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Jake Thorold
Year of call: 2020
Jake accepts instructions across all of Chambers’ practice areas with a particular focus on public (including Court of Protection), planning and environmental law.
In his first three years of practice, Jake has acted as sole counsel in the High Court on multiple occasions, and has also been instructed as junior counsel in both the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
In 2021-2022 Jake was a Judicial Assistant at the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, assigned to Lord Sales and Lady Rose. In this role Jake was involved with some of the most important cases of the year, including Hillside Parks Ltd v Snowdonia National Park Authority [2022] UKSC 30 on successive planning permissions and Fearn v Board of Trustees of the Tate Gallery [2023] UKSC 4 on the applicability of the law of nuisance in cases of visual intrusion.
Prior to coming to the Bar Jake studied at Cambridge (starred double first), Harvard (full scholarship) and Oxford (top of year).
Jake is a member of the Administrative Law Bar Association, the Planning and Environmental Bar Association (for which he is a committee member), the UK Environmental Law Association, the Environmental Law Foundation and the Court of Protection Bar Association. He is willing to accept pro bono instructions in appropriate cases.
Areas of expertise
Public Law
Jake has a thriving public law practice. His recent cases include:
- R (Shashikanth) v NHS Litigation Authority & Anr [2024] EWCA Civ 1477 – Jake was instructed by Dr Shashikanth in this successful appeal concerning the amenability to judicial review of a decision of an adjudicator appointed by the Secretary of State to determine a contractual dispute relating to the provision of primary healthcare (led by Vikram Sachdeva KC and Admas Habteslasie). The Court of Appeal’s judgment is one of the leading cases on amenability to judicial review and identified as “significant” on Westlaw. Jake was brought in to draft the amenability to judicial review section of the successful appellant’s skeleton argument. See coverage here.
- Hackney children’s centres – Jake was instructed by Hackney families to challenge a consultation exercise carried out by Hackney Council on the restructuring of children’s centres services (led by Steve Broach KC). The Council conceded the claim shortly before the hearing was due to take place. See coverage here.
- R (Maguire) v His Majesty’s Senior Coroner for Blackpool and Fylde [2023] UKSC 20 – Jake was instructed in this important Supreme Court case on the scope of the procedural obligation under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights (pro bono written submissions for MIND led by Alex Ruck-Keene KC (Hon)).
Jake also has considerable experience in education matters, and frequently appears in the SEND Tribunal on behalf of both families and local authorities. He also has considerable public inquiry experience, having been instructed in both the Infected Blood Inquiry (by the Department for Health) and the COVID Inquiry (by NHS England).
Planning and Environment
Jake is a sought-after junior for Planning and Environment matters, both in court and in inquiries. Recent cases include:
- R (Parkes) v Dorset Council [2024] 1 W.L.R. 4337 – Jake was instructed by the successful Defendant Dorset Council in this high-profile case concerning the siting of the Bibby Stockholm at Portland Harbour for the accommodation of asylum-seekers (led by Richard Wald KC). The High Court’s judgment (Holgate J, as he then was) is the leading authority on the geographical extent of planning control at the interface of land and sea. Jake also represented Dorset Council unled in an earlier challenge brought against the Secretary of State. See coverage here.
- RAF Scampton – Jake was instructed by West Lindsey District Council in relation to the government’s high-profile proposed use of RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire for the accommodation of asylum seekers (led by Richard Wald KC). Jake represented West Lindsey in various judicial review proceedings and in relation to the enforcement measures taken against the Secretary of State for the Home Department. The government eventually abandoned its plans to use RAF Scampton.
- Anaerobic Digester in Norfolk – Jake was instructed by the successful South Norfolk District Council in a planning appeal concerning an anaerobic digester plant in South Norfolk (led by Victoria Hutton). Jake took the lead on witness handling for landscape matters and drafting closing submissions.
- Aldi Supermarket, Thames Ditton - Jake was instructed as sole counsel on behalf of local residents to successfully resist a planning appeal for the construction of an ALDI supermarket in Thames Ditton (see coverage here)
- Little Berkhamsted Bridleway Inquiry – Jake is currently instructed by Hertfordshire County Council as sole counsel in a rights of way inquiry concerning the correct position of a bridleway (see coverage here).
Jake is also frequently instructed to provide advice on planning and environment matters. He has also contributed two chapters (on environmental permitting and carbon trading) to the forthcoming The Law of Net Zero and Nature Positive book, edited by colleagues in Chambers.
Court of Protection
Jake is frequently instructed in the Court of Protection on behalf of the Official Solicitor, Local Authorities, Integrated Care Boards and family members. Jake has been instructed as sole counsel in the High Court in Court of Protection matters, and notably was praised by Mr Justice Francis for acting pro bono in a case relating to a seriously unwell teenager (see here).
He has been praised for his ability to quickly absorb large amounts of information, clear submissions and sensitive approach to difficult circumstances.