John Randall QC

Call 1978 | Silk 1995

One of the 20 QCs named as ‘Stars at the Bar’
in the Chambers UK Guide 2021

Articles

John is “one of the nest silks in the country” (Who's Who Legal, 2019)

John Randall QC - as one of the longest serving barristers at St Philips Chambers and having served as a Deputy High Court Judge
for over 16 years, John has developed his style of clear advocacy and has a reputation for clear and plain speaking. His knowledge
of cases and speci c areas of law has ensured he retains his standing as of one of the country’s leading barristers and is
recognised as such in the leading legal directories.

John's primary practice areas are chancery and commercial law, companies, corporate insolvency, partnerships, professional
negligence and real property, although from time to time he undertakes related judicial review and other common law work.

With a passion for the legal profession, John has held a number of teaching positions, where he has sought to pass on his
experience and enthusiasm to students, especially in the area of contract law.

John was presented with Birmingham Law Society’s Barrister of the Year award in 2012, and has subsequently been named as
Acquisition International’s UK Barrister of the Year in 2013, and Lawyer Monthly’s UK Land and Property Barrister of the Year in
2015, and Real Estate – UK Legal Award winner in 2019.

Having acted for clients in a number of mediations and other ADR processes, and been approached several times about the
possibility of conducting them himself, John Randall trained as a mediator with the ADR Group in 2009. As an active mediator he
o ers the combination of the wealth of knowledge and experience described above with an understanding of the practical
operation and relative advantages of both mediation and a variety of other methods for resolving commercial disputes.

Reported Cases
The below cases give an overview of John’s extensive experience. For more details of John’s
experience, please click here to view his pro le on the St Philips Chambers website.
John is eager to be involved in new cases that will make the best use of his skills. Cases that have a
very high level of complexity to them, or an unusual point of law are particularly interesting to John.

John Randall QC is regulated by the Bar Standards Board

 Regency Villas v Diamond Resorts [2019] AC 553 (Supreme Court): Easements – time-share
development - express grant – subject matter of grant rights to use sports and leisure facilities on
adjacent land – whether such rights capable of being subject matter of an easement – validity – appeal
from Court of Appeal [2017] Ch 516 dismissed and cross-appeal allowed – judgment in Chancery
Division [2016] 4 WLR 61 restored
Bryant Homes Southern v Stein Management [2017] 1 P&CR 6 (Ch D): Restrictive covenants - Bene ts
of covenants – Use in connection with overage agreements – Release – Enforceability
Hague Plant Ltd v Hague [2015] CP Rep 14 (CA): Companies, directors, breach of duciary duty,
dishonest assistance, pleadings, amendment
Regency Villas v Diamond Resorts [2016] 4 WLR 61 (Ch D): Easements – time-share development -
express grant – subject matter of grant rights to use sports and leisure facilities on adjacent land –
whether such rights capable of being subject matter of an easement – validity
Rees v Gateley Wareing [2015] 1 WLR 2179 (CA): Conditional fee agreements, solicitors, advisory and
litigation services, retainers
Re Casa Estates (UK) Ltd [2014] 2 BCLC 49 (CA): Corporate Insolvency — Transactions at an
Undervalue - Interaction of the Cash- ow and Balance-sheet insolvency tests
Horne and Meredith Properties Ltd v Cox [2014] 2 P&CR 18 (CA): Whether persistent and
unreasonable litigation against landlord by tenants connected with their use and management of the
holding entitled the landlord to oppose the grant of a new business tenancy
Morris Homes (West Midlands) Ltd v Keay [2013] BLR 370 (TCC): Application for permission to appeal
against arbitration awards - Threshold criteria
Stevens v Hamed [2013] I L Pr 37 (CA): claimant transferred money to defendant in relation to
purchase of foreign land — defendant failed to transfer title - claimant sought reimbursement of sums
transferred as unjust enrichment — whether the 'Moçambique rule' re claims relating to title to foreign
land was applicable — whether English courts had jurisdiction to deal with claim

Read more

Teaching and Lecturing

With a wide range of teaching experience in the UK and Australia,
John has helped bring the thrill of the legal profession to a new generation of lawyers.

Adjunct Professor, University of New South Wales - 2013 Senior Fellow, University of Melbourne - 2014

In 2004 John Randall was appointed a Visiting Fellow at
UNSW, and spent a six month sabbatical there in Sydney,
teaching undergraduates nearing the completion of their law
degrees Legal History and Advanced Contract over an entire
semester. He has subsequently returned to UNSW on a
number of occasions to teach courses in those subjects, and
a new course on the Principles of Trial and Appellate Advocacy
John Randall QC was invited to teach a course on the
prestigious Melbourne Law Masters programme, building on
the publication of his article on Express Termination Clauses in
Contracts in the Cambridge Law Journal. John developed a
new course for Masters students on the Termination of
Contracts, which compared and contrasted the termination
of contracts at common law and pursuant to express
 co-written with David (now Judge) Worster. John was termination clauses. He taught it as a Senior Fellow three
appointed an Adjunct Professor by UNSW in 2013. times between 2014 and 2016, receiving very positive student
feedback.

What the Directories Say

John is listed in:

The 2021 Chambers & Partners UK Guide as one of 20 'Stars At The Bar', stating that he is regarded as “the Midlands’ leading silk”, and highlighting his
"meticulous preparation for trial and outstanding cross-examination skills". As well as being ranked as a ‘star individual’ in Commercial Dispute Resolution,
he has band 1 rankings in Chancery, Company, Partnership, Professional Negligence and Real Estate Litigation.
The 2021 Legal 500 as a Leading Silk in Chancery, Commercial Litigation, Company & Insolvency, Professional Negligence, and Property &
Construction.
The 2020 Who’s Who Legal under Company & Partnership, Professional Negligence and Real Estate

Descriptions of John in these directories include:

“Sources commend Randall for his “meticulous preparation for trial and outstanding cross-examination skills,"
and highlight his “brilliant knack for perfectly pitching cases to judges in a way that has them eating out of his
hand.”

“his prowess in the eld of real estate has seen him described as “undoubtedly the top property litigation silk
outside London.”

“Technically brilliant and commercially-minded, he looks to secure a practical outcome for the client.”

“He provides excellent service both when dealing with clients and in complex legal analysis, everything one
could want from a senior silk.”

“An elite legal practitioner who gives crystal-clear de nitive advice [and has] a superb depth of knowledge and
experience”

“The quality of his advice is outstanding. He has the ability to go straight to the heart of the issue”

“Exceptionally intelligent and very good with the clients. The intellectual analysis he applies to his cases is
second to none”

“superlative command of technical legal issues”

“A huge intellect and a great courtroom barrister”

“brilliant with the law, brilliant with the facts and brilliant with the judges”

“as an advocate you could listen to him all day … he can present complex matters in simple ways”

“His preparation is meticulous and thorough, and he is a very strong advocate”

“He masters every line of his brief and deploys the material to devastating e ect in court. Applications that
seem lost causes before John stands up are famous victories by the time he sits down”

“hav[ing] the ability to put the client at ease and explain things in a simple way”
 “enjoy[ing] an uncontested position as the star of the Commercial Bar in Birmingham … a match for the very
best people in London”

“a barrister who ‘can turn his abilities to any kind of case’”

“One of the best silks around … he is incisive and has an unparalleled knowledge of the law which he always
applies in a commercially constructive way”

“Hugely intelligent and good with clients, John manages to combine an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law
with a rst-rate appreciation of strategy and excellent eye for detail”

“He has an ability to interpret vast amounts of information and is highly commercial”

“Extremely bright and tenacious … never fails to impress clients”

“A very good, very commercial and responsive advocate ... He's very approachable, client-friendly, and exudes
a sense of reassurance”

“He is an expert at providing advice to clients on how best to avoid litigation and keep out of the courtroom,
but once in court, he proves to be a formidable advocate”

“An excellent advocate who presents his argument very succinctly and logically”

“A superb advocate, who is commercially minded and extremely bright”

“The best silk in town, 5 stars he is an exceptional talent”January 16 2020

“An accomplished commercial practitioner who ‘undoubtedly’ retains his status as ‘the best senior silk in
Birmingham’, according to market sources”

Recommended Publications
The below is a short list of his publications recommended by John. These publications have been
selected as they o er interesting views on a range of areas of law.

‘England’s Splendid Isolation’ in Comparing Tort and Crime (ed. Dyson), 2015 (Cambridge University Press) (with Matthew
Dyson)
‘Criminal Convictions and the Civil Courts’ (with Matthew Dyson) [2015] Cambridge Law Journal 78
‘Express Termination Clauses in Contracts’ [2014] Cambridge Law Journal 113
‘When Louisa Carlill Caught the ‘Flu (Carlill v The Carbolic Smoke Ball Company)’ in Cases that Changed our Lives: Volume 2 (eds
McDougall and Wilson), 2014 (LexisNexis Butterworths, London)
The Tort of Conversion (with Sarah Green), 2009 (Hart Publishing, Oxford) – nalist in the triennial Inner Temple Book Prize (2011)
‘Rethinking the Economic Torts’ (with Prof Simon Deakin) (2009) 72 Modern Law Review 519

Read more

Latest Videos
 St Philips ADR Launch Seminar - Introduction by John As Long As You're A Q.C.
Randall QC

A Founder Member of St Philips Chambers

John was one of those who led the foundation of St Its specialist groups are supported by dedicated clerking
Philips Chambers in 1998, which was brought about by teams, whose experience, depth of knowledge and
the merger of his former chambers 7 Fountain Court with personal service, ensure that clients’ experience of
Priory Chambers. St Philips was further developed by working with St Philips is both bene cial and enjoyable.
subsequent mergers with 1 Fountain Court and Chancery
House Chambers, as well as strong recruitment from
elsewhere.

St Philips became an award winning multi-disciplinary set

of barristers, widely recognised as one of the most
forward-looking chambers in the UK.

Contacting and Instructing John Randall QC

Senior Clerk Name: Justin Luckman Telephone: +44 (0)121 246 7010
Birmingham Monday 8am–6pm
55 Temple Row Tuesday 8am–6pm
Birmingham Wednesday 8am–6pm
B2 5LS Thursday 8am–6pm
Friday 8am–6pm Email: commercial@st-philips.com
Saturday Closed
Sunday Closed St Philips Barister John Randall QC

Professional and licensed access clients interested in instructing John should contact John’s clerks as above, and may obtain a quotation for his legal
services from them if required. John’s most commonly provided legal services are advisory and advocacy work in his primary practice areas listed above, and
his most commonly used pricing models are hourly rate and xed fees. The timescales to which he can work may be in uenced by a variety of factors
including what other work he is already undertaking or committed to undertaking, and court imposed deadlines and hearing dates.

As a member of St Philips Chambers, John is subject to its complaints procedure, for which please click here where all requisite information is set out,
including as to making a further complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, whose website Decision Data page may be accessed by clicking here.

John Randall QC is regulated by the Bar Standards Board, whose website Barristers’ Register page may be accessed by clicking here.

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