Mark O'Brien O'Reilly > Francis Taylor Building > London, England > Barrister Profile

Mark O'Brien O'Reilly

02073538415 clerks@ftbchambers.co.uk

Position

Mark was called to the Bar in 2021 and completed pupillage under the supervision of Richard Honey KC, Melissa Murphy KC and Hereward Phillpot KC. He is a First Class Honours graduate of University College Dublin and the University of Cambridge.  He is building a strong practice across all of Chambers’ practice areas and, unusually for his year of call, has regularly appeared in the High Court, including as sole counsel.

Mark’s recent experience includes acting as junior counsel to Craig Howell Williams KC in the High Court in an application for a section 187B injunction. He also acted as junior counsel to Douglas Edwards KC in a judicial review concerning the scope and power of a local planning authority to impose conditions under the Wheatcroft and Newbury principles. He has appeared as sole counsel on behalf of a local planning authority at an appeal against non-determination. He also represented a local planning authority as junior to Meyric Lewis KC at a seven day inquiry defending their refusal of planning permission for 289 residential units. He is instructed to act in several forthcoming public inquiries. He acted as sole counsel in a two day Definitive Map Modification Order inquiry. He is also instructed in an ongoing claim for compensation before the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber).

Mark has acted as sole counsel in the High Court on behalf of a Defendant, a large national housebuilder, in resisting an application for an interim injunction to restrain a breach of planning control. He was instructed as junior counsel to Morag Ellis KC for the hearing of the substantive application for a section 187B injunction in which the Claimant’s application was successfully resisted. Mark has also acted as sole counsel in the High Court on behalf of National Highways Limited and successfully obtained a possession order against trespassers. Mark also has extensive experience of appearing as sole counsel before the Crown Court and the Magistrates’ Court as well before Licensing Sub-Committees.

Mark assisted at several planning inquiries throughout his pupillage, including an inquiry concerning inappropriate development (a gypsy/traveller site) in the Green Belt and within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and an inquiry considering the merits of a large residential development in a semi-rural location. He also assisted at a section 247 stopping up and diversion order inquiry.

Mark was appointed a member of the Attorney General’s ‘Junior’ Junior Scheme and has been regularly instructed to advise, and act for, several government departments. He also assisted with defending several judicial reviews concerning the government’s policies on climate change, including a complex and high profile three day judicial review before the Divisional Court concerning the Paris Agreement.

During his pupillage, Mark was awarded the Reid Scholarship by Gray’s Inn, a Senior Scholarship for Pupillage, which is the Inn’s most prestigious scholarship and awarded to a pupil barrister of exceptional merit.

Mark welcomes instructions across all of Chambers’ practice areas, with a particular interest in planning, public and environmental law as well as licensing, compulsory purchase and compensation matters.

Mark was called to the Bar of Ireland in 2023.

Career

• Awarded the Reid Scholarship by Gray’s Inn, a Senior Scholarship for Pupillage which is the Inn’s most prestigious scholarship and awarded to a pupil barrister of exceptional merit
• Elected by the Governing Body of Queen’s College, Cambridge to a Foundation Scholarship
• Awarded a full scholarship plus maintenance (the Snowdon Cambridge Scholarship 2020) by the Cambridge Trust to undertake an LLM (Master of Law) at the University of Cambridge
• The Baroness Hale of Richmond BPTC Scholarship 2019, awarded by The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn, is the Inn’s newest and most prestigious scholarship. It is awarded to candidates of exceptional merit
• The BPTC Advocacy Scholarship 2019 is awarded by BPP University Law School to those who demonstrate an outstanding aptitude for advocacy
• The Career Commitment Scholarship 2019 is awarded by BPP University Law School to those who are considered to be the most promising future legal professionals
• The Jomati Foundation Bursary 2019, awarded by the Jomati Foundation, assists students of high academic ability with the costs of qualifying as a barrister
• The Hebe Plunkett Award 2019, awarded by The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn
• Irish Law Student of the Year 2019 awarded at the Irish National Law Awards in recognition of academic, professional and personal achievements
• The Gold Medal for Mooting 2017 which is awarded by the University College Dublin Law Society to the student most successful in mooting in the previous academic year
• Certificate in Work Related Learning (Commercial Law in the City of London) 2017 awarded by the University College Dublin Career Development Centre

Memberships

• Constitutional & Administrative Law Bar Association (ALBA)
• UK Environmental Law Association (UKELA)
• London Irish Lawyers Association

Education

• BCL Law with History 2019, University College Dublin, First Class Honours
• LLM (Master of Law), University of Cambridge, October 2020 – June 2021, First Class Honours. Papers included International Environmental Law
• Bar Professional Training Course, September 2019 – August 2020, BPP University Law School, Outstanding