John McKendrick QC

What next?

To find out more, contact David Smith on +44 (0)20 7427 4905 or Colin Bunyan on +44 (0)20 7427 4886 for a confidential discussion.

Our professional clerking staff can help you identify the right barrister for your case.

Year of Call:

1999

Silk:

2016

Add to Portfolio

John practises in the areas of public and commercial law both domestically and internationally. He took silk at 39 and in the last five years, as leading counsel, has led teams before the Court of Appeal, the Queen’s Bench Division, Chancery Division, Family Division, the Commercial Court, the Court of Protection, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, the Privy Council and in LCIA arbitration. The hallmark of his written and oral advocacy is precision and clarity, making the complicated straightforward. He provides his clients with pragmatic, commercially orientated advice.

John has a strong international element to his practice. He was the Attorney General of the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla for two years and continues to have strong connections in the Caribbean and appears before the Anguilla and BVI courts. A fluent Spanish speaker he has long standing connections in Latin America and has worked in Mexico, Colombia, Nicaragua and Panama. He is the author of the Latin American and Caribbean chapter of Lissack and Horlick on Bribery. He also works as a consultant on legal projects for the World Bank, the InterAmerican Development Bank, the EU and others. He is a sanctions appeals officer to the Caribbean Development Bank.

The directories have described him in multiple areas of law as: “a brilliant and persuasive advocate”; “one of the best practitioners in the country”; “a ferocious, skilled, efficient advocate, with a wide-ranging practice” and “he …is very persuasive and articulate, and first rate with clients. Exceptionally bright, he can just take instructions and come up with a plan the next morning. He’s a bit of a magician in that way, and he’s brilliant to work with”.

Appointments & Memberships

Attorney General, Anguilla, 2016-2018
Tribunal Judge, 2010-2015
Independent Adjudicator, Marine Stewardship Council, 2017
Member of Scottish Bar 2008-2016 (now non-practising)
Called to the Anguilla and BVI Bars
Member Bar Council, International Committee
Executive Council Member, Commonwealth Lawyers Association
Visiting Scholar, City University, Hong Kong, 2019
COMBAR
ALBA
FLBA
CPBA

Awards

Shortlisted for The Lawyer, Barrister of the Year, 2016
Times Lawyer of the Week, July 2019 and September 2013

Languages

Spanish

Areas of Law

Testimonials

“A very personable advocate with a good feel for Court of Protection litigation.” Court of Protection, Chambers and Partners 2021

“He is a straight-talker and doesn’t sugarcoat anything. He is straight to the point and very persuasive.” Court of Protection, Chambers and Partners 2021

“An excellent advocate who thoroughly researches the law. He’s brilliant with clients and is a pleasure to work with.” Court of Protection, Chambers and Partners 2020

“A really knowledgeable, personable, responsive barrister.” Court of Protection, Chambers and Partners 2020

“He develops rapport with clients, counsel and judges alike.” Civil Liberties and Human Rights, Legal 500 2016

“He can navigate strategic issues with real foresight and direction.” Administrative and Public Law, Legal 500 2016

“Recommended for education cases with a commercial angle.” Education, Legal 500 2016

“Probably one of the best Court of Protection barristers out there.” Civil Liberties and Human Rights, Legal 500 2016

“A brilliant and persuasive advocate.” Administrative and Public Law, Legal 500 2016

“He is especially good at assimilating lots of paperwork very quickly and thoroughly. He has a good style in court and judges like him which is very useful.” Chambers & Partners 2016

“Incredibly good at getting a case down to three, four or five pertinent facts, he cuts out a lot of unrelated stuff.” Chambers & Partners 2016

“Quickly and deservedly becoming known as one of the best practitioners in the country who deals with some of the difficult and sensitive issues in Court of Protection litigation. He comes up with creative ways to overcome the most difficult issues in cases. He is also a formidable advocate who really fights for his client.” Chambers & Partners 2016

“He has a tenacious, no-nonsense approach, and is very persuasive and articulate, and first rate with clients.” “Exceptionally bright, he can just take instructions and come up with a plan the next morning. He’s a bit of a magician in that way, and he’s brilliant to work with.” Chambers & Partners 2015

“He has an excellent grounding in Court of Protection and social welfare cases.” Legal 500 2015

“He has significant experience in regulatory judicial review.” Legal 500 2015

“Recognised for his experience acting for leading independent schools.” Legal 500 2015

“A ferocious, skilled, efficient advocate, with a wide-ranging practice. He’s a pragmatic and capable advocate, who understands schools and is extremely popular with clients.” Chambers & Partners 2014

“A responsive, determined advocate,” “he brings clarity and calmness and is extremely good with difficult parties.” Chambers & Partners 2014

“Strong in Court of Protection cases.” Legal 500 2014

He is “an incredibly articulate advocate with a skill for distilling a dispute down to its key elements,” and “presents cases succinctly but thoroughly.” He is praised for his “particular strength in assimilating large amounts of detail accurately and sometimes at short notice.” Chambers & Partners 2013

“Reliable, innovative, conscientious and very committed to clients.” Chambers & Partners 2013

Recommendations

Top_tier_firms John McKendrick QC Accreditations

Activity

18/12/2020

Watch the Webinar: Cryptoassets and Smart Contracts, in collaboration with Oxford University Deep Tech Dispute Resolution Lab

07/07/2020