Clerk Details
- Clerk Name: Sam Collins
- Clerk Email: [email protected]
Overview
Property law specialist Jamie Johnston is based in Birmingham and works across all 3PB locations. He practises in all aspects of property law with particular expertise in boundary disputes, easements, rights of way and commercial leases. He also has a respected practice in sports law, focussing on disciplinary work.
Before coming to the Bar, Jamie spent ten years' building and then selling a national franchising company. At the same time he managed a portfolio of residential properties which he continues to do. This first-hand experience of making tough commercial decisions, dealing with tenants and ensuring profitability has given Jamie excellent commercial insight and robust negotiation skills which he uses in his legal practice.
When not working as a barrister, Jamie maintains his love of sport. He runs and cycles regularly and was selected for the British Triathlon age-group team in duathlon for the 2021, 2022 and 2023 World Championships.
Reported cases
Elias v Blemain Finance [2021] EW Misc 15 (CC)
Expertise
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Property and Estates Add this expertise to your shortlist Jamie Johnston is a property barrister who combines deep legal knowledge and a forensic attention to detail with a healthy dose of pragmatism. He appears across the Midlands and beyond in the Business and Property Court, County Court and in the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).
In trials, clients appreciate his detailed knowledge of the case and forensic cross-examination. When giving advice, clients appreciate his straightforward and pragmatic advice.
Boundary disputes, trespass and adverse possession
Jamie has a well-established practice in cases concerning boundary disputes, adverse possession and trespass. He has acted for claimants and defendants in a variety of neighbour disputes, including trespass and boundary disputes complicated by allegations of harassment and assaults.
Landlord and Tenant
Jamie’s extensive personal experience as a landlord, combined with his legal expertise, means that he is instructed frequently by landlords both residential and commercial. He has given seminars on forfeiture and delivered the 2023 Lexis Nexis webinar update on commercial rent arrear recoveries.
He frequently advises and conducts trials in a range of residential and commercial land disputes.
Covenants and rights of way
Jamie regularly advises and represents clients on cases concerning the enforceability of restrictive covenants. He has advised a number of clients on rights of way, including recently advising a client on a number of issues relating from prescriptive rights of ways established over an exclusive private estate.
Jamie’s recent work has included:
- Junior counsel in a £1.5 million claim for rights in commercial property by virtue of proprietary estoppel.
- Recovered land for a commercial client, defeating a claim for rectification of title and adverse possession, then resisted an appeal against the judgment in the same case, securing costs.
- Successfully acted for residential clients to defend a claim in trespass and to move a boundary with opposing expert opinions and where the boundary features had been destroyed by a landslip.
- Obtained an injunction, and damages for harassment and trespass, in a long-running residential neighbour dispute.
- Obtained orders for sale in two unrelated TOLATA claims, including an order for possession in one of them.
- Advised a landlord in a possession claim where a tenant with a long lease had been subject to a Closure Order.
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Sports law Add this expertise to your shortlist Jamie Johnston is an experienced advocate in, and chair of, sports disciplinary hearings. In recent months he has chaired hearings for UK Athletics, British Cycling and British Canoeing. A number of these included notable complexity, procedural issues and a significant number of allegations.
Jamie has experience in sports disciplinary matters including:
- Allegations of discrimination & racism
- Violent misconduct
- Accusations of cheating
- Social media related misconduct
- Breaches of contract by lottery-funded athletes.
Jamie also brings extensive personal experience in elite sport to his sports law practice. This means that he relates easily and naturally with athletes and coaches. They recognise that his empathy and inherent understanding of their case stems from decades in high-end sport.
As a former professional coach, Jamie has over 20 years of experience working with athletes at every level, from grassroots to international level. He coached numerous junior and senior international hockey players. He worked as a strength and conditioning coach with junior and senior international athletes across five different sports, including a Paris 2024 Paralympic gold medallist.
As an athlete he played national league hockey against numerous internationals and Olympians, and also ran cross-country for Warwickshire. He now competes for the British Triathlon masters team in duathlon.
Jamie has experience in equine matters, especially concerning the mis-selling of dressage horses. He has advised and conducted trials on equine disputes concerning hidden injuries and non-disclosure of behavioural problems.
Recent sports work has included:
- Code of conduct breaches by an elite, funded athlete
- Advising on prospects for alleged misrepresentation in the sale of a dressage horse
- Appeal against sanction for bans imposed on a coach
- Successfully defending a golfer facing a suspension for alleged cheating
- Acting for a swimming club and its executive in disciplinary hearings alleging breaches of NGB regulations
- Allegations of discrimination by a coach.
Reported decisions
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Recommendations "Jamie and I worked together negotiating a national sport contract. He had great attention to detail; displayed speed with which he picked up the issues; had a very effective and measured negotiating style; and was a pleasure to work with."
Rod Findlay, Sports lawyer
“Jamie is an excellent chair on our Disciplinary Panel. He takes a logical and pragmatic approach to cases to ensure a fair and easy to understand process for all participants. He is patient, clear, extremely personable and a reliable and valued member of our Panel.”
Legal manager for a sports governing body
Related News
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3PB barrister Jamie Johnston (pictured here) reflects on his many years of managing a successful business to distil invaluable advice for counsel seeking to rapidly establish strong relationships with their commercial clients. Jamie also considers some key questions for counsel keen to enhance their own practices. Read Jamie’s Counsel Magazine article here (pp 18-19). Jamie Johnston is a civil law barrister specialising in property & commercial disputes and in sports disciplinary work. His busy practice...
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3PB Barristers’ (3 Paper Buildings) specialist civil law barrister Jamie Johnston has presented a webinar for LexisNexis on commercial rent arrears recovery. In his webinar, Jamie covered a range of topics including the options that property owners have in recovering commercial rent arrears and the five steps to choosing the best of these options. Jamie also offered advice on what not to do in cases of commercial rent arrears recovery. To watch a preview of...
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Civil law barrister Jamie Johnston (call: 2016), pictured here, has joined national chambers 3PB (3 Paper Buildings) from chambers in Newcastle and will be based at the now-large Birmingham office. He specialises in property and chancery, commercial disputes and sports law and has a busy practice in the High Court, County Court, tribunals and hearings. Before coming to the Bar, Jamie spent ten years' building up and then selling a national franchising company so brings...
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