Further consolidating Landmark Chambers’ excellent reputation for planning work, highly rated planning silk Melissa Murphy KC and well-regarded planning and environmental law barrister Dr Ashley Bowes have joined Chambers.
Melissa Murphy KC was appointed King’s Counsel in 2022 and with major clients including the National Trust and well-known national developers, has established a reputation as a go-to silk for heritage and viability work in particular.
Having been featured as a top planning junior, Melissa was recognised as a new silk in the legal directories (Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners) and is the joint second place female planning silk in this year’s Planning magazine survey. She was named by The Planner as a “Woman of Influence” last year.
Speaking about the move, Melissa said: “Landmark is the top planning set in the country, indeed has recently been lauded as ‘Set of the Year’ by the Legal 500. As such, I am really looking forward to beginning the next phase of my planning practice in Chambers.”
Dr Ashley Bowes (Call: 2013) specialises in all aspects of the development and use of land including planning, property, and local government law. He has particular expertise in resolving public access to land disputes including issues concerning rights of way, village greens, commons and highways law.
He has a thriving practice litigating in the High Court and appearing in planning inquiries as well as in high profile environmental law cases. He is ranked in the legal directories as well as being consistently ranked in Planning magazine’s annual planning law survey. He is the General Editor of the Journal of Planning & Environment Law and the author of the 14th edition of OUP’s A Practical Approach to Planning Law.
Ashley said: “The range and quality of work available at Landmark along with an impressive client list made this a natural next step for me as I continue to develop my practice.”
Head of Landmark’s planning group Rupert Warren KC said: “We are thrilled that Melissa and Ashley have chosen to join us. They will undoubtedly strengthen Landmark’s planning group in terms of the strength and depth of service we offer to our clients.
“Their appointments build upon a strong year for Landmark which, so far, has seen us fortunate enough to be awarded ‘Planning and Land Use Set of the Year’ at the recent Legal 500 awards with Richard Moules picking up ‘Planning and Land Use Junior of the Year’ on the same evening. We were particularly delighted to collect the trophy for overall ‘Set of the Year’ which is a real testament to the range of knowledge and expertise that we offer across all our specialisms.”
