Barristers

One of the leading personal injury Silks, Christopher’s practice encompasses both claimant and defendant work, and he is instructed in all areas of personal injury and clinical negligence. His work is focused on catastrophic brain and spinal injuries,...

Alex is ranked as the only ‘star individual’ on the Western Circuit in chancery matters by Chambers UK and is Head of our Wills & Trusts team. He is also the only silk ranked in private wealth outside...

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. She often acts in complex, multi-party or high...

Suzanne Ornsby KC is a highly proficient public, planning and environmental lawyer with wide experience of acting for utilities, multinationals, planning authorities, action groups and individuals. She is regularly involved in statutory challenges and judicial reviews as well...

Matthew leads a successful and expanding Clinical Negligence team. He is known for his expertise in clinical negligence, personal injury and sports law cases. In the field of personal injury he specialises in asbestos related disease claims and...

William has over thirty years’ experience advising and acting in disputes before arbitrators and the English courts. He specialises in commercial and construction law, often with a cross border element, and international arbitration. He sits as an arbitrator...

One of Chambers’ most senior barristers, Richard has an extensive practice which encompasses personal injury, clinical negligence, professional negligence claims and property damage matters, including a number of high profile cases. Richard’s practice is also complemented by his...

Peter specialises in planning, local government and environment law. He heads the Public & Administrative Law Practice Group at St John’s Chambers. He also has extensive experience in public rights of way inquiries and associated topics, as well...

Charles has specialised in land-related matters for over 30 years. He has great experience of boundary litigation, restrictive covenants, easements and public rights of way. He regularly appears in Court; in the First-tier Tribunal (especially on land registration...

Susan Hunter has over 30 years’ experience at all court levels. Susan is a children law expert, both public and private, including complex injury, forced marriage and female genital mutilation, spousal murder and parental alienation in addition to...

Nick specialises exclusively in divorce and financial remedy cases. He has an in-depth knowledge and expertise of the issues and the law, including consideration of pensions and actuarial issues along with tax and commercial considerations. Prior to joining the...

John is a very experienced adviser and advocate in real estate- and chancery litigation, an area in which he has specialised for over 25 years. John is ranked in Band 1 for real estate litigation and chancery in...

Roy accepts instructions in all areas of licensing. He is highly commended for his advocacy, legal knowledge, negotiating skills and approachable client-friendly manner. He acts for individuals and small businesses as well as public authorities and international corporations...

Andrew is a leading junior in the fields of personal injury and industrial disease, consistently recommended in Chambers UK and Legal 500 for the past 20 years, whose practice takes him to all parts of the country but...

Tim specialises in planning, compulsory purchase, local government and commercial law. He appears regularly on behalf of local planning authorities and developers in planning appeals, Judicial Review, statutory challenges of appeal decisions, and development plans, especially those dealing...

James, a former solicitor, is an experienced litigator specialising in commercial and property disputes. His practice includes company and partnership disputes, construction disputes and insolvency, and he is often instructed in complex disputes which span more than one...

Sarah was called to the Bar in 1994 and since 1999 has worked as a specialist family lawyer in Chambers in London and Bristol. She specialises in all aspects of children law and Court of Protection work. Sarah...

Jacqueline is a confident and highly competent advocate, specialising in the financial aspects of relationship breakdown. She rejoined the St John’s Chambers Family & Divorce team from a chambers in Birmingham where she had an enviable reputation for...

John is a barrister specialising in contentious probate, Court of Protection, all areas of real estate work including conveyancing disputes, boundaries and easements, landlord & tenant, partnership, banking, pensions, insolvency, company law and shareholder disputes. John’s commercial practice...

Judi is Head of our Family & Divorce team, and practises across public and private family law, with particular expertise in cases of abduction and the international relocation of children. In complex public law cases she is involved in multiple...

Matthew, a former Solicitor, is a specialist competition and regulatory lawyer. He was Called to the Bar and joined St John’s Chambers in 2015, having previously been a Partner in the Competition Group of Burges Salmon LLP. He...

Head of Chambers, Matthew White deals with all aspects of personal injury litigation for both claimants and defendants. He aims for a roughly equal split between claimant and defendant work, taking the view that it makes for a...

Julian works in all aspects of personal injury law including employers’ and public liability, industrial disease, road traffic accidents (including fraud work), product liability, fatal accidents including inquests, and costs. He is more commonly instructed by defendants and...

Justin specialises in clinical negligence and personal injury litigation acting almost exclusively for claimants. He undertakes all aspects of clinical negligence work with a particular focus on: Birth injury and neo-natal claims (hypoglycaemic and hypoxic injury) Cauda equina...

Abigail specialises in law involving children and is Head of the Children Law team. She has considerable experience of care proceedings in which she represents local authorities, parents and children. She has experience in a wide range of...

Delia is a specialist family law barrister and mediator. She has a particular interest in care proceedings where she represents parents, and guardians. Her work load involves Fact-Finding hearings concerning allegations of domestic violence, sexual abuse and non-accidental...

Zahid is an experienced family law barrister with a practice encompassing all areas of Children Law. He frequently represents parents, family members, Guardians, the Official Solicitor and local authority’s in care proceedings at all tiers of Court across the South West, often...

Rachel is Head of our Personal Injury team, and has over 20 years’ experience in dealing with personal injury cases, acting for both claimants and defendants. She has gained a reputation for her robust advocacy, well-reasoned but no nonsense...

Harry is an accomplished and directory-ranked mediator in commercial, civil and property disputes.  Described recently as “at the top of his profession”, “highly skilled” and “outstanding”, he is regularly commended by parties for his mediation style, and in...

Caroline is a specialist family barrister who practises in all areas of family law with a strong emphasis on care proceedings. Her practice in this area has given her a detailed knowledge of the appropriate procedural law and...

Julia specialises in children law, both public law and private law cases. Her public law practice focuses on complex care cases. Recent instructions have included cases where the principle allegations were sexual abuse and/or inflicted injuries, as well...

Zoë is a specialist family law barrister, and completed her pupillage with Falcon Chambers before moving to Bristol to practice family law in October 2004. This background gives her particular insight into cases involving chancery law issues. Zoë...

Rebecca is an experienced civil practitioner specialising in construction . She is a member of PIBA, ACIArb, a TECBAR adjudicator and an accredited Civil Mediator. In relation to construction, Rebecca is an in demand junior with experience of...

Christopher is a chancery and commercial specialist with particular emphasis on 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 land) and...

Michael is a commercial and chancery barrister specialising in: Wills, trusts, probate and inheritance (including private client taxation and TOLATA) Professional negligence in any of his areas of expertise including in relation to negligent tax advice Commercial and...

Darren specialises in personal injury and employment matters, and was called to the Bar in 2004. He is a leading junior on civil fraud, fundamental dishonesty, S57 defences as well as committal for contempt of court. He has...

Jody specialises in family financial work including wills and trusts. He is able to bring his wide experience in these areas to resolving the most complex and challenging disputes. Jody’s divorce and financial remedy practice focuses on the...

Louise has many years of experience representing both claimants and defendants in personal injury and clinical negligence matters. She regularly deals with claims arising out of road traffic accidents and is experienced in dealing with claims brought under...

Patrick is personal injury barrister who is regularly instructed in hearings on the fast and multi-track. He also advises on liability and quantum and undertakes the drafting of schedules and counter schedules. He has successfully conducted and defended...

Jimmy is a specialist practitioner in the fields of clinical negligence, personal injury and industrial disease. He joined St John’s Chambers in September 2015 having previously practised in London. In clinical negligence, Jimmy has experience of cases involving...

Olivia is a family law barrister, specialising in public and private law cases concerning children. She was called to the Bar in 2008 and practised in Cardiff, before joining St John’s Chambers in 2018. Olivia represents local authorities,...

James is an experienced personal injury and clinical negligence barrister with sub-specialisms in costs and professional negligence.  He is ranked in The Legal 500 in costs (Tier 1), clinical negligence and personal injury. He acts for both claimants...

Ben is a specialist personal injury barrister, mediator, and now a part-time Crown Court judge after he was appointed Recorder by the King in May. He has for years been ranked by both Chambers UK and the Legal...

Oliver has a specialist practice that focuses on wills and trusts, and real estate matters, and the overlap between them.  He is regularly instructed as an advocate, advisor, and mediator in a wide range of disputes. Recent cases...

Richard is a family law specialist with particular expertise in financial remedies (Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 and Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989) as well as complex private law disputes concerning children. He has a busy Court...

Natasha is consistently ranked as a leading junior in Chambers UK and Legal 500 and is often instructed as sole counsel in high value, multifaceted litigation. She also has experience of acting as junior to senior counsel on...

Charlie undertakes a wide range of commercial and chancery work in litigation, arbitration and mediation. He has experience of substantial, complex and high-value litigation in the High Court and the Court of Appeal. He also has wide experience...

James specialises in the following areas of work: Personal injury Clinical negligence Data protection James is a specialist personal injury and clinical negligence practitioner. He has extensive experience across the full spectrum of such work, including public and...

Adam is a specialist commercial and chancery barrister who now practises predominantly in cases involving land and property. However, he has significant experience in the full scope of commercial and chancery work including wills, trusts & probate, court...

Jack now has an entirely remote and paperless practice and continues to offer his services to clients both in conference and in court hearings by telephone and by video conferencing platforms including MS Teams, Zoom, Skype for Business,...

Oliver is a private family, trusts and estates barrister, and offers advice, drafting and advocacy services within his areas of specialism. Oliver is also a qualified mediator. He is regularly instructed on behalf of applicants and respondents at...

Asha has a busy family law practice with a particular focus on children public and private Law. Her expertise is strengthened by having worked in the Children’s Services Legal Department of a Local Authority in the South West prior...

Rachel is ranked as a leading junior in The Legal 500 for both personal injury and clinical negligence. She advises and represents parties on both sides of relief from sanctions applications across the spectrum of civil litigation, publishes...

Robert is a clinical negligence specialist, acting for both claimants and defendants. He has experience of litigation across a wide range of areas of medicine, with a particular interest in obstetrics, brain injuries, oncology, orthopaedics and cardiology. He...

Bethany has developed a busy and thriving junior practice as a specialist family law barrister. She accepts instructions in all aspects of family law including: Financial Remedy Proceedings Schedule 1 Children Act 1989 Private law Children Act matters...

Ryan specialises in all areas of family law with a particular interest in care proceedings. He was called to the Bar in 2017 and practised in another Bristol Chambers, before joining St John’s Chambers in 2019. Ryan often...

Joss has a varied commercial and chancery practice spanning commercial/contractual disputes, real estate litigation, and wills & trusts matters. Recent cases where he has appeared as sole counsel include: A multi-track trial concerning a claim for a resulting and/or constructive trust...

Annie’s broad commercial and chancery practice encompasses wills and trusts work, real estate matters, commercial disputes, professional negligence claims and insolvency proceedings. Annie also has experience of acting at all stages of disputes, including pre-litigation, on interim applications,...

Brittany is a member of our chancery team. She is ranked as a ‘rising star’ in tier 1 by The Legal 500, and by Chambers & Partners. Instructing solicitors describe her as an “effective advocate, and excellent in dealing with...

Sophie joins Chambers after the successful completion of her specialist family pupillage under the supervision of Judi Evans (Head of Family & Divorce team) and Andrew Commins. Sophie is building a busy practice in the following areas: Children...

Harriet has joined chambers after her completion of pupillage under the supervision of Susan Hunter. Harriet joins St John’s Chambers as a Justice First Fellow, a scheme devised by the Legal Education Foundation for the next generation of...

Sophie is a member of the Personal Injury, Clinical Negligence, and Inquest teams. She joined Chambers in May 2022 after completing a specialist third six pupillage under the supervision of Jimmy Barber. Having successfully completed a common law...

Daniel has an established chancery and commercial practice, covering the traditional areas of probate, property, trusts and breach of contract, appearing regularly in the County Court, First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) and the High Court. As part of his...

Jonathan is an experienced, sought-after, specialist personal injury barrister, whose practice encompasses all aspects of personal injury litigation. Jonathan regularly acts for both claimants and defendants on the fast and multi-track, in claims worth up to £1m. From...

Georgina is a commercial and chancery practitioner and a qualified mediator. She accepts instructions in all of the main areas of commercial and chancery law. Her main areas of expertise lie in commercial litigation, insolvency matters and contentious...

Rhodri specialises in clinical negligence, acting for both claimants and defendants. Before retraining as a barrister, Rhodri practiced as a medical doctor for 18 years, principally in A&E and general practice. His wealth of knowledge and clinical experience...

Lauren is ranked as a leading junior (Tier 2) in The Legal 500 2024 guide. She accepts instructions in all areas of clinical negligence and inquest work, and is developing a strong paper-based practice in all areas of...

Sarah has recently joined the Family & Divorce team, formerly a barrister at Four Brick Court where she completed her pupillage and established her practice before returning to the west country, where she grew up. She specialises in...

Dominik has recently joined St John’s Chambers Family & Divorce team, formerly a barrister at Queen Square Chambers. Dominik is praised by many of his lay and professional clients as well as members of the judiciary for his...

David is a specialist Personal Injury barrister who has a balanced practice acting for both Claimants and Defendants. His practice encompasses all aspects of Personal Injury and he is regularly instructed to advise on claims relating to RTAs,...

Zoey has recently joined the Family & Divorce team, formerly a barrister at Normanton Chambers specialising in all areas of of family law with a particular focus on matters relating to children. She is regularly instructed to represent...

Georgina joined Chambers as a tenant in October 2023 following the successful completion of her specialist family pupillage under the supervision of Zoë Saunders. During pupillage, Georgina observed a number of high-value claims for financial relief, involving complicated...

Vivien joined Chambers as a tenant in October 2022 following the successful completion of her specialist family pupillage under the supervision of Zoë Saunders. During pupillage, Vivien observed a number of high value claims for financial relief involving...

Kate is building a broad practice as a specialist family law barrister, and accepts instructions in the following areas: Private Law Children Act matters Divorce and Financial Remedies Schedule 1 Children Act 1989 Part IV Family Law Act...

Jack joined Chambers in April 2022 following the successful completion of his specialist commercial and chancery pupillage. He accepts instructions in all of the main areas of commercial and chancery law. Jack’s pupil supervisors were Nick Pointon, Charlie...

Diana has a busy practice encompassing all areas of children law. She also accepts instructions on injunction applications under the Family Law Act 1996. Diana represents parents, children, local authorities, and extended family members. She is regularly instructed...

Kayleigh joined Chambers in October 2022 following the successful completion of her specialist commercial and chancery pupillage. She accepts instructions across all main areas of this practice group. Kayleigh’s pupil supervisors were Charlie Newington-Bridges and Christopher Jones. Kayleigh...

Beatrice joined our Personal Injury, Clinical Negligence and Inquests teams in October 2023 following the successful completion of her pupillage under the supervision Robert Mills and Benjamin Handy. Beatrice is instructed regularly in fast-track trials, interlocutory applications and...

Glen joined our Family & Divorce team in 2022 following a successful career as a solicitor working for a Local Authority where he focussed on children law, representing them in a range of hearing from contested interim removal...

Ben joined Chambers in October 2023 following the successful completion of his specialist commercial and chancery pupillage. Ben’s pupil supervisors were James Pearce-Smith, Brittany Pearce, Christopher Jones and Charlie Newington-Bridges. Ben frequently represents clients at small claims and...

Nick is a qualified arbitrator with the CIArb, and a retired Judge. He recently won the ‘Outstanding Achievement Award’ at the Bristol Law Society Annual Awards Ceremony 2022.  Called to the Bar in 1975, Nick practised in family...

Richard acts in a wide range of personal injury claims, including in particular severe head injury cases, those involving psychological trauma and in respect of injuries sustained by claimants in early or teenage years. He acts for both...

Tim has built up an extensive practice over a number of years, the main areas of which concern disputes in these areas: Commercial and Chancery Civil Fraud and Asset Tracing Professional Negligence (principally, solicitors, barristers, auditors/accountants and bankers)...

Guy is a chancery and commercial specialist who acts in complex cases which often raise difficult and/or novel points of law. His commercial work includes banking, finance, commercial contract, company and partnership and professional negligence. He also has...

Derek O’Sullivan KC’s practice concentrates on personal injury and he has significant experience in: catastrophic injury claims, employer’s liability claims, occupier’s liability claims, fatal accident claims and road traffic accidents. Derek is also regularly instructed in health and...

Anna acts for both claimants and defendants in most personal injury matters. Anna’s mainstream personal injury practice is centred around higher value claims and she is particularly experienced in dealing with claims where the claimant has developed CRPS....

George is a commercial barrister specialising in tax disputes, professional negligence and insolvency. He has specialised in tax disputes throughout his time as a barrister. He ‘cut his teeth’ in-house with HM Customs & Excise and HM Revenue...

Richard has a general chancery and commercial practice.  His main areas of expertise are: Real estate (particularly landlord & tenant and mortgage cases) Wills & trusts (including challenges to the validity of wills and applications under the Inheritance...

Nick is a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Exeter and an Associate Academic Member of St John’s Chambers. From 2010 – 2021, Nick practised as a specialist commercial and chancery law barrister. His particular areas...

Iain was elected an associate member of Chambers in 2022, having practised across the full range of family law matters at St John’s for a number of years. He was frequently instructed to represent local authorities, parents and...

Chelsea joins our Family & Divorce team as a pupil under the supervision of Ryan Morgan and Bethany Scarsbrook. Prior to starting pupillage, Chelsea studied law at the University of Bristol and went straight on to study the...

Sarah joins our Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence teams as a pupil under the supervision of Jimmy Barber. Prior to starting pupillage, Sarah worked as a paralegal at Tayntons Solicitors for 3 years. She worked in the Personal...

Nicole joins our Chancery and Commercial teams as a pupil under the supervision of Charlie Newington-Bridges. Prior to starting pupillage, Nicole worked in mortgage enforcement and as a paralegal on the Covid-19 public inquiry. She completed an LLB...