St John’s Chambers is a ‘first-class‘ set for property and construction law work, with a range of experienced barristers and upcoming juniors.”

The Legal 500 2024, Property & Construction

What we offer in property and real estate mediation

St John’s Chambers offers a team of specialist property and real estate mediators with vast experience in the sector and a commitment to maximising the prospects of settlements in the most complex and challenging disputes.  We mediate across the full range of property and real estate matters and we cover all sectors, including commercial and industrial, infrastructure and development, agricultural and rural, residential, and the environment and natural resources.  We mediate in person across the UK, including in Bristol, London and the other major cities, and online for parties based in the UK and internationally.

Our expertise

Our Property and Real Estate team enjoys a reputation as the pre-eminent group of practitioners in the South West.  Within this team is a group of experienced mediators renowned for the quality of their work in resolving disputes across the UK.  Whilst the specialist expertise for which we have a leading reputation in this sector allows us to handle the most legally complex cases effectively, our mediators are also renowned for bringing commercial awareness and practical understanding in a way that can help to unlock the most seemingly intractable property disputes.  Our track record of repeat instructions and positive feedback is testament to the quality of our mediators, most of whom are recognised in the directories as leading practitioners for their work as property specialists or as mediators, or as both.

Why Mediation

Property and real estate represents some of the most fertile ground for mediation; genuinely effective resolution of disputes in this area often demands bespoke solutions outside the powers of the courts, and the management of inescapable relationships that need to endure constructively, such as those between landowners, occupiers, neighbours and other stakeholders (including regulators), can require especially sensitive handling.  Mediation is capable of delivering such solutions in a manner that is quick, cost effective and low risk.  By contrast to litigation, it is also capable of preserving, or even improving, those important relationships.  It is for these reasons that, increasingly, commercially savvy litigators are choosing mediation as the dispute resolution mechanism of first choice for property disputes.

Our mediation facilities

Our mediators are happy to travel to other venues, but Chambers regularly hosts mediations in our own suite of rooms for no additional charge.  We have excellent, modern and fully equipped, scalable conference facilities. Our main conference room can comfortably house up to 24 people and we offer a number of smaller rooms to suit varying sizes of mediation teams.  Video conferencing is available along with high speed WiFi, and all necessary catering and refreshments can be provided.

Our clerks offer efficient administrative support to ensure that your mediation is handled smoothly from start to finish.

Arranging a mediation – next steps

Our mediators charge a fixed fee for mediating, whether for a whole day, or for longer or shorter sessions.  You will find that our rates are highly competitive.  Please contact our clerks to discuss fees.

Our mediators are always pleased to talk informally about potential or upcoming mediations, and are well placed to offer guidance on sensitive issues such as process design, engagement and preparation.  Do get in touch if you would welcome a conversation and we will arrange for one of our team to talk to you.

Once a mediation is booked we will provide a timetable for the preparation and exchange of paperwork.  In appropriate cases our mediators will offer a pre-mediation online meeting with each team separately (without additional charge); usually this will take place shortly before the mediation.

Contact

For further information or to discuss a suitable mediator for your dispute, please contact Robert Bocock.

 

 

Real Estate Mediation Team

alex-troup

Alex Troup KC

  • Call: 1998
  • Silk: 2023

Alex is an experienced mediator with particular experience of dealing with contentious trust and probate cases. He adopts a friendly but no-nonsense approach to mediations and has a high success rate for achieving settlements. Alex was one of...

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John Sharples

John Sharples

  • Call: 1992

John became a fully-qualified mediator in early 2015 and now specialising in mediating property, private client and related areas. He also lectures on aspects of mediation law and practice to solicitors in the South West and Wales. John...

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John Dickinson

John Dickinson

  • Call: 1995

John trained as a mediator at the London School of Mediation, was accredited in 2015 and now serves as both a mediator and as a representative at mediations. His approach to facilitative mediation is to control the process...

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James Pearce Smith

James Pearce-Smith

  • Call: 2002

James qualified as a mediator in January 2018.  He is very experienced in representing parties at mediations, especially involving commercial disputes and claims for professional negligence, and is now able to use this experience to assist parties as...

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Christopher Jones

Christopher Jones

  • Call: 2004

Christopher qualified as a mediator in January 2018. His background is predominantly in trust litigation and advice, contentious and non-contentious probate applications, real property litigation (particularly in relation to easements, restrictive covenants and contracts for the sale of...

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Oliver Wooding

Oliver Wooding

  • Call: 2009

Oliver is a trained mediator and experienced mediation counsel who deals with a whole range of legal disputes, but in particular contentious probate, trusts, and real estate disputes. He offers a practical and friendly approach that encourages parties,...

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Natasha Dzameh

Natasha Dzameh

  • Call: 2010

Natasha is an accredited mediator who is available for instruction in mediations in any of her practice areas. She is a specialist commercial and chancery barrister who is accustomed to acting as sole counsel in high value litigation...

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Adam Boyle

  • Call: 2012

Adam is passionate about mediation and the benefits it can offer to the parties who participate in it. He trained as a mediator with the London School of Mediation nearly ten years ago in 2015 and has been...

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Nicole Hilton

Nicole Hilton

  • Call: 2021

Nicole is a barrister and trained mediator with a broad practice encompassing many areas of commercial and chancery law. Nicole accepts instructions in landlord and tenant disputes, contractual issues, consumer rights, property matters, building and construction disputes, professional...

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Richard Gold

Richard Gold

  • Call: 2006

Richard is a qualified mediator, having trained with the London School of Mediation. His mediation experience includes acting as a mediator in a complex probate dispute, in which a settlement was reached at the end of the mediation....

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Directory Quotes

St John’s Chambers is the premier set for contentious property matters on the Western Circuit and remains a go-to for solicitors in the South West and further afield.”

Chambers UK 2024, Real Estate Litigation

St John’s Chambers is a ‘first-class‘ set for property and construction law work, with ‘a range of experienced barristers and upcoming juniors‘. “

The Legal 500 2024, Property & Construction

The premier set for contentious property matters on the Western Circuit and remains a go-to for solicitors in the South West and further afield. The set boasts a deep roster of barristers with specialist real estate litigation expertise who appear at all levels of the court system, including the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.”

Chambers UK 2023, Real Estate Litigation

I am always impressed with the prompt responses received via both email and telephone. They are always happy to assist.”

Chambers UK 2023, Real Estate Litigation (Client Service)

High-quality set‘, St John’s houses a team with established strength in handling contentious property matters.’ ‘Top quality counsel with in-depth subject knowledge.’ ‘The barristers are approachable, talented and provide a first class service.’ “

Legal 500 2023, Property & Construction

St John’s Chambers is the premier set for contentious property matters on the Western Circuit and remains a go-to for solicitors in the South West and further afield. As one instructing solicitor puts it, ‘the set is the biggest player in the South West and has a really good spread of expertise’.”

Chambers UK 2022, Real Estate

The team is probably one of the best I have dealt with – they cannot do enough for you and they go above and beyond to meet your needs.”

Chambers UK 2022, Real Estate (Client Service)

St John’s Chambers is the strongest chambers in the South West for property work.”

Legal 500 2022, Property and Construction

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