Fri, 23 Mar 2018
Barristers at No5 once again have made a strong showing in the annual report on the Planning Law Survey (Planning 22 March 2018). No less than 13 members of the Group appear in the list of most respected Planning barristers.
In the Silk category, Martin Kingston QC retains his position in second place, having been consistently voted in the top three for the last 10 years. Whilst Christopher Young QC, who was only made a silk last month, has gone straight into the top 10 of Leading Silks. Others silks identified in the top list are Jerry Cahill QC, Richard Kimblin QC and Paul Cairnes QC.
Martin is listed as the most respected planning silk for residential work, with Christopher in third place, reinforcing the view that No5 is a focal point for housing work. Both Martin and Christopher also appear in the list of top 3 planning silks for development plan work, which is an area where all barristers from No5 are active. Martin is also listed in the top 5 planning silks for both infrastructure and planning inquiry work.
Kingston is described in the report as "a master strategist and advocate", who is "quick to grasp the strengths and weaknesses of a case" and having "encyclopaedic" knowledge with commentators adding that his advice is "always right on the money".
Christopher Young QC, who is the highest new entry in joint tenth place, is described as "a leading expert in the field for residential development", "very approachable" and someone who "gives good, clear strategic advice".
It is a very impressive showing in the Junior category with four barristers from No5 listed in the top 10. Peter Goatley is listed in third place, whilst Thea Osmund-Smith is eighth and Satnam Choongh and James Corbet Burcher jointly share ninth place. Also appearing in the list of top juniors are Hugh Richards, Nina Pindham and Scott Stemp.
In the Under 35 category, James Corbet Burcher tops the list as the most respected planning barrister in this category. Also listed in this category are Thea Osmund-Smith (joint second) and Hashi Mohamed (eleventh).
The report describes James as "a very intelligent and very capable advocate," who "has very quickly carved out an impressive niche for himself on neighbourhood planning".
A link to the full survey can be found here.
Counsel ranked in the Planning Law Survey are speaking at the Annual Planning Seminar 2018, join over 340 delegates for key updates from our barristers and a keynote delivered by Gareth Bradford of WMCA. Full details and registration here: http://www.no5.com/seminars/390-annual-planning-seminar-2018/
