Thu, 10 Apr 2014
No5 Chambers’ Planning Group was described by a leading independent directory as home to ‘a number of noted and rising stars in the field’, and this has been borne out by Planning Magazine’s survey of the most admired barristers plying their expertise in the sector.
Planning Magazine ranked both Ian Dove QC and Martin Kingston QC in the top three silks, a lofty perch they have occupied for the last three years. Mr Dove QC has previously been described as ‘simply a star’ and was awarded the number two slot on the back of a ‘considerable’ volume of court work and environmental litigation. A number of high profile cases saw Mr Kingston QC at number three.
Jeremy Cahill QC, Head of No5 Chambers’ Planning Group joins Mr Dove QC and Mr Kingston QC in the roster of rated planning silks. Among them, the three silks boast around 110 years’ experience at the bar.
The No5 Planning and Environment Group fields a strong complement of juniors and five over the age of 35 feature prominently in Planning’s survey. Junior barrister of choice for several leading house builders and developers, Christopher Young was ranked equal 12th, while Peter Goatley and Richard Kimblin are also ranked in the top 20.
Christopher Young is regularly rated in the Royal Town Planning Institute / Planning Magazine as one of the top juniors in the country while Peter Goatley is recognised by independent directories as one of England and Wales’ highest rated planning barristers. Richard Kimblin is an acknowledged leading junior in planning, environmental, energy and infrastructure matters. These three are joined by Hugh Richards, noted by a respected independent directory as a junior who ‘sees the big picture and gets to the heart of the matter’ and Satnam Choongh, formerly a Professor of Law both at Birmingham University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, described as ‘very sharp’ and ‘extraordinarily bright.’
No5’s juniors under 35 fared well in the survey too, with Thea Osmund-Smith and Jack Smyth being rated by Planning as among the top 10 planning barristers, coming in at joint 5th place. This is the fifth consecutive year that Jack has featured in the top 10. They are joined by James Corbet Burcher, Hashi Mohamed and Victoria Hutton, who is a qualified mediator.
Tony McDaid, Practice Director at No5 Chambers, comments: “We are very pleased that so many of No5 barristers – silks and juniors – have been recognised by Planning Magazine’s prestigious and respected survey. No5’s Planning Group performs consistently well, year-on-year, in surveys and reviews, which is a reflection of our ability to offer clients barristers with the appropriate expertise at every level.
“I should just like to congratulate all those who featured in this survey and I look forward to seeing them joined by their peers in future surveys. Their on-going success underscores the No5 strategy of recognising, recruiting and retaining those with the ability to become leading juniors and subsequently silks, which is why this Group continues to be recognised as something of a planning powerhouse on a national level.”
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