Christopher Sharp KC
St John’s ChambersSt John’s Chambers is ‘a strong regional set with a wide-ranging depth of experience’ in cases involving fatal accidents, industrial disease, brain injuries, and catastrophic spinal injuries. Andrew McLaughlin acted for the defendant in Yesss (A) Electrical Ltd v Warren, an appeal concerning if a late application for permission to rely on expert evidence in a new specialism not addressed by the existing directions is an application for relief from sanctions under the Civil Procedure Rules. Richard Stead has expertise across a broad range of high-value and complex personal injury claims with a particular focus on Animals Act claims. ’An excellent and persuasive advocate’, Matthew White is active in handling contentious and non-contentious matters, including occupational illness litigation, accidents at work and highway claims. Ben Handy is regularly involved in serious injury cases and garners praises for his ‘reassuring presence in complex claims’.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Adam Marston has an excellent sense of humour and genuinely cares about finding the right person for the job.'
- 'Hugh Maguire is dependable and always available.'
- 'Adam Marston, Jordan Yandell and Lara Hanney offer excellent service, especially in arranging conferences, dealing with papers and general administration.'
- 'The clerks are very professional and respond quickly to queries, especially Hugh Maguire.'
- 'Hugh Maguire and Adam Marston are excellent.'
- 'The clerks, with Adam Marston and Hugh Maguire in particular, are always helpful.'
- 'Adam Marston and Hugh Maguire are fantastic clerks, always very efficient and go over and above to help.'
- 'St John's Chambers is a pre-eminent Bristol set with several experienced counsels.'
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
Andrew McLaughlin
St John’s Chambers ‘Andrew is an exceptional barrister, hard-working, diligent and with a superb eye for detail. He is an outstanding trial advocate, always thoroughly prepared and able to think on his feet.’
1
Richard Stead
St John’s Chambers1
Matthew White
St John’s Chambers ‘Matthew is superb in technical detail and forensics in his approach to case planning and quantum calculation.’
2
Ben Handy
St John’s Chambers ‘Ben is an excellent barrister with a sharp intellect. He is astute and adept at quickly grasping the complex issues in a case and offers practical and commercial solutions. His advocacy skills are exceptional.’
2
James Marwick
St John’s Chambers ‘James is very knowledgeable and experienced. He is a safe pair of hands and persuasive in advocacy.’
3
Jimmy Barber
St John’s Chambers ‘Jimmy is a first-rate clinical negligence barrister and a go-to expert in the field. He is wise beyond his years of call and can quickly identify the key issues in a case.’
3
James Hughes
St John’s Chambers ‘James has a keen eye for detail and provides thorough advice. His pleading of court documents is thorough and concise. He is good on his feet in trials, especially in getting the point across clearly and concisely.’
3
Darren Lewis
St John’s Chambers ‘Darren is good on paper and equally good on his feet. He has a calming, professional air.’
3
Rachel Segal
St John’s Chambers ‘Rachel is a decisive advocate and demonstrates an impressive knowledge of her practice area. She is thorough and compassionate.’
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.
Jonathan Lindfield
St John’s Chambers ‘Jonathan has excellent attention to detail. He reviews instructions thoroughly and can highlight details in a case.’