St John's Chambers

Head of Chambers: Matthew White

Chief Executive: Simon Rhodes

Practice Manager (Commercial/Chancery): Robert Bocock

Practice Manager (Family): Luke Hodgson

Practice Manager (Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence): Adam Marston and Hugh Maguire

Office Manager: Isabelle Mills

Tenants: 80

THE CHAMBERS

St John’s Chambers is a leading regional barristers’ chambers with national reach. 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. We have now been shortlisted for it again in 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 have been nominated for this award again in 2024.

Based in Bristol, we receive complex and valuable instructions from law firms across England and Wales, as well as from major insurance companies and local authorities.

Specialist Thought Leaders

Our barristers are praised for their legal expertise and thought leadership, offering market leading analysis and assessment through regularpodcasts,seminars, webinars andarticles. As a set, we are relentlessly striving for excellence in the legal services we provide, as part of our three-pillar commitment to being inclusive, commercial and excellent.

Our barristers have been involved in a number of landmark decisions in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. The set’s 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 two members on the Attorney General’s list.

Our Approach

Our specialist clerking teams will help you from your first contact. They will help to get you the specialist barrister you need for your case. Once instructed, our barristers will provide the advice, support and court representation that you, your clients and customers need for your case. We will support you throughout.

Areas of Work

We have top tier expertise in Agriculture and rural affairs, Chancery, Clinical Negligence, Commercial, Construction and Engineering, Court of Protection, Employment, Family public and private Children, Family Finance and Divorce, Health and Safety, Inquests and Public Inquiries, International Arbitration, Landlord and Tenant, Licensing, Personal Injury, Planning, Professional Negligence, Public and Administrative law, Real Estate, Tax and Wills and Trusts.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

We also provide clients with all the following services: mediation, arbitration, private FDRs, and early neutral evaluation which can help to avoid litigation.

Mediation

For cases where mediation is appropriate, we have a team of 20 qualified mediators available to assist in the capacity of adviser, advocate or mediator.

Recent key work highlights include:

• Head of Chambers, Matthew White has 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.
• Joss Knight acted for the successful claimant in Oliver v Oliver [2024] EWHC 2289 (Ch) in which the last will of the claimant’s late father was declared invalid for undue influence.
• Zoë Saunders was led by Alexander Learmonth KC acting for the appellant in the Court of Appeal in high profile TOLATA case of Hudson v Hathway [2022] EWCA Civ 1648.
• Alex Troup KC acted for the defendants in a defending a claim (Winter v Winter [2023] EWHC 2393 (Ch)) against the assets and estate of a deceased farmer. The estate being worth £several million. The claim based on the doctrine of mutual wills, proprietary estoppel and to enforce an option contained in a partnership agreement.
• Christopher Jones was led by Stephen Jourdan KC, to represent Michael Spencer in his farming proprietary estoppel claim in the case of Spencer v Spencer [2023] EWHC 2050.
• The High Court handed down judgment in the case of Ingram and Whitfield v Abraham [2023] EWHC 1982 (Ch). John Dickinson acted for the successful claimants in their challenge, which was based on want of knowledge and approval against the purported last Will of Joanna Abraham dated 8 August 2019.
• Adam Boyle was successful in easement dispute before the FTT in the case of Philpott v Bovisand Park Limited.
• Jody Atkinson successfully overturns child maintenance service tribunal decision that father had diverted £134,000 of income.
• Rachel Russell represented the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board at a 5-day inquest into the deaths of two nurses from COVID-19.
• Andrew McLaughlin succeeded in the High Court on an appeal against a refusal of relief from sanction relating to three witness statements that were served 1 year late.
• Vivien Croly represented the respondent husband in a two-day final hearing for financial remedy in the case of JD v RMD [2023] EWFC 125.
• The High Court handed down judgment in the case of Ingram and Whitfield v Abraham [2023] EWHC 1982 (Ch). John Dickinson acted for the successful claimants in their challenge.