Wayne Beglan
Cornerstone BarristersWayne is always very calm and totally professional. Wayne’s calm and reassuring manner id extremely valuable throughout the Local Plan process.
Planning
Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
Ashley Bowes
Landmark ChambersExcellent attention to detail.
James Burton
39 Essex ChambersJames pays close attention to technical points and gets results. A junior with outstanding abilities.
Andrew Byass
Landmark ChambersAndrew is an excellent advocate; he is approachable and works well with clients. He is a trusted advisor.
Celina Colquhoun
39 Essex ChambersCelina is very collaborative and a particularly good fit with public sector clients. She is very approachable and an effective team player.
Hugh Flanagan
Francis Taylor BuildingHugh is a polished and persuasive advocate. His written and oral advocacy are of a very high standard.
Victoria Hutton
39 Essex ChambersRuthlessly forensic attention to detail in relation to very complicated and complex issues, and leaves 'no stone unturned'. Excellent research skills. All around a pleasure to work with.
Juan Lopez
39 Essex ChambersJuan is friendly and engaging. He is clearly extremely intelligent and able to grasp technical concepts quickly.
Ruchi Parekh
Cornerstone BarristersExtremely competent, professional; clear advice and an excellent advocate.
Nina Pindham
Cornerstone Barristers
Heather Sargent
Landmark Chambers
Charles Streeten
Francis Taylor BuildingCharles has been a key member of the team in guiding a private client through a particularly fraught matter with several nuances. His advice is practical and has been essential throughout, especially in backing up the strategy where we have had to lodge proceedings.
Mark Beard
Six Pump Court
Noémi Byrd
Six Pump Court
Rebecca Clutten
Francis Taylor BuildingRebecca reads clients well and delivers appropriate advice, recognizing the particular needs of each situation.
Caroline Daly
Francis Taylor BuildingCaroline is cool, calm, and collected. She is well-considered and patient in her advice but not at all afraid to take the gloves off when on her feet. She is devastating in cross-examination.
Jonathan Darby
39 Essex ChambersJon Darby is a superb barrister, bright and responsive; he is quick to grasp a client's objectives and gives realistic advice.
Sioned Davies
No5 Barristers' ChambersSioned is very knowledgeable in terms of planning law. She is very thorough in her review and research on the case at hand and clear in how she communicates that to the team members in what she wants us to focus on, and indeed in how she presents the case and arguments to the Inspector. She is extremely personable, and that is definitely one of her key strengths. Her style is relaxed but precise, putting everyone at ease, including third-party objectors.
Toby Fisher
Matrix ChambersExcellent advocacy and drafting; bright, responsive, committed, and strategic. Good under pressure.
Merrow Golden
Francis Taylor BuildingMerrow Golden is a pleasure to work with. She combines strong technical knowledge with excellent judgment, providing clear, practical, and insightful advice. She integrates seamlessly with wider legal and project teams and is approachable and responsive at all times. Merrow has an ability to identify key issues quickly and communicate complex matters clearly. I am not aware of any weaknesses that affect her work.
Nick Grant
Landmark ChambersNick is a rising star who works very hard and has a keen intelligence. His work for the government puts him at the forefront of the Bar in understanding policy development and in High Court challenge work.
Philippa Jackson
39 Essex Chambers
Emmaline Lambert
Cornerstone BarristersA highly skilled, strong advocate with an excellent manner at planning inquiries and before the courts. Emmaline is impressive with a persuasive and engaging voice. She is amenable, constructive and pragmatic, providing clear and practical advice.
Jacqueline Lean
Landmark ChambersJacqueline always provides clear and comprehensive advice. She is efficient, thorough in her approach, and gets straight to the point while still being approachable and client-friendly.
Howard Leithead
No5 Barristers' ChambersHoward has excellent advocacy and communication skills. He is very good at thinking on his feet and he is also very good at coming up with novel solutions to problems. He has a great 'bedside manner' with client officers to put them at ease.
Andrew Parkinson
Landmark ChambersAndrew is an exceptional planning barrister with a mastery of all aspects of planning law. Andrew is an extraordinarily effective advocate, both at Public Inquiries and in the Higher Courts, and handles complex cases with ease. Andrew has a calm and measured style and is very strong on detail. Andrew has sharp, incisive cross-examination skills. He has a powerful intellect. Andrew is very thorough, absolutely meticulous, and promptly produces clear, concise written advice of the highest quality. Andrew has an approachable style, is easy to work with, and is extremely popular with clients. Clients express appreciation of his strategic advice, tactical skills, and excellent judgment, together with the superb service he provides. Andrew is one of the very best barristers at the Planning Bar.
Daniel Stedman Jones
39 Essex ChambersDaniel is very pragmatic and commercial in his approach. He understands what the client is looking for and secures solutions. Very impressive.
Anne Williams
Six Pump Court
Christiaan Zwart
39 Essex ChambersA uniquely strategic thinker and skillful advocate who brilliantly reads Courts and Tribunals. Clients love his extraordinary intelligence, creativity, commerciality, and solution-oriented approach.
Giles Atkinson
Six Pump Court
Richard Banwell
Six Pump Court
Michael Bowes
Six Pump Court
Brendan Brett
Francis Taylor Building
Leanne Buckley-Thomson
No5 Barristers' Chambers
Isabella Buono
Landmark ChambersIsabella demonstrates a strong command of the law and an acute awareness of market conditions and the realities of the planning and construction arena. Combined, Isabella presents comprehensive and tailored advice to which clients, consultants, and solicitors respond well. Isabella is a driving force in both smaller and larger teams and will no doubt become one of the top planning barristers in the country.
Isabella has proven to be a skillful advocate, pulling together threads of argument with ease.
Riccardo Calzavara
Cornerstone BarristersIncredibly bright, with a fantastically analytical legal brain and a great client manner.
Stephen Cottle
Garden Court Chambers
Matthew Dale-Harris
Landmark ChambersMatthew Dale-Harris is an excellent planning junior who provides clear, incisive advice and is very effective when instructed on complex planning matters. He has a strong technical command of planning law and applies it pragmatically, with a good appreciation of commercial and strategic considerations. Matthew is conscientious, responsive, and well-prepared, and he inspires confidence when dealing with challenging issues. He is a pleasure to work with and is increasingly sought after for planning instructions.
Ben Du Feu
Cornerstone BarristersBen is committed to his work and can be relied on to deliver. He provides accurate, timely, pragmatic advice in clear terms. He is thoughtful and has an incisive mind.
Anjoli Foster
Landmark Chambers
Michael Fry
Francis Taylor BuildingHis advocacy is first class. He is meticulous in his preparation, his written submissions are compelling, and his oral advocacy is authoritative, persuasive, calm, and measured. He has an exceptional ability to present complex legal arguments with clarity while responding effortlessly to judicial intervention.
Michael is also an absolute pleasure to work with. He is approachable, responsive, generous with his time, and inspires complete confidence.
I would have no hesitation in instructing Michael again. He is an outstanding advocate, a trusted adviser, and one of the finest planning barristers I have had the pleasure of working with.
Ben Fullbrook
Landmark ChambersBen is superb, standing out among other mid-level juniors in environmental and planning matters. He consistently identifies nuanced points others might overlook, drafts strong pleadings, and his oral advocacy is excellent. He can hold his own alongside much more senior counsel. He is a go-to choice in planning and environmental work.
Edward Grant
Cornerstone BarristersEdward was very user-friendly. He worked very well with expert witnesses. His advocacy was excellent, including cross-examination and re-examination on technical issues. His oral submissions were well received by the tribunal.
Alexander Greaves
Francis Taylor BuildingA very capable and accomplished advocate, but more importantly, incredibly well prepared, incredibly insightful, and very user-friendly.
Ned Helme
39 Essex ChambersEvery time I have worked with Ned, he has been a pleasure to work with. He is always helpful and approachable, and he always builds a strong rapport with my clients. Ned is an exceptional advocate; he is sharp and very thorough both during his advocacy and during the case preparation stages, and he always meets deadlines.
Ruth Keating
39 Essex ChambersRuth combines high emotional intelligence with clarity of thought and real authority in delivery, explaining complex issues with warmth, insight, and humor. Across all her work, she is thorough, responsive, and highly dependable. She is an outstanding barrister.
Ryan Kohli
Cornerstone BarristersWe were very impressed with Ryan when he represented us at a public inquiry. He was a pleasure to work with from start to finish. He is very knowledgeable, clear in his advice, and personable in his approach. His guidance and advocacy helped to secure an excellent outcome for the authority, and we would not hesitate to use him again.
Daniel Kozelko
39 Essex ChambersDaniel is a rising star at the planning bar. He has been involved in some of this year’s top cases and was instrumental in securing victories for the government. He is developing a top-tier infrastructure practice and is generally operating at a level well above his year of call. He is an excellent advocate and easily builds rapport with the bench (including the Court of Appeal).
George Mackenzie
Landmark ChambersGeorge is an excellent senior junior who is very knowledgeable and technically excellent, able to distill information and get to the nub of a matter quickly and explain his advice in a manner that is clear and succinct for clients. George is overtly passionate about the law, very affable and easy to work with, and clients really like him.
Hashi Mohamed
Landmark ChambersHashi is a really approachable barrister who is excellent value. He provides really clear advice and has the ability to simplify complex legal situations. Hashi is also very commercially minded and simplifies legal risks to the business.
James Neill
Landmark ChambersJames is very commercially minded and very user-friendly. He is incredibly hard-working.
Daisy Noble
Francis Taylor BuildingDaisy's superpower is that she has the ability to explain extremely technical or complicated subject matters in a way that clients understand. This, her organizational skills, commercial awareness, and her general approachability make her a favorite to work with.
Kate Olley
Francis Taylor Building
Jack Parker
Cornerstone BarristersJack has the ability to cut through the detail and focus on the pertinent issues. With regard to advocacy, he is persuasive and persistent, putting forward excellent questions and arguments. He is also able to think and act quickly, responding to difficult situations decisively and appropriately.
Clare Parry
Cornerstone BarristersClare is always fully prepared and appreciates the requirement for both timely and practical advice. Her advocacy is succinct, methodical, and always to the point. She understands how to deal with complicated cross-examinations on technical matters. Her submissions advocacy in the High Court is always a delight to watch.
Clare's written paperwork, such as skeleton arguments and statements of case, is extremely thorough, illustrating a commanding overview of all points in a case.
Annabel Graham Paul
Francis Taylor BuildingAnnabel is very personable and keen to listen to the views of others. She is extremely well-versed in planning law and extremely thorough in her preparation and presentation.
Simon Randle
4-5 Gray's Inn Square
Vivienne Sedgley
4-5 Gray's Inn SquareShe is very thorough and her work was always well researched and presented. A good advocate.
Joel Semakula
Landmark ChambersWe instructed Joel in connection with planning injunction proceedings. Joel was very proactive and responsive in providing sound tactical and procedural advice and drafted papers for the Court at very short notice.
Alex Shattock
Landmark Chambers
Nicola Strachan
Six Pump Court
Yaaser Vanderman
Brick Court ChambersA superb advocate. Calm, measured, and extremely articulate in court. He is always impeccably prepared and is fantastic with clients. One of his greatest strengths is his rapport with clients. A star junior.
Ned Westaway
Francis Taylor BuildingHe is extremely knowledgeable but presents the knowledge in an easily understandable manner. His arguments are clear and concise. Moreover, he reads the room very well and is able to adapt his approach accordingly.
Alex Williams
Francis Taylor Building
Katherine Barnes
39 Essex ChambersKatherine is excellent at providing very clear and concise advice to clients in an understandable way.
Rowan Clapp
Cornerstone BarristersRowan is an excellent advocate. He is very switched on and good at adapting his line of questioning. He is polite, and clients like his approach.
Stephanie David
39 Essex Chambers
Mark Davies
Six Pump Court
Olivia Davies
Cornerstone BarristersOlivia presented a strong case for the Council and gave clear guidance on the best way to present that case.
Catherine Dobson
Matrix Chambers
Esther Drabkin-Reiter
Francis Taylor BuildingEsther is well organized and detailed. She has a personable and friendly manner that is particularly effective.
John Fitzsimons
Cornerstone BarristersVery professional, perceptive, calm under pressure. Can multitask. Good customer service. Goes out of his way to explain things and appeal tactics, even when complicated. But does not "sugar coat" his opinion. Clear, polite, and displays confidence.
Sam Fowles
39 Essex ChambersSam is a great advocate. He is nimble in his arguments and has extensive knowledge.
Matthew Fraser
Landmark ChambersMatthew is a devil for detail; he is exceptionally well prepared for any inquiry and is truly invested in getting the best possible outcomes for his clients.
Emyr Jones
Francis Taylor BuildingEmyr is an excellent advocate and made a number of clear and persuasive points that landed well with the planning inspector, while also resulting in the applicant conceding to some extent.
Charles Merrett
Francis Taylor BuildingCharles is very confident and clear in providing advice and reassurance to clients. He is able to grasp the issues quickly, think outside the box, and be practical and commercial on the prospects and means to resolve disputes. He is also a strong advocate in court and persuasive in his submissions.
Cain Ormondroyd
Francis Taylor Building
Asitha Ranatunga
Cornerstone BarristersAsitha is a very calm and knowledgeable planning barrister on whom I rely a lot. My clients think he is fantastic, not just for his legal knowledge, but also for his calm manner in court and when advising.
Gethin Thomas
39 Essex ChambersGethin's main strengths lie in his advocacy and strategic judgment. In court, he is calm, measured, and provides clear, well-structured submissions. Gethin's written work is of a consistently high standard – clear, pragmatic, yet paying attention to detail. Gethin is also very good with clients, able to explain complex points in plain language and to give clear, firm recommendations.
Rising stars
Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.
Edward-Arash Abedian
Landmark ChambersAn outstanding advocate who has a highly persuasive written style. He is meticulously detailed in his work, works well within a team, and always comes up with the best possible answer to a particular issue. A star in the making.
Jack Barber
Cornerstone Barristers
Charles Bishop
Landmark ChambersCharles is very personable, approachable, and easy to work with. He puts the client at ease.
Stephanie Bruce-Smith
Francis Taylor BuildingStephanie is very good and argued a difficult point very well.
Acland Bryant
Garden Court ChambersAcland stands out as an excellent barrister whose work is of superb quality. He is hardworking, committed, and clearly cares about his clients.
Odette Chalaby
Landmark ChambersOdette is an all-round excellent lawyer: her drafting is brilliant, her advocacy is persuasive, she is utterly dependable (despite juggling a huge workload), and she is a delight to work with.
Peter Cruickshank
Six Pump Court
Flora Curtis
39 Essex ChambersFlora assisted us in a planning appeal public inquiry. She is diligent and thoughtful and provides timely advice that is well considered. In addition to her technical competency, Flora is also very approachable and a pleasure to work with.
Michael Feeney
Francis Taylor BuildingExtremely diligent and knowledgeable, with a calm and effective approach to advocacy.
Lois Lane
Cornerstone Barristers
Christopher Moss
39 Essex Chambers
Claire Nevin
Francis Taylor Building
Mark O'Brien O'Reilly
Francis Taylor BuildingCelia Reynolds
39 Essex ChambersCelia is a knowledgeable and approachable barrister who is committed to delivering practical legal solutions. She communicates her positions clearly and logically.
Harley Ronan
Landmark ChambersHarley is extremely knowledgeable, easy to work with, and very approachable.
Hannah Taylor
Cornerstone BarristersThe advice she provided was excellent as it was clear and precise, and the reasons for the same were presented in a way that non-legal employees would not have a problem understanding. When preparing our response to the proposed legal challenge, Hannah took those employees' views on board and suggested an approach to defend that challenge that was followed.
Jake Thorold
39 Essex ChambersA real rising star. As excellent at cross-examining in a planning inquiry as he is at making compelling submissions in the High Court.
