Chambers is sad to report the death of a much-loved colleague and formidable barrister. Stephen joined 1 Brick Court in 1980 and took silk in 2003. His junior practice included substantial commercial cases as well as the staple Chambers fare of defamation. He was led by and appeared against many in this Chambers, as well as at 1 Brick Court, and was universally respected for his skill, industry and integrity. He started and finished his working life, retiring from the bar in 2010, as a teacher of classics and brought that intellectual discipline to bear on all his work. His reported cases range from the duty of care in a bid prospectus to a raft of authorities on qualified privilege (enter Stephen Suttle on Westlaw for a full review). He appeared with or against the leading advocates of his time, including the late George Carman and even one Sir Keir Starmer in the House of Lords. However, Stephen was so much more than that. The son of an exceptional organist, Ernest Suttle, who composed a still admired alternative to Mendelsohn’s wedding march, he was a very fine organist himself. Indeed, his typing style could be described as virtuoso. He was a fount of wisdom on classical music, with a deaf spot only for Vivaldi, and a passionate cricketer as both performer (left arm, medium fast) and spectator. He had a huge sense of fun and was passionately loyal to both his chambers and his friends.
He will be enormously missed, and our thoughts are with his family.