James Fryer-Spedding
Appointments:
Deputy Chancellor of the Diocese of Carlisle
Associations:
Chancery Bar Association,
Northern Chancery Bar Association
Professional Negligence Bar Association
Northern Circuit Commercial Bar Association
Education:
LLB (Hons), King's College, London (1st class), BCL, New College, Oxford (1st class)
AREAS OF PRACTICE
Exclusively Chancery and Commercial litigation, particularly:
- Professional Negligence
Solicitors (especially in connection with misconduct of conveyancing and litigation), accountants and surveyors. - Trusts, Wills, Probate & Administration of Estates
Construction of wills and trusts, contentious probate, administration actions and "Beddoe" applications. - Partnership
Actions for dissolution remedies, partnership disputes and insolvency. - Property
Including restrictive covenants, boundary disputes, easements, adverse possession and co-ownership (constructive trust and proprietary estoppel claims, applications to court for orders for sale). - Landlord & Tenant
Including disrepair, possession claims, forfeiture and Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 applications. - Commercial Contracts
- Family Provision
Inheritance Act 1975 applications for and against all classes of applicant.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- Chambers Treasurer
- Former Research Assistant at The Law Commission (Property & Trust Law Team), 1994 - 1995.
REPORTED CASES
- Perry v. Neupert (Ch D - John Martin, QC) 19.7.18 LTL (Administration of Justice Act 1985, s.50 - application to remove a personal representative - joinder)
- Perry v. Neupert [2018] EWHC 1788 (Ch) (Administration of Justice Act 1985, s.50 - application to remove a personal representative - successful appeal against summary judgment)
- Burns v. Burns [2016] EWCA Civ 37 (Validity of wills - testamentary capacity - knowledge & approval - mentally impaired testatrix)
- Anselm v. Buckle [2014] EWCA Civ 311 (Landlord and Tenant - Damages)
- JJ Metcalfe Ltd. v. Dennison (LTL 6.12.13 HHJ Raynor, QC, Technology & Construction Court) (Civil Procedure - Construction Law)
- Re St Michael and All Angels, Isel (October 2010, Ecclesiastical Law Journal, Vol. 13, No. 2, p.248) (Right of way - consecrated land - easements - interested person - standing)
- Re Pearce, Decd [1998] 2 FLR 705 (Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 - claim by adult child - appeal to Court of Appeal)
Examples of Other Work
- Indian Workers Association, Bradford - litigation concerning ownerships of club premises - constitutional dispute
- UK Learning Academy Ltd. v. Secretary of State for Education - 13 day trial in the Circuit Commercial Court in Leeds - claim to further remuneration under a commercial contract
- O'Neill v. Holland - dispute between former cohabitees over a valuable portfolio of investment properties
- Donohoe v. Bannister - proprietary estoppel claim to ownership of the site of stables
- Successful family provision claim for adult children of an abusive parent - won at trial (Simpson Decd, unreported)
- Successful defence at trial of the validity of a challenged will - issues of capacity, undue influence, knowledge and approval - associated partnership issues (Bainbridge v. Hebson, unreported, Chancery Division, Manchester, HHJ Pelling, QC)
- Simpson v. Ridley - 5 day trial - prescriptive claim to a right of way to taxi aircraft
- Preliminary issue in ancillary relief proceedings - issues as to ownership of valuable farms and partnership property - successfully concluded in favour of client wife
- Sale of goods - claim concerning the quality of breeze blocks used in the construction of 22 homes - TCC Leeds - ongoing
- Professional negligence - solicitors - conveyancing - claim in the High Court concerning the purchase of a home in West Cumbria with numerous title defects
- Bankruptcy - offshore trust - litigation concerning efficacy of a charging order
Commercial, Banking, Insolvency and Chancery Law: Leading Junior Band 1
"An excellent all-rounder."
Legal 500 2020
Partnership – Northern (Bar): Leading Barrister Band 2
"He's really bright and incredibly user-friendly. He tries to find a practical solution, not just theoretical answers. He is great on paper, has a really pleasant manner with clients and is really good on his feet. He conducts cross-examination in a charming way. He's very effective."
Chambers and Partners 2020
Chancery – Northern (Bar): Leading Barrister Band 2
“He is very hard-working and obviously on top of his case." "Client handling is his strength and he picks the good argument and runs with it. You know if there is a point to be taken he will have spotted it.”
Chambers and Partners 2020
Commercial Dispute Resolution – Northern (Bar): Leading Barrister Band 2
"He is really bright and incredibly user-friendly. He tries to find practical solutions and not just theoretical answers, and has a really pleasant manner with clients. He's really good on his feet and is a charming cross-examiner." "He commands the respect of the local bench and is fabulous with clients. He's a reliable and approachable barrister."
Chambers and Partners 2020
Commercial, Banking, Insolvency and Chancery Law – ranked Tier 1
“Imperturbable and dynamic.”
Legal 500 2019
Commercial Dispute Resolution – Northern (Bar): Leading Barrister (Band 2)
"He is very clever, unflappable and always on the ball. He puts clients at ease and his advice is always given with enormous clarity."
"He is first class – his pleadings are excellent and he is a great strategist."
"He is one of the most approachable and hard-working barristers – experienced and extremely impressive on his feet."
Chambers and Partners UK Bar 2019
Chancery – Northern (Bar): Leading Barrister (Band 2)
"He knows his law and how to take the right points."
"He's very organised, shows great attention to detail and is calm and collected in the court room. He instils confidence in clients because he is able to get his head around the papers very quickly."
Chambers and Partners UK Bar 2019
Partnership – Northern (Bar): Leading Barrister (Band 2)
"His work is detailed, well prepared and incisive. He's an effective advocate and provides excellent client service."
Chambers and Partners UK Bar 2019
"His advocacy is strong and uncompromising."
Chambers and Partners 2018
"He's truly excellent. His attention to detail is superb. Clients love him and judges listen to him."
Chambers and Partners 2018
'An excellent barrister – he is bright, confident and has great client empathy.'
Legal 500, 2017
“Well-regarded and experienced junior with an expansive commercial offering.” “He’s great on detail and very knowledgeable.”
Chambers and Partners 2017
“A very good and persuasive advocate; he always does an excellent job.” “His advice is always clear and he is very good on his feet at trial.”
Chambers and Partners 2017
‘Knowledgeable, responsive, commercial and genuinely able to provide good client care.'
Legal 500, 2016
"Highly regarded practitioner with considerable experience across the range of chancery and commercial issues. Areas of expertise include partnership disputes, insolvency and commercial contracts. 'Brilliant - very thorough, very good with clients. Clear and concise.' 'Extremely able and responsive, excellent when working with clients and a pleasure to work with. '"
Chambers and Partners 2016
"Highly experienced in chancery and commercial litigation, and particularly skilled at professional negligence claims, partnership disputes and bankruptcy and corporate insolvency matters. He has additional strength in traditional chancery work including estate administration and probate. 'A very thorough and proactive lawyer.' 'He is very bright, unflappable and good in both pure and commercial chancery work.'"
Chambers and Partners 2016
"He's very highly regarded, and highly technical in his approach." "He offers value for money, is very good with clients, and is able to explain and offer practical solutions which are well received by both clients and solicitors."
Chambers & Partners 2015
"He is an extremely sound lawyer. He deeply immerses himself in the cases that he is instructed in, and has a very client-friendly manner." "His skeleton arguments are excellent and well researched. He does his homework. He's not flamboyant in his questions, but he gets a thorough understanding of the case and presents it accordingly. He's very effective in his cross-examination."
Chambers & Partners 2015
"He gets straight to the point"
Legal 500 2014
"He is an extremely strong advocate; responsive, excellent with clients and a pleasure to work with."
Chambers & Partners 2014
"He has mental agility and the ability to put issues across in a very clear way, to grasp the essentials very quickly and to put it in language that non-lawyers can understand."
Chambers & Partners 2014
"approachable, flexible, and very good with clients"
Legal 500 2013
“James Fryer-Spedding of 9 St John Street is a chancery and commercial litigation purist. He frequently appears in professional negligence, contentious trusts and property cases, among others. An interviewee states that Fryer-Spedding ‘has an excellent reputation. I also have never had a client be disappointed with the way he dealt with a case’… James is ‘highly thorough’ and ‘highly effective,’ admiring sources say. His strong command of legal technicalities was highlighted to researchers.”
Chambers & Partners 2013
"9 St. John Street's James Fryer-Spedding is 'unflappable and excellent with clients'"
Legal 500, 2012
“At 9 St John Street, the ‘intelligent and personable’ James Fryer-Spedding is ‘straightforward and easy to deal with’. His practice is exclusively traditional and commercial chancery, taking in everything from inheritance and succession matters to contracts, property, partnership and insolvency work.”
Chambers & Partners 2012
"recommended for commercial and chancery work"
Legal 500, 2011
"Excellent all round junior - provides thorough yet concise commercial advice"
Legal 500, 2011
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