St John’s Chambers is a ‘go-to‘ set for Court of Protection work on the Western Circuit, with several members regularly receiving instructions from family members, the Official Solicitor, and local authorities, among others.”

The Legal 500 2024, Court of Protection and Community Care

We can offer barristers of all levels of seniority who are equipped to deal with the whole range of Court of Protection cases. They combine their knowledge of mental capacity law and mental disability with a practical approach and reliable advice and judgment.

Our barristers have experience in cases at all levels of complexity, from District Judge to High Court Judge and undertake advisory and advocacy work at all stages, including contested trials in the Court of Protection.

We receive instructions from across the range of parties including family members, the Official Solicitor and local authorities. We work in cases both locally and nationally, appearing in the Court of Protection in London, Wales, South West and other regions.

We have undertaken cases raising novel issues of principle and practice, including issues relating to the Court of Protection Rules, costs, publicity, deputyship including both welfare and property and affairs deputies, and mediation in the Court of Protection.

Our expertise includes:

  • Property and Affairs matters generally
  • Trusts
  • Gifts
  • Statutory wills
  • Allegations of financial abuse
  • Settlement and administration of personal injury awards
  • Deputyship issues – property and affairs and welfare deputies
  • LPAs and EPAs
  • Health and Welfare – best interests decisions
  • Medical treatment
  • Welfare decisions relating to care, residence, family contact
  • Deprivation of liberty issues

Our dedicated clerking team know the procedures of the Court well and we can handle urgent and out of hours cases.

Mediation

As the number of cases being dealt with by way of mediation increases, our mediation team are on hand to help, be it by providing the advocates, mediators or both. Our facilities are specifically designed to meet with client’s needs for a mediation venue. Read more. 

Court of Protection Team

Christopher Sharp QC

Christopher Sharp KC

  • Call: 1975
  • Silk: 1999

Christopher’s areas of work in catastrophic injury, including brain injury, his experience in complex public law children’s cases involving those with learning and other cognitive disabilities, and his work in financial remedies where he is sometimes instructed by...

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alex-troup

Alex Troup KC

  • Call: 1998
  • Silk: 2023

Alex has been described by peers as an exceptional chancery barrister who is adept at handling Court of Protection work. He has been instructed in a wide variety of Court of Protection cases, for the most part involving...

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Lucy Reed KC

  • Call: 2002
  • Silk: 2023

Lucy is a family law specialist and has practised in family law throughout her professional career. Her practice now spans all areas of family law with a particular emphasis on children work. In addition to her children practice Lucy is...

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Sarah Philimore

Sarah Phillimore

  • Call: 1994

Sarah first developed an interest in Court of Protection work in 2014 when representing a foster carer in a case where care proceedings overlapped with consideration of ‘best interests’ of a protected party. She has continued to develop...

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John Dickinson

John Dickinson

  • Call: 1995

John is a barrister specialising in Court of Protection work, he has appeared in the Court of Protection both in London, Bristol and other regional hubs. John brings his trust law experience and knowledge of financial issues to...

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Judi Evans

  • Call: 1996

Judi advises and represents local authorities, family members and the subject person on all matters including DOLS both in the County and the High Court in Court of Protection matters.

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Abigail Bond

Abigail Bond

  • Call: 1999

Abigail has an expanding Court of Protection practice in which she represents parties in health and welfare cases and into which she transfers some of the skills and experience she has acquired in representing learning disabled adults in...

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Christopher Jones

Christopher Jones

  • Call: 2004

Christopher advises on and appears in cases involving the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the property and affairs jurisdiction of the Court of Protection.  He has a particular expertise in statutory will applications (in 2012 he appeared in Re JC;...

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Jody Atkinson

  • Call: 2005

Combining both family and trusts/probate expertise, Jody is able to undertake the full range of Court of Protection work. Unlike many barristers he undertakes both ‘property and affairs’ and ‘welfare’ work. Recently he has represented family members in...

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Oliver Wooding

Oliver Wooding

  • Call: 2009

Oliver’s Court of Protection experience primarily relates to property and affairs.  He has advised on matters including: Contested applications for deputyship Applications for authorisation of lifetime gifts (including those with an IHT aspect) Statutory wills Matters involving financial...

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Adam Boyle

  • Call: 2012

Adam accepts instructions in a wide range of Court of Protection matters. Notably, he succeeded in a tricky appeal to the High Court in a case which, at the time it was decided, broke new ground in relation...

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Joss Knight

  • Call: 2014

Joss has particular experience in Court of Protection work and acts in both health and welfare and property and estates matters. Recent work includes: A claim to recover a six-figure sum appropriated by the defendant from an elderly relative...

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Annie Sampson

Annie Sampson

  • Call: 2015

Annie accepts instructions across the spectrum of Court of Protection matters, having gained experience during pupillage of matters arising in the context of both property and affairs and health and welfare.

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Directory Quotes

The members have expertise across a wide spectrum of agricultural issues, including sales and purchases of land, inheritance disputes involving farmland estates, and proprietary estoppel cases.”

The Legal 500 2023, Court of Protection

The team have been kept busy handling cases involving issues of mental capacity arising from diagnoses of dementia, health and welfare matters, and property and affairs disputes.”

Legal 500 2022, Court of Protection

Members at St John’s Chambers have worked on a number of interesting cases with patients affected by a range of issues, including vascular dementia, paranoid schizophrenia, and brain injuries caused either through personal injury or medical negligence.”

Legal 500 2021, Court of Protection

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