St John’s Buildings

St John’s Buildings is regarded as a ‘great set’, with a strong reputation for handling a wide range of criminal law matters. Mark Connor, noted for being ’thoroughly prepared’ and lauded for his ‘clear oral advocacy’, successfully prosecuted a man who received a 32-year custodial sentence for multiple counts of child sexual abuse and possession of indecent images of children. Gemma Maxwell, recognised for her ’outstanding written work, advocacy, client care, and commitment’, represented a defendant in a joint enterprise murder trial arising from a road rage incident. Described as ‘a highly dedicated and tenacious barrister’, Rebecca Penfold is renowned for her ’unwavering passion for justice’ and acted for a defendant accused of attempted murder by stabbing.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'Avril Vaughan is very helpful.'
'Mark Heald is tremendous.'
'Mark Heald is exceptional, extremely dedicated.'
'Greg Brooker and Avril Vaughan are always fantastic and very organised. They are also prompt to respond when needed.'
'St John’s Buildings is an excellent set - real strength in depth and go the extra mile to ensure consistency of representation.'
'St John’s Buildings is a first choice due to its reliability and high calibre of barristers.'

Lawyers

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.