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+44 (0)20 7822 1200Share profile
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About
Provided by Charles Dougherty KC
Practice Areas
Charles specialises in commercial law, in particular commercial fraud, professional negligence, product liability, group litigation, private international law (including travel) and insurance. Recent cases include: Various Eateries v Allianz [2024] 2 All ER 414 (Covid business interruption); Diesel Emissions Litigation; Roberts v SSAFA [2023] AC 597 (applicable law and contribution); PDVSA v Clyde & Co [2020] Lloyd's Rep. F.C. 580 (arbitration, trusts and proceeds of crime); Brazil v Durant [2016] AC 297 (backwards tracing); Mitsui Sumitomo v MOPC [2016] AC 1488 (Liability under Riot (Damages) Act 1886 following August 2011 riots); Schubert Murphy v Law Society [2018] PNLR 4 (whether duty of care owed by Law Society).
Career
BA, BCL (Oxon). Called 1997 (Middle Temple); Silk 2013. Called to the Bar of the BVI and ad hoc to the Bar of Nevis. Prior to joining chambers, Charles was a management consultant and a law lecturer.
Professional Memberships
Commercial Bar Association (COMBAR); Professional Negligence Bar Association (PNBA).
Publications
Professional Negligence and Liability, Informa, contributor.
European Civil Practice, Sweet & Maxwell (2nd ed.), assistant editor.
Chambers Review
UK Bar
Charles Dougherty KC has broad experience in group litigation. He is often sought out to defend large claims relating to personal injury, medical devices and human rights breaches.
Charles Dougherty KC is a skilled commercial product liability silk who also maintains a respectable insurance practice. He is knowledgeable on jurisdictional and conflict of laws issues. His product liability work stems primarily from the medical and pharmaceutical industries, but he also takes on property damage claims that arise from faulty products. He enjoys a broad client base which includes manufacturers and insurers.
Charles Dougherty KC has carved out a strong reputation for handling landmark Rome II and private international law cases that turn on jurisdiction and applicable law points. He predominantly acts for defendant tour operators and insurers in complex fatal and catastrophic injury cases.
Charles Dougherty KC of 2 Temple Gardens is a commercial silk who appears for claimants and defendants in cases of alleged fraud, many of which have cross-border aspects to them. He is adept at swiftly deploying interlocutory procedures such as disclosure and freezing orders. He has dealt with a wide selection of issues including dishonest assistance, deceit and bribery.
Charles Dougherty KC is widely known for his expertise in professional negligence. He also takes on a huge range of high-value insurance claims, including those relating to instances of art theft, financial crime and property damage.
Charles Dougherty KC is regularly instructed in negligence issues concerning a diverse range of professionals, including financial intermediaries, insurance brokers and other barristers. He is sought out by law firms when solicitors are implicated in claims.
Charles Dougherty KC is a well-regarded commercial practitioner who has demonstrated an ability to advocate in challenging property damage cases. He is deeply experienced in high-value claims arising out of flooding, fires and explosions.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"Charles is absolutely fantastic and one of a kind at the Commercial Bar. He is very clever but also very commercial at the same time. His advocacy is absolutely brilliant."
"Charles Dougherty is the go-to person for multi-jurisdictional challenges."
"Charles is really bright and very quickly identifies key points and issues in order to come up with commercially focused pragmatic solutions."
"He is very bright, user-friendly and always willing to take difficult points. He will look at the case from every direction."
"He is very good, very bright and gets on top of issues very quickly. He is very user-friendly and always readily available."
"Charles is a very persuasive advocate. He has a very attractive way of presenting his arguments, which have been very well chosen."
"Charles is a tenacious, strategic thinker and a very good advocate."
"Charles is able to adapt his strategy on the fly and is always one step ahead of the opposition."
"Charles is a real superstar. He is good on his feet, really bright and quickly identifies the key points and issues."
"I find Charles to be very client-friendly and easy to work with, with a slick strategic mind."
"Charles is really committed to fighting his clients' cases."
"Charles is a real superstar and really bright. He very quickly identifies key points and issues, and comes up with commercially focused, pragmatic solutions."
"He is a highly experienced advocate on cross-border cases."
"He is highly intelligent, pragmatic and commercial."
"Charles is the ideal choice for complex cases. He is fantastic at stepping back to see the bigger picture to solve the problems."
"Charles Dougherty is excellent. He is an exceptionally good, quick lawyer who gets straight to point."
"He is a formidable advocate and can convince a judge of anything."
"One of the brains of the Bar, Charles quickly gets on top of complex cases and is ten steps ahead of everyone else."
"Charles is extremely active and his reputation walks before him."
"When Charles gives you the answer, it's the answer."
"Charles is absolutely fantastic and one of a kind at the Commercial Bar. He is very clever but also very commercial at the same time. His advocacy is absolutely brilliant."
"Charles Dougherty is the go-to person for multi-jurisdictional challenges."
"Charles is really bright and very quickly identifies key points and issues in order to come up with commercially focused pragmatic solutions."
"He is very bright, user-friendly and always willing to take difficult points. He will look at the case from every direction."
"He is very good, very bright and gets on top of issues very quickly. He is very user-friendly and always readily available."
"Charles is a very persuasive advocate. He has a very attractive way of presenting his arguments, which have been very well chosen."
"Charles is a tenacious, strategic thinker and a very good advocate."
"Charles is able to adapt his strategy on the fly and is always one step ahead of the opposition."
"Charles is a real superstar. He is good on his feet, really bright and quickly identifies the key points and issues."
"I find Charles to be very client-friendly and easy to work with, with a slick strategic mind."
"Charles is really committed to fighting his clients' cases."
"Charles is a real superstar and really bright. He very quickly identifies key points and issues, and comes up with commercially focused, pragmatic solutions."
"He is a highly experienced advocate on cross-border cases."
"He is highly intelligent, pragmatic and commercial."
"Charles is the ideal choice for complex cases. He is fantastic at stepping back to see the bigger picture to solve the problems."
"Charles Dougherty is excellent. He is an exceptionally good, quick lawyer who gets straight to point."
"He is a formidable advocate and can convince a judge of anything."
"One of the brains of the Bar, Charles quickly gets on top of complex cases and is ten steps ahead of everyone else."
"Charles is extremely active and his reputation walks before him."
"When Charles gives you the answer, it's the answer."