Deputy Head of Chambers
Jonathan Hough QC has a commercial and public law practice.
Overview
Jonathan is listed by both Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 as a leading silk in five practice areas: insurance/reinsurance; professional liability; administrative/public law; inquests/inquiries; and consumer law. In all his fields of practice, he has appeared in many reported and important cases.
He is ranked as a Star Individual in Chambers & Partners. He was shortlisted by Legal 500 for Public Law Silk of the Year for 2018. His commercial cases have been featured in the Lawyer Magazine’s Top 20 Cases of the Year for 2018 and 2021.
Directory Comments
Recent comments in the directories include the following:
Chambers & Partners 2022, Insurance: “He is excellent, thorough and rigorous in his thinking.” “He is clear and measured in his advice.”
Legal 500 Bar 2022, Insurance and Reinsurance: “Jonathan’s strengths are his considerable intelligence and his fantastically comprehensive written submissions. He also has a very broad practice and can bring experience in different areas to bear on particular disputes. Very assertive when backing his own judgment, radiates confidence and develops trust with clients.”
Chambers & Partners 2022, Professional Negligence: “He has a huge intellect but can also explain things clearly so that lay clients understand them. He is also very commercial. This blend of intelligence and commerciality inspires confidence in clients.” “Consistently excellent”.
Legal 500 Bar 2022, Professional Negligence: “Jonathan exudes confidence, which clients love. Frighteningly intelligent and very considered in everything he does.”
Chambers & Partners 2022, Administrative & Public Law: “Astonishing advocate and a delight to work with.” “He is measured and authoritative in his court style.”
Legal 500 Bar 2022, Administrative & Public Law: “Jonathan has a razor-sharp focus on the key legal as well as practical issues. Jonathan gives you confidence that he is across all of the detail while maintaining focus on the bigger picture for the organisation.”
Chambers & Partners 2022, Inquests & Public Inquiries: “He is a very good tactician and very good in defending his clients’ interests.” “A real star who is very diplomatic but forceful when needed.”
Legal 500 Bar 2022, Inquests and Inquiries: “Supremely intelligent, has impeccable judgment, yet personable and with a human touch. You want him on your team – a calm, authoritative figure who has the respect of his team and the court. Unflappable and sees through problems without hesitation.”
Chambers & Partners 2022, Consumer Law: “Meticulous, incredibly well prepared and wonderful on his feet.”
Legal 500 Bar 2022, Consumer Law: “Tremendously intelligent, responsive and hard working. Knows consumer credit law inside out and had the client’s confidence instantly. He provided great expertise and value to the litigation process and also the parallel ADR effort.”
Chambers & Partners 2021, Insurance: “He is a very strong and shrewd operator whose pleadings are excellent and judgement is very good.” “He has an excellent manner with clients, he’s very responsive and talks to people at their level.” “His ability to take complex arguments and make something clear and forceful from them is impressive.”
Legal 500 Bar 2021, Insurance and Reinsurance: “Used for the most sensitive and high-profile work. Jonathan is simply outstanding; he is able to grasp huge amounts of detail, and keep a clear view of the key issues and strategy at the same time.”
Chambers & Partners 2021, Professional Negligence: “He is a brain on a stick – fantastic on insurance coverage, very determined to please you and clients, and very user-friendly.” “He’s just fantastic, really responsive, really ‘on it’ and just brilliant all round. We always know we’ll get very clear advice.”
Legal 500 Bar 2021, Professional Negligence: “Jonathan’s attention to detail is second to none. He can assimilate a huge amount of information in a short period. Jonathan’s drafting is excellent, he always gets the important points and pitches it just right.”
Chambers & Partners 2021, Administrative & Public Law: “Incredibly thorough and absolutely great at getting into the detail himself but also at presenting things to clients in a really straightforward and simple way.”
Legal 500 Bar 2021, Administrative & Public Law: “A master of the detail and the strategy.”
Chambers & Partners 2021, Inquests & Public Inquiries: “The perfect example of an advocate who has the ear of the court. When he speaks the chair listens because they know he says reasonable and sensible things.” “He is astonishing – he is extraordinarily responsive, prompt, meticulously organised and his attention to detail is superb. Clients find him a joy to work with and the quality of his work is exemplary.” “He is still the go-to for coroners across the land as he knows so much about the conduct of inquests.”
Legal 500 Bar 2021, Inquests & Inquiries: “A leading light for his knowledge and application of inquest law. He works very hard and is a very effective advocate.”
Chambers & Partners 2021, Consumer Law: “He is top-notch, has impressive legal acumen and is a strong advocate.” “His strengths are his depth of knowledge and his clarity of thought and explanation.” (Chambers & Partners 2021, Consumer)
Legal 500 Bar 2021, Consumer Law: “His advice is always clear, concise and commercial. A good communicator. Always prompt with his advice.”
Summary of Practice
Jonathan has a broad commercial practice, with particular expertise in insurance, professional liability, financial regulation and consumer finance.
- In the field of insurance and reinsurance, Jonathan acts for and against major insurers, reinsurers and underwriting agencies in litigation and arbitration. He also has experience in advising on, and drafting, policy wordings, agency agreements, binding authority agreements, etc. He has particular expertise in the following classes of risk: general commercial liability (EL/PL/Products); property; business interruption; motor; professional indemnity; legal expenses; trade credit; D&O; title insurance; personal accident/disablement; event cancellation; cyber risk; and financial risk. He has been involved in a number of major disputes arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
- His professional liability practice covers a range of professions, including lawyers, insurance professionals, surveyors and financial professionals. He is very experienced in substantial litigation for and against professionals, and in related insurance matters.
- He has wider experience in commercial dispute resolution in a wide range of business fields, including international work across numerous jurisdictions. In addition, he has particular expertise in financial regulation and consumer credit.
In the field of public and administrative law, Jonathan has acted for public and private bodies in numerous judicial review claims of many different kinds. His work in this area includes local government law, commercial/financial regulation, utility regulation and professional discipline.
He is also well known for his work in major inquests and public inquiries. As well as having acted in about 50 reported cases in the Administrative Court and Court of Appeal, he has appeared as counsel to the inquiry in many of the most important inquests. Recently, he has been leading counsel to the inquiry in the inquests concerning the terror attacks at Fishmongers’ Hall (2021), Streatham Hill (2021), London Bridge (2019) and the Palace of Westminster (2018), as well as in the inquests concerning the Hillsborough Stadium Disaster (2014-16). He was also counsel to the inquiry in the inquests concerning: the death of Diana, Princess of Wales; the shooting of Jean-Charles de Menezes; the Potters Bar rail disaster; the Grayrigg rail disaster; and the explosion on HMS Tireless (nuclear submarine). He has appeared and advised in several public inquiries and has been acting for a major insurer in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
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