Legal 500 2025 Rankings
St John’s Buildings is delighted to have 92 members listed in Legal 500 2025 – an impressive increase on the 79 listings we received last year. We have been ranked as Tier 1 in four areas of law, and are also ranked in a further six areas.
Chief Executive Chris Ronan said: ‘We are proud to be recognised as a leading set across a significant number our practice areas and to see so many of our barristers being noted as experts in their field of law. We are especially pleased to have such positive comments from our clients.’
Some of the notable comments for individual barristers include:
ADMINSTRATIVE AND PUBLIC LAW: Lorraine Cavanagh KC: ‘Lorraine is very knowledgeable and skilled, and she is a formidable advocate.’
CLINICAL NEGLIGENCE: Richard Norton: ‘Richard is a superb and highly experienced barrister who is exquisite on his feet and skilful on paper. He is eloquent in court, getting fantastic results, and he has a very calm, composed, and friendly approach that lay clients adore.’
CLINICAL NEGLIGENCE: Daniel Kinnear: ‘Daniel is a very talented medical and dental negligence barrister with an impressive ability to robustly plead medical and dental negligence cases, making them hard to defend.’
COMMERCIAL LITIGATION: Pépin Aslett: ‘Pépin has an ability to foresee potential issues in complex data matters and provide practical and insightful solutions to secure the best possible outcome for his clients. He has a calm yet compelling presence in court and delivers a high standard of representation at every attendance.’
COURT OF PROTECTION: Lucinda France-Hayhurst: ‘Lucinda takes a practical approach to Court of Protection cases, which is crucial. She is able to cut through to the key issues and provide consistently strong advice.’
COURT OF PROTECTION: Hannah Bakshani: ‘Hannah is an exceptional junior who operates at a level well beyond her call. She is approachable, thorough in her preparation, fantastic with clients and a fierce advocate.’
CRIME: Richard Thyne KC: ‘An impressive performer. An extremely thoughtful and measured advocate. His very pleasant demeanor belies a steeliness and a resolve to get the best for his clients.’
CRIME: Gemma Maxwell: ‘Gemma is without a shadow of doubt one of the best barristers on the northern circuit. Her legal knowledge is surpassed by none, she is incredibly well organised and formidable in court, and her advocacy skills are incredible as she is able to think strategically throughout the duration of the case to ensure the best possible outcome for clients.’
EDUCATION: Jamie Jenkins: ‘Jamie is responsive, strategically minded, and a pleasure to deal with. He is extremely client friendly, a clear and robust advocate, and he knows the Equality Act 2010 backwards.’
EMPLOYMENT: Ghazan Mahmood: ‘Ghazan is bright, capable, excellent on his feet and in evolving situations, and clients appreciate him and inevitably recommend him to others. He is precise, commercial, provides robust advice, and he works effectively as a team with the client.’
FAMILY – CHILDREN AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Karl Rowley KC: ‘Karl combines intellectual acumen of the first order with beguiling advocacy, which has judges, witnesses, and opponents alike carried along to where he wants to take them. He is of that rare breed where you find yourself taking note of what he has said not just for the purposes of the case he is speaking about but to be able to use it yourself in other cases.’
FAMILY – CHILDREN AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Louise Stanbury: ‘Louise is a force to be reckoned with. She is passionate and devoted to her clients, tenacious and determined, well liked by the judges on circuit and a strong advocate in court.’
FAMILY – DIVORCE AND FINANCIAL REMEDY: Sally Harrison KC: ‘Sally is a phenomenal advocate, brilliantly prepared, has a lovely manner with the lay client and is accessible to and supportive of her instructing solicitor. She is not just one of the best family law silks in the north but, in fact, the entire country.’
FAMILY – DIVORCE AND FINANCIAL REMEDY: Hannah Wood: ‘Hannah is always at the end of an email or a phone call, and nothing is too much trouble for her. She puts clients at ease within minutes of her meeting them and goes the extra mile for clients, she leaves no stone unturned, and she is a calm and extremely competent advocate.’
INQUESTS AND INQUIRIES: Rebecca Titus-Cobb: ‘Rebecca has great interpersonal skills when speaking with clients, which is helpful as this can be a difficult area, and she has a compassionate approach.’
PERSONAL INJURY: Gareth Thompson: ‘Gareth always grasps the issues of a case very quickly, no matter the complexities of the issues. He is excellent with clients and witnesses, in particular making them feel relaxed and at ease, his paperwork is excellent and he turns papers over very quickly, and his advocacy is succinct and to the point.’
See the complete rankings by visiting the Legal 500 website.
