The Legal 500

Within Administrative and public law (including local government) Administrative and public law – Leading Silks

Within Aviation, Fountain Court Chambers (Chambers of Timothy Dutton QC) is a first tier firm,

Fountain Court Chambers is ‘one of the primary chambers for aviation’. Michael Crane QC provides ‘exactly what one would expect in a top-notch silk’, and is advising the London insurance market on liabilities arising out of the volcanic ash eruption. The ‘very capable’ Bankim Thanki QC is acting for bmi in a scarce capacity hearing. John Taylor is representing Romania’s national airline regarding the alleged wrongful termination of a long-term maintenance agreement. Stephen Moriarty QC is an ‘outstanding advocate with exceptional cross-examination skills’, and Michael McLaren QC is ‘good at coming on board at short notice and getting up to speed quickly’. Rosalind Phelps is often ‘first choice for cases with difficult contractual issues’, James Cutress is ‘very “on the ball”’, and Adam Zelleck ‘a true asset to a team; procedurally brilliant, and tactically and commercially astute’. Akhil Shah QC ‘has justified his elevation to silk; a brilliant mind, great eye for detail, good strategist, very responsive and an effective but understated advocate’.

Within Banking and finance (including consumer credit), Fountain Court Chambers (Chambers of Timothy Dutton QC) is a first tier firm,

Fountain Court Chambers has ‘some of the best names at the Bar in the banking and finance area’. Anthony Boswood QC is ‘hugely experienced and full of common sense’. Michael Brindle QC, who is representing the US trustee on the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, ‘brings his vast experience and strong strategic input to large litigation in a down-to-earth and accessible manner’. The ‘extremely impressive’ David Railton QC recently acted for the defendant in Haugesund Kommune v Depfa Bank. Raymond Cox QC ‘combines a fierce intellect with solid advocacy skills’ and quickly gets to grips with ‘technical banking issues’. Bankim Thanki QC is ‘top choice’ for complex financial markets issues. Richard Handyside QC is ‘extremely clever, very hardworking, very personable’, and Guy Philipps QC ‘prepares terrific documents and is a first-rate advocate’. Andrew Mitchell QC is ‘technically outstanding and combines this with a high level of client focus’. Patrick Goodall ‘keenly appreciates the commercial pressures on clients’. Rosalind Phelps is ‘both impressive in conference and good on her feet’. Adam Zellick is ‘for his level of experience, an outstanding advocate’.

Within Commercial litigation, Fountain Court Chambers (Chambers of Timothy Dutton QC) is a first tier firm,

Fountain Court Chambers is ‘one of the very best chambers’, with ‘the most enjoyable people to work with’. Anthony Boswood QC is ‘full of gravitas’ and ‘insightful and practical advice’. Michael Brindle QC, who has been representing Roman Abramovich in his ongoing dispute with Boris Berezovsky, ‘brings vast experience and strong strategic input to large litigation’. Guy Philipps QC is ‘one of the cleverest barristers around. He is extremely quick at getting to the point, prepares terrific documents and is a first-rate advocate’. Patrick Goodall is ‘someone to watch, he is very practical as well as super bright and always delivers’. Rosalind Phelps is ‘first choice for cases with difficult contractual issues’. Simon Atrill is ‘a star of the future. He is very clever and understated, and has the ability to get his point across without ever causing offence’.

Within Company and partnership Company – Leading Juniors

Within Consumer and product liability, Fountain Court Chambers (Chambers of Timothy Dutton QC) is a third tier firm,

Fountain Court Chambers has a number of ‘very high-quality’ product liability barristers. Members of chambers are predominantly involved in high-profile, high-value matters, recently involving aircraft design and oil drilling. Michael Crane QC is ‘one of the top insurance barristers’ with specialist expertise in aviation-related claims, and Akhil Shah QC provides ‘comprehensive, practical and eminently sensible advice’, and recently acted in a multimillion-pound whisky contamination case. Others recommended include Mark Simpson QC, Philip Brook Smith QC Michael McLaren QC, Marcus Smith QC and Philippa Hamilton.

Within Employment, tier 4

At Fountain Court Chambers, Charles Béar QC is the leading employment silk. Paul Gott and the ‘enthusiastic and committed’ Adam Tolley are also recommended.

Within Energy, tier 4

At Fountain Court Chambers, Anthony Boswood QC and Michael Brindle QC maintain a strong reputation, as does Timothy Howe QC, who ‘cuts through factual complexity and provides straightforward answers’. The ‘excellent’ Richard Handyside QC and the ‘first-rate’ Veronique Buehrlen QC are successful recent silks.

Within Fraud: civil, Fountain Court Chambers (Chambers of Timothy Dutton QC) is a first tier firm,

Fountain Court Chambers is ‘an excellent set for commercial fraud’. Michael Brindle QC continues to act in the Berezovsky v Abramovich case on behalf of Roman Abramovich. Brian Doctor QC has ‘an amazing ability to grasp volumes of detail’, and Stephen Rubin QC is ‘highly responsive and effective’. The ‘highly dedicated’ Simon Browne-Wilkinson QC, Michael McLaren QC, who ’loves to get into the detail and understand the case’, the ‘immensely clever’ Bankim Thanki QC, and the ‘tenacious and very competent’ Veronique Buehrlen QC are also recommended. Patrick Goodall is ‘one of the best juniors in the commercial Bar’, and Adam Zellick ‘always takes a lot of time, care and attention over his drafting’. Simon Atrill is ‘excellent, user friendly and robust’, and ‘superb’ junior Deepak Nambisan is also recommended.

Within Insolvency Insolvency – Leading Silks

Within Insurance and reinsurance, Fountain Court Chambers (Chambers of Timothy Dutton QC) is a second tier firm,

Key individuals at Fountain Court Chambers (a set that ‘can be relied upon to provide very high-quality counsel’) include the ‘nimble and tenacious’ James Cutress. Led by Christopher Hancock QC of 20 Essex Street, Cutress acted for excess layer insurers in a $200m Bermuda Form insurance claim by a major pharmaceuticals manufacturer. The ‘experienced and bright’ Patrick Goodall is recommended for ‘any complex insurance case’ and is praised as ‘diligent, sensible and a pleasure to work with’; definitely ‘one to watch’. Head of chambers Timothy Dutton QC has ‘a brilliant analytical mind with immediate understanding of the issues’. Also highly rated are Stephen Moriarty QC and Michael Crane QC.

Within International arbitration, Fountain Court Chambers (Chambers of Timothy Dutton QC) is a second tier firm,

Fountain Court Chambers has ‘excellent strength and depth in brains and experience, and some really excellent lawyers’. The ‘commercial and pragmatic’ Michael Crane QC is ‘a pleasure to work with’, particularly for insurance and reinsurance matters. Michael Brindle QC is ‘a top name and delivers value accordingly’. The ‘extremely impressive’ David Railton QC is top of many solicitors’ lists. Stephen Moriarty QC is ‘a delight, always responsive, thoughtful, creative and very real’. Bankim Thanki QC has ‘a great reputation, which is justly deserved’. Veronique Buehrlen QC’s ‘ability to grasp complex engineering concepts such as those that arise in the energy world is an invaluable asset’. The ‘very bright and hardworking’ Patrick Goodall is ‘very practical and always delivers’. Deepak Nambisan has ‘a prodigious appetite for hard work and a thoroughly collegiate approach’. The ‘excellent’ Adam Zellick is ‘highly professional, with expert knowledge in commercial law’.

Within Media, entertainment and sport,

Fountain Court Chambers’ Bankim Thanki QC is recognised for his knowledge of image and brand exploitation rights.

Within Professional discipline and regulatory law (including police law), Fountain Court Chambers (Chambers of Timothy Dutton QC) is a second tier firm,

The clerks at ‘exceptional chambers’ Fountain Court Chambers are ‘of a very high quality’. Timothy Dutton QC is ‘highly intelligent, very responsive and adaptable to the needs of the client’, and represented the SRA in Solicitors Regulatory Authority v Beresford and Smith, involving two solicitors facing allegations of professional misconduct relating to their dealings with their Miners’ Compensation Fund clients. Michael McLaren QC has an ‘extraordinary eye for detail’, and the ‘first-rate’ Patricia Robertson QC acted for the Council of Legal Convayancers in Coatman v CLC, Smith v CLC, defending two conjoined actions for judicial review relating to the exercise of the CLC’s powers to make grants from its compensation fund. For junior counsel, the ‘very bright’ James McClelland and ‘formidable’ Marianne Butler are recommended.

Within Professional negligence, Fountain Court Chambers (Chambers of Timothy Dutton QC) is a third tier firm,

Fountain Court Chambers is a ‘top commercial set’ with barristers who ‘are always of excellent quality’, including the ‘exceptionally talented’ Mark Simpson QC; the ‘responsive’ Stephen Moriarty QC, who is ‘a delight to work with’; Bankim Thanki QC, who has ‘impressive attention to detail’; Michael Brindle QC, who is ‘an accomplished performer’; and the ‘very able and intelligent’ Guy Philipps QC. Juniors singled out by clients include Deepak Nambisan, James Cutress, Rosalind Phelps and David Murray. Craig Orr QC recently joined One Essex Court.

Within Tax: corporate and VAT,

Also recommended are the ‘very thorough, professional and concise’ Timothy Brennan QC at Devereux; tax avoidance and transfer pricing expert Michael Green QC (an ‘excellent advocate, with a clear and authoritative delivery’) at Fountain Court Chambers; Philippa Whipple QC of One Crown Office Row; Laurence Rabinowitz QC (‘intellectually outstanding with a calm, reassuring demeanour’) at One Essex Court; the ‘brilliant, smooth, polished, accessible’ Philip Jones QC at Serle Court; and ‘top-level’ silk Timothy Lyons QC, an authority on EU customs and trade duties at 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square.

Within Treasury Panel Lists Junior Counsel to the Crown – A Panel