Gregory Jones (barrister)

Born in 1968 at Dartford, Kent, the son of Colin Frederick Jones and Jeannette Bridget née McDonald, he was educated at Colfe's School (Exhibitioner), before winning the Leathersellers' Scholarship to go up to New College, Oxford, where he read Jurisprudence (graduating MA). He served as President of Oxford Law Society and Treasurer of the Oxford Union in 1986, before pursuing further studies in Law at University College London (LLM), then at the Inns of Court School of Law (BVC).

Jones was selected to tour the US in 1989 as part of the British National Debate Team organized by the English Speaking Union. He was a stagiaire at the European Commission in 1990. Having taken his Bar finals at the Inns of Court School of Law whilst resident at the London House for Overseas Graduates (now called Goodenough College), Jones was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1991, taking silk in 2011. A Lincoln's Inn Hardwicke Scholar and Thomas More Bursar,[1] he was the Jean Pierre Warner Scholar to the European Court of Justice (1995), Jones is a practicing barrister at the independent bar, a member of Francis Taylor Building at the Temple, London, and an associate tenant of KBW Chambers in Leeds.[2] Described in 2017 by Chambers and Partners as "the thinking man's QC" and as "not just the meat-and-two-veg planning silk, he can deal very comfortably with European issues and complexity across the board",[3] Jones specializes in town planning, infrastructure, environmental, EU, compulsory purchase, parliamentary, education, administrative, local government and ecclesiastical law. Jones has also been called to the Bars of both Northern Ireland and Ireland where he also practices as a member of both the Bar and Law libraries respectively.

A Fellow of the Centre of European Law at King's College London, and Deputy Chancellor of the dioceses of Exeter, Truro and Manchester, Jones is a member of the governing House Council of St. Stephen's House, Oxford University since 2011.[4]

A Bencher of the Inner Temple from 2016,[5] Jones also serves as a Bencher of Lincoln's Inn since 2019.[6]

Jones served as a Common Councilman of the City of London for the Ward of Farringdon Without from 21 March 2013 until his election as Alderman on 8 February 2017.[7] A Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Leathersellers[8] serving as Steward then Third Warden, he is also a Liveryman of the Butchers' Company (Smithfield Market being located in Farringdon Without).

Jones served for five years as a Governor of Colfe's School and then for seven years as Governor of the Leathersellers' Federation of Schools (three state schools in Lewisham)[9] and is President of the Sir John Staples Society[10] which promotes cultural activities for the Leathersellers' Federation Schools. In 2018, Jones was also appointed a Governor of Goodenough College.[11]

In 2015, Jones was appointed by the Irish government to chair an independent expert organizational review of An Bord Pleanála, the independent, statutory, quasi-judicial body responsible for strategic infrastructure and various environmental permitting decisions and all appeals from planning decisions made by local authorities in Ireland; the report was published in February 2016 and made 101 recommendations.[12] He is a Director of Eye Solar Ltd, a renewables energy company.[13]

Appointed to the Court of the Honourable The Irish Society and elected FRSA in 2013, FRGS in 2014 and FLS in 2015, Jones is a member of MCC as well as Surrey CCC.

In 1997 Jones married Rosali Margaretha Pretorius, a partner of Simmons & Simmons,[14] by whom he has two daughters.

Jones is the co-author of several leading legal texts including:

• "The SEA Directive - A Plan for Success?" co-edited Jones and Scotford (Hart, 2017);
• "The Habitats Directive - A Developer's Obstacle Course?" edited by Jones (Hart, 2012);
• "Statutory Nuisance Law and Practice" (3rd. Ed.) by McCracken, Jones, and Pereira (Bloomsbury, 2012);
• "Environmental Law in Property Transactions" (4th. Ed.) by Waite, Jones and Fogelmann (Bloomsbury, 2016).

• City of London Corporation
• Farringdon Without