Western Circuit
St John’s Chambers remains the ‘go-to set in Bristol’ for property litigation and is recognised as being ’able to compete with most London sets’ in this field. Brittany Pearce’s varied experience spans boundary disputes and adverse possession claims as well as claims concerning restrictive covenants and easements. Charles Auld recently acted for the respondent in McDonagh v Reeve, a High Court case concerning an application to demolish an existing house in Sandbanks and to build a larger replacement house on the land, which was subject to a restrictive covenant that ‘no additional buildings whatsoever shall be erected’ on it. Ultimately, the judge held that no ’additional’ buildings would be constructed and therefore the building project was not prevented by the restrictive covenant. Joss Knight has notable experience when it comes to disputed easement claims; he recently represented the respondent in Privett v Runic Holdings Ltd, in which the claimant sought to establish a right of way over land based on missing historic conveyances, while the respondent maintained that the right has never been exercised and in any case had been abandoned.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
- Profile
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Paul Bennett and Rob Bocock are both excellent. They are responsive and they understand the instructing solicitor's requirements.'
- 'Paul Bennett, Paul Nuttall, Simon Lyons, Rob Bocock and Elizabeth Champion are all excellent. They are easily accessible and go out of their way to help on a daily basis.'
- 'Paul Bennett is a standout clerk but the others also provide an exceptional service. They are accommodating, helpful, clear on fees, quick to assist and also open to discussing BD initiatives.'
- 'The clerks at St John's are great. Paul Nuttall and Simon Lyons are fantastic and are always happy to help. Their response times are extraordinary and they always go the extra mile to ensure that any query is addressed to the fullest in a timely manner.'
- 'St John's Chambers in Bristol is a go-to set for property-related cases. Chambers offers a good selection of talented barristers who provide an excellent but reasonably-priced service.'
- 'A great well-versed set that is able to compete with most London sets. Their property litigation offering ranges from junior juniors to experienced juniors and KCs. Their clerking is great and there is always a member of chambers who has experience in the matter at hand.'
- 'St John's Chambers is the go-to set in Bristol.'
- 'St John’s Chambers is head and shoulders above any other Bristol set. They have an excellent team approach from clerks to pupils to KCs. They go above and beyond for instructing solicitors.'