The Legal 500

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Index of tables

  1. Company – Leading Sets
  2. Company – Leading Silks
  3. Company – New Silks
  4. Company – Leading Juniors
  5. Partnership – Leading Sets
  6. Partnership – Leading Silks
  7. Partnership – New Silks
  8. Partnership – Leading Juniors

Company – Leading Silks

Company – New Silks

Company – Leading Juniors

48 Bedford Row is unique in that it is exclusively committed to providing counsel on all partnership and LLP-related matters. The set consists of two extremely well-regarded specialists, and ‘the fact that the set is small should not obscure the depth of its abilities and experience’. The ‘technically astoundingRoderick I’Anson Banks is a ‘legendary expert in this area’ who ‘never fails to deliver an exceptional service. He is technically superb and always deeply commercial in his approach’. The ‘very responsiveSimon Jelf is ‘pragmatic but firm in his stance when needed’, ‘very good with clients’, and ‘exceptionally strong on paper and very sound in conference’. Clients appreciate his ‘comprehensive knowledge of the area,’ and his ‘clarity of thought’.

The ‘extremely well-clerkedEnterprise Chambers is very strong in company law, ‘demonstrates flexibility on fees’, and is ‘speedy, efficient and thoroughly professional’. The ‘outstandingBernard Weatherill QC is praised for his ability to ‘establish a good rapport with the judge’. The ‘hardworkingPeter Arden QC is ‘a good draftsman who is also a compelling advocate’. The ‘excellentLinden Ife is ‘speedy in her turnaround times’, and ‘her ability to make a point with the minimum possible fuss is devastating’. The ‘fast, accurate, practical and realisticGeoffrey Zelin is also ‘extremely good with detail, and good with clients’.

Erskine Chambers is ‘pre-eminent’ for company law, with ‘good strength in depth at the most senior level’. The ‘excellent’ Leslie Kosmin QC and the ‘quick and incisiveMichael Todd QC are ‘expert in all aspects of company law’. Martin Moore QCwalks the line between safety and technical innovation extremely well’ and is ‘the leading barrister for Part VII transfers and life assurance issues’. The ‘outstandingDavid Chivers QC is ‘a brilliant guy to have on your team for offshore company work’. The ‘first-classRichard Snowden QC is ‘fantastic for company and insolvency work’, and has good experience in Cayman Islands and BVI-related matters. From the juniors, John Cone’s ‘handling of Companies Court clerks and Registrars is a joy to watch’. Catherine Roberts is ‘commercial as well as legally astute and advises in the overall business context rather than purely on the basis of the black letter law’. The ‘very bright, flexible and supportiveNigel Dougherty is ‘very knowledgeable on company law issues’. James Potts has ‘excellent judgement and a good commercial approach’. Edward Davies is ‘very bright’ and ‘spots the angles others would easily miss’. Stephen Horan is ‘a very strong company law adviser’ and is considered ‘one to watch’, and Ben Griffiths is ‘destined for an outstanding career at the Bar’.

One Essex Court has two highly rated barristers and company law specialists. ‘Exceptional litigatorAnthony de Garr Robinson QC is ‘bright and very quick. He has an excellent manner with clients and is a team player. His ability in court is equally excellent’. Alan Griffiths also has a very good track record.

Praised for its ‘breadth and depth’, Maitland Chambers is ‘a quality set providing responsive and commercial advice’ both on company and partnership law, and has ‘a growing reputation for offshore work’. Catherine Newman QC, who is recommended for company and partnership matters, ‘stands head and shoulders above the rest’ and ‘is a quality practitioner and advocate. Anthony Trace QC has ‘excellent personal skills’, and is a ‘persuasive advocate’ and a ‘first-class cross-examiner’. ‘Approachable yet full of gravitas’, Paul Girolami QC provides ‘considered yet robust’ advice, and Matthew Collings QC is ‘an excellent advocate and strategically astute lawyer’. John Nicholls QC is ‘very user friendly with excellent response times’, and Mark Cunningham QC is commended for his ‘good client care skills, thorough preparation and highly effective performance at trial’. Jonathan Russen QC is noted for his ‘relaxed advocacy style, good paperwork and good manner with clients’, and is recommended both for partnership and company law. Of the juniors, Gregory Banner is singled out for his ‘tactical awareness and ability to see to the heart of the issue and act accordingly’. Rebecca Stubbs is considered a ‘strong performer’, and the ‘absolutely excellentDavid Mumford is ‘extremely responsive, and his advice is always sound.Amanda Tipples QC has ‘an excellent knowledge of partnership law and shareholder disputes’. The ‘intellectually first-rateAndrew Ayres is also recommended for partnership matters.

New Square Chambers has ‘considerable experience in company work’, and is praised as being ‘cost competitive’ and having ‘very reliable administration’. The ‘outstandingRobin Hollington QC is ‘a leading scholar and advocate’ in company law who ‘always turns up trumps on heavy complex matters’ and is commended for his ‘mastery of shareholder disputes’. Stephen Smith QC is considered an ‘excellent strategist with a keen eye for the detail’. The ‘absolutely superbDavid Eaton Turner is ‘very thorough and extremely well prepared, particularly in larger cases’. Clive Jones is ‘a very senior junior who has all the skills of a leader but at a far lower cost’. The ‘very capableSebastian Prentis is ‘very approachable, with good communication skills and excellent attention to detail’. The ‘exceptionally bright and very hardworkingSimon Adamyk is ‘a mighty intellect and brings piercing analysis and meticulous attention to detail to his work’. Clients also praise ‘the technically excellent and very resourcefulJames Bailey, who is ‘a star performer with clients and inspires confidence’.

XXIV Old Buildings is recommended by clients, particularly for its offshore work. The ‘exceptionally goodAlan Steinfeld QC is highly recommended for both company and partnership law, and is valued for ‘his ability to reduce the complexities into a few readily understandable issues’, and ‘on partnership issues, no one is better’. Stephen Moverley Smith QC who ‘does a lot in the BVI’, is ‘clever and easy to deal with’. Francis Tregear QC is also very well regarded, particularly for advising hedge funds on company and partnership issues, and Michael Black QC is a ‘fantastic strategist and a great person to have on, or lead, a team’. The ‘thorough, conscientious and thoughtfulStuart Adair receives positive feedback for company law, and Elizabeth Weaver is ‘a great lawyer and very easy to deal with’. Clients also rate the ‘very approachable, technically strong, responsive and pragmaticRichard Ritchie, both for company and partnership matters.

Ten Old Square has a good reputation for partnership matters, where it has several well-regarded juniors. Jeremy Callman has an especially strong track record, and is among the best in the market. Jonathan Gavaghan is also recommended.

Serle Court has ‘genuine expertise on shareholders rights and partnerships and LLPs’. Clients see it as ‘value for money’, and the ‘clerking team is also friendly and responsive’. The ‘enormously hardworkingAlan Boyle QC is ‘first choice for high-value, complicated Chancery cases’. The ‘excellentVictor Joffe QC has ‘an encyclopaedic knowledge of shareholder and company law’. Philip Marshall QC is an ‘impressive operator’, and the ‘pragmatic and commercialPhilip Jones QC is a ‘smooth operator in court’ who ‘very quickly gets to the nub of the issue and gives clear, comprehensible advice’. John Machell is ‘an excellent lawyer with a keen intellect and a thorough grasp of partnership law’. For partnership matters, clients also praise the ‘excellentJennifer Haywood, who ‘is one of the few who is a true expert in this area. A star of the future’. The ‘bright and enthusiasticDavid Blayney is ‘willing to roll his sleeves up and thinks constructively when faced with difficult legal problems’. The ‘phenomenally brightDaniel Lightmanstands head and shoulders above his contemporaries for company work and is unquestionably destined for great things’. The ‘incredibly hardworking, very brightJonathan Adkin is ‘an absolute star’ and ‘all one could ask for from a junior’. Thomas Braithwaite is ‘incredibly good at recalling minor details on very complex matters’.

The quality of the clerks at 3-4 South Square is ‘excellent’, and while the set is seen is as ‘an industry leader’ for insolvency matters, its barristers are also extremely well regarded for company law and insolvent partnership matters. Gabriel Moss QC is a ‘wonderful strategist and a completely brilliant lawyer’, and Robin Dicker QC is a ‘real brain’ and a ‘brilliant advocate’. Michael Crystal QC provides advice of ‘an exceptional quality’ and the ‘incredibly brightAntony Zacaroli QC produces documents that are, ‘without exception, faultless’. Glen Davis QC is recommended for insolvency-related partnership work.

At 4 Stone Buildings, ‘the whole chambers, including leaders, juniors and clerks, are very approachable, flexible and cooperative’, and the barristers are uniformly ‘outstanding’. Head of chambers George Bompas QC is ‘a tremendously intelligent barrister with great analytical skills’, and his ‘understated approach is incredibly effective’. The ‘exceptionalRobert Hildyard QC is ‘a brilliant and charming advocate and a great choice for big-ticket BVI and Cayman work’. The ‘excellentRobert Miles QC is praised for his use of imagination, and the ‘extraordinarily intelligentMalcolm Davis-White QC is praised for his ‘terrific detailed knowledge of company law’. Among the juniors, the ‘immensely experiencedPeter Griffithsgives frank advice and is not shy to advise clients on difficult decisions or if their case is not good’. The ‘very reliableRosalind Nicholsoncombines a rigorous intellectual examination of questions with a user-friendly approach’, and is particularly recommended for non-contentious company work. Christopher Harrison is ‘a consummate draftsman’ who ‘quickly assimilates detail’. Jonathan Brettler is ‘extremely committed and a great team player’, and Paul Greenwood has ‘a super all-round mix of being clever, commercial and a great trial advocate’. The ‘exceptionally brightRichard Hill is ‘an excellent junior who proffers sound advice’.

Wilberforce Chamberscarries no weak links. Initial enquiries are dealt with efficiently by some of the best clerks in the business, and the set is always able to deliver on deadline without compromising on quality’. Among the barristers, John Wardell QC is ‘outstanding, both highly intellectual and practical at the same time’, and Tom Lowe QC is considered ‘a very subtle and effective advocate’, who is ‘extremely bright, pragmatic and client friendly’.

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