Cornerstone Barristers

With over 65 barristers, including 14 silks, and offices in London, Birmingham and Cardiff, Cornerstone Barristers is a leading public law set that provides advice and representation in areas including: public law and judicial review, planning and environment, climate litigation and advice, housing, property, licensing, data protection, Court of Protection, health and social care, commercial and regulatory law.

Clients include private developers, companies, central and local government, public development agencies and individuals.

Cornerstone has 12 junior barristers on the Attorney General Panel’s of Counsel to the Crown acting frequently for central government departments in a wide variety of disputes.

The set: Chambers offers expertise at all levels of seniority, from KCs to newly qualified barristers, and at all levels of the court system, from County Court to the Supreme Court. Members are highly regarded and often involved in ground-breaking cases. They are not just legal experts but sector specialists, meaning that clients receive advice from, and are represented by, people who understand their perspective, their business and their challenges.

Types of work undertaken: The set’s expertise takes in the most lengthy, complex and high-profile cases, as well as more routine matters.

Planning and Environment: As one of the leading planning sets, Cornerstone Barristers handles the full range of issues including high-profile infrastructure and other nationally important projects involving property, public and environmental law, compulsory purchase and compensation, minerals and waste, rights of way, highways, village greens and commons. Members handle major inquiries and advise on prominent developments, statutory challenges and judicial review.

Public law and Judicial Review: Known for their public law expertise, members regularly appear in high profile cases of strategic importance before all courts. This includes judicial review, governmental and other inquiries, tribunal proceedings, disciplinary proceedings involving public bodies and statutory appeal work.

Climate Litigation and Advice: This set has a strong track record of providing credible, strategic, carbon-literate advice to clients and our barristers are frequently involved in some of the most consequential and high-profile climate litigation cases in the UK, including the two leading climate cases of 2024 - the Finch Litigation and the Carbon Budget Delivery Plan challenge.

Housing: The set is well known for landlord and tenant law, homelessness, asylum, housing benefit fraud, possession claims, contested succession, unlawful subletting, anti-social behaviour and disrepair. It's members’ cross sector expertise means they are able to advise on all aspects of a case, including interlinking issues such as the Children Act, Adult Social Care, Immigration rights, Capacity and Court of Protection work

Property: As well as advising and representing private and public-sector clients in relation to commercial and residential property, members act as mediators and arbitrators.

Licensing: The set drives professional development in this area by advising, training and educating across the whole field, including alcohol, entertainment, gambling and taxis, on behalf of licensing authorities, police, leading industry operators, trade associations and campaign and community groups.

Information law: The team has particular expertise in profiling, big data and Al, and brings both legal and technical knowledge to advising clients.

Health and social care: Members represent clients in the Court of Protection, the Administrative Court and the Supreme Court across the full spectrum of health and social care matters, including adult and child social care, mental capacity and mental health law.

Commercial: The set includes barristers with domestic business law practices encompassing contentious and non-contentious commercial and corporate work.

Regulatory Law: In conjunction with a leading reputation in corporate manslaughter, the set provides a comprehensive service in consumer protection, trading standards, health and safety and environmental regulation.