1Hall of fameFrancis Taylor Building
‘Morag is commercially minded, logical and precise. She explains matters in such a way so as to take both clients and judges through her arguments step by step, leaving no room for doubt.’
Francis Taylor Building
As ‘one of the leading barristers sets for planning’, Francis Taylor Building provides a full spectrum planning practice. The chambers has an established and ‘deserved strong reputation’ as an infrastructure set but has also seen a recent increase in residential schemes, from planning appeal inquiries to strategic advice to developers. A number of members have been instructed on the Sizewell C nuclear power station; Hereward Phillpot KC led for NNB Generation Company (SZC) Limited, a subsidiary of EDF; Andrew Tait KC is acting for the local planning authority, East Suffolk Council, in the ongoing hearings; and Hugh Flanagan is acting for EDF Energy on its application for development consent and appeared in the High Court. Members of chambers are involved in the litigation concerning the proposal to build a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre over part of Victoria Tower Gardens; Meyric Lewis KC represented opponents London Gardens Trust and Save Victoria Tower Gardens, and Kate Olley acted for the Secretary of State and the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation. Richard Honey KC led the team of counsel on Friends of the Earth & South Lakeland Action on Climate Change v SSLUHC, defending two judicial reviews of the government’s approval of the Whitehaven coal mine. Simon Bird KC led Flanagan in Aquind Ltd v SSBEIS, appearing for the claimant after the Secretary of State refused a DCO for the proposed 2GW Aquind electricity interconnector between Le Havre and Portsmouth.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Clerks are very approachable and helpful. Great client service and knowledge of the sector from Paul Coveney and James Kemp in particular.'
- 'James Kemp is excellent as deputy senior clerk.'
- 'The clerks team is very strong, and the set are always a pleasure to deal with. In particular they are very good at liaising with the courts and other sets to help get hearings listed etc. My dealings are mostly with Andrew Briton but special mentions also for James Kemp and Harry Killick.'
- 'I mainly deal with Harry Killick and Grant James, and they are a delight to work with: helpful and responsive.'
- 'The clerks are all brilliant and very personable. We have been dealing most recently with Molly Dumbelton, who is responsive and helpful. I have always had positive experiences with Andrew Briton and Paul Coveney.'
- 'FTB is one of the leading barristers sets for planning; and the first port of call for all major planning infrastructure work.'
- 'Chambers is full of excellent barristers and has a deserved strong reputation in the planning world.'
- 'First class for infrastructure planning. Very good quality training. Consistently high-quality individuals.'
- 'They have an excellent group of planning experts. Whatever the planning specialism, they have someone at the forefront of the field.'
- 'FTB is a very polished set, one can have full confidence in the ability of its members in planning and administrative law and even where diary clashes arise when a case is listed a suitable and able substitute will always be proffered.'
Silks
Leading Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
1
1Hall of fameFrancis Taylor Building
‘Michael has a deep knowledge of infrastructure planning and a standing as a senior statesman in this area.’
1Hall of fameFrancis Taylor Building
‘Harry is a master of his field. In hearings in the Divisional Court and Court of Appeal, against a range of senior and junior opponents, he always stands out from his peers. He takes the right points, presents them with clarity and persuasion, and wins repeatedly.’
2Hall of fameFrancis Taylor Building
‘Alex is one of the best inquiry advocates at the planning Bar. He is tenacious on his feet and forensic in his preparation – a deadly combination if you are against him. He is a team player who works closely and collaboratively with instructing solicitors and the witness team. He is also creative in finding the point in even the most hopeless of cases when needs must.’
2Hall of fameFrancis Taylor Building
‘Craig is an incredibly strong advocate with a tenacious appetite for detail. His preparation is incredibly thorough, leaving no stone unturned. Craig is proactive and his advise is delivered commercially and with conviction.’
2Hall of fameFrancis Taylor Building
‘Saira is outstanding: she is commercially astute, a brilliant advocate, well-respected and very approachable.’
2Hall of fameFrancis Taylor Building
‘Andrew is forensic and good on his feet. He is very bright and sees the target clearly. He is prominent in his field of planning and parliamentary law.’
3
3Hall of fameFrancis Taylor Building
‘Richard’s knowledge of planning law is excellent, as is his ability to pull the team together, identify key issues and lead each member meticulously to achieve a successful outcome for the client. His advocacy is polished and delivered with exceptional flair.’
3
3
4Hall of fameFrancis Taylor Building
‘He is succinct and direct. He has a very calm demeanour which can belie the severity of his cross-examination, while also projecting confidence in his approach, to reassure planning inspectors of the rationality of his arguments.’
4
4Hall of fameFrancis Taylor Building
'Richard gives clear and well-structured advice. He is attentive to the needs of clients, and not afraid to have difficult conversations with the client team to get the best results.-
4Hall of fameFrancis Taylor Building
‘Suzanne is able to very quickly refine an issue into its main components for successful promotion. She is pleasant, efficient, very accommodating and easy to work with. At public inquiry, she has a commanding presence and is able to focus attention on the key strengths in the promotion of a case whilst also being ruthless in cross-examination.’
2023 Silks
Francis Taylor Building
‘Very responsive and a real can-do attitude. Works well with clients but not afraid to be robust with them when necessary. Advocacy is superb as is his written work.’
2024 Silks
Francis Taylor Building
‘Mark is a calm and assured presence in court, always completely on top of his brief and trusted by the court. He has built up a formidable practice and reputation by dint of these qualities combined with an impressive capacity for work. He is thoroughly commercial and pragmatic in his outlook, and displays an astute understanding of what matters from the client's perspective.’
Juniors
Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
1Francis Taylor Building
‘Hugh is a very able and persuasive advocate, both in writing and in court.’
2Francis Taylor Building
‘Merrow is a very good advocate. She is clear and powerful in the presentation of her client’s case, very well-prepared and effective in cross-examination. A formidable opponent.’
2Francis Taylor Building
‘Charles is fiercely intelligent, thinks outside the box and fights like a terrier for his clients. Charles is also a real team player. He makes a lot of effort to respond to the specific needs of the client and the rest of the professional team. Simply, Charles is a joy to work with and a highly effective barrister, with an impressively nimble mind.’
3Francis Taylor Building
‘Rebecca is very impressive in getting to grips with the legal issues and making them digestible for the client team.’
3Francis Taylor Building
‘Great written work is a real strength of Kate’s. She is very supportive and attentive to instructing solicitors, and has the authority of a silk.
3Francis Taylor Building
‘Ned is professional, friendly and approachable. He can speak directly to the client in terms that the client understands, whilst also being able to argue technical legal points with his peers in court. He is able to read the court and knows when to reinforce a point and when to leave it with the judge. He is never aggressive in his approach, especially when dealing with cross-examination of witnesses, but is always firm and makes his point.’
4Francis Taylor Building
‘Cool, calm and quietly authoritative. She is able to explain complex issues very clearly.’
4Francis Taylor Building
‘Esther is really client friendly and provides clear and pragmatic advice. Her drafting skills in relation to court submissions are excellent.’
4Francis Taylor Building
‘Annabel’s advocacy is very strong and she has an ability to adapt to the twists and turns of a complex fast changing situation for cross-examination and for submissions to an inspector. Written submissions are also strong but her cross-examination demonstrates great skill.’
4Francis Taylor Building
‘George is an extremely approachable and user-friendly barrister to work with. He quickly sees the commercial drivers in the case and always provides very clear and digestible advice. His ability to work seamlessly with different personalities in the client team is also very impressive.’
4Francis Taylor Building
‘Daisy is forensic in her approach, innovative in her advice and a reliable, knowledgeable and trustworthy advocate. Daisy works hard on her client’s behalf, her advice is thoroughly researched and communicated with ease. Daisy is strong and resilient during cross examination with the ability to be both personable yet assertive on her client’s behalf. Her written opening and closing statements are prepared to an exceptional quality, even though the latter may need to be prepared at short notice.’
4Francis Taylor Building
‘Horatio is a compelling and comprehensive advocate, both in writing and orally.’
Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
1Francis Taylor Building
‘Hugh is a very able and persuasive advocate, both in writing and in court.’
2Francis Taylor Building
‘Merrow is a very good advocate. She is clear and powerful in the presentation of her client’s case, very well-prepared and effective in cross-examination. A formidable opponent.’
2Francis Taylor Building
‘Charles is fiercely intelligent, thinks outside the box and fights like a terrier for his clients. Charles is also a real team player. He makes a lot of effort to respond to the specific needs of the client and the rest of the professional team. Simply, Charles is a joy to work with and a highly effective barrister, with an impressively nimble mind.’
3Francis Taylor Building
‘Rebecca is very impressive in getting to grips with the legal issues and making them digestible for the client team.’
3Francis Taylor Building
‘Great written work is a real strength of Kate’s. She is very supportive and attentive to instructing solicitors, and has the authority of a silk.
3Francis Taylor Building
‘Ned is professional, friendly and approachable. He can speak directly to the client in terms that the client understands, whilst also being able to argue technical legal points with his peers in court. He is able to read the court and knows when to reinforce a point and when to leave it with the judge. He is never aggressive in his approach, especially when dealing with cross-examination of witnesses, but is always firm and makes his point.’
4Francis Taylor Building
‘Cool, calm and quietly authoritative. She is able to explain complex issues very clearly.’
4Francis Taylor Building
‘Esther is really client friendly and provides clear and pragmatic advice. Her drafting skills in relation to court submissions are excellent.’
4Francis Taylor Building
‘Annabel’s advocacy is very strong and she has an ability to adapt to the twists and turns of a complex fast changing situation for cross-examination and for submissions to an inspector. Written submissions are also strong but her cross-examination demonstrates great skill.’
4Francis Taylor Building
‘George is an extremely approachable and user-friendly barrister to work with. He quickly sees the commercial drivers in the case and always provides very clear and digestible advice. His ability to work seamlessly with different personalities in the client team is also very impressive.’
4Francis Taylor Building
‘Daisy is forensic in her approach, innovative in her advice and a reliable, knowledgeable and trustworthy advocate. Daisy works hard on her client’s behalf, her advice is thoroughly researched and communicated with ease. Daisy is strong and resilient during cross examination with the ability to be both personable yet assertive on her client’s behalf. Her written opening and closing statements are prepared to an exceptional quality, even though the latter may need to be prepared at short notice.’
4Francis Taylor Building
‘Horatio is a compelling and comprehensive advocate, both in writing and orally.’