Francis Taylor Building
ftbchambers.co.ukftbchambers.co.ukBarristers
Mark O'Brien O'Reilly
- Phone02073538415
- Email[email protected]
Position
Mark was called to the Bar in 2021. He has a strong and busy practice across all of Chambers’ practice areas, including in planning and public law. Mark has a strong reputation as an advocate and, unusually for his year of call, has regularly appeared in the High Court, including as sole counsel (and will appear as sole counsel in the Court of Appeal in December). His advocacy experience, including cross-examining in the Old Bailey, means he is often instructed against more senior counsel, including KCs. He appears before a broad range of courts, tribunals and planning inquiries. He is also regularly instructed as junior counsel to other members of Chambers, including leading silks (such as Morag Ellis KC, Craig Howell Williams KC, Douglas Edwards KC, Greg Jones KC, James Periera KC, Jeremy Phillips KC and Meyric Lewis KC).
Mark is noted for his planning work, and is instructed in several forthcoming planning inquiries, including a solar farm development in the Green Belt. He is also noted for his strong experience of injunctions, including section 187B injunctions, and is regularly called upon, often urgently, to advise upon and obtain High Court injunctions. He has a broad range of clients ranging from developers and landowners to local residents. He has extensive experience of acting for, and advising, central government and local government. Recent cases include R (Dawes) v Secretary of State for Transport [2023] EWHC 2352 (Admin), Buckinghamshire Council v Twynham [2023] 7 WLUK 126, Fenland District Council v CBPRP Ltd [2022] EWHC 3132 (KB) and R (Suliman) v Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council [2022] J.P.L. 1281.
During his pupillage, Mark was awarded the Reid Scholarship by Gray's Inn, a Senior Scholarship for Pupillage, which is the Inn's most prestigious scholarship and awarded to a pupil barrister of exceptional merit. He is a First Class Honours graduate of University College Dublin and the University of Cambridge. Mark was called to the Bar of Ireland in July 2023.
Mark welcomes instructions across all of Chambers' practice areas, with a particular interest in planning, public and compulsory purchase/compensation as well as licensing and environmental law.