John Randall QC

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

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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

John Randall QC was invited to teach a course on the

UNSW, and spent a six month sabbatical there in Sydney,

prestigious Melbourne Law Masters programme, building on

teaching undergraduates nearing the completion of their law

the publication of his article on Express Termination Clauses in

degrees Legal History and Advanced Contract over an entire

Contracts in the Cambridge Law Journal. John developed a

semester. He has subsequently returned to UNSW on a

new course for Masters students on the Termination of

number of occasions to teach courses in those subjects, and

Contracts, which compared and contrasted the termination

a new course on the Principles of Trial and Appellate Advocacy

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

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Latest Videos

St Philips ADR Launch Seminar - Introduction by John Randall QC

As Long As You're A Q.C.

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 Birmingham 55 Temple Row Birmingham B2 5LS

Telephone: +44 (0)121 246 7010 Monday 8am–6pm Tuesday 8am–6pm Wednesday 8am–6pm Thursday 8am–6pm Friday 8am–6pm Saturday Closed Sunday Closed

Email: commercial@st-philips.com 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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