John Fitzsimons > Cornerstone Barristers > London, England > Barrister Profile

John Fitzsimons

020 7242 4986 johnf@cornerstonebarristers.com

Position

John is a public law barrister whose practice encompasses a wide range of public law work including planning and environment, information law, licensing, local government, housing and inquests and inquiries. He deliberately maintains a versatile practice as it his experience that many of his practice areas complement each other.

He is regularly instructed by central government, local government and private clients to provide representation at courts and inquiries. He also undertakes a broad range of drafting and advisory work.

His recent inquiry work includes:

• Representing a Rule 6 party in a two week planning inquiry involving housing land supply, landscape and highways issues (acting as sole counsel).
• Successfully representing a local authority in a two week enforcement inquiry involving travellers and gypsies (acting as sole counsel).
• Representing a local authority in a two day enforcement inquiry involving off-airport parking in which the local authority successfully resisted an appeal on grounds (a) and (d) (acting as sole counsel).

His recent court work includes:

• Being led by Philip Kolvin QC in the case of Delta Meryside and Uber Britannia Ltd v Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council [2018] EWHC 757 (Admin), in which he and Philip acted for Uber and successfully quashed the Council’s ‘predominant use’ policy directed at private hire drivers.
• Being led by Estelle Dehon in a four day multi-track trial involving a long running damages claim against a public body for alleged breaches of the Data Protection Act 1998.

John is on the Government’s ‘junior junior’ plan and regularly undertakes work for Government departments including the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (Information law issues) and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (Grenfell Inquiry).

Before coming to the Bar, John spent several years working in the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the NGO Justice, the European Court of Justice and several leading law firms.

John enjoys volunteering and is always looking for new volunteering opportunities. He currently volunteers for the Bar Pro Bono Unit, the Environmental Law Foundation and Southwark Law Centre. He has previously volunteered for the Free Representation Unit, the Irish Innocence Project, the Voluntary Tuition Programme of Trinity College Dublin and Vocalise Prison Debating.

John is accredited for public access work and enquiries about this are welcomed

Career

John was called to the Bar in 2016 and is a member of Lincoln’s Inn. He is a recipient of the Inn’s Hardwicke Entrance Award, Lord Denning Scholarship, Buchanan prize and Hubert Greenland Scholarship.

Memberships

John is a member of JUSTICE, UK Environmental Law Association (UKELA), the Human Rights Lawyers Association (HRLA), the Planning and Environment Bar Association (PEBA), the Administrative Law Bar Association (ALBA) and the Social Housing Law Association (SHLA).

Education

LLB Ling. Franc (Trinity College Dublin); BCL (University of Oxford, Worcester College); BPTC (City University).