Local Government Lawyer Directory

St John’s Chambers

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As a set, we’re relentlessly striving for excellence in the legal services we provide, as part of our three-pillar commitment to being inclusive, commercial and excellent.

 

As the last of the six founding members of St John’s Chambers, Christopher Sharp KC retires after more than 50 years at the Bar, we take some time to reflect upon on our successes. 47 years on, the business is one of the leading sets in the South West, with over 80 members including 7 silks and recognised as top tier in all major areas of law. With exceptional expertise in all main areas of law, we act for regional and national law firms, local authorities, insurance companies, prominent businesses, private individuals and public sector organisations.

 

We provide clients with expertise and specialist representation in complex multidisciplinary cases.We focus on growing and promoting our legal expertise and specialisms, so that we mirror our clients’ need for specialist skills and offer leading experts rather than generalists.

 

We continue to attract and develop the top barristers in the South West, and to train our members and staff, as this is crucial to maintaining our competitive edge and assuring longevity in the legal market. In the last 12-months we have taken on 7 new tenants.

 

“We have great strength in depth and we’ve added a strong cohort of juniors over the past five years.”

 

To continue to understand our clients’ needs we are consistency engaging with them, and adapting to changes in the legal services as well as setting new standards in legal advocacy. We aspire to become leaders in all our practice areas by offering outstanding legal representation and unique guidance. Our barristers and clerks are praised in the leading legal directories as “as always very efficient and go over and above to help.”

 

We strive to ensure that Bristol continues to be recognised nationally asthe major legal hub for the South West through the winning of high-levelcomplex instructions we receive and nominations for national awards.

 

Our barristers have been involved in a number of landmark decisions in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. Matthew White become the leading specialist in cases involving the encroachment of Japanese Knotweed, following his success in the Supreme Court, in the nationally significant case of Davies v Bridgend County Borough Council [2024] UKSC 15. Zoe Saunders was involved in the high-profile ToLATA case of Hudson v Hathway [2022] EWCA Civ 1648.

 

Our stand-out legal expertise is also evidenced by the number of our barristers who go on to distinguished service in the judiciary. Within the team are five Recorders, one fee-paid Judge of the First-tier Tribunal, two High Court Judges, three Deputy District Judges, an Assistant Deputy Coroner and three members on the Attorney General’s list.

 

In the last 12-months we have been nominated for 8 national awards:

  • ‘Regional Set of the Year’ by Chambers UK Bar
  • ‘Set of the Year (Outside London)’ by The Legal 500
  • ‘Personal Injury Set of the Year’ by The Legal 500
  • ‘Personal Injury Junior of the Year’ for Andrew McLaughlin by The Legal 500
  • ‘Court of Protection Set of the Year’ by The Legal 500
  • ‘Regional Family Law Chambers of the Year’ by Family Law Awards
  • ‘Family Law Clerking Team of the Year’ by Family Law Awards
  • ‘Family Law Young Barrister of the Year’ for Vivien Croly by Family Law Awards

 

In 2022 we were awarded the prestigious Legal 500’s ‘Set outside London of the Year’. We were shortlisted for this award again in 2023 and 2024. We have also been shortlisted for the ‘Regional Set of the Year’ by Chambers UK Guide to the Bar in 2024. In 2023, we were awarded the ‘Regional Family Law Set of the Year’ by the national Family Law Awards. We were nominated for this award again in
2024.

 

We continue to foster a supportive and inclusive work environment, and our Barristers and clerks are forward thinking and proactive in promoting diversityand mental wellbeing across the Bar.

 

We’re proud to have supported Bridging the Bar (BTB) in hosting 9 candidates from the BTB Academy as part of their Interview Advocacy Training Programme. We are also part of the Bar’s inaugural programme with 10,000 Black Interns which started in Summer 2022 and we have currently offered pupillage to one of the interns and they will be starting October 2025.

 

Our barristers are not only praised for their legal expertise but also for their thought leadership in which they offer marketleading analysis and assessment through regular podcasts,seminars, webinars, articles and books.

 

“They are a very slick outfit in terms of their marketing, training, and thought leadership.” - THE LEGAL 500

 

Our three podcast channels (Chancery & Commercial, Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence and Family & Divorce) have reached over 15,000 downloads.

 

We continuously host a full range of CPD accreditedseminars across the South West and Wales on a variety of topics for solicitors to add value for our clients. We also provide speakers and programmes for Law Societies. Several members are asked to speak at national events including STEP, Resolution.

 

We aim to make a positive impact on the legal profession and the communities we serve through access to justice, community engagement and pro bono activities. Our barristers have been recognised for their dedication in providing pro bono services in the second edition of The Pro Bono Recognition List. Rachel Segal represented the family (pro bono) in the Inquest touching upon the death of baby Eddie Cornish, and Oliver Wooding acted pro-bono on behalf of the three year old daughter and her guardian to obtain the right for her to organise her mother’s funeral.

 

We enjoy giving back and hosting a range of events to help raise money, these incude:

  • £3,195 was raised from our various conferences and events for The Child Brain Injury Trust, The Great Western Air Ambulance and Headway Bristol.
  • Raised £1,120 for Bristol Mind from Summer Olympics challenge.
  • Raised £250 for Comic Relief.
  • Raised over £2,200 for The Children’s Society from one of our staff members running The London Marathon.

 

The wellbeing of our people is vital to our success. We strive to support everyone’s happiness and wellbeing here.

 

Podcasts - click here.

 

Articles - click here.

 

Seminars - click here.

 

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