1 Crown Office Row Brighton is ‘a good and experienced set of chambers with a wide depth of experience’ in the full range of property disputes, including complex issues relating to easements, breach of covenants and enfranchisement, along with landlord and tenant disputes. Practice head Simon Sinnatt appeared before the Court of Appeal in Savage v Savage, an ongoing dispute related to the right of pre-emption in ToLATA proceedings between beneficiaries. Paul Ashwell is known for his expertise in handling property issues for both private and public sector clients. Michael Walker is praised for his ’good advocacy skills’, while Kate Richmond is an ‘exceptionally good and all-round’ advocate adept at handling commercial and residential property matters. Other key members of the team include Stuart Wright, who is ’always thorough and concise in his written advice’, and Rachel Baker, who successfully acted for an elderly and disabled claimant seeking removal of a defendant who had occupied a caravan on her farm.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'David Bingham leads a professional, helpful and friendly set of clerks.'
  • 'Clerking is generally excellent. David Bingham knows how to look after you.'
  • 'The clerks are all friendly and efficient and go out of their way to help. David Bingham, in particular, is nice to work with.'
  • '1 Crown Office Row is the best set for property litigation in the southeast.'
  • '1 Crown Office Row is a good and consistent set.'
  • '1 Crown Office Row has a strong availability of counsel and can assist at short notice.'

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
Paul Ashwell
1 Crown Office Row Brighton
 'Paul provides clear, precise and helpful advice.'
1
Simon Sinnatt
1 Crown Office Row Brighton
‘Simon’s strength is dealing with complex disputes. He can distil complex legal argument into plain English for the lay client. He can hold his own against any silk in court with his sharp attention to detail.’
2
Stuart Wright
1 Crown Office Row Brighton
‘Stuart provides commercial advice to clients at all times. He is a strong advocate who goes the extra mile to assist the client to achieve the desired outcome. He has a strong attention to detail, which leaves the client confident that all aspects of the case have been considered.’
2
Kate Richmond
1 Crown Office Row Brighton
‘Kate has a very strong advocacy and client management.’
2
Michael Walker
1 Crown Office Row Brighton
 ‘Michael is very realistic, commercial and practical with his advice. He picks up the little details but also sees the bigger picture. He is great in court, and written advice is sound.’
2
Matthew Withers
1 Crown Office Row Brighton
'Matthew is incredibly knowledgeable, thorough and personable in his approach. He understands the client's needs and can apply his knowledge to a situation to appropriately advise the clients on the strengths and weaknesses of their position in a given matter.'
2
Rachel Baker
1 Crown Office Row Brighton
‘Rachel provides a clear advice which goes over and above the initial instructions given to the client. She provides a quick turnaround on advice.’