearings.
Areas of public law ranges from compliance with statute; EU compatibility; Brexit implications; human rights issues, particularly those focused on Articles 8, 10 & 14; discrimination; data protection; criminal records & their disclosure.
Who do I work for?
Clients cover a broad swathe due to the nature of the work. Public law practice has encompassed assisting both members of the public, public authorities & elected officials seeking to challenge a wide variety of public law decisions, statute & policies.
Education/regulatory clients include past and present UG/PG students, medical professionals (from student doctors/nurses/paramedics; F1/F2 doctors; doctors pursuing consultant level); & HE and academy training providers.
Commercial matters encompass small to medium enterprises, partnerships, associations and consumers.