Kings Chambers is delighted to announce that, based on the recommendation of The Lord Chancellor, Martin Carter (Call 1992) and Thomas Williams (Call 2002) are set to be appointed as King’s Counsel by His Majesty The King. They will officially take their oaths at a ceremony scheduled for March of this year.
About Martin Carter and Thomas Williams
Martin practises in all areas of planning and environmental law, with particular experience in housing (including matters where five-year housing land supply and/or needs assessment are in issue), renewable energy, retail, minerals and waste. He also undertakes extensive work in environmental law, particularly in relation to environmental impact assessment and strategic environmental assessment.
Martin has significant experience promoting Local Plans at examination, as well as appearing for objectors at examination hearings. He also practises in the field of compulsory purchase. He accepts instructions throughout England and Wales and in the Isle of Man.
Martin undertook his pupillage at Kings Chambers and has spent his entire practising career at chambers. He is ranked among the Top Rated Planning Juniors in Planning Magazine’s 2023 Survey, Tier 1 in Legal 500 and Band 1 in Chambers and Partners for Planning Barristers. He is also a member of the Government Legal Department’s A Panel.
Thomas specialises in commercial and chancery litigation and international arbitration. He is an experienced advocate before courts and arbitral tribunals, appearing frequently in the High Court and the Court of Appeal. He has acted as lead counsel in arbitrations governed by the major institutional rules, as well as in ad hoc arbitrations under the Arbitration Act 1996, and regularly appears with and against King’s Counsel.
His practice spans all areas covered by the Business and Property Team, including complex commercial, corporate, insolvency and regulatory disputes, often with an international dimension. Thomas has considerable experience in the enforcement of judgments and arbitral awards and frequently works alongside lawyers in other jurisdictions. He has significant experience before the Qatar International Court (at both first instance and on appeal) and the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Tribunal. His arbitration practice focuses on complex commercial and construction disputes.
Recognised in Chambers & Partners Global Guide, Thomas also sits regularly as an arbitrator and is a member of the arbitrator panels of numerous leading international institutions. In addition, he has acted as an expert determiner in the context of a major construction project in Qatar. From 2017 to 2023, Thomas served as a member of the Disciplinary Panel of the Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service. In January 2025, he was appointed Chair of the Employment & Discrimination Tribunal in Guernsey for a three-year term.
Andrew Singer KC, Head of Chambers, said:
“Martin and Thomas are both outstanding practitioners whose appointments as King’s Counsel are richly deserved. Each has demonstrated exceptional expertise, leadership and advocacy at the highest level within their respective fields. We are proud to see their achievements recognised and delighted to add two more KCs to Kings Chambers’ strong bench of leading counsel serving clients across the UK and internationally.”
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