David Sandiford joins Exchange Chambers

March 9, 2020

Exchange Chambers has welcomed David Sandiford as a new member in Manchester.

David, who was called to the Bar in 1995, specialises in personal injury, civil actions involving the police and inquests.  He joins Exchange from Cobden House Chambers.

In personal injury work, David acts on behalf of both claimants and defendants with a focus on larger loss and catastrophic injury.

His experience in defending civil actions involving the police ranges from malicious prosecution, false arrest/imprisonment and assault through to human rights cases and alleged breaches of the investigative duty. His work covers EL/OL claims from officers, often involving substantial quantum disputes, and also ‘fleet’ claims arising from emergency vehicles being involved in RTAs. He has advised on a range of operational matters and issues arising from human trafficking, slavery and servitude. He acted in one of the first Slavery and Trafficking Risk Orders to be sought nationally.

David also has huge experience in inquests. He was junior counsel to Operation Resolve, the new criminal investigation into the Hillsborough disaster, at the reopened inquests before Sir John Goldring.  As panel counsel, he has enormous experience in advising and appearing at inquests involving deaths in custody. He has been instructed by the National Probation Service, for example in relation to a murder committed by an individual out in licence. On behalf of other IP’s, he has advised and appeared on behalf of police forces and private security firms in custody deaths or deaths following contact. He has advised the IOPC on sensitive disclosure issues. He also acts on behalf of families, more recently the family of a young scout leader who died of CO poisoning.

David regularly appears in the Legal 500 where he is described this year as “well-prepared with great attention to detail”.  He is ranked as a leading junior on the Northern Circuit for Inquests and Inquiries by the Legal 500.

Commenting on his decision to join Exchange Chambers, David Sandiford said:

“I am delighted to have joined Exchange Chambers. They have enormous strength in depth in my practice areas along with superb clerking and administrative teams. I’m very much looking forward to developing and enhancing my practice here.”

Said Tom Handley, Chief Executive at Exchange Chambers:

“David is an experienced practitioner with a first-rate practice.  His extensive expertise in personal injury, civil actions involving the police and inquests adds further strength in depth to our Manchester team.  We are delighted to welcome him to Chambers.”