Alex Troup KC
‘Alex is a brilliant barrister. He is a superb strategist and advocate and is extremely clever. Alex is fantastic with clients and also keeps to agreed deadlines. He is a true star.’
St John’s Chambers is the ‘go-to set in the South West for chancery work’ with barristers at various levels of seniority covering the full spectrum of private wealth and probate work. Christopher Jones’ broad practice covers contested will claims, disputes over the administration of trust funds, and proprietary estoppel claims involving large farms, among other areas. Alex Troup KC appeared in the landmark Court of Appeal case Winter v Winter, concerning a proprietary estoppel claim brought by two sons against their late father’s estate - the sons asserted that they had relied on to their detriment a promise of a one-third share in the Somerset strawberry farm that they had worked on for much of their lives; ultimately the court held that detriment may be established without proof of financial loss or lost career opportunities and that the sons had a right to their promised shares. Joss Knight recently successfully acted for the claimant in a high-profile probate claim Oliver v Oliver, in which the High Court considered how diminished executive functioning can affect testamentary capacity, among other issues. At the junior end, Kayleigh Bloomfield is building a strong contentious probate practice.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Clerks Paul Bennett and Paul Nuttall respond promptly and helpfully and provide accurate timescales for completion of work.'
- 'Paul Bennett delivers exceptional service. He is responsive and you can trust that he will always gets back to you in a timely manner. Paul is an extension of the legal team and keeps everything moving forward.'
- 'The clerks are always personable and are there to help as much as they can. Simon Lyons is particularly efficient and a pleasure to speak to on the phone.'
- 'The clerks offer an excellent service. They are easy to make contact with and deal swiftly with any difficulties.'
- 'Rob Bocock is a safe pair of hands who is always happy to help and provides an excellent service.'
- 'St Johns has excellent strength in depth in chancery work, contentious probate and trusts in particular, and offers great value - London expertise at regional rates.'
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.
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.
John Dickinson
‘John is very experienced and has a very good intellect whilst also being down to earth. He puts clients at their ease and explains things to them very well. His drafting work is always very clear and of a high standard. John is also approachable and user friendly.’
Natasha Dzameh
'Natasha is a phenomenal talent. She is clear, concise, and tenacious, both in her written advice and in her advocacy. Her submissions are incredibly compelling and insightful; she is able to make a genuine, positive difference in a every case.'
Christopher Jones
‘Chris is very good with clients but his real strength is apparent when he is on his feet outclassing his opponent in an impressive, whilst still respectful manner. He is clearly intelligent but unlike many barristers, this intellect is not at the expense of his manner which remains friendly and approachable - both with solicitors and clients.'
Oliver Wooding
‘Oliver is strong on his feet, presents confidently and concisely and is persuasive in his manner. He is also very personable and manages difficult clients well, striking a balance between the essential empathy required with individuals, and the commerciality and focus of a barrister.'
Michael Clarke
'Michael is very knowledgeable, and has the important skill of being able to find solutions to difficult matters. He is approachable and down to earth and has great client skills. His calm and collected approach is best seen in mediation where he is focused on settlement and actively looks to avoid raising tensions. In court his advocacy is cool claim and focused.'
Adam Boyle
‘Adam provides very clear advice to clients in writing and in conference. He thinks issues through clearly and with a clarity that clients can understand. Adam is able to establish a rapport quickly with solicitors and is easy to work with.’
Charlie Newington-Bridges
Joss Knight
‘Joss is very strong technically and has very sound judgement. He is also a very good advocate.'
Daniel Soar
'Daniel is approachable, friendly and empathetic which is important in relation to contentious probate matters where matters can involve family relationships and sensitive issues. He is knowledgeable and technically very good.'
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.
