Morag Ellis KC
Francis Taylor Building ‘Morag’s main strength is her pragmatic and practical approach to advising clients. She is clear and concise and gives advice with authority.’
Described as a ‘chambers of choice’ for planning, Francis Taylor Building prides itself on providing ’expertise in a myriad of planning matters’. Their team of ‘exceptionally knowledgeable’ silks and juniors providing services that encompass planning applications, development proposals and complex environmental work. Morag Ellis KC led Charles Merrett, in R (BDW Trading and others) v Wrexham Council representing a multitude of clients in a key case considering whether local authorities have a discretion not to adopt a development plan after it is found acceptable at examination. Richard Honey KC has led various counsel from multiple sets in a multitude of cases this year, with a notable highlight being R (Parkes) v Dorset Council, Home Secretary & Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities concerning the geographical extent of Dorset Council’s development control powers in the interface between the land and the sea. Hereward Phillpot KC led Hugh Flanagan in representing East Anglia One North Ltd and East Anglia Two Ltd on in judicial reviews of development consent orders for windfarms off the Suffolk coast.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The service given over several years is beyond reproach. Paul, the senior clerk, always goes the extra mile to help and he is supported by a great team who give their best. '
- 'The clerks are very professional. James Kemp and Harry Killick always polite, polished and responsive to all enquires.'
- 'All the clerks are excellent. Paul Coveney runs a tight ship. James Kemp is always helpful and goes the extra mile. More junior clerks, like Molly Dumbleton, are helpful and efficient.
- 'Paul Coveney, Andrew Britton and James Kemp stand out. They understand their barristers' practice areas and take the time to get to know instructing solicitors.'
- 'Paul Coveney is first class and ensures the speed of response, approachability is top class. Harry Killick really works hard to understand precisely what our requirements are and dealing with him is always super smooth and efficient. Kia Liddell always responds immediately. It is a great friendly team and it a pleasure to speak with them, they take a genuine interest.'
- 'A very strong set, particularly in planning with a good range of very experienced KC's through to juniors.'
- 'FTB are one, if not the, leading planning set. And with good reason, they have strength in depth and an excellent breadth in their members.'
- 'Francis Taylor Building is an excellent set - very professional and are always the first choice chambers. The clerks are friendly, approachable and know their areas and members well. They have good availability of members and always make clients feel valued.'
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.
Hereward Phillpot KC
Francis Taylor Building ‘Hereward expresses arguments cogently and concisely in court. He is unfailing in his tact, preparedness and persuasiveness both in written submissions and court.’
Michael Humphries KC
Francis Taylor Building ‘Michael has a deep understanding of the sectors in which he operates, not just the law. On his feet, Michael is a highly persuasive advocate who crystallises the issues and presses home his case with clear logic and calm reasoning. He remains the go-to KC for all infrastructure planning work.’
Alexander Booth KC
Francis Taylor Building ‘Alex is the leading appeal barrister at the Bar presently. He is tactically astute, works well with appeal teams, and is hands-on and available. His advocacy is second to none.’
Saira Kabir Sheikh KC
Francis Taylor Building ‘Saira is an exceptional advocate and a brilliant strategist. She is totally approachable and is utterly practical in her approach. She is highly respected by both public and private sector – one of the few top-flight KCs to achieve that accolade.’
Craig Howell Williams KC
Francis Taylor Building ‘Incredibly client friendly, incomparably thorough, and looks at issues with an inquiring mind.’
Richard Honey KC
Francis Taylor Building ‘He has an outstanding ability to quickly understand very complex historical and technical issues, take the lead in guiding the team in preparation for the public inquiry and the different angles different witnesses could cover. His grasp of every detail and every drawing is outstanding as is his commanding cross examination of the other side’s witnesses.’
Douglas Edwards KC
Francis Taylor Building
Simon Bird KC
Francis Taylor Building ‘Simon is quick to understand the case, and robustly challenge his clients' positions to ensure a strong case is made. He is very quick to respond to issues as they arise, both in the inquiry and beforehand, and is proactive and provides practical help in time-constrained situations.’
Andrew Fraser-Urquhart KC
Francis Taylor Building ‘Andrew is fantastic to work with. He gets to grips with the subject matter extremely quickly, and provides quality advice.’
James Pereira KC
Francis Taylor Building ‘James is an advocate who focusses on the real points in issue. His charm, combined with intellectual excellence, and clarity of approach can disarm a witness.’
Suzanne Ornsby KC
Francis Taylor Building ‘Suzanne provides her clients with a huge amount of confidence.’
Andrew Tait KC
Francis Taylor Building ‘Andrew is a top level counsel at the planning Bar and very well regarded. He is hardworking, clear in his advice, provides calm assurance to the project team and is always a pleasure to work with.’
Richard Glover KC
Francis Taylor Building ‘Richard is a very strong advocate, with a deep understanding of the law with the ability to develop pragmatic solutions.’
2023 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.
2024 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.
Mark Westmoreland Smith KC
Francis Taylor BuildingJuniors
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.
Hugh Flanagan
Francis Taylor Building ‘Hugh is a talented and thorough barrister. A quietly powerful advocate who is a tough but polite opponent.’
Isabella Tafur
Francis Taylor Building ‘Isabella is a formidable opponent. She is always very well-prepared, meticulous in her approach, always courteous and a powerful advocate. Her cross-examination is focussed, thoughtful and impressive. The same applies to her legal and factual submissions, both written and oral. Isabella is a very impressive barrister in all respects.’
Merrow Golden
Francis Taylor Building ‘Merrow is efficient and to the point. She advances her arguments clearly and confidently with an astute understanding of what the tribunal needs. Her advocacy is thorough, crisp and, consequently, very effective.’
Charles Streeten
Francis Taylor Building ‘Sharp as a razor, extremely responsive and always on point in terms of his advocacy and advice, Charles is one of the very best planning juniors at the Bar. He is also an absolute pleasure to work with. Highly collaborative and user-friendly.’
Rebecca Clutten
Francis Taylor Building ‘Rebecca is very personable and approachable, and naturally integrates herself with a project team which is important. She is also very clear in devising and communicating a strategy, and in setting the expectations of the team to deliver that strategy. That is critical in complex and long-term mandates. Finally, Rebecca’s sectoral knowledge is a particular skill.’
Cain Ormondroyd
Francis Taylor Building
Ned Westaway
Francis Taylor Building ‘Extremely bright, enthusiastic and hardworking; Ned is able to quickly assess technical and specialist evidence and provide meaningful advice to the client. His advocacy is robust, focusing on main issues with clarity. He has an engaging manner that enables others to feel comfortable working with him.’
Daisy Noble
Francis Taylor Building 'Daisy is a persuasive advocate, with a keen ability to distill complex concepts in accessible ways. Daisy's practice is also notably and critically accessible; clients are grateful for her straight shooting in all settings and situations. She is also very diligent, supremely organised, and has a comprehensive handle on her brief, making her a really effective and central contributor to our team.'
Esther Drabkin-Reiter
Francis Taylor Building ‘Esther is thorough in her research and drafting. On her feet, she inspires confidence in her clients. She is calm and presents strong legal arguments in a clear manner.'
Michael Fry
Francis Taylor Building ‘Michael is bright, highly competent, hard-working, reliable and a joy to work with.’
Annabel Graham Paul
Francis Taylor Building ‘Annabel shows excellent advocacy skills, and an ability to pull together the strands of a case extremely quickly and present it in the best light. She has a complete control and command of document bundles and an ability to multitask on her feet which is highly impressive.’
Horatio Waller
Francis Taylor Building ‘Horatio is easy to work with and is well-versed in planning and public law matters. He is well-liked by clients, can grapple with complex facts and provides clear advice.’
George Mackenzie
Francis Taylor Building ‘George is an exceptional barrister. He is meticulous in his preparation of judicial review documents and his written work is incredibly detailed. His charm and rapport with clients is a particular strength.’
Alexander Greaves
Francis Taylor Building
Emyr Jones
Francis Taylor Building
Charles Merrett
Francis Taylor Building ‘Charles is good with clients as he is very approachable and down to earth. His research skills and presentation of complex information are excellent.’
Rising stars
Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.
Conor Fegan
Francis Taylor Building