Simon Popplewell > Chambers of Kevin de Haan KC and Jonathan Goulding > London, England > Barrister Profile

Gough Square Chambers is ‘a premier chambers for consumer law work‘. Jonathan Kirk KC is ‘a top-class silk‘ and David Travers KC is ‘an outstanding lawyer‘. Recent instructions for the team include Iain MacDonald acting as co-counsel in Soleymani v Nifty Gateway LLC, involving a challenge to the enforceability of the sale of NFT artwork by auction. The claim involved issues arising from conflict of laws and the applicability of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 to the transaction, as well as jurisdictional issues. Simon Popplewell is sought after for his expertise in advising on all aspects of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. Stuart Jessop joined the team in July 2023.

Gough Square Chambers consistently act for many of the UK’s major banks and government bodies across the gamut of contentious and non-contentious regulatory areas, with the chambers having a particular strength in the regulation of retail products. Jonathan Kirk KC acted for Diamond Resorts and Club La Costa in consumer credit litigation concerning the mis-selling of timeshare as an investment, with the High Court dismissing claims for judicial review in May 2023. Stephen Neville continues to be an authority on compliance issues, recently advising Masthaven Bank on its withdrawal from the UK mortgage market and the sale of its almost £500m portfolio. Simon Popplewell brings an abundance of experience appearing before the FCA’s Regulatory Decisions Committee and regularly advises on the FCA perimeter and the boundaries in which parliament limits the regulator to act.

‘Strong in advising on regulatory law,’ Gough Square Chambers has a particular focus on this space on retail products, acting for most of the UK’s major banks, alongside receiving instructions from government bodies including HM Treasury and the FCA. Iain MacDonald has a broad banking and financial services practice, with a focus on retail banking, while Simon Popplewell has dealt with numerous cases before the FCA Regulatory Decisions Committee and other major, including Various SAM Borrowers v Bank of Scotland, with Simon acting for the bank in respect of a challenge to shared appreciation mortgages, where the amount to repay is linked to the price of the property at the time of redemption. The challenges were made on the basis of the unfair relationship provisions in the Consumer Credit Act 1974. Anna Medvinskaia  is a notable junior in the team.