John Randall KC
St Philips ChambersSt Philips Chambers continues to enjoy an excellent reputation on the Midland Circuit for its property and construction offering. John Aldis is particularly strong handling disputes concerning boundaries, adverse possession, rights of way, and prescription. He recently acted for the respondent church in Liddle v The Incumbent of the Ashfords Benefice, successfully defending against an adverse possession claim by an applicant seeking to be registered as the proprietor of a flowerbed within the churchyard, on the basis of the incumbent priest’s possessory title and the 30-year limitation period afforded to spiritual corporations sole. John Brennan’s broad experience covers contested forfeiture applications, right of way disputes, and adverse possession claims. Christopher Buckingham specialises in commercial property matters, standing out for his ‘excellent advocacy’.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Ross Hands and Justin Luckman in particular provide a faultless service and are a joy to deal with.'
- 'The clerks are extremely helpful, in particular Tom Kelly, who always responds quickly to requests for availability or costs estimates.'
- 'The clerks at St Philips are fantastic and the team is boosted by the arrival of Ross Hands who is a fantastic clerk. He is readily available and always willing to assist.'
- 'St Philips is a great set with strength in depth. They always seek where possible to accommodate, and provide excellent training programmes throughout the year to assist with meeting CPD requirements.'
- 'St Philips Chambers is an exceptional set with a number of excellent barristers and an efficient clerking team behind them.'
- 'St Philips is a go-to for more complex property disputes. They have a strong property team with a good variety of barristers of different levels of experience and specialisms.'
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.
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.
1
John Brennan
St Philips Chambers 'John is authoritative in his advice and forthright when needed. His paperwork is sound and he is not backward in coming forward when required. He is also popular with clients and his advocacy is impressive.'
1
Anthony Verduyn
St Philips Chambers ‘Anthony is excellent on paper and excellent on his feet. He is responsive and very amenable. An all-round good barrister.'
1
Christopher Buckingham
St Philips Chambers 'Christopher is very a commercial, practical and proactive barrister. He provides clear and direct advise so clients know where they stand.'
1
Michelle Caney
St Philips Chambers ‘Michelle is undoubtedly at the top of her game. Her written work is always razor-sharp – incredibly detailed but always easy to follow, even for the lay client. Her pleadings are extremely strong and always well-thought-out as well as realistic. The courtroom is where Michelle really brings a case to life; she is a pleasure to watch. She is a real class act.’
2
Anya Newman
St Philips Chambers ‘Anya has an incisive brain and an ability which is underestimated at your peril. She has a thorough grasp of the law and smooth delivery in court.'
2
Gavin McLeod
St Philips Chambers ‘Gavin is analytical and thorough. He is a solid pair of hands and has a keen legal mind.'
2
John Aldis
St Philips Chambers 'John has a fantastic eye for detail, is very methodical and clearly explains matters when in conference with clients. He is a fantastic advocate who makes clear and salient points.'
2
David Nuttall
St Philips Chambers ‘David is one of the best property juniors outside of London. He is clear and pragmatic in his written opinions, has a great manner with clients during conferences and is tenacious and resilient when on his feet in court.'
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.
Harry Marriott
St Philips Chambers ‘Harry has proved himself capable not only with his drafting and advice, but also his negotiation skills. His advocacy and cross-examination skills impressive as well.'