Head of Trinity Barristers Chambers, Toby Hedworth Q.C., was presented with the prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award which was the highlight of the evening.
The Award celebrates individuals who have made an outstanding impact on the legal profession in the region and to their organisation. Toby was recognised for his contribution to the legal community, as well as overseeing and inspiring the expansion and diversification of Trinity, making it an outward-looking, vibrant and commercial barristers chambers that has lost none of its commitment to publicly funded work. Welcomed by a standing ovation, the award was presented by Tonia Reeve from the Title Sponsor of the evening, NWG Property Solutions. Caroline Goodwin Q.C., also from Trinity, was one of the five Lawyer of the Year Finalists at the Awards.
Representing Chambers, fellow Trinity Silk, Nicholas Stonor Q.C. introduced Mr Hedworth by saying “to his great credit and to the great benefit of our regional legal community – his reputation for excellence extends nationally. He is a great ambassador for the North East.”
Toby Hedworth Q.C. was born in Tynemouth, and educated in the North East before studying law at Cambridge. Happy to return to the North, Toby was called to the Bar in 1975 and undertook pupillage and became a tenant at 60 Grainger Street, Newcastle, later to become Trinity Chambers. Toby rapidly established himself as a leading junior, specialising in prosecuting and defending criminal and regulatory cases. He was appointed Crown Court Recorder in 1991 and became Queen’s Counsel in 1996. Toby has dealt with many complex and high profile cases, including the prosecution of child killer Robert Black. He also acted in the first ever prosecution under the Terrorism Act for membership of a proscribed organisation. As well as regular recommendations in the leading Chambers UK and Legal 500 directories, Toby is given specific recognition in the memoirs of high profile Silk, Michael Mansfield Q.C.: “Toby Hedworth QCÉcool, calm and effective”.
Toby became Head of Trinity Chambers in 1998. During his time as Head, he has driven the rapid development of Chambers, including the renovation of and move to the historic Custom House on Newcastle’s Quayside in 2004, as well as opening a Chambers in Middlesbrough in response to a growing Tees Valley client base.
Under Toby’s leadership, Trinity has tripled in size, now with approaching 80 barristers and Silks. Through its specialist practice groups, Trinity provides specialist advice and advocacy in a wide range of legal areas including agriculture, business, chancery, costs, crime, employment, environmental protection, family and matrimonial finance, immigration, licensing, Court of Protection, personal injury and clinical negligence, planning and regulatory. Trinity has developed an Alternative Dispute Resolution team dealing with mediation and arbitration.
Many of the practice groups are recognised in the leading legal directories, Chambers UK and the Legal 500, where Trinity is listed as a Tier One Set. The directory highlights Trinity’s range of counsel, who are ‘easy to deal with and always high quality’, with service rated as ‘first class’, thanks to the ‘fantastic clerks’, who ‘always go the extra mile’.
Reflecting on receiving his Outstanding Achievement Award Toby Hedworth Q.C. concludes “Any professional success that I have enjoyed has been largely because of the guidance and support of those around me in Chambers. I regard this award as very much being for everyone, the barristers and the staff, at Trinity Chambers”.
