The members of 18 St John Street Chambers frequently represent children, parents, and local authorities in high-profile cases and those concerning novel points of law, especially cases arising from allegations of sexual abuse, physical abuse and fatal injuries, deprivation of liberty, factitious illness, and parental alienation. Yvonne Healing has particular expertise in complex care proceedings and often conducts hearings at the High Court, as does Leonie Caplan, who is head of the family team. Fiona Holloran practices exclusively in family law and her work encompasses the entirety of both public and private law applications. She is especially skilled in cases surrounding historic sexual abuse and those with an international element. Kate Bramall predominately handles public law proceedings, and has significant expertise in cases regarding unexplained injuries to children. Similarly, Alex Walker is skilled in representing clients involved in physical abuse cases. Anna Warters has an interest in mental health law and has significant experience in acting for vulnerable clients, especially in cases regarding capacity issues.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Camille Scott, Garrick Brown, and Vaughn John are impressive with their speed of response to enquiries and client care.'
  • 'Fantastic service from the clerks, in particular Camille Scott, Garrick Brown, and Vaughn John.'
  • 'The clerking team are extremely efficient and helpful and go above and beyond to ensure availability of counsel, including in emergency cases listed at very short notice or out of hours; this particularly applies to Camille Scott, Vaughn John, and Garrick Brown.'
  • 'All of the family clerks are extremely helpful, particularly Camille Scott, Vaughn John, and Garrick Brown. They stand out form the crowd in terms of the levels of service.'
  • 'The clerks are excellent, particularly Camille Scott, Garrick Brown, and Vaughn John.'
  • 'The clerks are approachable, especially Vaughn John and Camille Scott. They work very hard.'

Silks

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
Yvonne Healing
18 St John Street Chambers
 'Yvonne has extensive experience in representing a wide range of clients, lay and professional, in public law cases, and she is a calm and collected advocate and ably presents the client's case.'
2
Anna Warters
18 St John Street Chambers
 'Anna is an amazing advocate who is honest and amazing with clients who respect her. She also presents cases in a way that gets brilliant results for everyone, working well with the solicitor who instructs her so it is a real team effort to get what is best for the client.'
2
Samantha Birtles
18 St John Street Chambers
 ‘Samantha is a go-to in difficult care proceedings. She is always very impressive, thoroughly prepared, and a very persuasive advocate who goes the extra mile for the client and builds an excellent rapport with them.’
2
Leonie Caplan
18 St John Street Chambers
 ‘Leonie is approachable, empathetic with clients, and gives careful advice about the prospects of the case, pursuing contested cases where instructed.’
3
Danish Ameen
18 St John Street Chambers
 'Danish is passionate about his cases, looks after his clients, and is empathetic in his approach while delivering robust advice. He is confident in handling complex children cases, and he has strong technical knowledge in bundling application and electronic working.'
3
Farah Ahmed
18 St John Street Chambers
 ‘Farah has an excellent manner with lay clients, particularly those who are vulnerable or have difficulty in understanding. Farah is calm, patient, and approachable.’
4
Fergal Allen
18 St John Street Chambers
 'Fergal has an excellent manner with clients and displays an ability to explain complex legal concepts in an accessible way. He is a popular and respected advocate who knows his tribunals, leading to impressive outcomes.'
4
Jonathan Mark Jackson
18 St John Street Chambers
 'Jonathan is thorough and meticulous in his preparation and is instructed to represent a wide range of clients, including local authorities, parents, and children. He is reliable and skilled in his cross-examination.'
4
Hannah Phoenix
18 St John Street Chambers
 ‘Hannah’s client care is exceptional, and her delivery both during conference and in advocacy is thorough and considered, but direct and robust. Hannah has repeatedly received great feedback from clients who have greatly appreciated her no-nonsense and pragmatic approach.’