Morag Ellis KC
Morag is an extremely effective but calm advocate, who ensures points are made in a clear and precise manner. She is superb with clients.'
Francis Taylor Building is ‘an exceptional planning set’ with ‘excellent strength in depth, especially on infrastructure cases’. The team brings extensive experience in representing local authorities and developers in high-profile, complex matters. Morag Ellis KC represented the London Borough of Camden in an application for a judicial review concerning planning permission for the redevelopment of a site within the Bloomsbury Conservation Area, where several listed buildings are located. Elsewhere in chambers, Hereward Phillpot KC and Isabella Tafur appeared before the Supreme Court in R (Spitalfields Historic Building Trust) v Tower Hamlets LBC, concerning the limits of local planning authorities’ powers to restrict voting by councillors on planning applications via standing orders. Alex Williams joined the group in August 2025.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Paul Coveney is lovely to work with and James Kemp and Harry Killick provide a good service.'
- 'All of the clerking team are really helpful. James Kemp and Paul Coveney have excellent organisational and interpersonal skills.'
Lawyers
Leading Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Alexander Booth KC
‘Alexander is an exceptional barrister. His advocacy stands out for its clarity, precision, and authority. He possesses a remarkable ability to distil complex legal issues into compelling arguments, making them accessible and persuasive to both clients and planning inspectors alike.’
Richard Honey KC
‘Richard's advocacy is sharp and to-the-point.'
Craig Howell Williams KC
‘His eye for detail, preparation and recall is phenomenal. He is an absolute joy to instruct and to work with.’
Douglas Edwards KC
Andrew Fraser-Urquhart KC
‘Andrew gets into the nitty gritty to ensure he can present the most robust case for the client.’
Richard Glover KC
‘Richard is calm and authoritative. He can help clients navigate complex issues with ease and instils great confidence.’
Gregory Jones KC
James Pereira KC
‘James is a great team player who puts everyone at ease and navigates the unpredictable.’
Saira Kabir Sheikh KC
Andrew Tait KC
'Andrew is a very calm and confident advocate.'
2024 Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
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.
Hugh Flanagan
‘Hugh is a very experienced junior. He is commercial and pragmatic in his advice, and picks up tricky issues quickly.’
Charles Streeten
'Charles' grasp of detail is exceptional, and he is devastating on his feet.'
Isabella Tafur
'She has a first rate intellect and problem solving skills - her advocacy commands immediate respect from everyone present.'
Caroline Daly
‘Caroline’s ability to swiftly grasp intricate issues and her approachable, collaborative manner instils confidence in clients.'
Michael Fry
‘He is personable and well liked by both instructing solicitors and clients. A technically strong junior.’
Daisy Noble
‘Daisy is very responsive, firm when needed, and able to dissect difficult information for clients in an easy to understand way.’
Kate Olley
Ned Westaway
Alex Williams
‘Alex is a highly skilled advocate. He is always quick to understand the issues and clients appreciate his succinct advice.’
Brendan Brett
Esther Drabkin-Reiter
‘Esther is a confident advocate, with a great command of the details and facts.’
Alexander Greaves
‘Alex is a clear, persuasive and measured advocate.’
George Mackenzie
‘George has an excellent knowledge of planning and highway law. He is a brilliant problem solver and takes a pragmatic approach to his work.'
Charles Merrett
‘Charles is an extremely clever and confident barrister.’
Cain Ormondroyd
Annabel Graham Paul
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.
