*David Sharpe KC

Practice Overview

David was Called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 1999 having previously qualified and practised as a specialist in Emergency Medicine. He has a civil practice focusing upon Commercial Dispute Resolution (including Construction Law and all aspects of Property law, Land law, Planning & Environmental law and Judicial Review), Professional Negligence (Solicitors, Architects, Surveyors, Engineers, Accountants, and Finance Advisors together with Clinical Negligence), Personal Injury (complex, high value, brain / spinal injury, fatal accidents and disease litigation) and Coronial Law & Inquests (including Judicial Review related to Coronial Law). As a result of his medical knowledge and training David has particular expertise in all aspects of Clinical Negligence, Medical Law and Coronial law and has appeared in many of the high profile / value cases and inquests within this jurisdiction.

David is actively admitted to the Bars of England & Wales and Ireland. He has developed expertise in jurisdictional and international law issues and regularly receives instructions from overseas lawyers. He is a qualified Arbitrator and has acted both as Counsel and Arbitrator in domestic and international arbitrations relating to Construction and Sports law. He is also active in the promotion of mediation both as Counsel and Mediator. 

David has 20 years experience at the Bar including the provision of strategic advice as well as litigation, arbitration and mediation. He has appeared before all of the civil and appellate courts and tribunals in Northern Ireland including the Court of Appeal, High Court (All Divisions), County Court, the Coroner’s Court, Planning Appeals Commission (PAC), Lands Tribunal, and the Information Rights Tribunal (First and Upper Tier). He has also undertaken a number of important Public Inquiries (The Hyponatremia and the Billy Wright Inquiries). He is similarly active before the civil courts of England & Wales and Ireland.

He is a member of the Professional Negligence Bar Association, Technology & Construction Bar Association (TECBAR), Society of Construction Law, British-Irish Commercial Bar Association (BICBA), Commercial Bar Association, Personal Injury Bar Association, Sports Law Bar Association (Ireland), Environmental & Planning Law Association of Northern Ireland (EPLANI), and the NI Medico-Legal Society.

Notable and Reported cases

• Qualifications
  • MB, BCh, BAO (Distinction) - The Queen’s University of Belfast
  • DPH in Clinical Epidemiology - Cambridge University
  • Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (FRCPI)
  • Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (FRCS)
  • Membership of the Faculty of Forensic & Legal Medicine (MFFLM)
  • Bachelor of Legal Science (Hons) - The Queen’s University of Belfast
  • Certificate in Professional Legal Studies - The Queen’s University of Belfast
  • Advanced Diploma in Planning & Environmental Law - King’s Inn’s, Dublin
  • Masters in International Construction Law – UWE, Bristol
  • Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb)
  • Accredited Mediator – SLS / QUB
• Appointments
  • Government Civil ‘A’ Panel of Junior Counsel
  • Attorney-General for Northern Ireland’s Panel of Counsel – Public Law
  • Directorate of Legal Services Panel for Clinical Negligence, Administrative and Commercial Law
  • Legal Assessor to General Medical Counsel / Medical Practitioners’ Tribunal Service 2009 – 2018
  • Legal Assessor to the Nursing & Midwifery Council 2009- Present
  • Legal Chair – NI Valuation Tribunal 2009-2017
  • Arbitration and Mediation Panels – Sports Resolution UK
  • Bar Standards Board (England & Wales) - Panel Counsel, Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service
• Publications
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution – Law Monthly, Issue 69-16, 2016, p96
  • Psychiatric harm and the definition of primary victims – The Writ, Summer/Spring 2018, p16
  • Expert Evidence – Editor for Northern Ireland Chapters, Cambridge University Press (to be published 2019)
  • Contributing Author – Lexis-Nexis Property Law PSL Service